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To get rid of communal blindness

Published : Tuesday, 20 December, 2016 at 12:00 AM  Count : 483
Siddhartha Shankar Joarder
The question is thus importantly discussed in human psychology: is this feeling of
excessive inclination towards fellow citizens appears to be bad? At once, it follows more critical question: is nepotism unjust?

It is hardly denied that human being, by nature, is a communal creature and perhaps this tendency adheres to the higher animals more prominently than the lower responsive animals usually do. And, this communal feeling is a psychologically prominent than any other motivations we do have. In Howrah station, Kolkata, last month when I was in a hurry to catch up the connecting train of Jadavpur University, one of my little known Bangladeshi gentlemen with whom I didn't talk ever in my small town, suddenly hugged over with extreme joy. His sudden approach to me was not quite unnatural, I understood; but on the contrary it was the expression of the most fundamental human character that is supposed to be powerful.  Kolkata is an unknown place to both of us but he thought me dear to him, in spite of having little acquaintance, among all other unknown faces. As a result, I became much desired to him in an ocean of unknown darkness. Indeed, emotion sometimes subjugates the barriers of personality.
This happens not once in my life but I come across time and again the experience when I usually find many people of my hometown including rickshaw puller in Dhaka city. One day, a poor rickshaw puller declines to take the fare when he comes to know that I am a man of his hometown. This happens of course in many people's life, I believe, in different places of the world. This feeling is sometimes called empathy or fellow-feeing. The question is thus importantly discussed in human psychology: is this feeling of excessive inclination towards fellow citizens appears to be bad? At once, it follows more critical question: is nepotism unjust?  
Numbers of banners, festoon, advertisement, and processions are often seen in every big city in the name of local welfare committee namely Harinakundu students welfare Samitee, Borura Chattra Kollan Samittee etc, which is aimed at gathering together to share the common feelings they hold. In most of the cases, this kind of attitude is named 'nepotism' which is basically considered to be the worst form of undemocratic ideals of human mind. So, if kindness to others is thought to be humanely justified, what is wrong with the term 'nepotism?'
To answer the question, let's move to a recent event in United States. Donald Trump is favoured by the American origin and extremely chided by all the floating people come to live there. Although America is a land of immigrants; however, xenophobia is supposed to be common in American society. So, if this is happened and reflected in the election held last month, what should be the reason to pull him down? In his pre-election campaign he warned all the recalcitrant immigrants to kick out from his homeland. In spite of having serious vulgarism in approach Donald makes the comment which, in fact, most people in the world hold and practise in their daily life. It becomes a common character in present day world that people are now more individualist than ever. This happens either in Europe or Asia or Africa or even in the place of Lord Gautam where he once preached peace and universalism.  
But, communalism in a broad sense is criticised in democratic society. Equal attitude and even opportunity for all regardless of their origin and beliefs are seriously solicited in all democratic nations.  Barak Obama soon after his election told a young girl, "We don't have enough empathy in our world today, and it is up to your generation to change that."  Importantly, empathy here he meant for all the people living in the world not exactly for the black, the white or the Hispanic etc.
Sometimes, if not always, empathy has been in serious problem that finally leads to act unjustly. A judge in bench never acts on empathy because it never permits them to be compassionate during writing judgement. A good father in spite of having excessive compassion in heart never feels trembling to hang his own son after judgement. Opposition party in politics always vociferates and criticises the ruling party not to favour their own men for undue opportunity. So, who will be favoured? The answer is none. Everyone should be equal before justice. What do we understand by equal? All people are not equal in the merit or talent. Will not someone be favoured for his talent?   
This is obviously a big problem for mankind: which one the best for them -- empathy or antipathy? There are certain reasons to be kind to others but not to favour unduly on the question of opportunity in a given circumstance. On the contrary, unkindness is possibly the worst form of human disposition that takes ever. Obviously, it makes a serious issue for the present day, why people are gradually losing the ground not to make shift with their kind and humane character or why the people of present day lack empathy? On the other hand, people of the present time are much more portioned and deliberately do involve in selfish track.
For obviously, "compassion" and "empathy" are not synonymous what Peter Singer says in his interesting column "The Empathy Trap" in the project syndicate. He indicates that to be against empathy is not to be necessarily compassionate.  Paul Bloom a psychologist of Yale University writes in his famous book Against Empathy about the difference between these two. He learns that compassion meditation is "a warm positive state associated with a strong pro-social motivation."
However, it still makes us disturbed in some ways that how people can get rid of their communal attitude. Communalism in many ways disturbs human progress. Among many others, religious communalism is terrible. It takes away all good senses of human being and destroys democratic ideals. In addition, colour, gender, regional communalisms are also fatal in some degrees. Human societies around the world are really exhausted with all these mental misappropriations.  
To conclude the essay I need to add more essential paragraph here to address the problem. The tendency of communal disposition is fundamental or psychological and obviously it is impossible to dislocate it from the mind. Despite the fact, it needs another thing to consume this primary tendency and this is ethical and non-communal studies. And it can only meet the problem and it can make our mind resilient.  Human reason should take over the charges to guide the essential human desire.r
Dr Siddhartha Shankar Joarder is Chairperson, Department of Philosophy, Jagannath University, Dhaka





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