It was truly refreshing to see the Blood Man of India, Mr. Prakash M. Nadar, who has donated blood 128 times, coming to our land with the call to join the mission of love.
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It was truly refreshing to see the Blood Man of India, Mr. Prakash M. Nadar, who has donated blood 128 times, coming to our land with the call to join the mission of love: reminding us that donating blood is the highest form of love and service.
1. All of us are ‘Fed-up’
We have been accustomed to see individuals and groups that condemn and ban, others that issue threats and ultimatums, others that plead and request, and now we find a group that confesses being “Fed-Up”. They state: “we are not accusing; we are not attacking any individuals or groups or organisations. But we are here to talk about a system that has transformed the abnormal to normal”. It is in this situation there comes a prophet with the” mission of Love” as the Morung Express puts it, or of “Love that flows” as Eastern Mirror suggests.
2. Awake-up call
The “Fed-up group” unwittingly has expressed the situation of our society as a whole. All of us are fed-up! All our attempts at change have proved inadequate. The Revival Festival of December and other similar gatherings have made us believe that everything is not as dark as it appears. And now the “Revival Torch” movement of NBCC comes to revive our hopes. It is a clarion call to reclaim our sacred vocation “to shine forth God’s light amid growing moral, spiritual and societal darkness”. This is a wakeup call to remove the darkness by lighting the light of Love, the only lasting foundation of any society.
3. Let Blood and Love Flow to give Life
It is a matter of some consolation that the “Shed no more Blood” campaign of the Naga Mothers has by and large been successful. Now the Blood Man’s arrival is a further reminder to let blood flow to give life and never to take life. And while we promote blood donation, it is a call to let ‘Love flow’.
There is a liquid form of the blood that runs through our arteries and there is an invisible but equally or more powerful source of energy that can flow from the heart through our lips and limbs: Love. Unfortunately, often it is hate that flows instead of love. The primary demand of the Fed-Up group is regarding the agreement between the government and the Naga community. That is surely important. But it is equally important to promote the flow of Love and control and eliminate the flow of hate.
4. Stop the flow of Hate
According to one estimate, there are at present 49 wars in progress in various parts of the world, the ones between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Hamas being the most destructive. But the war of words is often more damaging than the war with missiles and bombs.
Look at the type of communication that is prevalent today: The TV debates, the social media, political gatherings, party forums! Hate and violence, sarcasm and insults have become so common that they seem to be normal. Things that until few years ago could not be said by anyone without risking the loss of universal respect, can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest of terms, even by Public leaders!
5. Beware of the Anonymity of the Internet
And now, the anonymity provided by the digital media creates a sort of social bonding that encourages remarkable hostility, insults, abuse, defamation and verbal violence destructive of others. And this occurs with a lack of restraint that could not exist in physical contact without tearing us all apart. This is seen above all in the phenomenon of trolling!
6. Words are not ‘hawa’, but Energy
Unfortunately, we forget that words are not mere ‘hawa’. Words and feelings produce vibrations which are a form of energy that is a sensible and physical reality. Science has proved that words of peace harmony, joy, etc. produce beneficial effects on the neighbourhood including on humans and animals. Words of hatred, anger, jealousy envy, etc. produce negative and harmful effects.
Let’s begin!
Love, like freedom requires constant vigilance. Is it not high time that we form groups that promote Love and eliminate hate? That is not an easy task. As a first step, let’s agree to use only speech that promotes love and harmony and avoid words that incite hate.
Fr. M.P. Thomas SDB
(Bosco College of Teacher Education)