Frankly, messiahs overrated

Ratna Raman

THE  adjective ‘frank’ is associated with plain speaking. The verb ‘franking’ refers to an official mark indicating money has been paid towards postal charges. A ‘franking machine’ stamped the official mark on parcels and letters automatically. Francs once referred to actual French currency. ‘Frankies’ or ‘frankfurters’ (German; Frankfurter wurst, sausage, 1800), cylindrical rolls of  smoked or cooked  beef or pork eaten with bread are a popular roadside snack in different parts of the world.  Frankfurt airport is Germany’s busiest airport. It is also an incredibly lonely transit point to lounge in when waiting for a connecting flight. Quite frankly, the grid set up by homonyms due to slippages in sound remains something of a marvel. 

Take two words that begin with frank,  ‘Frankincense’ and ‘Frankenstein’, for instance, and observe the enormous gulf in meaning that stretches out between them. In a well-known narrative, a baby was born in a manger, representing life, hope and eternal bliss. Three wise men from the East visited, bringing gifts of gold and frankincense, marking the arrival of the Messiah. 

The messiah set the gold standard, healing and curing with his words and deeds and his fame spread like that of  the fragrant myrrh and frankincense.

 Everything in the story happened a long time back. Now the links between the East and the West have been replaced by continually escalating hostilities, although all manner of genetic studies now assert that all  humankind originated from Africa.

‘Frankenstein’ was possibly inspired by a castle of the same name that Mary Shelley visited in Germany. Her book, Frankenstein (1818), warns about the corrupting nature of power and control. Frankenstein, an aspiring scientist, uses the resources of modern science to breathe life into a creature. This creature, larger than life, becomes impossible to control. The monster’s actions caricature  Frankenstein’s own desire for wielding power over the life of others. Frankenstein is a timely fantasy, warning us of the limiting possibilities of  human potential and scientific progress, in times when much was set in store upon heroic, messianic individuals.

Scientific advancements have helped humans to successfully clone sheep and human body parts. However, myths around superheroes, real and imagined, have continued to fail us. History is testimonial to innumerable political messiahs who have used power ruthlessly to destroy innumerable fellow-humans. ‘Social engineering’ (psychological manipulation of people) in our times has contributed to the emergence of several new-age monsters.

Alarmingly, across cultures, there has been no let-up in the veneration accorded to such political monsters. It is time we recognised that frankincense can be relied upon since its fragrance and medicinal properties have stood the test of time. We need to accept the fact that messiahs are unlikely to solve all issues plaguing mankind. These manufactured Frankensteins operate under hidden agendas that can only pave the way to catastrophic convulsions.