Should man be judged for his past
or should he be judged according to his present circumstances. Upon the
appointment of Pope Francis I, many controversies regarding his past from a “love
affair” to “political tryst” has surfaced. I wonder if this is the fate of all public
figures. Interestingly Cardinal Bergoglio was already holding a supreme
position in Argentina but during his tenure there, even gossips of his past were
not heard. But today ironically the loudest resentment is from the Argentinians
themselves. Is this a curse that follows such elevation?
King Ashoka (273-232BC) the
Mauryan Prince who became King after the mysterious death of his 100 brothers, and
who had equal rights to the throne, will be a good analogy to explain this
phenomenon. Historians had speculated that Ashoka had a hand in the conspiracy.
His reign began with much bloodshed and mayhem. He was known to be a violent
King who led the Kalinga war in 260BC. But today Ashoka is a revered figure
both spiritually and for his governance. Spiritually, Ashoka was instrumental
in propagating Buddhism, and governance, because of his excellent practice of
good governance in his kingdom. After pursuing a violent path, Ashoka turned over
a new leaf via self-realization. Today the Kalinga war is a mere mention in
history but his good deeds had surpassed and overwhelmed the torment that he had
inflicted.
Similarly there are many
characters in history that personify this pathway. Hence it gives rise to a dilemma
of perception. Should men/women thus be judged for their present or past? Both
the institutions of divinity as well as secular thinking prescribe to the
concept of forgiveness. If so why such anger and aggression towards the
beholder? Sometimes it raises questions on the motives of such actions. Why not
then, why now?
Even in an organizational context
in managing performance, a tardy performer is given an opportunity to improve,
and he/she is not denied of future undertakings in the event he/she excels
later.
"Forgiveness is the
fragrance that the Violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it" - Mark
Twain once wrote. I have faith in humanity, and so do many. The sustainability
of the future depends on how we construct the present with the wisdom of the
past.
Mr Ravi, we need not be judgmental yet we are, what could possibly be the reason? The human beings have a natural curiosity over anybody's success and a cruel satisfaction over undermining their success by revealing their past to overshadow their present success or their lifetime achievement. who has escaped it, including Gandhi? However, we age gracefully or turn awfully negative personalities, depending on what we were endowed with in the past. So much so we are advised by Gurus to surrender completely, not to make ourselves the reason behind any of our actions as all of us are vulnerable to the idiosyncrasies of life, In that sense, we do not learn or unlearn from the past, WE ONLY REACT just to the moment.
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