Professions, TV Discussions and Evolution

Ravi PERERA

The modern TV channels are full of discussions seeking aspects of spiritual quest. But will it help the survival of mankind?

It is indeed fascinating to watch certain discussions on religious topics on our popular TV channels. In them often we see well known personalities, particularly those who have attained some eminence in worldly professions rhapsodising on the various aspects of the spiritual quest. God knows we need all the spiritual direction available.

For a small country boasting of a long civilization the amount of moral transgressions occurring here is distressingly high.

From casually polluting the environment around, utterly selfish road use, poor work ethics, corruption, thievery, confidence tricks to murder in plain sight seem to define the temper of the land. And according to sociological studies an amazingly large percentage of Sri Lankans are in need of psychiatric help, a fact perhaps reflected in our high suicide rate.

Pith and substance

It is accepted that the pith and substance of the prominent professions including the various offices connected to their practice are of foreign origin and are deeply rooted in those cultures.

The standard dress of the professionals is undeniably foreign and for that matter seems better suited for colder climes.

Even in the use of the word ‘sir’, commonly adopted when addressing a professional, and is a much sought after recognition of a status locally, we acknowledge the foreignness of the activity now carried out by our dark skinned brethren.

The mode of address is of course only a very insignificant aspect of it. The huge intricate structure, the vast base of knowledge and the guiding spirit of the professions have evolved through centuries of practice in cultures with very different ways of thinking.

They came to us only by way of conquest two or three centuries back. If one takes the Western legal profession for instance, its history runs tangentially to the development of human rights and status.

The rights and the dignity that a citizen is accorded in Developed societies today would have been unimaginable to a person living in the middle ages. If a King of yore was told that laws must be made by a body elected by his vassals he probably would think that this person had taken leave of his senses.

Similarly it would not be possible to a practitioner of absolutism to comprehend that the judicial arm of the State could review his actions in relation to those laws.

And to those who prefer judging by reading tea-leaves it will not be easily comprehensible that the powers of the judicial arm is not unfettered and it should ideally be composed of the brightest and bravest minds of the profession subject to rigorous rules of discipline and integrity.

Same goes for the Medical profession. By painstaking empiricism medical science has developed a service, which has made us a much healthier and stronger race.

Many diseases, which were fatal, only a few decades ago are today controlled by just one pill or an injection. We now live much longer and enjoy an active life to a ripe old age.

All these professions are based on rationalism and their inherent ability to react, adapt and change dynamically to the needs of a fast evolving world.

Religions on the other hand are matters of belief that cater to the vital spiritual needs of man. Most of them began in an era more than two thousand years ago and have been sustained through the years by the devotion of their followers.

They are generally based on the teachings of their founders and therefore have no room for further intellectual development save for matters of interpretation. Historically, depending on the founder, they have developed in certain geographical areas of the globe, obviously contributing to the particular evolution of the peoples in those areas.

Distinct identities

These areas today have distinct social, economic and cultural identities as well as strengths and weaknesses.

By their eager participation in religious discussions the professionals and other learned participants are affirming the truth of the saying that man shall not live by bread alone.

Even those who have become very successful in the pursuit of corporeal careers do feel an undeniable yearning for things spiritual.

According to the anthropologists from the times when the hominids emerged out of Africa about 100,000 years ago faith based believes have played a vital role in their evolution. With all our posturing, contradictions and inconsistencies we remain the descendents of that history.