THE FEAR OF GOD IS GOOD










A student of mine remained absent for the third consecutive class, this morning. Without informing me, that is! In the case of this young man, mostly, it’s a habit… and, it’s so deeply-rooted, that no amount of persuasion, coaxing, scolding and even threatening has helped the cause… The dog’s tail has remained only a dog’s tail!


So, this morning, when I did not see him in my class – despite his promise yesterday to attend – and, when he failed to respond to my calls and messages this morning, I declared in my mind:  “I shall put in this fellow’s mind the fear of God!”


The moment I said that in my mind, I heard a quiet voice inside me: “Hello, do you remember how often others put the fear of God in you… and tried to straighten your tail?"


I remembered my own school and college days… The fear I had in my heart every time I missed a class or skipped my homework… I was very scared of my teachers… I was very scared of facing the Head Master or the Principal…


I heard the voice telling me: “That fear is good… The fear of God doesn’t mean the fear of Almighty God… the God in Heaven. It means the fear of every authority around us - the Gods on Earth.”


If there are no traffic cops and if there are no Tax officials, we will not become good citizens. If there are no strict parents and grandparents, we will not become fine members of the family… If there are no spirituals masters, our souls will never learn to revere and wonder…


So, the fear of God is necessary… Howsoever we may dislike fear. Fear is good as long as it keeps us responsible, makes us finer human beings… civilized and well-raised, I say.


Where there is no authority, Life falls apart. A father figure… A mother figure… A big-sibling figure… A teacher and a preacher figure… The Head of our school and College, the class teacher, the class monitor, the police officer and the Tax officer… and such. Remove them from Life, and the Life falls apart… It’s anarchy out there!


So, while I myself never liked the idea of being scared of my teachers or authorities, I know, that, thanks to that fear, I have been faithful to my ‘tracks’. In Life, the efforts to ‘straighten the tail’ will never cease… They tried to straighten mine, and I am trying to straighten my students’… That’s how it was, that’s how it is and that’s how it will be!


The Gods on Earth are a reality… Hence, the fear of these Gods, too!


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Anil Bedi


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