Question for idealists
We have these ideals of creating a just and equitable world. Suppose we get consumed by these thoughts and imagine that the only way for us to reach such a world is to wipe out an individual or a group of people. Will we do it? Whom will we wipe out?
We read about the camps created by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. If we reach a stage of building such camps in the 21st century, what kind will we have? Which role will I play? Of one supervising a camp or of one inside?
In the 20th century, hate and prejudice caused pathological behaviour in individuals and groups. What if our ideals, the ones we deem to be good for the world, were to lead us to such extreme behaviour?
Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago: “Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains… an un-uprooted small corner of evil.”
These words bring forth a reflection. At a time like this, when there is a spate of information, narratives, and shaming (in person and online), how do we maintain our rationality, spirituality and direction?
I have been part of many protests from my school days in Shillong, my university days in Pune, and in recent times. In my school days in Shillong, I joined protests out of curiosity and fun. But we were constantly told that we are the oppressed ones. If we do not stake our dominance as indigenous people -- the “people of the land” -- we will lose our voice and our rights. Empowered by passionate statements and speeches, ideals for a better “Ri and Jaitbynriew” (“Motherland and tribe” in the Khasi language) were developed. However, our actions often led to destruction and bloodshed, the opposite of what we had envisioned. Overwhelmed by passion and emotions, we became unconscious that we were persecuting our own.
Motherland thirsts for nourishment. We drenched her in blood. Jaitbynriew longs for development. Some in its name comforted themselves with corruption. Despite these revelations, we turned a blind eye as long as our dominion over the other was well fortified.
Discrimination and racism met during university days further intensified and widened the gap from the other. Indeed we were made to feel that we don’t belong, and this has been repeated numerous times. Recent examples were the incidents faced by some from the Northeast during the coronavirus lockdown, of being spat on, chased from their rented apartments, and not being allowed to enter departmental stores in India’s major cities.
Personal experiences of racism and reading reports of occurrences like these often consume my heart with bitterness, shame and anger. Not long ago, thoughts of seeking vengeance would also emerge.
A lot has changed since then, primarily due to my engagement with certain people. Meeting people caring for you as an individual, curious to understand differences and willing to bridge the gap, enabled me to recognise that not everyone is the same. To label, hinders the opportunity to meet that individual and group in their fullness.
Interactions with these persons empowered me not with superficial emotions, but with a responsibility that I have to work on discrepancies in my life. This learning resonates with a phrase I once read: “To disown the past in bad faith and to redefine the past by assuming responsibility for it are radically different responses.”
So, in recent times my participation in protests has purely been from a space of seeking justice. Not poisoned by hatred, or by idolising dominance over the other. I have been conscious to recognize flaws even in my Jaitbynriew or in some who claim themselves to be “defenders of the Jaitbynriew”.
How necessary it is to discern if our ideals for justice and equality are being toxified by power and greed! History has shown that if the means and the ends are not aligned the outcome often is indescribable chaos. The Stalins, the Pol Pots and the Hitlers, to name a few, were people who thought they are building an ideal world. Their orchestration of “ideal” meant the extermination of those they deemed unfit to be included in their world. The ones who carried out the cruelty were people who acted out in profound faith to these beliefs.
How could ordinary folk go to such lengths? Am I capable of reaching an extremity to inflict that much evil? The saying by Solzhenitsyn and my experiences have enlightened me with the frightening truth that I can.
The only thing that differentiates is our choice. They chose to be led by ideology while I am learning to surrender to the Inner Voice. When Gandhi quoted, “The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still small voice within me,” I believe he understood the risk of relying only on his emotions or on ideologies. Therefore, my ideals, ideas and decisions must undergo a constant process of crystallisation by the still small voice.
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Sunny Donkupar Mawiong, from the state of Meghalaya in India, describes himself as “an enthusiast of history, literature and culture who wants to learn the art of weaving threads for ethical, spiritual and collective leadership in Northeastern India”.