By Don Aguiar.
Mumbai, Nov 5, 2021: Stalin once ripped all the feathers off a live chicken as a lesson to his followers. He then set the chicken on the floor a short distance away. The chicken was bloodied and suffering immensely, yet, when Stalin began to toss some bits of wheat towards the chicken it followed him around. He said to his followers “This is how easy it is to govern stupid people, they will follow you no matter how much pain you cause them, as long as you throw them a little worthless treat once in a while”.
Do we see any similarities in present-day India, Afghanistan and many other countries which are now proving to be yet another perfect example of what the news has been warning humanity about, since forever?. That the basic cause of all our problems is very simple: It is the priest and politicians. They are the ultimate partners in crime. It may promote itself as a marriage in heaven, but the results are made in hell.
Instead of listening to that warning, the masses, give support to their political and religious ideologies. In return, the priests and the politicians use the power we give them to brainwash us into continuing to support those same ideologies – in a catastrophic vicious circle. Of course, with each catastrophe we are assured, “Never Again!” And again, and again, and again, and again….
We are a country of dead people. Nowhere else would people have tolerated the daily and unjustified rise in petrol, diesel and LPG prices? If the government collected 750 billion in taxes 2014, it is today collecting 3.5 trillion. Isn’t it daylight robbery?
Meanwhile, the masses continue to indoctrinate their children, with the help of education, the media, and the other “pillars” of society, with those same beliefs and values. In this way, those in power are able to make sure that nothing fundamental ever changes and we can be relied on to turn up and support them, as required.
To complete the process, the masses will of course nod their heads approvingly as the whole charade is given the stamp of heavenly approval by some priestly figure. Once enough of them are locked into identifying with one geographical location or another, with one ideology or another, then the competition between these places and between the different beliefs inevitably follows – leading to whatever level of violence is required to prove they are right. The same destructive mess they see all around them continues in an endless sorry-go-round.
The majority of the Indian people have become so inured to brutal public displays of hate violence that when they consume video images of lynching, gang rape and killing of Dalit women, and the flaunting of bigotry by our leaders, they just turn our faces away. What was it then about the recent images from Darrang in Assam — of a man with a lathi shot in his chest trying to defend his home against hundreds of armed security men, and of a young civilian jumping on and kicking the man’s body even as his last breaths cease — has that stirred public outrage?
To experience what exactly has been going on, you can watch – the people of India slipping into despair and poverty as India’s growth has dropped from 10.2 percent in 2007-8 to 8 percent in 2020-21, this is so unfortunate, this economic crash is being caused in large measure by the rise of divisiveness and hate and the breakdown of trust. OR the people of Afghanistan being butchered right on the TV screen in front of you. By courtesy of the priest and politicians.
In the documentary by Adam Curtis, “Bitter Lakes,” you can watch the twist and turns of how contemporary religion and politics have created this pathological outcome. As you watch these poor lands descend into yet another round of primitive, violent insanity, do remember all those politicians – secular and religious – who we have to thank for making all this possible. These same people with their destructive ideologies are ravaging the world on a daily basis, mostly with our consent, explicitly or implicitly.
Taking a quick look at a comprehensive list of today’s bloodletting, can you find one example on that list that is not rooted in the competition between different religious and/or political ideologies?
While we are giving credit where it is due for this endless stream of barbarity around the world, we mustn’t forget all the other beneficiaries, like the people making good money out of the sale of all those weapons, that technology, those uniforms, those medals of honor…. All totally legal of course, by courtesy of lawmakers you probably voted for, and who probably pray to Gods you may also bow down to.
Suzy Kassem inevitable predicted – When people can get away with crimes just because they are wealthy or have the right connections, the scales are tipped against fairness and equality. The weight of corruption then becomes so heavy that it creates a dent that forces the world to become slanted, so much so – that justice just slips off.
If you feel trapped by this dilemma – using the conditioned mind to resolve the problems created by the conditioned mind – and you do not want to stay in this rut, a very clear set of alternatives for everyone to explore exist. There is no revolutionary cavalry of comrades coming over the hill to rescue us. There is no savior waiting in the wings for “the right moment to come and save us.” Each of us individually is going to have to summon up the courage to just say “no” – and stop participating in our own destruction. And say “yes” to something totally different. Everything else has been tried and has failed. Everybody has tried to transform society.
After centuries of bloody revolutions, of theories, of philosophies, of ideologies, of beliefs, of this-ism and that-ism, always promising… And here we are on the verge of major global catastrophes, having to scour Steven Pinker’s statistics to convince ourselves that there is – as so many people still blindly insist – “No problem.”
All that is now left is the more arduous journey of individual transformation. Which no one can do for anyone else? Are we living in a hypocrite society as one sees society as one big conspiracy theory as anything based on belief is bogus?
There are some perpetual principles that govern everything in life. And to be specific, difficult times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times produce powerless men, and powerless men create hard times. Many will not understand, but posterity and prosperity in our country produces parasites rather than life fighters….
Ayn Rand predicted the inevitable – When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing. When you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in good but in favors. When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you. When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice – You may know that your society is doomed.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s personal views. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Matters India and Matters India does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.