S. Henri Rita Mary
‘Two eyes — but a single vision. Five fingers — yet they function in unison. A great variety of organs — but they all make one body’. When the parts of our body are healthy and function normally, then the body is in order. If any part of the body is weak or unhealthy, it brings disorder. In the same way the society also should provide harmony to the people for their social development and welfare of the society, only then the society functions well. The extra concern for the least is not just a matter of choice, but it is a moral test of a society in measuring the level of maturity a society has reached.
Reason for Option for the Poor:
For a Christian, who seeks to imitate the life of Christ, it is a commitment connected with her/his calling to be a Christian life. But it applies equally to all in any society with their social responsibilities and hence to their manner of living. This leads to the logical decisions to be made concerning the ownership and the use of common possessions. The Bible gives us the story of the Last Judgment (Mathew 25:31–46), which reminds us that we will be judged by our response to the “least among us.”
Two-third of people live in poverty in our country, with people belonging to different religious, racial, cultural identities. However, in the current scenario, various events are affecting the harmony of the community. Harmonious community is the hallmark of democracy of any nation. In the harmonious community the people of different religions, castes, and sex live together with love and peace among them.
All religions preach to us to live in harmony, peace, and togetherness and to spread out the fragrance of love. They inculcate tolerance and acceptance of all religions and faiths, with sacrifices. The time has come for all mankind to recall our heritage of living in harmony. Living in harmony is no longer an ethical principle; it has to be a way of life.
The references for harmonious society in our ancient scriptures speak in one voice: All human beings all brothers. The Constituent Assembly reflected the ethnically, religiously and linguistically diverse groups that made up India. The fundamental duty of the citizens in Part IVA. Article 51-A (e) of the Constitution says “it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities.” For achieving the goal of fraternity as given in the preamble there is need of an emotional bond with the territory, its culture and traditions and the common ancestors.
The entire community must frame an action based on common interest and we have to make the fabric that assures every citizen of a life of dignity and self-respect with peace and harmony. We must all work shoulder to shoulder for the development of the nation. Other than this, the government has to take more concrete initiatives for taking the communities into confidence with socio — economic aspect also. But in reality the Government seems to be dividing the community, which is visible more in times of crisis as of now through its activities — lockdown, mass migration, the absence of transport, the growing of poverty, snub the farmers struggle, voting pressure etc.
Our role in creating a harmonious community:
By strengthening the respect for human beings and the sense of his/her dignity;
Putting ourselves in situations where we will meet people of other creed, cultures, castes etc.;
Promoting the understanding, tolerance, gender equality and friendship among all people and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups;
Listening to people’s stories to get a fuller picture of their feelings and the richness of their lives;
Appreciate the uniqueness of ethical values and their life style;
By enabling all people to participate effectively in a free society.
Conclusion
Living Harmony does not mean that we are all mathematically equal and say the same thing. Just like various instruments in an orchestra are not similar, but contribute to the harmony by building relationship to the total melody, so too when human beings are different, they could live in harmony by building relationship to one another. We could work together to develop and nurture the future generation, to promote freedom, security and peace. Each of us can build the kinds of communities we would dream of. In our families, organizations, institutions, neighborhoods, and nation we need not remain isolated from those who are different from ourselves. The three words BSC is the essence for the citizens of our nation that is Bearing, Sharing and Caring. Bear the inconvenience of others for us, share our views and news on harmony with others and offer our caring for the needy people in our mother land for harmony living community with diversity.
About the Author
S. Henri Rita Mary is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Coordinator for Foundation Course, Arul Anandar College, Madurai. She is pursuing Ph.D in the Performance of External Sector. She published articles in Economics, Women Empowerment, Caste in Contemporary India, Sustainable Development. She has organized many programmes for women in and around Madurai as a Director of Women’s Studies Centre of Arul Anandar College.
