"Of Gods and Men" : the way religion and democracy could still be.

For a long time now religion and democracy have not enjoyed a good press.  I am certain arguments may justifiably be made in favour of exceptions to my assessment, but in some measure I think the opprobrium has been deserved. Religious movements have proved intolerant and "democratic" politics have in the main proved useful only in preserving the status quo : a status quo typified by our obeisance to the will - as well as to the rule -  of the wealthy and powerful. By wealthy and powerful I mean those who, in the final analysis, can afford and are prepared to use the most deadly weapons of destruction to coerce the end they desire. Perhaps it is sad to note that the exercise of this oppressive influence has often been supported by religious movements.

It seems strange to be writing this as if it were a paradox but the potential for good in humankind is almost invariably a founding principle of most religious and democratic movements. This potential would be manifested by a society in which everyone is sincerely and uncynically trying to lead a better life in the service of others ; in which each listens to, and values  the views and decisions of others at the same time as sharing -  on an equal basis - the natural riches provided by our planet and our universe.

Seeking potential for good in religion and democracy in our present oppressive social weather  may seem a quixotic quest promising little fruit.  Occasionally however contrary signals can appear from unexpected places and I believe such a one may be found in the  film  Of Gods and Men  which is  based on the true story of 8 French Cistercian monks who in the mid-1990s were living and working in a monastery situated in the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. As the film begins the quiet, modest lives of reflection and useful activity led by the monks is disrupted by a series of events which puts them in danger.  How the monks respond to these situations stirred in me feelings -  which I had thought lost in the labyrinth of my cynicism  -  about the  possibilities for good in humankind.  Watching Of Gods and Men I could begin to rediscover religion symbolised by a quiet life of service and by pure democracy. To be sure each of the monks is a real human being with strengths and flaws yet I could not help but be moved by the patience they as a group devote in calmly proceeding to a gently achieved consensus about the decisions they take.  In what for others might seem an impossible predicament, the monks sustain love and regard for each other, for the people they serve and for those who are intent on harming them.

The film seemed to ask me to weigh the value of a satisfaction gained by listening to, and serving others without demanding or expecting greater material reward against a satisfaction gained by the accumulation of wealth and by the undue wielding of intellectual, political, physical and military power.  The end of the film which is both tragic and noble left me to wonder if the kind of satisfaction embodied in the lives the monks through their beliefs and their activities is the only source of power that is worth our faith, that is truly democratic and so may be used for the good of all. I don't know, but the story of these monks has persuaded me that in future when I am writing this blog I will attempt to express my views in a more considered way and so, I hope, in a more considerate way.




Reference

Of Gods and Men (2010)  Director : Xavier Beauvois 

Iraq, Iran, Israel, the United Kingdom, Weapons of Mass Destruction and a very naughty boy

     My history teacher told us that for our own safety and wellbeing our government in the UK never allows its citizens to forget that Iran is a very nasty and evil country. Now Iran may not have invaded any other country recently but it would be very ignorant and uneducated of us to think this is a good thing. In the 1970s Iran did have a battle with Iraq when Saddam Hussain was the new head boy of Iraq and at that  time Iraq was a very good thing. Later we changed our minds and Saddam Hussain and Iraq  became very naughty things and because of that we invaded them and smashed them to pieces. We invaded them because they had weapons of mass destruction and though they didn't actually have them our government said it was all right to pretend that they really did have them.  Now that Saddam Hussain has been executed and Iraq has been smashed to pieces it has become a very good thing again and we're not to worry that it has become a very dangerous country for its inhabitants to live in.

     My teacher also said that history tells us Iran has never been a very good thing, well certainly not since that very nice man the Shah was the head prefect there and now our government has spotted that Iran is developing the capacity for nuclear weapons of mass destruction and that Iran has become an even more very evil thing.  Our leaders are saying we might  have to think about smashing it to pieces because apparently it might attack  Israel, a little country which doesn’t officially have nuclear weapons and yet actually does, but don't worry about that for our government says it is OK to pretend that Israel doesn't have nuclear weaponry.

     Before I go to bed tonight  I will obediently wish for a privatised health service, a private police force to defend the property of rich folks,  and I will loyally pray for awful things to befall Alex Salmond,  Dennis Skinner, fat people, welfare cheats, schoolchildren whose exams are too easy and all the rest of the feral underclasses who have broken our nice home counties society, - yes while I'm doing all that -  I  promise to understand why my government thinks it is a good thing that we have nuclear weapons and a bad thing that those terrible Iranian leaders have them. 

     The leaders in our government tell us the citizens of Iran live in fear of their government - that’s terrible.  A  naughty boy in my class called Noam says we should be in fear of our government because it is spending a lot of time thinking about which evil country we  can next smash to pieces without any danger of that country smashing us to pieces in return. Noam says that in order to give itself something to do while it makes its mind up about this, our government has decided to declare war on all its poor citizens. 

     Fortunately none of us good boys listen to Noam.