love

Jawaharlal Nehru has once said ‘Who indeed could afford to ignore science today? At every turn we have to seek its aid. ….The future belongs to science and those who make friends with science.’ That was one of the solutions suggested by the first prime minister of India for the multitude of problems faced by free India. It is true that science provide specific solutions for all our problems. It is stunningly effective in a universal manner and accepted by every culture globally. This doesn’t mean that it can replace the role of traditional belief system in a culture.

In Bible, the book of Sirah 18: 9,10 says ‘If a person lives a hundred years, he has lived an unusually long time, but compared with all eternity, those years are like a drop of water in the ocean or like a single grain of sand.’

The focus of science is mainly on the visible 100 years of life on this earth. The objective mind of science readily accepts this reality, since there is undisputed proof for its existence. Making this visible life ‘heavenly’ for the welfare of humanity has been the main aim of science. There was a recent advertisement of the Taj Group of Hotels – ‘If Kerala Is God’s Own Country Then Welcome to Heaven’ showing the facilities provided there. The only requirement for achieving this ‘scientific heaven’ is money.

The main focus of Christianity is a secure eternal life. When compared to eternal life, visible life over here is like a drop of water in an ocean or like a grain of sand in the desert. Such a vast dimension of our life, if it is real, should not be ignored out rightly by the scientific mind. The statutes for attaining eternity is presented in Mathew: 25: 35 -40

‘For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me:

Sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me…… Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.’

This solution for humanity’s woes, where human virtues are given priority ensures cooperation among human beings. It considers everyone to be members of the same global family.

Science provides technological solutions to help humanity in making their life easier. Cooperation among individuals is mostly limited to the success of the technology. Then the interaction comes with the media and the market. Scientific man without the concept of eternity has lost the meaning and purpose of life. Human values of love and mercy are gradually being lost.

Understanding the new friend (science) of humans and defining its arena in determining our life is important. The religious dimension incorporates the visible as well as the spiritual aspect of man. Religion understands man as a whole and gives direction, meaning and purpose to our lives. Science comprehends only the objective nature of life. Science adopts a neutral attitude regarding the human virtues and when it is allowed to continue unchecked, it is spiritually corrosive burning away ancient traditions and culture. The power of discretion is with the user.