Observing Proustian ‘After Death Sympathy'

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 12 December 2023 'Death often brings us together. Why can't life?' By Ghulam Mohiyuddin Hats off to Mr Ghulam Mohiyuddin for his brilliant question. Exactly the same question was put before Jiddu Krishnamurthy during his Madras Lectures in 1960. An erudite professor from the Madras IIT asked Jiddu, "Death and Destruction often bring us together. Why can't life? " The question stumped Jiddu and he tried to give an answer in his usual circumlocution manner which often proved to be unintelligible to most of the people! In short, the 'enlightened' Jiddu had no explanation for it. It's really strange, nay ironic, that all our benevolence and so-called magnanimity become obvious only after death which should have been there when life existed. Jean Paul Sartre called it, 'a gesture of tokenism.' Humans are cunning and opportunistic creatures. We want to eat the cake and have it too. We all suffer from Proustian 'After Death Sympathy'. Psychologists have also found that humans love to indulge in post-death eulogy. You all have seen and experienced that while living, a person, is reviled by all but the moment he dies, he becomes a hero or an icon. Paeans and plaudits are paid to him. You've the example of just departed Junior Mahmood. No one from Bollywood and media ever cared to know how he lived all these years. But all gathered to bid him a 'tearful' farewell. If only, they could show their 'fellow-feeling' when he was alive and lived in abject penury. This 'change of heart' is not because the departed person becomes a saint all of a sudden. It's society's attempt to exonerate itself of all the ill-treatment meted out to the ill-fated man. After death sympathy or post-death eulogy is a clever attempt to remove all traces of indifference and ill-treatment towards those who're no more. Humans are calculated animals. We're seldom altruistic. All our actions have hidden motives. Most of us will scream and shed tears over the drowning man but will not save him from drowning. "Saahil Ke Tamashai Har Doobne Wale Par/ Afsos Toh Karte Hain, Imdaad Nahin Karte" (All the bystanders on the shore feel sorry for the drowning person/ But don't come forward to help him). Albert Camus said, 'Death doesn't melt our hearts. It actually lends a ghastly romanticism. This 'romanticism' results in post-death eulogy and crocodile tears.' Though trenchant, you cannot disagree with the Frenchman's insightful observation. Can you? ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URl: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/proustian-death-sympathy/d/131294 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism