The "problem with humanity" dear Mathew, is that certain sections of humanity have (over the last few hundred years) arrogated themselves to the role of God by a systematic and cold-blooded process of which the steps are -
1. Study the culture, traditions and religions of, and current socio-economic status of various groups within, "other" societies. ("Other" in this case means those who have not yet become a part of their "coalition of the willing".)
2. Identify faultlines, weaknesses, idiosyncracies, apparent or real contradictions
3. Unleash a shrill media campaign to highlight only the above while steadfastly ensuring that the good and healthy aspects are relegated to small footnotes if their mention can't be avoided
4. Having thus built-up a justification, attack them militarily or by foisting one's chosen cronies and unleashing on them unworkable concepts like "free economy" (God and the west knows what the heck that means).
In the initial years, this worked because "other" societies were continuing to follow their systems while appreciatively incorporating some aspects of modernity. Dear Mathew, not only the human world but the natural world seems to be reaching its limit of tolerance (notice global warming). (Ah yes, the new gods have already woken up and started working in right earnest forming a plethora of NGOs, passing resolutions at WTO on bio-diversity and so on).
The solution, lies, in my humble opinion in a thorough and unsparing review of concepts (or shall I say fads) called democracy, various freedoms and so on. At least we need to review as to who is doing what in the name of these exalted concepts which have lately come to enjoy the status of unassailability.
RE:Problem with humanity
by Vikas Khandekar on Apr 19, 2007 01:49 PM Permalink
Although, what Mathew has written, that "it is an individual's problem", I also agree with Arvind, that the problem must also be looked from the perspective of redefining some of the popular notions about "democracy", "free-economy", "modernity" etc. These issues do not remain open for interpretation at an individual's level, but are prevaded and popularized through the all-powerful media. All in a way, that literally renders individual thinking abilities subservient to a greater force of mass communication. Just an example: the BPO revolution has brought in jobs for the young 20-something youth of India. But has anyone thought about the adverse effects on their life-pattern? Retail industry it seems is growing by leaps and bounds. But has anyone spared a thought about the survival of the myriads of shop-keepers, who have been traditionally been small-shop owners for generations? It is this big massive force of "free economy" which seems to be working just in the opposite direction than that advocated of the proponent of "Small is beautiful" - Schumacher. What happens to an individual when he loses his individual identity (remember 'Animal Farm'?)? He either rebels against the society at large, or meekly submits itself. Unfortunately for the victims of this tragedy, the chap decided to do the former. There is no condonation for the act. But I feel that to look at it as merely an individual's problem, would be a littel short-sighted.
