26. PHILOSOPHY AND GOVERNANCE

26. PHILOSOPHY AND GOVERNANCE

True philosophers have a reputation for being eccentric; they are also recluses, not wishing to mix with people. Not that they dislike people, but they live in the world of their thoughts, in their mind, in their Self.

Alexander and Diogenes

The story of Diogenes and Alexander is well known. Alexander visited the philosopher at his place, and asked him what he desired , so that he (Alexander ) would fulfill it. According to Plutarch, Diogenes simply said: "Yes, stand a little out of my sun." (Don't obstruct the sunlight falling on me.) Alexander was so stunned by the simple grandeur of the philosopher that he is reported to have said:  "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes! "




Diogenes' reply is supposed to indicate his cynicism, but we need not take it so. The man was so happy or contented as he was, he did not need anything else. Dr.Samuel Johnson commented on this incident, relating it to the way how other people waste our time. " But if the opportunities of beneficence be denied by fortune, innocence should at least be vigilantly preserved. Time ought above all  other kinds of property to be free from invasion ."

I think there is another lesson in it. Alexander could have taken it as an insult by a good for nothing man and dealt with it accordingly! But Alexander was Alexander and knew his limitations against the power of true philosophy, and he respected it. The point is, philosophy and philosophers can flourish only when the rulers respect them even if they do not understand and follow!

Arts and Patronage

Literature, arts and finer aspects of human endeavour used to flourish under the patronage of royals and nobles. There should at least be no hindrance from these quarters. But for the arts to attain excellence, there should be stable governance and peaceful society, which facilitate appreciation. We learn how the arts and literature flourished under the Guptas and Krishna Deva Raya.

Not only literature and the arts, even domestic life cannot be happy without proper governance. The Mahabharata says that a king ought to remove fear from the minds of the people. We have a remarkable incident from the Sangam Tamil literature Purananooru. There an old poet is found without apparently a care or worry, with no grey hair! People ask him for the secret. And he says:

யாண்டு  பலவாக நரையில  ஆகுதல்
யாங்கு ஆகியர் ? என வினவுதிராயின்
மாண்டவென் மனைவியொடு மக்களும் நிரம்பினர்;
யான் கண்டனையர் என் இளையரும்; வேந்தனும்
அல்லவை செய்யான், காக்கும் ; அதன் தலை,
ஆன்றவிந்து அடங்கிய கொள்கைச்
 சான்றோர் பலர் யான் வாழும் ஊரே.

 If you ask me how I am without grey hair in spite of my years, listen. My wife is of a noble disposition, my children are well behaved. My servants obey me.  The king refrains from unjust acts and protects Dharma. Above all, in my place live many noble people who lead a disciplined life, controlling the mind, restraining the senses and  quietly pursuing the higher goals of life.

This shows how the good life, philosophy and good governance are intimately connected.

Alexander Diogenes?
Philosopher-Kings!

"If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes "- this is a remarkable statement. But it still falls short of the ideal! What if he had been Alexander Diogenes? Some people do say he had the steak of the philosopher in him.

That was the ideal held up by Plato. The ideal ruler must be a philosopher in the sense of lover of wisdom.He said:

, "philosophers [must] become kings…or those now called kings [must]…genuinely and adequately philosophize" (The Republic, 5.473d).


 And wisdom for Plato is not just learning but the experiential knowledge of Truth behind the phenomena of the world- what he called archetypal entities behind the forms we see in the world. Such a king would lead a simple life.

Philosopher-kings in real life?


Was it a mere wish? It is said that Archytas, a Pythagorean philosopher  and political activist in the city of Tarentum who was a friend of Plato was the model who inspired his idea of the philosopher king. It is only in Marcus Aurelius that we truly encounter a real philosopher-king in the West. It is said that Matthias Corvinus, the king of Hungary-Croatia from 1458 to 1490 was inspired by Plato's Republic and tried to live according to that.

In modern times, the authors  of the American Declaration of Independence display the traits of philosopher statesmen.

 Drafting of the Declaration: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson. Adams and Jefferson were the second and third Presidents,


We find the  noblest of all modern political sentiments laid down as the foundation of the Constitution:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

In the whole of modern political science, it is impossible to find nobler philosophy as guide to national affairs.

Nearer our own times, Dag Hammarskjold, the second UN Secretary General (1953-61 ) can be considered a philosopher-statesman.He had said in a speech:

Photo: UN/DPI

 "But the explanation of how man should live a life of active social service in full harmony with himself as a member of the community of spirit, I found in the writings of those great medieval mystics [Meister Eckhart and Jan van Ruysbroek] for whom 'self-surrender' had been the way to self-realization, and who in 'singleness of mind' and 'inwardness' had found strength to say yes to every demand which the needs of their neighbours made them face, and to say yes also to every fate life had in store for them when they followed the call of duty as they understood it." 

His diary "Markings" is a remarkable document.

  Vaclav Havel, the Czech President displayed a philosophical trait, advocating among others- anti-consumerism, humanism and environmentalism.
(photo credit: CESKA UNIE KARIKATURISTU )



Rajarishi

We in India have long been used to the ideal of the philosopher king, called the Rajarishi. They were Realised persons, engaged in service of society as Kings. Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna of Janaka and such others of old and asks him to follow them. In India the king derived his authority  solely as the upholder of Dharma and was responsible for the maintenance of the moral order. Tiruvalluvar, the Tamil Saint-Poet devotes twenty verses to describe what would happen if the king followed the Dharma and did not follow.

ஓர்ந்து கண்ணோடாது  இறைபுரிந்து யார்மாட்டும்
தேர்ந்து செய்வதே முறை.         541

Deliberating the will, and not leaning to one side; being impartial and consulting with the knowers of righteous law: that is the way for proper governance.


வான் நோக்கி  வாழும் உலகெல்லாம்; மன்னவன்
கோல்நோக்கி வாழும் குடி.         542

The world looks up to the rain cloud for life; so do citizens look up to righteous rule for protection.


அந்தணர் நூற்கும் அறத்திற்கும் ஆதியாய்
நின்றது மன்னவன் கோல்.          543

The just sceptre of the ruler is the mainstay of the science of the Brahmins  and the foundation of Dharma.

முறைகோடி மன்னவன் செய்யின்  உறைகோடி
ஒல்லாது வானம் பெயல்.            559

If the ruler swerves from justice and righteousness,  heavens will not send showers in their season.

ஆபயன் குன்றும் அறுதொழிலோர் நூல்மறப்பர்
காவலன் காவான் எனின்.            560

The udders of cows will dry up, and the Brahmins will forget their science if the ruler falls from righteousness.

These were the ideals under righteous monarchy. People now will ridicule the idea that rainfall is directly related to the righteousness of the rule. The idea of normative righteousness will itself be questioned in a modern democracy.

When Dr.S.Radhakrishnan became our President, some people rejoiced saying that this was like the idea of philosopher-king becoming a reality! But it was vain thought. Radhakrishnan was an able exponent of our philosophy, not a philosopher himself. As President, he had no substantial powers under the Constitution. He was a figurehead, but he did lend tremendous dignity to the office. We have not reached those heights again! None of the subsequent incumbents of the office could hold a candle to him.

Overarching moral order

 The ancients  believed in an overarching moral order which regulated everything. The Greeks  believed that it was man's duty to follow that order in his own life too: personal life should reflect and follow the cosmic order. It was the duty of the ruler to promote the conditions necessary for people to follow such a life style. It was the practice of the Greek rulers to organize festivals in honour of their gods in which all citizens were expected to participate as part of their civic duties!. They could subscribe to any philosophy, but the traditional gods had to be honoured! It was  part of the duty of the State to promote loyalty to the national ideals in religion and philosophy!To inculcate in the citizens the right spirit, they staged the Tragedies as part of the festivals. The Tragedies had heroic characters and showed how they were like toys in the hands of the gods! Sophocles wrote that mortal life was hard, and one had better get used to it!

Masters of Greek Tragedy: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
From: You Tube.

Socrates

 It was one of the charges against Socrates  that he neglected to honour the gods! This was of course false, and it was made due to political rivalry. Socrates in his defence did show how he had participated in the festivals and honoured his domestic gods.

Thus we see that though the popular conception of the philosopher may be a solitary figure, avoiding much social interaction, philosophy as such cannot flourish in the land unless governance is congenial. 

15.SING WITH SHAKESPEARE-9

15.SING WITH SHAKESPEARE-9

Man is born free?

"Man is born free but he is everywhere in chains" said Rousseau. If you really think about it, a more nonsensical statement has never been made upon this wide earth.

No man is born free. A child is born to particular parents, living in particular society, at a historical moment, following a particular religion (or even no religion), speaking  a particular language, etc.  These are the chains with which the child is born. Some chains may be of gold, some of iron, but chains nevertheless. All these are comforts or constraints with which the child has to live, and which the child has to outgrow! Rousseau was speaking in the context of modern states suppressing our physical and civic freedoms. But the very notion that a man is born free is silly to the extreme.

Philosophically , both our external environment and our internal equipment  ( sense organs and mind with its innate tendencies ) are fixed when we are born. Hindus believe this is how karma works.

No man is born free. But everyone can attain freedom: this is the message of Hindu and Buddhist dharmas ! This is the spiritual  hope for humanity.

We are not free to choose our parents or siblings! We cannot change our mother tongue, though we may disown it, and learn any number of other languages. Just imagine what it means to be born a Tamilian in Karnataka, or a Hindi or Telugu speaking person in Tamil Nadu in the linguistically divided India! You are branded for life as non-local, even if you may live there all your life! Non-Hindi speaking people are born second-class citizens in free India! 

In India, one cannot shed or even change one's caste, though the State claims to work for casteless society.

Similarly we cannot choose our siblings! Nor can we choose the time of our birth- which century, era, decade, etc! One may say these are gifts of the gods or decrees of fate! But surely, these are not signs of freedom.

Friendship

One area where we do seem to have freedom is to choose our friends. In reality, our choice is limited to the immediate circle in which we move. Not many of us can choose, fix or change that circle! People used to speak of pen pals; now many avenues of available through the Internet. But do they lead to lasting friendships?

Close comradeship develops in some professions, like in the army when members of a unit face a common danger. But do they all develop into 'friendship' ? [ Nevil Shute wrote about one such relationship in his beautiful novel "The Chequer Board " in the light of military background, though off the battlefield. This is broadly about the true brotherhood of man,  not of close friendship.]




We have many acquaintances. Even in cities where we live in close proximity to  others, we can hardly call them friends or neighbours! We have too many contacts, too little of real friendship. Something is lacking in modern life.

For most of us, our real friends are those of our school days. The classic example we have is of Krishna and Sudama! However, we are reminded in the Mahabharata that true friendship cannot flourish between an aristocrat and a man of poor circumstances, though learned, in the story of King Drupada and the Brahmin Drona. In working life, we have many associates but few of them emerge as real friends.

 Benjamin Franklin said:

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.

We can consider ourselves lucky if we have a single true friend in life. Tiruvalluvar wondered what is there in life so difficult as to acquire friendship!

செயற்கரிய யாவுள நட்பின் ?  781

He wrote 10 couplets on the nature of friendship, and 20 more warning us against wrong or unworthy friends!

There are many passages in Shakespeare which celebrate friendship.

The Winter's Tale

From Folgers Shakespeare Library.


Here we have Hermione, the Queen of Sicily asking  King Leontes's friend Polixenes, King of Bohemia, of their boyhood days.

Come, I'll question you

Of my lord's tricks and yours when you were boys.

You were pretty lordings then?

Polixenes

We were, fair Queen.

125Two lads that thought there was no more behind

But such a day tomorrow as today,

And to be boy eternal.

Hermione

Was not my Lord

The verier wag o'th' two?

130Polixenes

We were as twinned lambs that did frisk i'th' sun

And bleat the one at th' other. What we changed

Was innocence for innocence. We knew not

The doctrine of ill-doing nor dreamed

That any did. Had we pursued that life

135And our weak spirits ne'er been higher reared

With stronger blood, we should have answered heaven

Boldly, "Not guilty"; the imposition cleared,

Hereditary ours.

Hermione

By this we gather

140You have tripped since.

Polixenes

O my most sacred Lady,

Temptations have since then been born to's, for

In those unfledged days was my wife a girl.

Your precious self had then not crossed the eyes

145Of my young playfellow.

Hermione

Grace to boot!

Of this make no conclusion, lest you say

Your queen and I are devils. 

This shows how associations formed in younger days can turn into lasting friendship. Yet, there is a hint that even such friendships may suffer when they marry! But here the queen is showing good humour and joining in the fun and banter!

Sonnet 29

In the Sonnets, we have heavier stuff. Here in Sonnet 29, the poet thinks of his friend when his luck has deserted him!

When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon my self and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,

Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate,

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

We are reminded of the lines 

"Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends."

in that wonderful  movie 'It's a Wonderful Life'.[ Frank Capra,1946 ]

{ Incidentally, Capra was a different kind of movie maker. He said: 

My films must let every man, woman, and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other. }

In the Tirukkural we have the comparable line:

அழிவின்கண் அல்லல் உழப்பதாம் நட்பு. 787

Friend is he who keeps you company in misfortune

4ooth Anniversary edition by Simon&Schuster, 2016



Sonnet 35

We have some heavier stuff in Sonnet 35 where the poet talks of forgiveness among friends.

No more be grieved at that which thou hast done,
Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud,
Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,
And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.

All men make faults, and even I in this,
Authorizing thy trespass with compare,
My self corrupting salving thy amiss,
Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are:

For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense,
Thy adverse party is thy advocate,
And 'gainst my self a lawful plea commence:
Such civil war is in my love and hate,

That I an accessary needs must be,
To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me.

Forgiveness or mutual give and take for offences committed without thinking!

It is one of life's great pleasures to be blessed with a true friend. Hindu scripture goes to the extent of praying that one should not be in the state of friendlessness!

ऽनमि॒त्रं च॒ मे

Anamitram cha mae

(Sri Rudram- Chamakam, 3)

So, let us vote for lasting friendship!

Note:

Though Cinema can become a creative art form with great possibilities, the industry has descended into infernal depths. Frank Capra noted in his 1971 autobiography:

The winds of change blew through the dream factories of make-believe, tore at its crinoline tatters.... The hedonists, the homosexuals, the hemophiliac bleeding hearts, the God-haters, the quick-buck artists who substituted shock for talent, all cried: "Shake 'em! Rattle 'em! God is dead. Long live pleasure! Nudity? Yea! Wife-swapping? Yea! Liberate the world from prudery. Emancipate our films from morality!".... Kill for thrill – shock! Shock! To hell with the good in man, Dredge up his evil – shock! Shock!

We have descended even lower since then.

14.SING WITH SHAKESPEARE-8

14.SING WITH SHAKESPEARE-8

Three famous portraits of Shakespeare.By Brice Stratford (Own Work} via Wikimedia commons.

Shakespeare the poet


Shakespeare is mainly regarded as a dramatist. That means his plays are in the form of dialogues between characters, and at times soliloquies. However, most of his plays are in the form of poetry! Simply on the basis of the quality of his poetry, Shakespeare ranks as the greatest English poet.

His language as a poet is a very effective tool to convey ideas. More than that, he used the occasion of the incidents  in the play (story) to convey higher truths which go beyond the story. And these truths have a universal bearing, going beyond the characters in the play. It is this universal quality which endears Shakespeare to all of us. It is Uncle Shakespeare speaking those words, not an English dramatist of the 17th Century.

Each of his plays contains many lines worth memorising. We can pick memorable words from almost any page.  Many compilations of quotations from his works have appeared; though good in themselves, none has done full justice to the genius of Shakespeare. They are all fine scholars and lovers of poetry who made those compilations, but we need not go by their choice and tastes. As we go through his works and start underlining or highlighting the words and verses that appeal to us, we will make a personalised collection, and will realise how huge it turns out to be! 

School of life

Life in society affords opportunities for display of contrary and conflicting emotions. We are as easily provoked as pleased. Neighbours are not necessarily friends, nor are members of the same family  all overflowing with the milk of kindness . Brothers become estranged, and strangers close.
As Shailendra once wrote:

दिल की ज़ुबाँ अपनी है, दिल की नज़र भी अपनी
Dil ki zuban apni hai, dil ki nazar bhi apni
पलभर में अनजाने से पहचान भी हो जाए
Palbhar mein anjaane se pahchaan bhi ho jaaye
पहचान दो घड़ी की, बन प्यार मुस्कुराए
Pahchaan do ghadi ki, ban pyar muskuraaye
दो दिन की ज़िंदगी रंग लाए
Do din ki zindagi rang laaye
एक आए, एक जाए मुसाफ़िर, दुनिया एक सराए रे
Ek aaye, ek jaaye musafir, duniya ek saraye re
एक आए, एक जाए मुसाफ़िर
Ek aaye, ek jaaye musafir.

If we speak the language of the heart,  if we see with the eyes of the heart,
In a trice a stranger may become well acquainted; 
Two minutes' association may make us smile in love!
Even a short life may be colourful.
One comes, one goes, this world is like a travellers' hut!
One comes, one goes!

Society is the real school where we learn human virtues and values. Scriptures may tell us to love our neighbours or enemies, to turn the other cheek, to bless those who persecute us. It is easy to recite these verses in a temple or church. But we have to practise them on the street!

Many noble virtues

 We know mercy, kindness and forgiveness are  moral virtues advocated by saints and holy persons. Life in society provides the context for the cultivation and display of these virtues.Shakespeare writes about them in many places. In Hamlet, his hesitation to take revenge on his father's killers makes him even  consider suicide ! He contemplates whether it would not be better to suffer than to inflict suffering:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them

In Macbeth, we have Lady Macbeth  fanning his ambitions, but chiding him for his hesitation to kill, because he is too full of kindness:

Lady Macbeth:

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promis'd. Yet do I fear thy nature,
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way.

The Merchant of Venice

We have one of the most loved passages in The Merchant of Venice where Portia, in the guise of a young lawyer tells Shylock about mercy:

The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.

Therefore, Jew, 
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.



Trial Scene. www.shakespeare-online.com. Accessed: 17 April 2017
"Mercy is above this sceptred sway"

"mercy seasons justice"

Oh, what immortal lines these!

Justice v mercy

It is the very essence of Christ's teaching that Portia is touching here, For, in the so called Lord's Prayer, the prayer that Christ himself taught to his disciples, he said:

Forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive them that trespass against us.

We cannot expect mercy from God unless we show mercy to others. Hence our salvation lies in mercy, not justice.

For us of the Hindu persuasion, law of Karma ie justice is considered inexorable. We pray for mercy and forgiveness against the rigours of Karma. Buddhists believe that  Lord Buddha has forsaken his own Nirvana in order to help humanity, to the last man.

In this background, we can appreciate that Portia is here expounding a moral principle, and a spiritual quality, and not mere civic goodness.

As You Like It
There are occasions for us to show kindness, short of mercy, though the difference only seems to be one of degree! In "As You Like It " we have  Oliver recounting the kindness of his brother Orlando, from whom he was estranged.

A lioness, with udders all drawn dry,

Lay couching, head on ground, with catlike watch

When that the sleeping man should stir—for ’tis

The royal disposition of that beast

To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead.

This seen, Orlando did approach the man

And found it was his brother, his elder brother.

ROSALIND
But to Orlando: did he leave him there,
Food to the suck'd and hungry lioness?


OLIVER
Twice did he turn his back and purposed so;
But kindness, nobler ever than revenge,
And nature, stronger than his just occasion,
Made him give battle to the lioness,
Who quickly fell before him: in which hurtling
From miserable slumber I awaked.







 from: turtledove.wikia.com Accessed: 17 April 2017

What a beautiful verse we have here !
"Kindness nobler ever than revenge" ! 
This reminds us directly of the Tirukkural:
இன்னா செய்தாரை ஒறுத்தல் அவர்நாண
 நன்னயம் செய்து விடல்.      314

How does a man punish them that have wronged him? Let him do them a good turn and make them ashamed in their hearts. 
As Buddha said, hatred does not cease by hatred; it only ceases by love.


Measure for Measure
We have this short and sweet passage from this play:


No ceremony that to great ones 'longs,
Nor the king's crown, nor the deputed sword,
The marshal's truncheon,nor the judge's robe,
Become them with one half so good a grace
As mercy does.
Thus we see that though Shakespeare is not a moral philosopher, he does not desist from upholding and advocating age-old moral precepts which have guided humanity, and which have universal validity.