The Meek shall Inherit Earth

By M H Ahssan

When Jesus said the meek shall inherit the earth, one is not sure what he meant. But he sure got it right. This article will explore the many dimensions of meekness, and how the meek are indeed inheriting the earth and vice-versa: the earth is also inheriting the meek.

The first and obvious definition of meek is poor, disadvantaged and powerless. Are these kinds of people inheriting the earth? I believe so. The earth has been ruled periodically by the strong, from Genghis Khan to Taimur the Lame to Attila the Hun, Hitler, Stalin and Mao. But decades, or even years, after they ruled, their empires withered and became weak till a new powerful ruler emerged. And the process goes on. Strong rulers come and go, but the latent power of the disinherited masses keeps bobbing up. The meek always turn up to claim their inheritance. They can never be put down.

Today, hopefully we have seen the last of absolute tyranny. The Burmese, North Korean and Sudanese regimes (among others) clearly qualify as tyrannies, but their days are numbered. The meek have got the vote, and democracy is slowly winning everywhere. The new measure of power is economic might, but even here the meek have presented their calling cards.

The key is demography. Economic might automatically draws the meek to its shores, changing the power structure. In the US, the Hispanics are the meek who are gradually inheriting chunks of America. In Europe, the poorer eastern Europeans and Africans are building a substantial presence. The race troubles in Australia show that even if you are a faraway continent separated by several thousand miles of ocean, demography will assert itself. The meek are on the move -- and that explains a part of the White man's angst.

In India, we have been continuous recipients of the meek from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka -- and even small trickles of Hindus from Pakistan. A meek nation, we attract the poor in droves.

In the modern world, where ruthless murder of unwanted immigrants is no longer possible, demography is destiny. Rich US, with all it superpower status and technological prowess, is unable to stop the influx of immigrants any more than poor India can fence off the Bangladeshis. The meek will go where they please; if they cannot inherit the earth, they will seize it by demographic creep.

Demography, though, isn't the only kind of force shifting power to the disadvantaged. Excessive wealth is also ensuring the same. The Roman empire crumbled when its rulers became effete and decadent. Today's western world is losing its grip for the same reason. It is rich, but no longer wants to work hard. It is hoping to rest on its laurels and is, therefore, willing to bid goodbye to absolute power. Obama wants to leave Iraq and Afghanistan, not rule them. He will cede power sooner rather than later.

Our own history offers another kind of proof. We tend to believe that Gandhi's satyagraha forced the British to leave. The truth is our national movement merely convinced the British to leave a bit ahead of time. As early as World War I, the British ruling elite's consensus was moving in favour of self-rule, and Churchill's was almost the lone voice defending the empire. The rest of the British upper crust didn't wantto send its boys to rule faraway dominions.

This is an example of the powerful becoming meek as they get tired of the responsibilities that go with power. Sooner or later, all human beings want to enjoy the fruits of past labour and accumulated wealth, and become more willing to cede or share power with the rest of the hoi polloi. As the rich grow meeker, the meek grow powerful.

So what's the underlying message of it all? One, the rich world will be inundated with the poor of the world unless the poor themselves get richer faster. The meek will move in unless enlightened global policies intervene. The rich will have to accept a salad bowl of peoples staying with them. By 2050, large parts of Europe, America and Australia will be less white than now.

Two, since demography dictates who will move where, countries must have sensible and humane policies on immigration. India, for example, needs to work out the same kind of deal with the Bangladeshis as it has with the Nepalese -- free work permits, limited citizenship after a few years, and possibly full citizenship after the relevant years are lived here.

Whether we like it or not, global warming will push the Bangladeshis into Assam, West Bengal and Bihar. We should prepare to welcome them on our terms rather than allowing them to ooze in and destabilise our north-east.

The meek cannot be held back; but they can be directed to a sensible future.