Freedom in 2075!

Freedom in 2075!

Freedom is the fundamental pursuit of all humans, and all animals in the animal kingdom too. It is only through a true sense of liberty that we cultivate a life of purpose and meaning. Without it, life, especially human life, will lose its objective based fulfilment. Because it would then mostly depend on subjective based fulfilment leading to a state of progressive self deception, where goals achieved are goals re-attempted, and the cycle goes on. 

Although one would think that this is true freedom, in actuality it is freedom with a singular dimension. And that is why true liberty, where you may be pursuing an objective based goal, still offers you multidimensional liberty, because it offers you the freedom to try every possible way to achieve your objective. 

Whereas in case of subjective fulfilment you may experience a sense of freedom but you are actually deceiving yourself to believe that what you are experiencing is by means of the freedom that you enjoy, without realising that this freedom is restrictive and it forces you to pursue the subjective goals with same patterns, never letting you try anything different or anything new.

When this happens, you become a lion who is not in the zoo, but in a reserved land or sanctuary with a limited area. But a lion with absolute freedom, lives wild and rules over a forest with endless territory ( It is a different topic that lions are territorial ) And in this forest the lion applies its true instincts and tactics to bring down prey many times bigger than its own size. However, in a sanctuary, the animals that the lion can prey on is restricted, so the lion’s ability to evolve in terms of its instincts and its tactical hunting techniques is very limited. Although completely free, the lion in the sanctuary is still a captive, to a self deceiving feeling of subjective freedom that makes the lion reticent.

These days I hear a lot of political and social debate around the topic: Freedom of speech.

And I agree with all those who say, “Freedom of speech is the fundamental right of humans!” It surely is and without it we shall be as good as robots.

But there appears to be complete silence when it comes to defining and understanding this freedom. Everyone appears to be brutally assaulting every government owned institution by weaponising this phrase. And in the pretext of freedom of speech, they actually choke the very essence of freedom and then that of freedom of speech. 

Any and every form of freedom should make us responsible, sensible, sensitive and most important of all very tolerant. Especially in countries where the makeup of the population supports co-existence of many religions, cultures, tribes and sects. In these countries it becomes imperative on the government and its citizens too, to be tolerant, and not act out of ignorance or misinformation.

This is where freedom of speech plays a very important role in sustaining the country's social and political fabric. But it puts a lot of responsibility on part of the citizens to exercise this right with a lot of caution. Even the slightest prejudice or bias can lead to a riot-like situation. 

With the onset of the digital age, people, especially youngsters, have access to a lot of information available freely online. And when a youngster ( someone 12 years old ) comes across headlines that are provocative and demeaning towards one section of the society. This child who at this age does not possess the mental discretion to judge such sensitive topics, will most likely believe in every word, and gradually develop acrimonious feelings towards this community. This feeling will grow in him/her so slowly that eventually he/she will develop deep rooted resentment towards this community. And as a result of this exposure, he/she would now use freedom of speech with an element of bias and a lot of insensitivity, when it comes to referring to this community.

With this right vested in him/her by the constitution of his/her country. He/she is free to say anything. But when saying anything to somebody, using sensible and sensitive discretion is very important. Alas, many men women fail to show these discretionary abilities nowadays, thereby leading to culture wars, social bias, and feelings of prejudice that tend to do more harm than good to that country.

And it makes me wonder why?

I recently read an article in the New York Times and it dealt with a similar topic, but with a different perspective.

New York Times College Culture Wars

I believe the author has made a valid point, because by abandoning Civics we have actually pushed our societies, especially the youth, into a one dimensional world, where everything is one dimensional when it comes to culture, religion, society etc. Because due this “one dimensional syndrome” the person always thinks as follows:

• 1- My religion

• 2- My language

• 3- My beliefs

• 4- My colour ( If I may say so ) 

• 5- My race

Is superior, rest all is a genetic garbage. 

(In this case it is always I, supported by the pronoun MY, followed by an extremely personal pronoun MINE.)

And the fault is not with the young children or the youth. But it is with the system and the system does not include the government, it includes those who have assumed offices that are responsible to foresee and observe such developments and act accordingly.

When this elitist class of men and women, allowed the Civics lessons or classes to be substituted by “online means' they unknowingly assumed that children who are 12 years old, are wise enough to judge the truth, whenever they read baseless racial statements online. 

Which they are not, and that is why conventional schooling systems hailed teachers and educators as future builders of the nation, because the future of the nation is defined by the mind set of the youth. And it has never been so important as it is today, when we are moving towards 100% globalisation.

Today, teachers too are facing a new kind of pressure. They feel like  a girlfriend, who is receiving a text from her boyfriend ( here parents of students )  after every minute, “honey how are you, when will you be free…….” 

Unable to sustain so much pressure, a teacher in South Korea committed suicide due to parent bullying. And it again put the focus on the system, and the people responsible for defining these ecosystems. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66655572

This makes me believe that the new should always learn and inherit from its past. But with technology growing at an extremely rapid pace, the system is unable to define this ratio between new and old. And in order to have a relaxed life, it seems, they let the new take complete charge. 

But in the world, rather in the Universe, nothing works like that. For a tree to grow strong it needs to deepen its roots, and this demands a lot of time. But we have few experts who want to plant hybrid trees that grow as big as these old and stout trees in just a year, but their roots only grow a few meters deep. Thus these trees fail to withstand even the slightest wind, let us not even talk of the storm.

For this South Korean teacher, everything has ended. But for the world, it is the beginning of the social catastrophe, that if left unchecked will erode the very foundation of our societies. 

Perhaps the world needs a break and learn from the old, and then reinvent the present for the glorious future of humankind. And here is the best example of how the so called “old” used to handle sensitive situations:

Movie titled : To Sir With Love

A phenomenal performance from every character, including the sir, played by the legendary : Sidney Poitier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu1ojHsMRrY

It makes me think of the beauty of old cinema. It was original and very authentic. It showcased true human values, culture and real human struggles. It never separated reality from originality. And that is what we need today, finding a unison between the reality of 2023 and then expressing it with complete originality.

( I love it when I see a Christian family holding their hands, and saying their prayers before having their meals. Simply touching, and to somebody from the East, it tells me the West is culturally so evolved and loving. Unfortunately in the modern cinema, this rich cultural element has been wiped out completely. 

The West is culturally very rich and so vivid, and they have contributed so much to the world. By ignoring these small gestures of gentleness, we are creating a new, that inherits nothing from the past, and if it continues for long, the new and future will be rendered hollow. And it shall be a cultural irony. Great cultures should always be preserved and carried forward. )

If we refer to Vedic India, the schooling system was highly evolved where the teacher was referred to as “Guru Dev” and in India Dev, means God or super being. And by referring to your teacher as Guru Dev, as a pupil, you reiterated to yourself that his position in your life is that of a super being, who shall guide you towards cultivating outward knowledge while helping you enrich your inner dimension of the personality. A holistic education where the focus was overall growth, not just academic.

But at the same time, one should not forget to mention about the Christian missionary schooling system, where the emphasis is on grooming the child’s personality in such a way that it achieves the prudence where it realises its true potential in all his/her undertakings. And in most of the Christian missionary schools ( I myself had studied in one ) Civics used to be a dedicated subject and we used to have 3 periods in a week, dedicated to this subject. I believe it helped us respect everyone’s individuality in a class that comprised 65 students in my section. 

It was a great institution where they did not teach me to grow as a student, but they helped me to grow as a human being and realise my true potential. I still remember that my friends who belonged to different faiths and cultures, would freely share my lunch and allow me to share theirs, which I often did. It was a diaspora of life in full bloom and in a classroom of a child in class 8th.

Now here is something more interesting.

For whatever reasons, many people across the globe believe Muslims are not educated or they belong to a culture where education and learning are not encouraged.

Let me guess!

No, that is not true. And to establish this fact I do not have to go far. My father was very well educated, so were most of my uncles. But, that is a frog in a well like comparison and I would prefer that the frog leapt out of the well and dared to take a broader perspective of things. So, here I am out of the well.

• Imagine a water clock engineered by a Muslim in the 13th century

• First explanation on optics and how vision works was also from a 10th century Arab

• A 12th century world map plotted by a Muslim and regarded to be the most accurate world map was also by a Muslim

• An elaborate book published on indigenous devices and mechanics was by Muslim brothers in 850

Now you might be thinking that I am biased, no please do not think so. Because CNN does not lie:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/29/muslim.inventions/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/feb/01/islamic-science

But that does not mean that I lied- It takes a lot of energy to protect a lie, because to support a lie, one has to remember so many other lies, and that consumes a lot of energy. I prefer not to expend so much energy on frivolous lies.

So, it definitely is not true that people from the Muslim world do not support education or learning. According to the holy book of Muslims, true enlightenment can only be achieved via rational thinking, learning and education. That is why debating and resolving issues via proper dialogue are encouraged in Islam. It is a complete ignorance on part of people who believe that Muslims believe in brute force. Had it been so, most of the Muslims today would have forsaken their faith and followed other faiths, because what people are made to accept by force, they will tend to abandon it after a few decades, but it has not been so for many centuries now when it comes to Muslims and their belief in the religion. So, it definitely proves there is something very beautiful, something very cordial and endearing about this faith that its followers still believe in it with absolute devotion.

It always depends on how one looks at things. And to me the greatest example of sacrifice that anybody has made for humanity to convey the message of peace and love, is that of Jesus Christ. And no wonder Christians still like to ring the gongs in the churches and believe in the beauty of their faith. 

However, as fast paced modernisation is creeping in, it seems many people are moving away from religious beliefs and it surely has many social, economic and political implications which are beginning to surface across the Globe. And it is time that we gave it a thought. Because if the world in the presence of God can turn so grotesque I wonder what it will be in the absence of God.

God is not a ring master who establishes fear in people's hearts by wielding the whip and controls their lives. But God is someone who makes things easy.

Let us take a simple example.

Solve this please:

(8) 9 + 12 * 15 / 5

Haa haaa. Please do not worry, I too did the same. I followed the left to right sequence.

But if you apply the rule/sequence called BODMAS

1. Brackets

2. Open

3. Divide

4. Multiply

5. Add

6. Subtract

You can solve it easily and with highest accuracy. But without BODMAS it will be like, locating stars on a bright sunny day.

The ease offered by BODMAS to solve this equation, is similar to God, who offers us similar guidance and ease to lead a life of love, tolerance and equality. You remove God from the equation of life, it will be like solving a complex equation without BODMAS.

An article in the New York Times referred to similar fears about people disassociating themselves with God and Churches as well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/23/opinion/christianity-america-religion-secular.html

And in this article the author addresses the main cause for this transition with a very apt observation, “Moore cites data suggesting that the reason people leave churches is not that they lose their belief in God so much as that they lose confidence in religious leaders and in the church’s moral leadership.”

It was for my love of BODMAS, for my faith and veneration of my dedicated teachers; and the belief that we will, like always, learn from the past and tweak our present to make our future worthwhile and grand; that I wrote my science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075. Which is a romance science fiction, that deals with similar circumstances in 2075. Only that in the science fiction, They Loved in 2075, the main cause of worry is not humans, but self aware machines and their interaction with humans, that is redefining their social lives and exchange of emotions. Where most of the humans have started to emote like robots. In a very subtle way it also tries to establish our faith in the force that manages this Universe and maintains the cosmic balance.

They Loved in 2075, is not just a sci fi novel, it is a view of the future from the prism of scientific scrutiny. Whether I have scrutinised it aptly or inaptly, please read the science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075 and let me know.