Imagine that you are a goat, at the back of a long line with other goats and other animals like cows, sheep, pigs, and more. You can see from a great distance that at the front, there is a butcher slaughtering each animal as it approaches. You do not realize that you are actually in the same line leading to him, and that every time you inch forward as the line gets shorter, your turn is approaching.
You see what is transpiring at the front and sometimes, you cheer as it happens, claiming that this is what they deserved, justified variously that it was not a goat like yourself or that it was inferior compared to you, or at the least, you turn a blind eye to it and act as if you saw nothing. Little do you understand, your ruthlessness and apathy are the cause of your own destruction, sooner or later, when there will be few left to help you.
"If there is something wrong, those who have the ability to act have the responsibility to act." - Pamela Malhotra
Pamela Malhotra (d. 2024) along with her husband Anil Malhotra (d. 2021) were a couple that inspire me in so many ways. They worked to revive barren land from deforestation, through reforestation efforts at the SAI Sanctuary in India in particular. She makes the point clear that it is our responsibility to do the most that we can, reaching our full potential, or else we are to blame.
The people that lack a conscience in their souls that should relate to the deep realization of Insaniyya, which is 'humanity' may end up behaving like this goat. The reverence and appreciation of human life as sacred, priceless and incomparable is God given, and without it, what could convince us of this fact?
"Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment." (Quran 17:70)
"Whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind." (Quran 5:32)
Let's consider ourselves and what we do, what we don't do, what we stand up for and what we avoid thinking about or simply do not care. Even as selfish people, think of it as your self interest to think of the best interest of all. A violation of one human being's dignity in any part of our world, of any race, color, religion, gender, and the rest, is a violation of Insaniyya in entirety, and if we don't think of it this way, let's consider why not.
The big picture shows that everything is connected. What impact does each of your decisions make, and what happens when you aggregate that to billions of people together? I could use a plastic bottle, or a renewable one, I could save the scraps and feed the living beings, or I could toss it in the trash bag and seal it to the point that it goes bad inside before anything could reach it.
Islam gives a compelling message in its totality in the favor of consciousness, justice and truth and it addresses the human condition by the voice of divine knowledge.
References
What does it truly mean to live as one with Mother Nature? - Pamela Malhotra | TEDxBangalore
