The Age of A-morality

In an age where truth is veiled by deception and morality is commodified, power, politics, and personal pursuits operate within a transactional framework, eroding ethical foundations and blurring right from wrong

- RAJ LIBERHAN

In the mid-1890s, Jean-Leon Gerome painted "Truth Coming Out of Her Well," a series that depicts truth as naked. Wikipedia gives the story of the naked truth, and it seems so true in our times. Legend has it that lies and truth met one day. He told the truth that the day was beautiful. Truth looked around in doubt but found the day truly beautiful and spent the day walking around with lies. Then lies tell the truth that the water in the well is beautiful; come, let's go down to the water. The truth looked in doubt for the second time but found the water beautiful. They stripped and went into the well. Suddenly, the lie came out and ran away with Truth's clothes. When the truth came out, people saw her naked and were angry and turned their faces away from the truth. Since then, lying has enveloped the world, wearing the guise of truth, and the world has accepted it.

Today, everything in this world has become transactional. It is an idiom most used in conversations, op-eds, by opinion makers, sundry media influencers, analysts, and also in our attitudes. Moral codes like the Ten Commandments, the Dharma edicts, four Noble Truths of the Buddhist Code of Ethics and other scriptural prescriptions do still get lip service adherence but only just that because it serves as a convenient disguise for real motives. Commodification of our interactions in fields of engagement, be they for affection or affectation, is now a very visible reality.