Modern Pastoral Management

Our own priest

Our human lives … lived in association with urban needs … has come under willful management … particularly in relation to the experience of the pastoral in man. A prime illustration of these … is the way the Malays in this country … refer to themselves as … ' Bumiputra ' … or ' sons of the soil.' Its a labelling … a prerogative of man … in the use of words … where we deliberately … bring a power of expression … to the passions … and screw it to a sticking place. Its something man does … all over the world … but is it done well?

There's the often referred to sense … of how modern languages … distort the experience … of the pastoral expression in us. These are all attempts … to control and redirect … the flow of our passions … regarding past sentiments … that may have outlived its usefulness. We do that with some cultural practice of words … that's carefully ritualized in practice … conditioned in man … and passed on to the new generation of children … as normal. Each of these … man-made conditioning … causes a block in human passions … and sometimes we wonder … if we ought to … handle them better.

The Malayan peninsular … provides every indication of being built by wave action of the ocean … like the state of Florida … in the US. These would therefore not be the work … of the original creative forces … that cultivated the landmass of the earth. In naming themselves … Bumiputra … an ancient Sanskrit word … the Malays … attempted to strengthen their relation to the past … in the passions … as a stalwart of rights in the pastoral. No doubt … they hope that such a practice … holds them in good stead … in respect of modernization in the country … that is merging into new applications of the passions … and reason.

In the US … Australia … New Zealand … Hawaii … and other similar countries … the original inhabitants … have merged with the new migrants … and have moved into a practice of modernization … by diminishing their past identities in the pastoral. In the mind of the thinking man … that would represent a sacrifice in the pastoral … that is experienced in the man … as a debt owed to these former natives. Frankly … I would prefer that the natives … find a way to preserve their cultural identity … its a greater stability of experience in mixed cultural communities.

As a society progresses … in its territorial environment … the man brings the modern experience of … roads … cars … architecture … and way of life … to define a sense of home and belonging in his passions. This is sometimes … not possible in situations … where the pastoral in the man … contains elements … of former issues … that is not equitably managed. The outburst of passion … by the American icon … Marlon Brando … over native rights … during a past Hollywood Oscar ceremony … says much about the state of the passions … in well developed civil societies.

In the life of the individual … in society … in respect of his career achievements … humanity development and personality … he comes to a point … where he realizes … he is missing a big part of his relation to a world humanity relation. Its a poignant and sad experience of passion and mind … that denies him his achievement … and instead offers to him … a poorly fabricated feeling of achievement … by the modern spin of perceptions. It robs him of a true identity of humanity … despite his awe-inspiring reputation … and credentials.

It is here … that the man in society … realizes the all important issue of diversity in human cultural conditions … and realizes the powerful impact that may have on his accomplishment of a life lived. In my personal experience … of a free mind and passion … in this country … I am often subject to the loud claims of correctness … by folks living elsewhere … who continue to tout their way of life … as being true of the human condition. I tell myself I know my own mind. However … in viewing the lives of the new generation in Malaysia … and seeing them drawn to the rhetoric of foreign vivasons … whose societies are fractionalized … in irreconcilable differences … I feel a deep sympathy for youth here. But I figure they will in time … create their own realization on the issues.

There is however … something far bigger in these matters … than the simple view … of non-accomplishment of a life lived. It points to the national psyche of the nation … its learning processes … academic tradition … humanity development … and its ability .. to inspire the world … of its credentials … as people fair and sporting. In the long run … it makes for an identity and personality … in future generations who will rail at their own societies … and in extreme instances … would attempt to bring about its destruction.

The spirit of man in the pastoral … is an apparition … that defines the identity … of the man in the world's growing community. It refers to the creation process … and the founding of life. It points at the way we evolved from the anima into man. It led the first efforts at civilization … and brought to many … the manifestation of the spirit … as a divine force … whose wisdom in these matters … continues to outstrip human understanding at this time. Its a spirit that will eventually … merge with the mind of man … for the creation of a new man in society … one who is in balance with his creative impulses … for peace and understanding.

Its a process of development in our societies … that would first … draw the understanding of the individual … who works with mind and passion … at achieving his own salvation. Thereafter … it will create a reliance on these individuals … to share their knowledge and experience … to the social mass … and establishment. It'll take a special skill of expression and communication … for the individual to do so. And at this time … in the birthing process of such an initiative … it is expected that … that individual must be applying himself … to understand how he will … bring such a persuasion to his fellow men.

Reviews

[M.Babu]

Identity; I often wonder if the genesis is more important than the edifice themselves. Our teachings and practices should far outweigh the genesis. The where and why doesn't matter much for me...it's the do.
Great insight, sir.
~M.Babu~

[Dayran]

thks Babu. Appreciate the comment.