Basil Fernando

Body, Mind, Soul, Society Basil Fernando

In this book, author Basil Fernando sums up his experiences of over forty years working on human rights, the rule of law, and justice issues in Asia. He introduces some of the most difficult problems faced in Asia in terms of democracy and human rights through actual narratives of, and reflections on, actual persons and cases he has had direct involvement dealt with. However, he says, "I have not written the book in the style of a report. I thought it best to adopt a literary style, so that the reader may find it comfortable to enter into these experiences and may better understand them. I know by experience that it is sometimes hard to read about traumatic experiences fellow human beings have gone through. It could be even more difficult for readers from developed countries as the realities of less developed countries may be seem too unreal to them. I kept these realizations in mind as I developed this style of presentation."The author explains his larger objective: "to place these narratives within the context of international discourses on philosophy, sociology, psychology, and spirituality." This he does "on the basis of my belief that justice should become a core element of all these discourses. That can happen only if those concerned with justice-related issues as central human experiences bring them into all such conversations."