Religion, as it is called, the divine code of ethics, conduct and behavior and divine code of wisdom, is a strange paradox in the history of human civilization. History of religion and human civilization goes hand in hand. Both have been, at times, progressive and evolving and decaying and regressing. It is, in fact, a history of human species. The primitive human was simple in his psyche because metamorphosis from animal to human had been relatively new at that time and he still considered himself as an integral part of nature like all other animals. I presume it was much later in the course of evolution that he became “Conscious of his own consciousness” as Marx has put it. Again, I think, it was a long-drawn-out period before human could put his consciousness to use.

During those early ages thinking processes were simple. The great poets of Vedas and fathers of law in Mesopotamia were yet to be born and the epic battle of Mahabharta was still to be fought in an era that was far down the road. That was the time when there was simplicity in human interactions and means of production and distribution. The prime-motive of life was struggle for survival and the fittest must had been surviving. However, that was precisely the time when human brain had been evolving slowly; and surely playing a role to bring about new ways and means to ensure provision of food and shelter for himself as opposed to his counterparts in the rest of animal kingdom.

At this point it seems logical to assume that it was the evolution of brain in physical and psychological sense that played the major role in saving Homo sapiens from extinction unlike many other species. Small bands of human started to live together and merged with others to form bigger groups, making their relations more complex. Obviously, need to ensure access of basic necessities for children, elderly and sick was the major task in front of thoughtful elders of those societies. The basis of those thoughts was love. I think it was the love of human for each other that helped them create the first primitive law to govern their interaction and to ensure safety of those who were in need.

I am sure that the first law must have failed too and left people wondering why did the initial idea of caring for each other based on love could not stand on its own. Thus, the concept of good and evil came into being. It was the stark reality to see the failure of first law and recognition of inherent presence of good and evil in the fabric of human that, when coupled with the psychological desire to understand the meanings of life, gave birth to the concept of a divine force and a divine law called ‘The Religion’.

I said earlier that religion is a strange paradox in the history of human civilization. Against the backdrop of my introductory paragraphs, it is easy to see that it is not the religion but human that is the most strange paradox in the history of his own civilization. There is no doubt that religion has done wonders to change the consciousness for good and for bad. The icons of goodness like Mother Teresa and evil incarnate like Hitler are scattered in the whole history.

The practical reality in the 21^st century is much different. Human has developed science and technology, means of production and distribution are very complex, religious experience is divided and its history is distorted. But human continues to be made up same flesh and blood. Human psychology at one level has become more convoluted but at an instinctual level pain and pleasure and feelings of love and hate continue to remain the same. This presents us with a challenge!

Human psyche has an intrinsic desire to connect with the past and future and to make the present comfortable and secure. The wonder of birth and fear of death, sense of awe with nature and feeling of humility in the face of natural calamities have always prompted human beings to set out to uncharted waters and unknown skies to harness nature. This process would continue as long as human harbors the same psyche as it does now.

During this process of discovery, apart from individual quest, there is a civilization that is based on science and technology for good reasons. It is important to understand that scientific paradigm as powerful as it is; alone is not sufficient to assure human aspiration and dream for comfort, security and peace. As a matter of fact, modern civilization has developed more brutal mean of destruction than destructive powers of nature combined. The desire for peace and preservation of human is a shattered dream. Quite ironically, religious code of morality and non-religious code of ethics have not been able to convince human not to develop such means of annihilation let alone use them for one irrational reason or other. The desire to acquire means of human survival and to make life comfortable has reached a pathological level called greed. Modern technology in the hands of greedy consciousness presents a very grim scenario. This is where the dream of peaceful coexistence has shattered.

What is the way to go back to the fundamental principles to ensure life, liberty and happiness? I believe, the rationality of human has to play its due role to restrain irrationality that is also part of human nature and which has been called, in religious experience, as evil, devil and Satan. These are symbols of a collective human experience. I have used the word “Rationality”, which is very much a secular term. I may say that even rationality is no less than devil when it operates without love and compassion. Thus we see that there is no devil and no God that exists beyond human existence. Both of them live here and now. Both of them live in every human. It is human who is good embodied and it is human who is evil incarnate. It is human who holds the key to destruction and it is human who holds the key to peace in 21^st century because human beings are potential good and evil both, at the same time like past generations. It presents the same old but great challenge again for this generation!

Where should we go from here? There are a few of options to choose from. Should we go back to classical divine religious paradigm which has failed human many times over or scientific material paradigm? There are two systems based on scientific materials paradigm, capitalism & socialism. Individual and societal experience under capitalism and socialism is not any different from each other. Religion has a history of more than 10,000 years. So many religions with so many messages of human wellbeing are, as a matter of fact, a testament to the failure of religious approach. They have been divisive as a whole. Divisiveness woven in the fabric of capitalism and socialism is also well known.

We are left with no option but to create a new paradigm of unified consciousness and social harmony. It is difficult to do away with divisive consciousness that human race has come to learn over ages. It is a big challenge for human to search his soul to find what went wrong in the course of social evolution that human has become his own enemy. Where has the love that helped us formulate the first law disappeared? Where is even the inspiration to love each other? Where has it vanished?

This question and many more questions of same kind have made human feel empty inside. There is a void inside that some people call ‘A spiritual void’. This is truly an era of a spiritual void because the laws for coexistence are there but inspiration to live by those laws is no longer there. Laws without spirit are just empty slogans. The mechanical civilization may have killed the spirit. I feel we may have come back full circle in an attempt to revitalize human spirit. Human beings need a higher ideal for sake of inspiration and motivation to abide by those laws. Human does not need any new law but he does need a new spirit.

Who knows, we recreate God as an inspirational force for ourselves in 21^st century and who knows we recreate what Greeks called ‘Agape’ – “Love of God operating in the human heart” (1). Or who knows some of us transcend beyond age-old symbolism of God and do good for sake of good because that is where our collective salvation lies. All of these are human possibilities and I believe any or all of these possibilities may come true in 21^st century. In Frederik Nietzsche’s words in his book Thus Spake Zarathustra, “On earth there is nothing greater than I. It is I who is regulating the finger of God”.

Even in religious tradition, the chief operative is still human who will have to get hold of his own destiny and work for consciousness of peace and harmony within himself, with other fellow beings, all forms of life and nature. If a religious principle is conducive to it – Fine. Human species ought to retain it. However, the divisive consciousness of religious-psyche ought to go. The human will succeed even if he has to create a new religious code or a new non-religious social philosophy to raise a new consciousness that will keep cultural diversity but works for a common human dream. This is not an event. This is a process that takes time. It is a slow and laborious process. It takes a collective effort for a shared ideal. Survival of human species thus far is proof of its vitality, which appears to me like a ray of hope and sufficient reason to believe in an optimistic future.