Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Modern notion of State: 'means' usurping the 'end' !

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Modern States show tendency to zombiefy the people !

The recent demise (March 2015) of the father figure of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, has seen many world leaders as well as popular media columnists coming-out with unprecedented adulation and appreciation about him, and the way he enhanced the reputation of his small nation, by his sheer mastery over the so called ' State-Craft' !

He could achieve the said envious feat by following certain key strategies that every nation-head is keen to emulate:
1) Not allowing the political opponents to come-out strong, and stand in his way of bringing in progress and modernity ( 'suppression of political dissent' as stated by Minxin Pei, prof. of govt.at Claremont McKenna college, US, in his article in Indian Express, dated 30th March,2015)
2) His model of dynamic, authoritarian capitalism ( words of same author as above, in the same article)

3) A market-based economy, closely integrated with the West ( -do-)

4) A strategic alliance with US (-do-)

One of the most respected voices among the Indian political and policy analysts
Mr. Bhanu Pratap Mehta, President of Center of policy Research, also wrote an article in Indian Express Newspaper last week, a distinctly adulatory piece on the overall performance of the Late. Lee Kuan Yew !

If one attempt to summarize the many such highly praising accounts of the achievements of the late great leader of Singapore, it comes-out that, what modern world count and respect is the PROGRESS of countries as a stand-alone goal, irrespective, and independent of what and how individual citizens subjectively experience the said concept of success and progress! The State is the entity and the 'being' that glitter, shine, compete,  and compare itself with other nations over the criteria of 'success' and 'progress' listed above.

It would be similar to large cattle-farm owners, comparing and competing with each other,  about production, profitability and professional working-model of their farms ! Animals in the farm are mere passive instruments and means for the farms to be successful and outshining over others ! What,after-all, is the relevance of the individual animals in the farm, other than that of the owners meeting their biological  needs ?  Animals are mere 'means'  or commodity in the farm-owners' professional line of activity ! Or, for another comparison, we could do it with the motivation of a Gardner; a gardener is more concerned with the beauty of the 'clusters' he grooms, than the breathing space of each individual plant. The 'collective' picture is his concern always, than nurturing individual plants.

Is it not a very dangerous outlook on the life of man on planet earth ? Considering the citizens only at their physical level dimension and needs, at the heavy cost of NOT taking into consideration each citizen's overall intellectual,emotional,rational and creative needs? After-all, he is the one who ultimately 'experience' the net quality of life that the state produce, and such quality is definitely NOT confined around physical factors alone. Human person is primarily and ultimately an emotional and 'mind' thing, for whom the question of his individual,creative self-expression is central for his contentment and happiness.

If every budding and ambitious new leader of nations attempt to emulate the great Singapore leader,
( without doubt, these leaders are extremely desirous of being like him in the matter of state-craft and SUCCESS !) what will the future of mankind as an enlightened species ?

Modern democratic State were supposed to be a mere 'means' to ensure individual freedom, dignity of self, and liberty from the exploitation of the powerful over the weak, as well from, and most importantly, by  the State itself. While this remains the cardinal principle of the democratic ideal, emulating Late.Lee of Singapore by every modern world leader will be a great ideological catastrophe for the future of mankind !

Increasingly, the realm of people is being treated as passive material for the existence of the primary entity of the State, and to glorify its existence as once stated above.

 The end goal of all modern states was people, post the enlightenment era. But in the unfortunate developments that occurred with the reign of industry in the modern world, this exalted status of man in the scheme of things drastically altered. Man's subjective entity, his contentment as individual has lost its centrality in the modern world. As stated once, the chief cause behind this vital shift of centrality was the unprecedented entry of industry and professional politics in the mainstream world.

The post-industrial world wanted all its men as a chief resource to run factories and offices. Modern political democracies, by default under the modern-economic myths and traditions, happened to be depended upon the industry for achieving 'progress' of their respective nations. We know that, the imperial colonization by the European powers had happened only as a natural follow-up act;  whatever the individual trade and business adventurers and players had achieved was appropriated by the respective European governments in due course of history. Best example is the East India Company,a private trading establishment in Britain. They traveled to India and established their huge trade as well as military hold in India. When almost the entire geographic region of India was under the said private-player, the Queen of England had appropriated the Indian-holdings of the company by an Act in parliament in 1958. This tradition of industry and ruling establishment going hand-in-hand is being continued even today also, without much change.

The above stark-reality  about the status of human-beings, and their centrality in the affairs of modern world should send moral and rational tremors through the spine of every right-thinking person ! Though there already exists, and then regularly appear huge literature and out-cries about the ever-losing rights and individual centrality of man in the media, such literature are merely becoming permanent and even DECORATIVE feature of modern-mainstream ! They make no difference to the well-cemented norms, systems and traditions of mthe odern world, where individual-freedom has become the most scarce but precious commodity today; becoming either rich or politically powerful are the only two means to grab and possess it!

The above referred utter scarcity of human-freedom, and the wide-spread violent scramble for political power at every corner of modern world amply exemplify the above proposition; the currently hot events in Yemen, wherein the Houthis from the Shia camp wanted to capture power and be free. In Nigeria, the Boko-Haram rebels wanted to capture power and be free from the current establishment. In India, it is said, in almost 30% of districts in the country, the anti-government groups( seeking freedom!) like Maoists are active. Those who get to the seats of political power,by whatever method, they fail or simply refuse to ensure and share the much prized human-freedom to all the people! It is high-time for modern world to sit for long, and debate the appropriateness and relevance of SUCCESS and DEVELOPMENT, over providing  uninhibited and plain individual liberty and freedom to each citizen !

It is easy to understand restricted individual freedom and liberty under regimes of Kings and tyrants. But the same restrictions and limitations under Democracy, the so called political system of EQUAL-MEN is pure-self-deception over the great ideal !

Moreover, the institution of State, especially it's people model, was one of the greatest achievement of man's civilization. It was supposed to be an embodiment of all his sense of Reason, wisdom and good sense. It's chief purpose was to share such valuble assessts of the community equally to all citizens, so that the Nation, as well as World as a whole, develop more and more in civilization. But recent developments in many top democratic states in the world such as USA, UK and India, compel us to seriously doubt,whether State indeed represent everything good and progressive about her community, or it lead her to past's evils like bigotry, communal and racial exclusion etc!

After the recent prsidential election of Donlad Trump, the entire world doubt,whether he represents America's great status on openness, human-intellectual progress, individual Liberty etc, or carrying her to the past's negative sentiments like mutual fear among communities, nations, and animosity between races, economic-classes and religions.

In India, under her Prime-Minister Modi, the ancient civilization of the country with all traditions of religious tolerance, plurality of cultures, traditions and languages seems going through great threat! He belongs to the majority community, Hindusm, not in its secular tradition,but it's virulent exclusivity! Being Hiduism a majority commuity with 80% of the population, his explicit leaning towards the revival of Hindu supramacy is playing havoc with the fabric of social life of citizens. Ordinary Hindus feel a new entitlemnet under him, and they express it in day today life, attacking the ways and cultures of orther religions, not only verbally, often physically too!

UK's decision to exit EU is famous. In France too, the extreme right-wing is gaining strength day by day. When such negative forces increasingly take over the State institution, the classic purpsoe of having a State turns a threat to humanity! People increasingly fall for the powerful rhetoric of virulent leaders, especially with the help of latest hi-tech communication methods and marketing strategies. Once considered the blessing of civilization, the State institution today proving civilization's greatest threat!

It is high-time for mankind as a whole to realize that, the most archaic and primeval notion,or we could say, the social-evil that contemporary world lives with is its notions about the realm of State, or Establishment ! Despite all the progress and advancement she claims, modern world is still in the grip of primitive notions about how our societies are ruled. The realm of State and country RULE is still clouded under old-time myths of glitter, glory and power. 

Therefore, dangerous clamors in every state is a reality, between different groups to capture these excessively glorified THRONES ! That between different nations in the world, each State accumulating planet-threatening modern nuclear-weaponry should shame every aspect of our claiming as a modern age ! 

For our becoming truly modern, open and progressive, we must alter our basic concepts, myths, notions and values around our realm of RULING the states ! These myths and notions are archaic and primitive to the tilt!

For further reading on the above subject, please follow these links: http://closedmodernworlddespitedemocracy.blogspot.in/
http://influxofcapitalisticvalues.blogspot.in/
http://understandinginflationinanewlight.blogspot.in/2014/12/freedom-and-free-market-are-they.html


Authored by: Abraham J.Palakudy
www.conscienceofthesociety.com : An independent philosophy and polity research (non-profit) initiative
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