The Men Of Conscience

By Online Editor on 13th January 2023 • ( 1 )

The Men Of Conscience

Conscience is a rare and precious gift in human treasure. The people with living conscience are salt in oats and the people with dead conscience are like desert sand. There are some men of conscience, whose influence for good, efficacy, revolution, sobriety, sanity, decency, dignity, and humanity transcend unprecedented and unparalleled human achievements. Jesus Christ called these men of righteousness and living conscience “The Salt of Earth.”

When the rulers, the politicians and the government servants are sodden in drink, debauchery, banditry, bribery, looting, smuggling, conspiracy and corruption, then the men who raise the voice against these social and political evils are the Men of Conscience. When the kidnappers, the rapists, the rascals, the black mailers and fascists range over the land and dominate the under-privileged and deprive the down-trodden wretched masses by defiling the human norms and values, then who can save that sinking boat?

When the vilest of foul practices pervert justice, then who can save the nation from destruction? When the so-called spiritualists and religious swindlers sell the name of God and cheat people, then the enlightened men take Sufism and religion as a trifle and trivial object. They consider these pseudo spiritualists as tricksters. This spiritual thuggery has greatly harmed the divine mission.

Only, the Men of Conscience are daring and dauntless and bravely face the brunt of atrocities. They raise clarion call against autocracy and dictatorship. They bring revolution and change the decadent, obsolete and retrogressive system. They wake up the slumbered masses while ushering in the most ennobling glorious and grand changes in the political arena and social milieu. These giants stir and inspire the masses and like heralds and harbingers emerge in angelic form and rescue humans from the gulf of accessories and excesses. Their fiery words of address like harangue are bitter as truth is always bitter.

There is an adage in Arabic language:” الحق مرہً (Truth is Bitter). One should not expect lampoons, anecdotes, facetious and factitious fables from these fire brands. A great revolutionary poet of Urdu Literature Sahir Ludhyanvi in his book titled “تلخیاں”, (The Bitternesses), in a poem says that people should not expect the traditional songs of mirth from me as my poetry is the heart cry of the oppressed, deprived and down-trodden people.

Some poets have great message to give to people like John Milton whose poetry books titled “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regained” give the spiritual message and find solace in the salvation and redemption. Similarly, we find universal, humane and fraternal messages in the poetry of T. S. Eliot, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Maulana Rumi, Dr Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

One should not expect the “Voice of Conscience” from lackeys and flatterers. They are the people of dead conscience. They speak laconically and stammer in front of fascists and evade truth. The men of living conscience in human history are immortal. They do not die by death. They willingly accept gallows but do not bow before tyranny. Great personalities like Socrates, Jesus Christ and Imam Hussain are immortal. Besides, these holy personalities, Galileo, Mansoor Hallaj, and Nelson Mandela have also become immortal.

I would like to mention that in Pakistan, majority of our politicians, rulers and officials are opportunists. They have no conviction. For pelf and power, they change political loyalties. If I mention the names of these conscienceless opportunists, one book is needed to mention them. I salute those brave and convicted people who express their views with responsibility and honesty. They are few, but they are our pride and are the Men of Conscience.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Voice of East.