My World View - Mizo Christians and Racism

My online life hasn’t been too active albeit frequent mail checks, scrap checks and visiting misual.com. In those times being online, I have come across some few topics that have captured repeated comments. Yes, I am also talking about racism in today’s world, and the concerns raised by the experiences of Mizos outside the state and inside. And it has brought me to an attention which I feel I should also raise from an ethical and religious perspective, a Christian perspective in attempt. Having grown and lived outside Mizoram from the early 1980s, till the days I worked in Mizoram, I have come across and experienced racism in several forms. It reminds me of what a stand-up comedian, Russell Peters once said, that Indians are among the most racist people. Mizos included.

What remains to be examined is the response of Mizos in Mizoram. I have come across remarks like, ‘we were humiliated and cruelly treated upon, and there is no way we should show non-mizos mercy when in Mizoram.’ I was shocked at the response, considering our utmost appreciation and fanaticism of the Christian belief and our acclaimed state of Christianity. I do highly regard each person unique and that they have their own rights as human beings. Yet, in spite of that, our response to people of different race needs to be re-examined. Most of the non-mizos in Mizoram do know the fact that they are living in one of the most peaceful state in India, and where the majority of the populace is Christians. But, our attitude to them, quite un-Christian I should say.

Why?

I would say, in my humble opinion, our (Mizo) difficulty in practicing what we preach, possibly me included. Our Christianity is presupposed to be confined within the four walls of the Church building and the ever frequent ‘lengkhawms’ that we have. And we judge our Christianity, not through ethical and social attitudes, but in the frequency of our prayer routine and spiritual dances. We forgive without forgetting. Condemnation has become one of the major topics of sermon. We take pride in denominationalism. We abhor publicly so many things we do in private. We forget also that the people who introduced Christianity were those who were most brutal and warlike, among the most racist of races. Instead of only picking out Christian ideals and practices from them, we follow their lifestyles instead. Isn’t it time we change, starting from ourselves. And the youths are the ones to bring out the needed change. Else, we all know where all this will lead us into.

Sometimes I wonder whether the non-mizos in Mizoram would see us as practicing Christians. Our faith is not how we look at ourselves, but how people see us. If what we believe is correct, shouldn’t it show, I wonder. I fear that visitors to our land would not notice that we are Christians. I must add, the size of our church building will not deepen our faith. Our action needs to speak louder. The Christian ideal is so moral and good to be hidden or practiced in private. Let our action attract people to this faith. When this Christian ideal reigns supreme, I believe our racist attitude will die out gradually because the Good Book teaches the equality of every life.

What Dreams Come True?

You must have heard the oft-mentioned phrase, 'dreams do come true.' I heard it too. But with questions. Not that I like asking questions, but this phrase had me pegged down for quite sometime. Well it never told you the kind of dreams that come true. Let me clarify myself with these questions: What kind of dreams come true? Is it dreams about work and employment, dreams about success, dreams about love and partners for life, or dreams of fantasy and desires? Or is it dreams conclusively comprising all these and others not mentioned? Lets just say dreams differ as much as people differ, and that a person can have many dreams or no dreams at all, a single dream or still in the process of forming that dream. I confess I am a dreamer of many dreams, and I intend to make some of them come true, I mean if I can't make every dream come true.

One of my earliest dreams was having my sight filled with scottish landscape and its people. Many reasons, one being that as far as my little head can let me recall, we (the scots and Mizos) are the only people called HIGHLANDERS!!! Secondly, I am charmed by their poets and writers, by their missionaries and philosophers, and the pride in which they uphold themselves. I have desired to be able to walk and climb the highlands, look at the majesty of their castles that fills the skyline of their towns and cities. To all these, I have made the dreams come true. But, one rather ludicrous desire I had was to get me a picture taken with a scottish piper in scotland. I have whizzed passed them on many occasions while travelling, and have also walked passed them in the streets on my way to college. In many of the occasions, either I have a camera without a photographer or a photographer without a camera. They eluded me for such a long long time, I was filled with despair for my time in Scotland was really really running out. So one day, I took the wife for lunch and there I saw a sight that had always eluded me. The PIPER, he was just a few paces in front of me. I had a camera, and a photographer!!! And the result is this picture posted about these writing. I am still in the hunt for a colourful Piper still.

All these experiences taught me one thing. Pursuing dreams can be a cumbersome process, no matter how big or small the dream is. But, once accomplished, it is all worth it. You set new dreams to scale and make come true. So, my questions about dreams coming true has been clarified; the phrase 'dreams do come true' can mean any kind of dreams.

Psychological Strategy

Here is the statue of the man Bill Shankly. Any avid fan of Liverpool FC will know how important this man was and is to the club. My endeavour here is not to detail at length his achievements let alone his biographical details. During our recent visit to the museum and stadium at Anfield ('our' refers to me and the lovely wife), I came across a very wonderful weapon employed by the late Shankly to visiting club players. It is in every football lover's intellectual capacity to know that both teams have to walk toward the field from their respective changing rooms. In doing so, they have to pass through the tunnel pictured below, with the poster saying in bold letters 'this is Anfield'.When Shankly put up the poster, he had two thoughts running in his mind; one, to weaken the opposing team, and two, to encourage the home team, obviously. Shankly knew that in approaching the field (with the loud cheering of the fans outside echoed in the tunnel), this poster would remind the opponents where they were playing. It was to shake as much confidence from them as possible. In the meanwhile it was to forecefully tell the home teams that 'this is where they belonged, where they are in control, that Anfield was theirs'. Imagine the opposing players, probably the newly signed and the young players, coming to play here, with the crowds awaiting to jeer, had to look at this before reaching the grounds, it will never be the best feeling... exactly what Shankly had in mind.