O That Macbeth had read a poem…

When stones start sparkling with emotions, literature can be said to have performed its part to perfection.

By Jernail S. Anand

It is the fear of consequences of being good, straight, honest and kind that most of the people have said good bye to this domain.

There is so much evil in the world, that it is no exaggeration to say that evil dominates the human psyche more than any other emotion of love or compassion. Macbeth and Dr. Faustus appear as objective correlatives of evil. But this article questions were they entirely evil? Was there no goodness in their character? Is goodness an outer growth over evil, or is evil an outer growth over good? My thesis is that all men invariably are made of the shining stuff, and evil is a super imposition, and can be erased with sharp tools of wit, wisdom and satire.

The animals and birds also indulge in killings but this violence cannot be classified as Evil. So far as human society is concerned, goodness has already been pushed to the margins. People do show sparks of goodness, but it is very occasionally, while evil is on the elephant ride in the streets of this kingdom, which belongs to God, but is run by monsters.

If we look at the good, they remain huddled in corners of existence, whereas the center stage is grabbed by evil mongers. When evil multiplies and threatens the very fabric of good, God sends apocalyptic beings like Lord Krishna and Jesus Christ. But as soon as they disappear from the world, people come back to their original setting, of suppression and exploitation of the good, the kind and the people who believe in truth and honesty.  The chapters of human history depict either wars or men who created havoc with the masses in the name of religion.  Either there were no good periods in history, or they are intentionally ignored because they do not offer thrills which a reader expects from the reading of history.

Footfall at the Gate of Hell

The footfall at the gate of Heaven also favours this theory of the predominance of evil in the world. The Reception at the Gate of Heaven remains closed most of the time. Once or twice during a month, the office opens to admit one or two persons at the most. Otherwise, it the Reception at the Gate of Hell where you find festive conditions. People come in hordes singing folk songs, carrying drinks and beauties in their laps. It is another thing, the monsters welcome them, and after a thorough investigation, they are driven to the Purgatory.

This scene inspires horror when we try to guess how rampant is evil in our society. Some scientists from Lustus University lost their lives when a speeding bus tumbled into an abyss while negotiating a sharp turn high on a mountain. On reaching the Gate of Hell, they were engaged in a verbal duel with the Reception staff.

There is no goodness in this world. It is not possible to find one person who believes in good. Close down the other Reception Centre for Heaven, they argued. It was a vehement argument which soon turned violent, and senior functionaries of Hell and Heaven had to intervene. A meeting was held, in which the scientists made serious accusations against gods, implying that there was no good at all in the world.

The administration of Heaven swung into action. Brahma detailed Indra to bring them to the Emergency. All of them were laid on different tables, and given injections of inertia. The gods had already clicked the video button. Now, everything was being recorded.

When the operation was over, and the Professors of Lustus University were back in their senses, the video was played. Each man’s consciousness was turned naked, and then, with scissors and other sharp appliances, the dirt was layered off. After several days of deep digging, a shining layer of light was visible.

The merchants of darkness were stunned. How could it be? The gods had proved to them that if those who considered themselves the worst and the most evil, could have layers of shining stuff, how can we deny the presence of this matter in lesser offenders?

The experiment proved beyond doubt that men were essentially made up of the shining stuff. Each man had a current of goodness in his consciousness. God is a great artist. When a kid is born, he is not a murderer or a pick pocket. He grows up with a soul which is soft. But then, the layers of dirt keep gathering over this shiny stuff, and one day it becomes so thick that man becomes absolutely oblivious of the presence of goodness in his blood and deep in his consciousness.

As time passes, good starts losing its shine, and slowly, it turns in to base metal, and develops evil tendencies. However, when man receives a jolt from his evil ways, he tears off the layers of evil from his consciousness, and we can see his soul shining in original glow. Punishment and jails harden criminals, and when they come out, they are more into the game. What really transforms the evil souls is the power of goodness, exampled by its practitioners. Man not only learns but he even unlearns by example.

If evil is rampant today and if we are oblivious of the dividing line between good and evil, it is because our elders have not done their syllabus well. The teachers, the parents, the religious leaders – they are responsible if the moral fabric of the society deteriorates, and more and more men are turning to evil.  It is not enough to prove that evil is highly rampant in this society. It is also not my purpose to present my thesis that the essential and basic element of life is goodness, kindness, love for truth and peace. Gods never wanted it otherwise. However, this is only a wishful situation. The reality is a sharp departure. Evil comes to man far more naturally than good. In fact, while doing some evil deed, a man has not to think. But if he is doing some good deed, he has to stop and consider what consequences he may have to face. It is the fear of consequences of being good, straight, honest and kind that most of the people have said good bye to this domain.

If eighty percent people are evil, it is not that the rest twenty percent are good. This division has to be somewhere like this. Thirty percent people can go to any extent in the domain of evil. Five percent people practice goodness and cannot be deflected from their path. However, the remaining sixty five percent of people keep shifting from good to evil and evil to good depending on their necessities. They find evil more effective in some ways. For example, if they want a job for their son, they join the 65 percent section. The reason is they are not essentially evil. Only for the time being, they are taking recourse to foul ways.

If we want to re-form and re-organize our society, so that the 5% people who believe in goodness swell in their number, and the thirty five percent dedicated to Evil also fall, we shall have to ensure that our propaganda against evil must turn loud. Religion and fears of hell do not scare evil doers now.  Faustus was a singular figure in entire Renaissance. Today, everyone will be ready to sign in his blood a contract with the Devil which ensures him twenty four years of thrills. The horror it once created, has left the blood of mankind.

Society lacks the tools with which it should be able to touch the souls of the people. The best way is Art and Literature. They impact people who have softer souls. But a poem is truly magnificent if it can tear off the layers of unreality, faithlessness, despair and distrust, from the consciousness of a person who has no direct or indirect connect with art or literature. When stones start sparkling with emotions, literature can be said to have performed its part to perfection.

Read: Survival of the Fittest & the Most Endangered Species

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Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, the Seneca, Charter of Morava, Franz Kafka and Maxim Gorky awards Laureate, with an opus of 180 books, is a towering literary figure whose work embodies a rare fusion of creativity, intellect, and moral vision.