When Destruction is near, Understanding is turned upside down [Sanskrit Proverb]
Freedom – A Divine Concept?
Learned Minds teach us that Free Will is the essence of Existential Salvation.
Spiritual Minds teach us that Sanctity of a Soul rests on Honour.
Sacred Texts teach us that the freedom of choice is a necessary but not sufficient condition for self-accountability…
Why are Sacred Texts Philosophies so relevant to the Value-laden Chaos on Social Media?
No Sacred Spiritual Text fails to emphasise the core concept of individual responsibility towards the Collective Good.
No moral philosophy in Sacred Texts fails to highlight the pristine concept of individual freedom of conscience when exercising Individual Choices –
A Choice of ideas; A Choice of Beliefs;
A Choice of Convictions; A Choice of Expressions;
A Choice of Interpretations; A Choice of Selective Preferences;
A Choice of Neutrality; A Choice of Adversarial Postures;
A Choice of shifting Opinions; A Choice to reform Ideas;
A Choice to reform oneself over Time…
Individual Freedom – A Political Act?
The History of Human Civilisation is pregnant with fragile and precarious nature of the obsession to moderate popular opinion, with a recurrent theme: The fear of individual freedoms that is interpreted as an act of defiance towards the sole Authority.
Power, it seems, is never a matter of sharing – nor does it lend itself to compromise. Absolutism in the wielding of Power is a necessary ‘’discomfort’’ to attain stability, no matter how prone this approach is to nurturing friction, and latent provocation from political and ideological foes.
Pharaohs and Scribes – A Key Pendulum?
Ancient Civilisations have the quirky status of longevity. Absolutism, enshrined in a Vision to transcend Mortality, seemed to value a permanent recording of its values, ideas, trophies and aura.
Writing was an institutionalized instrument of Power – An officialised Sanctity of the Ruler’s Vision of Reality. Scribes and High Priests were the twin expressions of Faith with an implicit assumption of Collective submission to an accepted Wisdom.
Uprisings and Discontent were tantamount to heresy.
Nonetheless, Pharaohs had internalized the necessary instrumentalisation of Scribes as a necessary window to the outside World – A harmonious mode of expression of what is viewed as the pinnacle of aesthetic beauty in mind and monumental achievement that defined their Civilisation across centuries.
The Word and Depictions of Power in all its glory have defined hieroglyphic modes of expressions that defined the carcass of the ruling elite with a self-anointed divine aura.
Order and conformity were by design. Autocratic control was a given. Chastisement for any derogation and rebellion was an accepted code.
Social Codes and Political Discomfort
Politicians and Legislators are notorious for misreading social change. Resistance to change applies to Law and Politics – conservatism and status quo modus operandi are the twin agenda for vested interests.
Pushing the frontier of established codes, norms and values exposes the stress limits of institutional and ideological procedures and values.
Politics and Religion often seek mutual comfort and assurance in times of turmoil when control mechanisms are breached.
The degree to which the discomfort shall evolve into friction and dogged determination to hold their respective grounds – often dictated by silent vested interests – is dependent on what is at stake.
The time frame to attain an undisclosed political or economic goal during a political mandate is a lever to justify the narrowing of the space to express discontent and defiance.
Time is often the first crack in any political miscalculation … Politicians have no buffer for errors.
Social Media and Instant Political Agenda
The Cyber Age has brought the political establishment into total disarray and sparked sporadic reactions without any reliable and tested precedent as fallback position. Trial and error coupled with circumstantial hysteria have plagued immature politicians and their counsellors for over a decade when social media peaked as a medium of social interface on mobile apps.
It is an observation which applies fully to the citizen lambda. Social Media is a reflective mirror where distortions and fabrications often trigger more impact on the buzz scale than any credible news. Frivolity is the current new wave since a decade and beyond.
Visibility has a liability – beauty and filth share the same platform and attract a diverse shop window clientele.
Poise with Panache
Defusing popular hysteria is never a tame task. Populism is often deeper than commonsense attitude.
Those who wield Power has a duty of care to discharge this responsibility in the most responsible and balanced manner. A culture of fear and repression must not be normalized by the Political Establishment. To hit a nail with a sledge hammer is to overheat the intent with motive.
The Leader of the Majority in the National Assembly has a duty of care to moderate policy imperatives with the common good. All policy options require fine-tuning on the grounds that stability and focus are necessary conditions for economic development and business confidence.
Serenity and Poise are the hallmark of Leadership in any field. Competence and quiet efficiency are compatible.
Vox Populi equates to Vox Dei ?
Voter rights are sacrosanct.
However, this does not equate to Governing via Populist pressure. The oversensitivity to media highlights is counterproductive for the political leadership. It usurps the Political Establishment in its duty of care to govern in the light of policy imperatives and strategic goals within the ambit of national security interests that govern all policy options.
Freedom of Expression performs checks and balances modus operandi onto Government actions and measures. It does not necessarily take the form of vociferous and abusive postures in a bid to degrade and deform reality.
Verbal abuse has infiltrated in our linguistic culture as a norm. Social Media is no exception. What is deemed to be improper attitude and indecent behavior in society should be treated as such on social media.
Divergences of opinion may be expressed with grace and elegance, with a humoristic touch. Factual statements spin out of context cannot be treated as sarcasm. Vulgarity has never been funny.
Laughter is the best Distraction
Humour can be incisive if it has no vested interests…
Most people underestimate the key aspect of humour – to tell the Truth with a sarcastic smile.
The Humorist is indeed the most misunderstood amongst Circus artists – They have no safety nets.
Let the People giggle and forget the Pain and Fury of successive Governments’ Achilles Heels…