Extremes
Increasingly, the call for the adoption of the middle path in all things is being ignored. In this age, perhaps more than in any other, we are unfortunate witnesses of the rise of extremism, in matters ideological, religious or political. This most certainly does not bear glad tidings for us all; an extremist view in anything in life does little to enhance our relationships on a personal or international level.
Put simply, in almost anything, taking an extreme stand is likely to bring more trouble than good. The evidence of history, the evidence, probably, of our own experiences is proof enough for that. Yet amazingly, we never seem to learn our lessons; and now we face an onslaught of extremism, one that somehow or rather we have to contend and deal with. Try not to misunderstand me; I am not against having strong opinions about anything, being rather opinionated myself. What we must guard against is pollution of our minds to such an extent that there is no longer any room for the opinions of others. The overpowering sense that we alone are right. That is extremism and that is what brings about so much of the trouble in our world today.
Let us begin by examining the genre of extremism that concerns all of us on a global scale – religious extremism. Religious fanaticism is understandable to some degree. After all, you are likely to take a strong stand on something if you believe it concerns the salvation of your soul. However, as earlier stated, strong opinion does not, and never will equate to extremism. Staunch faith in whatever you profess should be encouraged so as long as it is for the good of yourself and thy neighbour. The moment this slips into extremism, trouble is brewing. Since the turn of the century, we have been preoccupied with the advent of terrorism, not because it is a new fad, it most certainly is not, but more because for the first time, religion is being used as a tool for violence on such a global scale. Hardly a week goes by when there are fresh reports of some Islamic radical somewhere stirring a storm, in a teacup or otherwise. Make no mistake; Islam is no violent religion, no matter what some might say. It is a religion like the others, peace loving and holy in its own right. The faith of the Muslims, seen in their faithfulness to prayer 5 times a day and their commemoration of Ramadan among other practices, is something to be admired. What then, distorts the facts and turns some into radicals? Certainly, it is the extremist interpretation of this great religion. We know that Islam does not promote or condone the slaughter of innocents, yet extremist elements of the Muslim people have caused the death of thousands upon thousands upon thousands, in the Middle East, in Africa, and even in the West.
There is the new line of advertisements here in Singapore urging us to not be affected by terrorism. It is easier said than done but we have so far been spared an attack possibly because of the moderate nature of our Muslim community. Much has been made of our apparent inter-religious harmony. A continuity of this trend may only continue if we do not fall to extremism. It is a mutual thing. On one hand, Muslims must remain moderate and not be indoctrinated with extreme radical thinking. On the other hand, the non-Muslim population cannot be anti-Muslim, an extremism in itself. In Singapore too, we very recently read of an issue being made of the ethical issue of whether we should be allowed to preach of our religion freely. Basically there is nothing wrong with having a desire to evangelize, but for doctors to do it at a patient’s deathbed is just morally wrong. In a word, it is extreme. It is somewhat ironic that in this, a more modern age than ever, we see a desire to return to more traditionalist roots. This is apparent in the emergence of Christian ultra-rightists. It is dangerous, at any level, to take your religion absolutely. God, after all, is not a black or white God; He is very much a gray one. For one to adopt an extreme an absolute stand on religion makes him, in essence, not much different from a radical terrorist, for it all stems from the same source.
An extremity, at any level, to any degree is offensive and negative. Consider all the negative words one can be called, racist, sexist, ageist or hedonist. All these indicate some extremism and as you can well tell, it is not very complimentary. Look at all the atrocities of years gone by, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, all these men are extremist in their own undesirable ways. The lesson is for us to take, let the warning bells sound for us if ever we should head off the main road.
mark nicodemus at 11:42 pm