Friday, December 7, 2007

THE MORAL CHECK!

After I wrote articles, “The Great Disruption to Chin Society,” “The Moral Test” and other social and moral issues related to the Chin people, I have been observing the moral trend of the Chin people, especially those Chins in exiles. One way to observe is by reading writings and expression on the nets, group mails and accessed personal mails, and by observing the people movement for political, social, and economic reason. My conscience is alerted by the severity of the impact of the moral decay of the Chin people, especially when those moral derail is seriously affecting the mindsets of the young generation. Here are some points, I would like to discuss as follows:

Religion:

After 100 years of Christianity, the Church has gone dumb and too traditional, almost missing the mark of the spirit of the letters of the Bible. There is an outstanding historical call for spiritual revival and reformation. The Chin Christianity needs both structural as well as spiritual reformation: structurally ill and old fashion must be reformed to match with the contemporary social context and history challenges, to open spaces for young generation for social, spiritual, and intellectual endeavor, etc.; spiritually, the Chin people’s religion becomes now so much traditional, missing the original mark of the spirit of the letters of the Bible that the Chin people’s Christianity becomes like a temple religion that has no or minimal impact and has no control over the Chin people’s day today decision makings, whether in regards to social, political or moral issues. That the Church appears to be unable to provide efficient moral ground and the basis of her member’s reasoning for their day to day decision making of social, political, and personal issues. By now, the impact and influence of the Chin people’s ancient tradition moral regime force is fading away that the Church has to replace it with Christian principles for her members’ day today decision makings, uplifting the Chin people are God fearing, honest, faithful, truthful, and respectable in the face of the universe.

Example moral issues:

Virginity/marriage: Before, Christianity was introduced among Chins, the traditional moral value system controlled the society that people were submissive to the collective moral norms of the society. That people’s moral behaviors were controlled under the commonly acceptable practices. Mostly, marriage was conducted under both parents’ agreement as well as by the approval of the society. Now, virginity rate, according to Hre Mang’s mock poll and from outside observation, is down to 20% to 30% of total adult population. Of course, the number is arguable. And marriage, no longer concerns to the society or in many place parents has no longer a say for their children’s marriage. Living together, extra marital sexual practices are common to many Chins, especially in exiles.

Abortion: Aborting child, during the traditional period before Christianity, would be considered equal to killing a living being, “murder” (tual that). But would anyone be surprised if we say only 30 to 40 % adult Chins against women’s abortion rights? More than the number, the question is who or what controls the Chin people’s moral decision making? Where is their submission, to God, to society, or to the evil spirit, or to government? There is no government political system that dictates the moral behaviors of the people. Here is the challenge, how do the Chin people, as a group of people with collective moral norms, decide what is good and wrong? What is their moral basis and ground of reasoning?


Lies vs. truthfulness: There is a saying, “When money is gone, nothing is lost, but when character is gone, everything is lost.” Can we find a faithful Chin, whose mind never been contaminated by any short of lie and corruption? Religious leaders in their fundraising, administration, travel, membership campaign, and when talking about their rival church; politicians when raising fund, campaigning for political supports, marginalizing their rivals/enemy, obtaining travel documents, other documentation, trying to convince general public, and when trying to maintain social status in their exiles; refugees, when trying to obtain their social and legal status in their place of refuge; businessmen and women, when dealing with government, transporting goods, dealing with customers and clients, would there be someone who would always stand for the truth but for the truth? Would there be any young man or woman whose mind never been contaminated and never been influenced by hatred, lies, half truth, twisted facts, distorted history, and who would stand for the truth but for the truth at all cost? Where is now the Chin people’s traditional glory, the glory inherited by our forefathers due to their truthfulness and moral integrity? Where is the beauty of the people’s human souls? Is Christianity weaker than the Chin people’s traditional animist religion to impose quality moral principles to the Chins to maintain the dignity of our people?

National politics: Let’s say “modern era” for the Chin when referring to period after 1948, Burma independent. Before the modern era, the Chin tribal were killing each other, there were no Union Chin Country or no centralized political administrative system. Since, the independent, during the people conference at Falam, the Chin leaders have declared Oneness in Chin, to have a kind of democratic centralized political administrative system. Unfortunately, the military cope interrupted the progress of the Chin people’s tribal melting process. Now, we are in the making of Oneness in Chin; the identity itself is now challenged some by who identified as themselves Zomies, some as Kukies, and some as Mizoies. Unless change intervenes timely, the return of tribal lines increases its impacts that social, religion, and political forces are fragmented that could be manipulated by the Burmese regime to hurt the central ethnic nerve-shell of the Chin people.

The hatred campaign against other tribesmen, overwhelmed the hearts and minds of many young generation and if they are skillfully and rudely cultivated, they could be elevated at the level of tribal war or comparable to tribal war in value damage that self victimization and political suicidal will eventually put the Chin people’s national political trend under the total control of the Burmese military dictators. In such situation, tribes and tribes or party and parties will compete each other to please the Burmese military regime for opportunities, while killing each other and assassinating leaders of the rival tribes.

Have anyone seen such trend elavating among Chins?

Have we all become fatherless?

This is a challenge to young generation Chins:

# Will you join the hatred campaign against your own brethren to serve the interest of a group of people/ party/tribesmen?

# Will you allow your minds be contaminated and polluted with hatred and regional feeling that will eventually impaired your intellectual capacity to judge what is universally wrong or right, lacking sound judgmental capacity?

# Will you stand together with other honest and prudent citizens against today’s social political evils that consume the beauty of the souls of our leaders and ordinary fellow Chins? Or will you be consumed by it?

# Will you slumber, lazy, easy goers, to fall asleep under the pressure of today’s immorality and impurity against the beauty and moral integrity of our forefathers, and against the principles of our national religion?

The choice is yours!