Back To Bliss: A Journey To Zero - Santosh Jha (best authors to read .txt) 📗

and power corrupts. Given that most powers have in-built tendency to move towards absoluteness and there is a saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely, the collectivity at some stage becomes absolutely corrupt. We all live in the collectivity of society, be it the social collectivity, the economic or political collectivity. Historically, individuals or motley group of individuals have challenged the corrupting absoluteness of collectivity and most revolutions start as individual struggle against collective corruption. When the individuals gain larger volume and power than the existing collectivity, revolutions are successful and the status quo of a corrupting collectivity is overthrown by a change.”

“Oh my God…! Monku, your editorial has evaporated the effect of the three glasses of whisky. Can’t you simplify things for me? I am a simple guy. Even my genius has specific limitations...I am trained for multi-tasking but not multi-intellectualism.”

“Ashu, it is simple and not beyond your hereditary constraints. What Monku wants to say is that in the long history of mankind, there has been an incessant struggle between individual and collectivity and it is to the credit of individuals that corrupting influences of an established collectivity are corrected; at least challenged, am I right Monku?”

“So, what I am supposed to understand? The lessons from history, the stupid struggles of my troubled humanity or what?”

“Yes Ashu, Monku wants you to understand that history tells us that individual position, however conflicting it may sound, has been fruitful and correcting influence on established and mainstream collective norms.”

“I would add to it Ashu that what history tells us is that the majority has an in-built tendency to corruption as it intrinsically aims at absoluteness. That is why, a healthy society is one where individualism is respected and given an equitable, if not equal, field for fair play. Similarly, a rational being is one who adheres to the collective knowledge but also respects individual wisdom.”

“Okese... accepted. But why should you tell all this to me and why now?”

“Ashu, Monku is telling you this because he wants you to respect what he views and desires as an individual which might stand in clash with the collective and mainstream practices.”

“Not only that Utkarsh. I also want Ashu to be open to the idea that the mainstream can be also be subjected to the individual scrutiny and not always the vice-versa. An individual’s non-conformism to collective compliance should not always be brushed aside as dangerous absurdity and mundane stupidity.”

“Wait...wait please! Let me have another drink to clear my mind. I have an intuition that you and Utkarsh have joined hands to put me in some sort of trap. Why should you two tell me about the corruption of collectivity? Am I some sort of spokesperson for this what you call collectivity. Am not I an individual too?”

“Yes you are and I am very sure that you respect the value of individual’s right to take on the corrupting influences of collective status quoism, especially when it starts to show perceptible signs of degeneration.”

“Okay, I do what you say; then, what next?”

“There are two parts of the reality that makes me drift towards a decision. First, my perception that media, where I work, has become such a place that I think I should not be a part of anymore. Second, there is a realization that I have something so beautiful and meaningful in my life that I feel I should devote all my time and energy to enjoy that.”

“So, what you want to do now, go to the Himalayas and become a saint…a majnu to be precise…?”

“Ashu, what is this? You just said, you would respect individuality and now you speak to Monku like that...how can you!”

“I am respecting his individuality Utkarsh. If he says he wants to go to Himalayas for a honeymoon with his girl then it is okay with me but I cannot accept that this world, or for that matter the media has become an awful or unsuitable place to be in. When was this world a good place, let alone the ideal one to live? You think of media as a bad place, come to my world and then see what a hell I work in and still able to smile. When will you people accept the realism of life? If this world is stinking, buy any good deodorant from the market and if you do not have the money to buy one, be habituated to the stink…stop complaining.”

“What is the realism Ashu? How can you say Monku is acting escapist?”

“I am not a philosopher but I know it quite simple. This world has always been like that, good or bad. This is reality and the wisdom is that you create a way around the chaos and stink and move ahead.”

“You mean to say, the realism is in finding a solution in the chaos, whichever way it comes?”

“I think so, what’s wrong with this view?”

“Your realistic world says that if the need be, you should call a donkey your dad, just to find a timely solution to a problem. This is taught as realism but another realism is that a donkey cannot be our father, some fathers may however sound like a donkey. And yet another reality is that humanity should never bow to a donkey’s whim even if that creature blocks your road to the solution. The reality is that we all should strive to create a world where all such donkeys are relegated to their rightful places.”

“Now Ashu, this is wrong! You cannot take an exception to prove a rule. The proverb is all about being practical in this world. What I say is that realism is in accepting things as they are and then find a solution facing it. I am against this escapism…after all we are men and men should always battle it out in the middle and not flee away.”

“Now take it Monku…this male world view is in front of you. The battlefield syndrome of male world view will not leave you in peace. All yours...I quit!”

“Now what is this? Why did you drag the gender question?

You won’t understand Ashu, it is a long story you missed as you came late.”

“No Utkarsh, Ashu can understand everything. We must come around this realism idea and know the dynamics of this world view about battling and escaping.”

“Yes Monku, do tell me. Do you think I am wrong? Correct me if I am.”

“Ashu, my brother, there is a word in our dictionary called relativity. There are things which you see and others which you cannot see but feel; there are matter and ideas. In natural state of affairs, they are essentially value neutral. Good or bad, important or redundant; it depends on the relative position from where you approach them. A knife is a knife but it changes meaning when in a robber’s hand and when in a doctor’s. Both realism and idealism are subject to the test of this relativity. The relativity demands that we approach any idea or a matter in perfect objectivity. Subjective preference for any single entity may be lopsided and may end up in seeing the world from a biased perspective. This world is better off neither in absolute realism nor in absolute idealism. Neither unbridled individualism nor the absolute collectivity is prescription for goodness. Both interchangeably balance each other. Then there is a question of prioritizing them. There cannot be a universal rule to what we should put ahead, idealism or realism. We need to assess the situation with objectivity to decide on the priorities. But still, idealism has an upper hand because often, it balances the unbridled realism.”

“Monku, the trouble with Ashu is that he always puts realism upfront and does not want to give idealism any chance whatsoever.”

“I deny the charges. You can say Utkarsh that I am more inclined to realism and why should not I be? I live in a world where I have seen all idealism as a façade to the hardcore realism. I believe in realism because I believe in truth. Monku has always told me that I should never practice hypocrisy and I find idealism the safe haven for the biggest of hypocrites. I profess realism because I really think; it at least allows me to be honest. If I am bad, if I am corrupt, I have the courage to say it. I am honest. At least, I don’t pretend to be what I am not and cannot ever be. My naked body is my creed. I am not like my boss who aims at profit maximization at any cost and speaks volumes on corporate social responsibility in seminars.”

“Monku, this ‘hips don’t lie’ thought system is strange. Ashu says his naked body is his creed. But is this realism practical? Why don’t we all walk on the street naked, showing our ass to the whole world? Truth and realism cannot be naked. There is a pardadari, a cover for every naked truth to be accepted in the practical world.”

“Oh God Utkarsh…! Why do you always take my words at their face value? I am not saying we should walk naked. What I am saying is that the reality is that beneath the clothe we all are naked and it is a truth.”

“This is exactly what you have to understand Ashu. We are born naked but in a civil society, we need some sort of a pardadari – a cover. Similarly, the realism what you call as naked truth may be as natural as we are born but it always needs a cover of idealism to be practically operational in our civilized society. We don’t live in jungle Ashu. The naked realism is not a prescription for civil society. The cover of idealism is always needed and what Monku is saying is that idealism has an upper hand as it covers up the brute and naked body of realism.”

“Okay, you cover up the realism but still the world’s operative prudence is realism, won’t you accept that?”

“No Ashu, it is not. There is at best a latent desire among a minority of people to make brute realism as the operative wisdom of human action but the world still runs on cherished ideals of humanity. We have a typical case in India. We all know; the chief trouble of India is the largely pampered and irresponsible citizenry. The democracy here has unleashed all rights but few duties. The bureaucracy, the politicians, the elite and socially strong people have misused the ideals of democracy. A minority of people have usurped Indian democratic fruit. The masses too think democracy extends them all rights but never feel the obligations for their duties. The trouble is, democracy as an ideal itself is in the root of larger trouble of India. If you apply your realism as an operative prudence, the truth is, India needs a strong and decisive hand as ultimate authority. We all see, larger part of India still has little governance. The rule of law, the benefits of welfare state, a civil administration, the dispensation of justice, the fruit of economic growth are still like islands in vast sea, available only to a few in big cities but poorly visible in majority of India. But still, we keep our faith intact on democracy as the ideal operative prudence. The iron hand, the authoritative might of a decisive ruling dispensation is not acceptable. The stupidity of majority is still preferable over the tyranny of a minority. We cannot just give realism a free hand just because idealism has not fared reasonably well in our selfish and foolish world.”

“Ashu, I and Utkarsh always appreciate your honesty. We value your opinion because you are always true to your belief. But what you complained about idealism is the corruption of idealism and not idealism itself. That’s what Utta has told you about our democracy. That is why I told you about our subjective priorities. The idealism of a knife is that it should be in a doctor’s hand but if a doctor uses the knife for