1. We
need to find out the root cause of all problems and diseases and
not merely react to the symptoms
Any issue, problem or disease cannot be cured by trying to
work based merely and only on the externally manifested symptoms and addressing
to stop them.
One needs to go deeper and try to decipher the root cause[s].
If we look into most of the troubles and observe without
bias and tendency to justify any specific outlook or stand or position, we may
notice the root cause which ends up manifesting in varying degrees of intensities,
forms and manner depending on the context, circumstances, the players involved
and many other concomitant socio-cultural nurturing which almost parasitically
permeate into the collective socio-cultural and psychological fabric and starts
impacting everything and everyone.
What is that root cause? Let us find out.
It is in a word it is some ‘Identity’ which starts
filtering, interpreting and extrapolating everything to align with that
specific identity and everything else becomes unwelcome.
Some identity orientation, per say is inevitable but how we
treat other identities is what matters most.
So, once we identify the root cause and accept it then we
can proceed to analyze its components and address them one by one.
2. Manifestations
of identities with varying degrees of intensity
Fondness,
Ferventness, Faith and Fanaticism are the multiple frequencies of the spectrum
of affinity- ranging from subtle to substantial impact.
These
frequencies are not mere verbal nuances but can be nice or nasty depending on
how they manifest the intensity of one’s reverence and reaction to anything.
If we adopt
the armor of sense of balance and the tool of refined rationality devoid of any
identity based reaction to anything, though this may sound very
idealistic or even utopian, then, it serves to provide a level playing field
for all individuals irrespective of any identity.
Rational
approaches refine what is otherwise viewed as contrasts that divide into
variations that seek synergy.
Life is
impregnated with the inevitable polarity principle in many aspects and
identities are no exception.
Identities of
all hues while they enable creating social groups at the same time enfeeble
options for universal acceptance.
I have very
often held that identity, though inevitable, excessive and exclusive veneration
is at the heart of many problems be it in the realm of religion, region,
language, tradition, culture, nationhood and so on.
In a sense
identities symbolize fences.
We need maps to
know the planet but we need to protect the planet beyond mapped concerns.
I have written
reams and reams on this theme of ‘Identity’ while writing on various subjects.
I shall give
links to some here.
3. Identity or ideology veneration
Any identity or
ideology veneration is, by itself, a limiting factor and therefore self
defeating if it claims to help one’s perception or enhance one’s well being.
Trying to
interpret and ideologically portray certain facts or issues or events or
persons or life in terms of perspectives based on any such ideological or
identity fixation can have an impact which may impede or hamper original
experience and/or perception as it may prompt many to view facts and life’s
events only through prisms of such ideological templates.
Though this is
inevitable and also in some cases it can benefit the individual and the society
at large.
However, in
many cases it can create a major cultural and mental block.
The havoc is
more if an ideology masquerades as a great religious or social philosophy
endorsed by publicity and ensconced in appealing logical fallacies, exaggerated
presentation of apparent inequalities, cynicism and attractive vocabulary and
all these factors well sewed up, linked and designed to project and peddle a
victim hood.
What these
types of approaches end up doing is creating many sub ideologies and identities
with multiple petty ideology peddling heroes instead of real scholars.
These people
quickly cause social engineering but also leave inadvertently a byproduct of
individual psychological depravity.
Basically this
individual psychological depravity takes on a new dimension of collective
subversion, of all systems and procedures done with good intentions, leading to
numbness of conscious concern.
More so because
certain social ideologies emanate from a mixture of undefined and unrefined
criticism of all existing systems and approaches [ with all their niceties and
nastiness] and rejects and ejects all systems that do not fall in line with the
new found social ideology.
All sorts of
misinterpretations happen precisely in all extremisms in the name of religion,
politics, socio –economic systems etc especially when fixed ideologies replace
philosophical inquiries and deprive independent and free experiments and
experiences.
The proponents
of such regimented ideologies are inane politicians projected as elite ones by
media publicity as both of them [media and petty ideology peddling politicians]
as a group stand to benefit out of such alignments.
On the whole
they lead to psychological depression, social unrest and unhappy life by
creating walls and fences of perpetual sense of insecurity combined with vacuous
inanity.
4. Self imprisonment in certain identities
based on some isms or ideologies.
Unfortunately
some good hearted people get self imprisoned in certain identities based on
some isms or ideologies.
Therefore, they
are unable and unwilling to entertain new ideas as that disturbs the walls of
the prison and they do not want to risk life in the outside world which they
feel will unsettle their comfort zone of ideologically imprisoned life.
Any one is at
liberty to live with or for certain ideas, ideologies and opinions which they
hold dear to their heart but not live exclusively soaked in those opinions
alone and finally sink their whole life in the small whirl pools of such ideas,
ideologies and opinions.
I wish those
who think and realized that they may be living in such self imprisonment may
read these two links which I wrote for some such good and well educated friends
of mine on both sides of the spectrum of highly opinionated living.
Self
imprisonment works in these ways without even our realizing it.
“Everything
changes as you move through three stages of awareness:
first, that beliefs are the result of conditions;
second, that beliefs are the cause of conditions;
and third, that beliefs are themselves conditions.”― Eric Micha'el Leventhal
first, that beliefs are the result of conditions;
second, that beliefs are the cause of conditions;
and third, that beliefs are themselves conditions.”― Eric Micha'el Leventhal
“All of
us have our own inner fears, beliefs, opinions. These inner assumptions rule
and govern our lives. A suggestion has no power in and of itself. Its power
arises from the fact that you accept it mentally.”― Joseph Murphy, The Power of
Your Subconscious Mind
We must realize
that the subconscious mind is the law of action and always expresses what the
conscious mind has impressed on it. What we regularly entertain in our mind
creates a conception of self. What we conceive ourselves to be, we become.”
Grace Speare.
5.
External identity ends up occupying our time and mind space
Any external
identity because it ends up occupying our time and mind space so much that
without realizing it such external identities become our second nature and
slowly like a parasite devours our original nature.
Then we also
succumb to such identities as it was us who chose, allowed and decided to
wallow in the supposed worthiness of all those identities starting from
religion, culture, language, thrust upon relationships and so on.
However, can we
avoid any such identity is a big puzzle?
Sometimes it is
out of our own jubilant choice and sometimes it gets tagged out of necessity of
circumstances.
We cannot avoid
many identities. Should we deny or try to drive away or try to compare or
extrapolate with some ideology etc? The
answer is a big ‘No’.
However, we
need not get addicted to any identity and also we can tolerate other
identities.
Only such
practical attitude can lead to some sane and peaceful social life.
“All of us have
our own inner fears, beliefs, opinions. These inner assumptions rule and govern
our lives. A suggestion has no power in and of itself. Its power arises from
the fact that you accept it mentally.”― Joseph Murphy, The Power of Your
Subconscious Mind
We must realize
that the subconscious mind is the law of action and always expresses what the
conscious mind has impressed on it. What we regularly entertain in our mind
creates a conception of self. What we conceive ourselves to be, we become.”
Grace Speare.
Peace and
Harmony are defined indirectly by wanting too much of
same Identity in everyone and everywhere and want of Tolerance.
Most
importantly we must acquire the wisdom to make unbiased balanced views on
everything concerned with life so that we can try to grasp the meaning of life
with all its harsh realities and real hues and facets of variety that life is
made of.
6. Can any single ideology arrogate
itself to extrapolate everything?
Worse
still, can that ideology accuse others of whipping up passions?
Provocation
and counter justifications crop up whenever things happen different from the
readymade stereotyped narratives and profiling scripted by some predominant
ideological identity veneration in the main stream media that has, unfortunately
appropriated the term liberal.
Predictably
these hardcore ideologues tend to extrapolate everything, purely and only,
according to their versions of social correctness without the least home work
about context and care about sensitivities of the stake holders.
They
do it without any qualms be it art, science, religion, economics, trade,
culture, individual learning, independent thinking, aesthetic sensitivity and
almost everything under the sky except perhaps reviewing liberally their own
ideologically fixation.
Worse
still when these provocateurs in chief not only presume that they have the
exclusive privilege and prerogative to perpetuate opinions and market news
through main stream media [MSM] but also suffer from selective amnesia.
It
is good that the huge army of almost omnipresent social media is enabling the
larger public aware of other versions of the story and real facts [of course
every now and then Social Media too resorts to unverified and unauthenticated
panic projections and rumor recreations].
So,
ultimately both the stereotyped ideologues of MSM and the high priests of
counter ideas are spending most of their time and energy in not doing much
productive activities and instead end up using most of it on piling up weapons
of attacking propaganda and pillorying by one group and while the other is busy
producing protective armors of counter justifications and making tall claims as
required proportionate to the provocative attacks and pillorying.
Both
keep on enhancing their aggression, appropriations and assigning labels and
these activities move on as a never ending extremism from which human race
needs reprieve.
Now,
you decide who needs to be restrained or ignored?
