| |
Venerable Mother Theresa, the icon of Christian
commitment and service that the secular
world has ever accepted, recognised and
acclaimed, had consciously let herself die.
Is this a suicide of its own kind?
A person, who commits suicide in the normal course of
life, is the one who has been able to
realise the worth of being a human person in
this world, of course, in relation to a
certain ‘thing’ or, better, a certain
‘person’ or ‘persons’. Unfortunately, for
this kind of people, their worth depends
solely on such a relation, so much so that
the impossibility of perpetuating such a
relation in concrete life blocks their
vision, and shatters the meaning of their
lives. Most of them, either on the spur of
the moment or after much thought on the pros
and cons of their situations, decide to give
up their lives: they commit suicide. They
are, in a way, convinced of the
impossibility of realising the dignity and
worth they had envisaged. This is a
tragedy.
There is, however, another positive dimension to
suicide: that which is hinted at, though
contrary to his thesis, by the philosopher
of the absurd, Albert Camus. He
held that both the total self-gift and the
forgetfulness of the self, which are kernel
to commitment in any facet of life, are
equal to suicide. Indeed, I would say
that he is ri ght
in making this pronouncement.
Basically, suicide, according to him, is
“judging whether life is or is not worth
living.”
A gift becomes a real gift, only when the person
who gives it away realises the worth of the
thing gifted. To the extent it is precious
to and valuable for the giver the gift
becomes more and more precious, or it
assumes extra worth. If so, we can think of
self-giving only in the case of a person who
could realise his or her self-worth in his
or her own existential situation. It is,
again, an integral part of this process of
discerning one’s own worth that he or she
relates to a particular person or a group of
persons, or certain things.
It is, however, obvious that the depth of this
inter-personal realisation in one’s own
life, and the acceptance of the same by
others would be very much dependent on the
ultimate point of reference, the Other,
which consciously or unconsciously
influences their actions. The focus on a
particular person, secular or sacred, or on
a group of persons, especially those who are
deprived of their humanity, would certainly
add more vitality and dynamism to this
process. Indeed, it is here that a person
of realisation understands and accepts the
meaning of his or her life: as a relational
existence, an existence that becomes worthy
of living in relation to the Other
and others.
The realisation of one’s own worth, that it is worth
living, and that it is worthy of giving away
for the sake of others – for their service
and uplift, and ultimately for their
liberation – can infuse one with the courage
and strength that are necessary to make a
decision to commit suicide. But, a
suicide with a difference: the self-worth
that has been recognised by the persons is
not destroyed, but restored. Even the
physical impossibility of realising the
envisaged goal is not disheartening for
them, but encourages them to go ahead and
optimistically sacrifice what they are for
that ultimate cause.
Mother Theresa, a beacon light in a world of selfishness
and self-worship, is a person who had
realised her own self-worth. Her
realisation can be said to be unique in the
sense that it was two-dimensional: she could
realise the worth of her life in relation to
both Jesus Christ, whom she accepted as her
Lord, and the oppressed and unwanted masses,
whom she could recognise as her neighbour in
need. Once she realised her own worth, and
what she could become with that (may be, if
she had remained in her own country of
birth, or remained within the religious
congregation to which she originally
belonged, she could have become a political
head or the mother superior. For, she was a
born leader and a winner, indeed!) she
decided to give it away as a gift for
others, for those who were in dire need. It
was her bold decision, involving her entire
life, to sacrifice her own self. This, in
the opinion of Camus, was a crucial but
suicidal decision.
Suicide, of course, but with a difference! The suicide
that Camus is speaking about is an absurd
phenomenon in human life: it is
unimportant as far as any individual or
group is concerned and, certainly, leads us
nowhere. However, the suicide that
Mother Theresa committed years before she
was physically dead (an absurd reasoning,
indeed!) was an important and a vital
decision she had made about her life, as it
was instrumental in giving direction to
herself and to many others in the course of
time. Her bold decision to gift herself
entirely for the Other, through the
others, was not to end in absurdity. It was
instrumental in opening up the avenues for a
more creative and stimulating life vibrant
with meaning and fulfilment, thus unfolding
the intelligence of living with a
supra-sensible life vision. She was a woman
who realised the absurdity of living for the
present moment and its pleasures. She was
also aware of the fact that this world and
its riches are not the ends in themselves,
rather that they could be the means for a
better morrow, both in a secular and
religious sense.
So, she committed suicide! Her suicide
was a hopeful (indeed, filled with hope) act
as she had a Christian life vision
throughout her life. It was a hope that she
shared with Jesus Christ, who could infuse
suffering and death with meaning and
direction by sacrificing himself for others
(kenosis), and thus rising from the
dead on the third day. Mother Theresa was
sure of his personal example and teaching
that by breaking and sharing one’s life for
the Other and others one is gaining
life in hundredfold. She was convinced of
the fact that “a grain of wheat remains no
more than a single grain unless it is
dropped into the ground and dies; if it does
die, then it produces many grains” (John
12:24).
In giving up her own life, she had the hope that she
would win it, again, at the end. Her life
was infused with the hope that by dying (her
death being the result of her own decision,
and thus suicide) with Jesus Christ for
the sake of her neighbour, she would, along
with her neighbours, rise with him. It was
this hope-infused belief that gave direction
and vitality to her life.
It is a unique kind of suicide. For, this kind of
suicide not only brings in meaning and
purpose in the life of the person who
decides to commit suicide, it makes
the life of many others more meaningful and
purposeful, thus becoming the leaven in a
world of meaninglessness and absurdity. Not
only the men and women who flocked around
her to be her associates (both the sisters
and brothers of the Missionaries of Charity
and her benefactors around the world) in the
humanitarian services that she had
undertaken for the sake of the
less-fortunate people, but also the entire
populace (her beneficiaries) that had
received some kind of service, shared her
optimistic orientation and divine life
vision. Thus, in and through a series of
suicidal decisions throughout her life
she spent herself for others, and made
herself available for the uplift of
humanity.
It was this realisation that gave a direction to her
life and activities. It was this that
opened her eyes to see the less-fortunate
people in the streets of
Calcutta, and to dedicate her entire life
for their uplift, of course, within the
limited framework of structures, ecclesial,
cultural and political. Here, the absurd
and ridiculous phenomenon of suicide
– self-gift and forgetfulness of the self in
relation to the Other and others –
becomes the most reasonable and intelligent
practical decision one could ever arrive
at. For, it gave life to herself and to
many others in their dire needs, of course,
in an integral manner. Mother Theresa could
convince the whole humanity that one’s life
is worth living, especially when it is
shared and spent for the Other and
others.
Therefore, the epithet given to her as “the Mother”
(during the telecast of Mother Theresa’s
funeral service commentators of the
Dooradarsan – India’s national TV channel –
were referring to her as the Mother of
the Nation, and the Mother of
Humanity) is certainly an apt one.
Mother is the eternal symbol of total
self-giving and the forgetfulness of the
self. For, the reality of mother is always
associated with the life-giving process,
which presupposes a continued readiness on
her part to be spent for the emerging new
life. In this process, the universally
acclaimed reality of love is also involved.
To love, if it is genuine and guileless, is
to suicide. Real love is possible
only when the involved parties realise their
self-worth, knowing that they have something
to share with each other, and are ready to
give it up in a holistic manner for the sake
of the one whom he or she loves. In other
words, there is a call for total self-giving
between the parties involved in love, a
self-giving that ultimately involves the
death of each one’s ego, and an enlivening
of both of them through their mutual
self-giving. Mother is an epitome of love.
Indeed, Mother Theresa’s life was
instrumental to enliven not only the people
of our country, but the entire humanity,
and, thus, earning the noblest title, the
Mother.
Imbibing this optimistic Christian life vision enables
us to be ever happy and enthusiastic to
commit ourselves for the Other and
others so that our lives become worth
living, and worthy of being called
Christian. It is integral to this vision
that we be able to recognise and respect the
lives of many a people who also partake in
and practise this great ideal of life, and
constantly and consciously suicide
their lives. Let us hope that the Church as
a whole – and each and every faithful
therein – realises, cherishes and takes
pride in the worth of being the follower of
Jesus Christ, who is the archetype of the
enlivening suicide, treading in whose
footsteps Mother Theresa could find the
ultimate meaning of her life. The pathway
for any other Christian is not different: to
live a meaningful life by dying every
moment, and by embracing a meaningful death
by living for the Other and others,
thus to enliven life in its totality, and to
enhance humanity as a whole by enabling to
live and fulfil its ultimate goal in
life-giving kenosis. |
