A REFLECTION ON TYRANNY

Thomas Jefferson once said ““When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.”  

However was there ever a circumstance, where any government actually feared its people?  Ever since the existence of Man, it was fear that drove people to communalize. In the process of communalization it is important to have an alpha personality who would the strongest to bind the community together. “Strength” often is synonymous with “brute” which in turn leads to “arrogance” which would then feed the ego with adrenaline that intoxicates one. That state is called “POWER’. So to be perpetually intoxicated, one has to be in Power. The drive for intoxication is so great that man would do anything to be in power, even if that means to resort to tyranny.

“In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion, or both to deceive and overawe the People," quoted Eugene Victor Debs. A despot remains adamant and rationalizes his actions in the name of a Utopian Dream and camouflages his hidden agenda.

Hitler’s Mein Kempf (My Struggle) was instrumental in propagating Nazism that inspired young Germans. Hitler further went on to say, “I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator.”

Mao Tze Tung was another controversial leader who had designs to lead peasant China void of intellectuals. The oppression was not only targeted at the Imperial House but also to the intellectual strata of the Chinese society who Mao knew would be a stumbling block to his ambition. The famous “Little Red Book” that was widely circulated in the 60’s deeply entrenched Mao’s position as a supreme leader. He inspired millions of young Chinese cadres to even turn against their parents to create the Utopian society he envisaged. Mao’s inspiration was simple, “If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.”

Bashar Al Assad, an ophthalmologist who took reign from his father in 2000, started as a reformist but today has been accused of killing thousands of Syrians who oppose him. Prof David Lesch (Trinity University) in his interview with The Atlantic Wire quoted “Well, I never met Saddam Hussein and Muammar Qaddafi, but I know people who have met all three. And they agree with me: Bashar was different. He seemed relatively normal, whereas when you meet with Saddam or Qaddafi, you almost immediately sense that there's something off with them. But with Bashar you never got that sense. That tells me that the arrogance of power can affect anyone, no matter how well-intentioned or relatively normal in the beginning.”  So power does breed evil in man.

Akhenaten, Caligula, Attila the Hun, Harun Al Rashid, Ghengiz Khan, Tarmalene, Vlad the Impaler, Mary I, Ivan the Terrible, Aurangzeb, Peter the Great, Theodore  II of Ethiopia, Vladimir Lenin, Juan Peron, Joseph Stalin, Ngo Din Diem, Kim Il Sung, Nicolae Ceausescu, Jean Bedel Bokassa, Idi Amin, Slobadan Milosevic, just to name a few in history are those who have committed great atrocities to mankind within their own boundaries -  nevertheless the outcome is the same, human suffering.

The irony is how such blatant despotic cruelty progresses to a point of absurdity. To this the words of Lysander Spooner resonates loudly, “Those who are capable of tyranny are capable of perjury to sustain it.”  Sadly this appears to be true in all instances of such treachery.

It was told that in his dying hours, Alexander the Great had three wishes he wanted his generals to fulfill.

“My first wish is to have my physician bring my coffin home alone. After a gasping for air, Alexander continued: “My second wish is scatter the gold, silver, and gems from my treasure-house along the path to the tomb when you ship my coffin to the grave.”  After wrapping in a woolen blanket and resting for a while, he said: “My final wish it to put my hands outside the coffin.”

People surrounding him all were very curious, but no one dared to ask the reason. Alexander’s most favored general kissed his hand and asked: “Your Majesty, we will follow your instruction. But can you tell us why you want us to do it this way?”

After taking a deep breath, Alexander said: “I want everyone to understand the three lessons I have learned. To let my physician carry my coffin alone is to let people realize that a physician cannot really cure people’s illness. Especially when they face death, the physicians are powerless. I hope people will learn to treasure their lives. My second wish is to tell people not to be like me in pursuing wealth. I spent my whole life pursuing wealth, but I was wasting my time most of the time. My third wish to let people understand that I came to this world with empty hands and I will leave this world also with empty hands.”  He closed his eyes after he finished talking and then stopped breathing.

Thus is the fate of human life, known to all that death is imminent, but forgotten whilst in the throes of intoxication.

However in this era of Kali Yuga it has been prophesized that all deeds (Karma) have to be repaid within one’s own lifetime, as such all tyranny has to come to an end eventually where the perpetrators would have to reap what they have sowed.

“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always,” said Gandhi.

The only thing certain about life is DEATH. If only more leaders are aware of this equanimity the world would be a better place.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? “ Mark 8:36.

FROM VACCINATION TO MASTECTOMY

Billions of dollars have been invested in developing new drugs or even improving existing drugs to improve its efficacy and safety.

Instead of focusing on health and wellbeing, today attention appears to be centered on curing of diseases. Interestingly ancient medical practitioners such a Charaka (Indian Physician, circa 300BC), advocated healthy living rather than disease curing. Therefore it is perplexing to know why there hasn’t been much done in creating a healthy lifestyle. Instead the situation today has degenerated. 

   

Thus the introduction of vaccinations and the many drugs in the market seen more curative than attempting to establish society’s wellbeing. Within the paradigm of a knowledge based society, “fear” owing to overload of information has tuned society to seek out popular trends as a mandate to conform to a prescribed action. The bigger question is who sets motion to this trend? Does an individual’s action in a particular direction eventually snowball into a lifestyle? Or could it be instituted by a more powerful entity with access to the global communication network.

In his book, “Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the Western Mind”, Ethan Watters said, “Cultures become vulnerable to new beliefs about the mind and madness particularly during times of social anxiety or discord.” 

So in this case the anxiety is in the form of wellbeing of society, which translates to parents’ concerns on  welfare of children’s health,  what more now with the global mobility of diseases. Parents’ concerns are almost homogeneous globally, at least in the socially networked framework. Thus the propaganda towards building a perceived state of mind is inevitable.

This, Watters describes as “psychological imperialism”, a very scary proposition indeed. However one  cannot negate its impact. This predicament in the healthcare is a phenomenon more apparent in the middle income group, a group that is trapped in their own insecurity. For the lower income group, heavy reliance on public healthcare out of sheer circumstances eases them from carrying this psychological burden of guilt. 

So what is the take on the role played by the healthcare industry? I believe it boils down to ethical governance and practices. But who is to monitor these practices? The symbiotic relationship between the healthcare practitioners and the pharmaceutical firms is something that goes back a long way. According to Kalman Applbaum in his literature, “How does the drug industry exert power? An Anthropological Perspective,” says, “pharmaceutical manufacturers like other marketing driven enterprises have realized that it is less in the product, the brand or even the patent where their fortunes lie, but in the stream , the marketing channel, you can insert any product you like into it, no matter how useless or dangerous.” Top on the list of channel members would include the physician, followed by insurance firms, government regulators and hospital managers, not necessarily in that order.

So how do parents than decide whether a particular vaccination is a need or want. I would think they would look up to healthcare professionals who are deemed to have the expertise to advice. Whether ethical advice is given or not, it would be their better judgment and is also the contentious issue that is being highlighted here.

As an example, here in Malaysia, vaccinations are classified under two categories ie. Mandatory vaccination and recommended vaccination. The dilemma for parents would be in the latter category, as such reliance on professional advice plays a crucial role. Interestingly the policy on this matter differs from country to country. This makes it even more difficult for parents to decide, and thus making  parents to become even more susceptible to deceptive advice.

In the name of preventative medicine, the mindset of the society, have been altered over time. So where does this leave us? Today a healthcare personnel has become a businessman, he she is not friend nor a relative. We are treated as a customer. How do we than respond? Well exercise your right as a consumer, the right to choice! Get second or third opinions before deciding on  treatment.

Remember healthcare is a multibillion dollar business, with extensive investments in R&D, as such these investments need to be realized. 

The latest to join this bandwagon is the report that Angelina Jolie went for a preventative mastectomy. The question is does she really need one? According to her health care specialist, Jolie has a mutated BRCA1 genes that increases her chance of developing breast or ovarian cancer. As such she agreed to undergo a double mastectomy and subsequent breast reconstruction with implants. The entire procedure was carried out purely on the basis of statistical probability, and she doesn’t have cancer to begin with to actually undergo a mastectomy. Nobody would know the intentions of her health care specialist to advise Jolie to go through this procedure to mutilate otherwise a perfectly fine part of the body, accept themselves. It looks like health care professionals have become statisticians and even actuarists rather than being  physicians. As for Jolie, I would be inclined to believe, her decision to go through this prophylactic mastectomy was driven by fear.  Fear of contracting the dreaded disease, a fear that could have been induced by her health care advisors. Or maybe it was Jolie's eccentricity that committed her into this action. Either way Jolie's celebrity status would have it's own consequential influence on many women around the world.

So has the noble profession drifted away from the philosophy of the Hippocratic Oath? Maybe not, I believe there are many more practitioners with passion and conscience, doing a great job for the wellbeing of a healthy society.   

MOTHER O"MINE

Dedicated To My Mother Jeyaletchumee Thirunavukarasu, Mother, Teacher, Poet and Most Importantly a LOVING PERSON.

Mother o’ Mine

Mother o’ Mine

~

If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

If I were damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o’ mine, O mother o’ mine!

By: Rudyard Kipling

To ALL MOTHERS.

Whether you are AMMA, MA, MUMMY, MUM, MERE, MATKA, MOR, MOEDER, INA, NAI, MUTTER, MANMAN, LEEJ NIAM, ANYA, MOOIR, IBU, MATHAIR, MADRE, OMM, MAMA, ANNE, ME, MAM, MAJKA..........................

YOUR LOVE HAS NO BOUNDS!!!

DEMOCRACY>POLITICS>CITIZEN

The origins of democracy though promulgated with Athens around 6^th BC,  historical evidence also point out that practices of democracy in multiple forms had existed in ancient India, Mesopotamia, and Sparta. However none have been written with such passion and depth as democracy in the Roman Empire.

With Plato laying the foundation to the concept of political philosophy, expounding the role of citizens and the state none was so tested with treachery and deceit in the politics of Rome. In what is known as the Ides of March, sixty senators conspired and assassinated Julius Caesar who was deemed to be a dictator threatening their very own positions. Caesar himself was instrumental in the demise of the Roman Republic and replaced it with a monarchy regime as later known as the Roman Empire.  Interesting to note that, Caesar was merely a powerful general serving the Roman Republic under the Roman Triumvirate Rule of law. But when conflict occurred in the triumvirate Caesar took the opportunity to seize power and became the dictator (not in the republic sense). 

Whoever thinks politics is a level playing field, is surely naïve and should never be one in the first place. Never was there a war that was fought with a referee in the middle, with the warring sides having equal strength. Its about tactics and strategy on how to outwit each other.

Sun Tzu, in the Art of War states that, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

When Gandhi faced the mighty British Army he realized that Independence for India cannot be gained by engaging in a conventional altercation. Veerapandian Kattabomman (1798), Jhansi Rani (1857), Bhagat Singh (1930) and  Netaji (1945), all fought head on with the British but all of them failed in their attempts. However Gandhi waged a different war with the British, a psychological warfare. The Satyagraha Salt March, was something that the British did not anticipate where for the first time violence was countered with non-violence. Hence that incident paved the way for the eventual independence. 

So when political parties engage in a political contest they must anticipate and be prepared for every probable move that their opponents would pursue. More so if your adversary has the DNA of Goliath, Medusa and Golem, where the probability of action grows exponentially. So contingencies are essential in this blood sport (literally or otherwise).

‘Democracy’ is a political philosophy for governance of a state, the ‘Politics’ makes this happen and the ‘Citizens’ make up the politics. The equation between the three entities (Democracy, Politics and Citizen) are deemed to be interdependent. However ideally, ‘Citizen’ should be the independent variable whereas ‘Politics’ and ‘Democracy’ should be the dependent variables. Unfortunately when 'Politics’ becomes powerful the ‘Citizen’ loses control and 'Democracy' suffers.

Whether it is the US, Britain, Australia, Philippines, India etc., I often wonder whether the citizens of these countries really have a say in the politics of their respective countries or is it a domain of a few who uses democracy as a means to further fuel their own political agenda. 

But at least in these countries there are socio-legal infrastructures for citizens to push for public agenda to be heard and addressed. If only more developing countries have such progressive systems in place, it would pave the way for establishing civil governance with better checks and balance. Hence the equation of “Democracy><Politics><Citizens” would constantly recalibrate to achieve an ideal equilibrium as society evolves.