Diaries of a Vacation: part 4

Diaries of a Vacation: part 4

Decades ago the study of “Humanities” was considered a respectable vocation (especially for Women... Don’t ask me why?). The choice of many parents would invariably narrow down to this after much deliberation, because it was considered respectable and a homely course to study. After finishing, the door to Teaching were open, and many preferred the comfort of a good stable teaching job in a decent school as indicative of having reached somewhere. And of course, prospects of marriage would increase, and along with all other goodies life has to offer. Almost every university in India, even today, offers a course in Humanities. It is sadly the lowest rung of the ladder in terms of scholastic achievement, but nevertheless a last refuge if one doesn’t get into anything else, after school. The thinking is that there is still a vestige of respectability left in it, though future may not be as bright as one would want it to be. That’s alright, I guess - considering college education, at least at the graduate level really means nothing at all, unless it is accomplished in top notch colleges, which again, is available only to a miniscule percentage of our population.

The reason I got thinking about this is because the other day in the car, a friend was ruminating aloud about his daughter’s future, and the topic of Humanities came up as a possible last ditch option for her. He said “She came always get into a Humanities course, if she doesn’t do well in her twelfth board…” I did not comment on it, but it set me thinking along different lines. Others in the car were talking about pros and cons of it, but to me, steeped in antiquarian learning as I am, my mind went back to the origins of this study called “Humanities” and what it originally intended to mean.

Humanists were a bunch of people in the late 12th and 13th century who devoted their lives to resuscitating the dying or dead embers of a civilization that existed ages ago. Rome formally collapsed as an empire in the 6th century, and with it the classic language of Latin and its rich, lush heritage was lost to the barbaric tongues of natives who swarmed to its capital. Dark ages swept the Western continent. Literature, science, philosophy - and all its great works were either destroyed or hidden in monasteries and palaces: muddied, tattered, and valueless; and its place there flourished a culture that was far inferior to what had existed before. But life is a continuum. What was once can never ever be lost forever. It may mutate, transform and lie submerged, waiting for an appropriate fertile ground -to flower again in newer ways and fresher manifestations. The great institution of Catholic Church which Constantine blessed and consecrated as a universal body holding together the moral fiber of its people stooped to levels of depravity, corruption and malfeasance that mocked the very purpose of Christ’s word. Ordained to be the custodians of Man’s culture, they degenerated into a body of unscrupulous popes, bishops and cardinals whose sole aim was to tender the word of God for a monetary advantage. They had scant regard for Human values, refinements and dignity; and prosecuted anyone who dared to voice against their convoluted system. All literature - which is the vehicle of transmission of Human heritage from one generation to another, lacking which Man would fall into a state of primitiveness at every turn of history - was now beginning to be threatened. The glory that was Greek and Rome was becoming a distant dream, and the common denominator of Western consciousness was stooping to level that put Man back a thousand years in cultural, intellectual and moral maturity. That is when a group of nobles, poets, ecclesiasts, and bibliophile’s started digging into ancient age to recover lost riches. They called themselves “Humanists” and their project as Humanities. Their goal was to resurrect a golden age, and either adopt it to meet the chaos and turmoil they witnessed, or try their level best to light of spark of interest in common man by reproducing classical works for distribution. Petrarch, the Italian connoisseur of arts was the forerunner in this effort. He had a maniacal passion for anything old, and he cultivated amongst his circle several young men from wealthy and not so wealthy families the flame of bringing to life works that lay hidden in forlorn places all over the western world. If not these Humanists, renaissance would have never happened; and the modern world as we see it would have not unfolded. With Plato, Aristotle, Ovid, Virgil, Dante and several other Greek and Roman luminaries bought to light, the 14th Century began to turn around intellectually, aesthetically and morally. Francis Bacon was its beacon. And since his time, the study of Humanities was meant to signify a glorious transmission of culture and learning across generations.

Hence Teachers in mediaeval colleges were preferred with a Humanities background. In the Universities of France, England, Germany and Italy - nobody could teach if they didn’t have a thorough grinding in Humanities. Every course needed to have Humanities embedded into it. Under its broad head, it had History, geography, Literature, arts, Philosophy and all other major branches of Human achievement. The driving motive being: education is incomplete if one doesn’t appreciate the past. And a full flowering of a Human being is only possible when one grows from collective wisdom of ages, understand its rich heritage; and transform it to suit modern times. Such an individual will shine as a wholesome person.

Alas, what have we made of this great idea and effort? Today, graduating out of a Humanities course is a sure way to be unsuccessful. Not only in India, but across the globe. In America, a graduate from a Humanities courses gets paid 5000 to 10000 less than their counterpart from any other course; and so is the case with other countries as well. With Knowledge explosion all around, in a variety of ways, perhaps there is no need for a synthesizing experience of learning. It may not be possible given the degree of specialization and proliferation of different branches of knowledge. But still, deep down, there is still lingering beauty in being able pore over ancient books, gather wisdom bequeathed to us by time, and help continue unbroken the intellectual legacy of Mankind. Humanities is the name of such an endeavor.

Philip Roth in his wonderful book (that was made into a lovely film starring Anthony Hopkins) “The Human stain”, best summarizes the current state of learning and modern attitude to heritage when a teacher complains about his students. I quote:

“In my parents' day and age, it used to be the person who fell short. Now it's the discipline. Reading the classics is too difficult, therefore it's the classics that are to blame. Today the student asserts his incapacity as a privilege. I can't learn it, so there is something wrong with it. And there is something especially wrong with the bad teacher who wants to teach it. There are no more criteria, Mr. Zuckerman, only opinions.”

God bless:

Yours in mortality,

Bala