Truth in Tradition

I'll be diverting away from my book review posts today to write about something that's been on my mind for a few weeks. It is quite personal and I wondered whether there was any point in putting it on the big, scary place called the Internet at all. However I thought that it's something that doesn't only affect me, though I may be one of the few people aware of it and bothered by it. 

The sentimental side of this post is that I came to the realisation that I was and have been properly naive throughout my studies and especially higher education (sixth form and university). The reason being is that I've always understood that when writers or artists were trying to decipher the meaning of life or answer questions on the nature of the world, the miracles of nature or even death, truth, justice and goodness, I've always felt that they have been seeking God and, more specifically, Islam in that it would answer and resolve their conflicts and dilemmas on the nature of the soul or what makes humans distinct from animals and whether other beings besides the ones we see exist and more. Of course I have a bias but for many other believers I can presume they too would feel that people are searching for God and whatever religion they follow (be it Christianity, Hinduism or Judaism). These religions share a core that answers some of the most complex (or even regular) mysteries that modern thinkers struggle with. And so I've listened to lectures on so many art theories and art movements where they attempt to explain life and I always find myself thinking "ooh, they're so close- there's some truth in this but they've missed the mark" or "it's incomplete".

And yet with my latest essay submission (at Masters level) I was granted quite the reality check. My tutor flat out told me that since we're post-enlightenment (pfft), we no longer "need" God and the Transcendent. And so now I'm faced with this strong, secular worldview that only wants to discuss God and religion in order to criticise and undermine them. Consequently, I've come to the realisation that while all these artists (like all humans) need and seek God, their theories are intentionally constructed in a fashion to exclude Him. They're rejecting God and are trying to fathom the world without Him. By doing so they're not only fostering their own egos but also spreading false, delusional ideas to thousands if not millions of people and causing discord in people's minds. I know secular folk like to think they're all open-minded and all but they're imposing this on everyone and not allowing a parallel narrative to exist, like I thought democracies loved and glorified. Without trying to sound like I'm blaming one person for this, as it is a process that has taken centuries to bring to this state, Descartes is a name that keeps coming up and so what he said, did and represented has and continues to create confusion and doubt in the minds of so many people across the world.

My present concern is that Muslims are being slowly influenced by these ideas as they are everywhere, covert and overt, and are identifying a little too much with the mainstream, modern mentality. Nouman Ali Khan even mentioned in one of his lectures that a problem he faces increasingly is that some Muslims are trying to use scientific rationalism (or scientific empiricism) as an approach to understanding the religion and it is not only insufficient but can lead to coming to some extremely distorted and incorrect conclusions (just like the contemporary "thinkers"). I'm at a point now where I'm not only wary of popular fiction and modern/ contemporary/ mainstream literature but now even of the so-called classics that I used to enjoy and find fascinating because I found them more beautifully crafted and written. That's not to say that nothing written post 14th or 16th century isn't worth reading, but I think I'll have to be increasingly critical and/or selective.

I guess I wanted to voice my concern about an anti-tradition and anti-religion narrative that we're well aware of in terms of its most vulgar and apparent levels in some media outlets and political affairs, but that it also exists in the institutions that are praised for their intellectual contribution (though they reject the intellect for pure reason). Let's hope that there's love, peace and tolerance in our hearts and communities that can overcome this hurdle.

The Algebra of Infinite Justice (2002)

The book The Algebra of Infinite Justice is a collection of eight essays written by Arundhati Roy between the years of 1998 and 2002. My edition was published by Penguin Books in 2002 with a Foreword by John Berger and is approximately 300 pages long. It makes a change to have a little more non-fiction on my university reading list and I'm definitely glad this was mandatory reading. I decided to blog about it mainly because it is such a powerful book. So without much further ado and to keep this post brief I'll share some of my thoughts and feelings about the book but will not delve into too much detail, as I think it would be much better for anyone interested to read these with Roy as their first "exposure" because she articulates her points best and I find it useless paraphrasing them. 

Just to be clear as to what you'll be getting when you get hold of this book I'll list the names of the eight essays. In order of "appearance" they are: 'The End of Imagination', 'The Greater Common Good', 'Power Politics', 'The Ladies Have Feelings, So...', 'The Algebra of Infinite Justice', 'War is Peace', 'Democracy' and 'War Talk'.

As you can probably tell, I'm a fan of the book and would suggest everyone read it. The reason behind this is simply because the issues Roy discusses are so important and relevant to our modern society because it brings into question the nature of the world we're living in. Despite these essays being rather "old" the problems raised in the essays haven't necessarily been resolved, if anything they have been aggravated and I think it would be a crime not to be aware of what major crimes are being committed in the name of globalisation and "progress".

What I love about these essays is Roy's unflinching approach and her fact-filled passion. Not only is she well informed, she is witty and critical in her stance. She does not hold back from exposing enormous injustices taking place in her homeland. Roy critiques the decision to adopt nuclear arms, the business of building dams and notions of terrorism and democracy. She even goes on to explore what it means to be a writer and/ or an activist. Echoes of colonial burdens are ever present in her work, as India is plagued by its desire to compete with or please the "first world". She denounces the scale of the havoc as well as the fact that only the poor have to bear the brunt of it all. She provides us with eye-watering and heart-melting facts and statistics, and I personally found it heart wrenching to realise to what extent we, and governments, are disconnected from nature, the earth and a traditional way of life. Our inability to authentically value nature beyond a resource to be monetised is in great part one of the major causes of environmental destruction in our current climate. We need to open our eyes and look at the world beyond the lens of money and profit.

These essays are so valuable to humanity because they are a brave call in the face of superpowers. They are voicing the concerns of the voiceless or even trying to protect those who are uninformed and ignorant to how they're being taken advantage of and disregarded. The works are largely about India but they concern every human being because India is part of the world we live in and the issues in India are replicated in many ways across the world. If I were to say anything to India or any other developing country it would be to stop humiliating yourself before the West and destroying yourself from the inside. Value your people, including the poorest amongst them, and value a simpler, more traditional way of life and you will find harmony and success.