St. Thomas in India a fable? And the larger picture...
Chanced upon this very intriguing set of articles recently. Found it to be a telling reflection of the times mankind has been through:
http://hamsa.org/01.htm
This is not the first piece I have read on the destruction of Hindu temples and culture and the subsequent supression of such facts by well-orchestrated contrivances controlled by forces opposed to Hinduism masquerading in many forms. Whatever the truth is, we probably will never get to know, so it may be best to reserve judgement and leave our prejudices behind. The sad fact still remains that, where researchers of history and journalists could be the most useful resources, they could also be (and probably are!) the most wretched and depraved liars that money could buy.
"It is because journalism is so exploitive of people and events that the only redeeming feature of the profession is the moral obligation to tell the truth."
The truth is NOT out there.
Over and over again, we are subjected to news and information that is filtered and censored by powerful sieves designed and manipulated to distort our perception of the world to an extent that we only see what they want us to see, and hear only what they want us to hear. We are already indoctrinated by our education and hypnotized by our upbringing not to look beyond what we are shown. Do we care enough about a history so long forgotten to know if it is the truth? Why should we want to know if an event that does not materially affect our lives is actually reported in truth , without motives, ulterior or otherwise?
See, that's the tragedy.
What we need is a shake-up in our attitudes, to wake-up from indifference, to become aware and to seek the truth. Indifference is certainly worse than inaction. For, someday in the future, it may be too late to care.
The saving grace is:
We still can choose to believe what we want to believe inspite of the tireless propaganda of invisible forces.
We still can choose to trust or distrust these sources.
But do we?
PS: On a lighter note, did you hear that Fox, BBC and a dozen other news companies are diversifying into the semiconductor industry and even the textile industry? The word is that it is only now that they have realized their true abilities to fabricate.
http://hamsa.org/01.htm
This is not the first piece I have read on the destruction of Hindu temples and culture and the subsequent supression of such facts by well-orchestrated contrivances controlled by forces opposed to Hinduism masquerading in many forms. Whatever the truth is, we probably will never get to know, so it may be best to reserve judgement and leave our prejudices behind. The sad fact still remains that, where researchers of history and journalists could be the most useful resources, they could also be (and probably are!) the most wretched and depraved liars that money could buy.
"It is because journalism is so exploitive of people and events that the only redeeming feature of the profession is the moral obligation to tell the truth."
The truth is NOT out there.
Over and over again, we are subjected to news and information that is filtered and censored by powerful sieves designed and manipulated to distort our perception of the world to an extent that we only see what they want us to see, and hear only what they want us to hear. We are already indoctrinated by our education and hypnotized by our upbringing not to look beyond what we are shown. Do we care enough about a history so long forgotten to know if it is the truth? Why should we want to know if an event that does not materially affect our lives is actually reported in truth , without motives, ulterior or otherwise?
See, that's the tragedy.
What we need is a shake-up in our attitudes, to wake-up from indifference, to become aware and to seek the truth. Indifference is certainly worse than inaction. For, someday in the future, it may be too late to care.
The saving grace is:
We still can choose to believe what we want to believe inspite of the tireless propaganda of invisible forces.
We still can choose to trust or distrust these sources.
But do we?
PS: On a lighter note, did you hear that Fox, BBC and a dozen other news companies are diversifying into the semiconductor industry and even the textile industry? The word is that it is only now that they have realized their true abilities to fabricate.
posted by Srihari at 11:40 AM
4 Comments:
I didn't read the entire article, for a start, because it is poorly written. (and for a second, because its too long).
But to me, the important question is not what happened historically, but how do I connect it to my beliefs; The existence of any god or religion for that matter, to me, is always a question of belief. To seek validity for these beliefs through archaeological data, seems absurd, and risky - would we be then willing to change these, if data shows otherwise? OR, would we look selectively for data that supports our beliefs?
Yes, academically, its important to move towards a more and more accurate history. But I would not really allow that to dictate my beliefs.
So, for e.g. if I believe that its important for me to respect people at an individual level, irrespective of their affiliations, then while it may be historically true that many Hindu temples were destroyed by Muslims etc,that doesnt change my beliefs. I would be wary of making too strong or direct a link between the past and the present.
Apu, I have patches of agreement and disagreement with your views expressed.
Firstly, yes, when it pertains to beliefs and changing them, it is a personal matter and I dont think its not only about religion or God. My basic point is maybe what you call academic.
But,I'm concerned with the truth for the sake of justice, for the sake of posterity and for its own sake. History cannot become a pile of lies where pick what you want, if youre in luck, it could be true!
And since public memory is too short, what is a blatant lie today could become the sacred ,inviolable, universally accepted truth or history in the future. My views are also fueled by considerations on matters of world politics in the last few decades or so, when mainstream journalism got adulterated with big-money politics.
On a last note, I would anyday prefer to know the truth even if it is indigestible rather than false, ready-to-eat, delicious propaganda.
There's an old adage: history is always on the side of the big battalions...
I really doubt we can have history that is only and nothing but the truth...simply because, in the final analysis, it is we who record it...and well, we are only human (I'm sure you see the irony)...
Monk, you are indeed wise. We are "only human"...and it makes me sad.
Post a Comment
<< Home