"Freedom is the highest law and the last Consummation." - Swami Aurobindo.
Interesting perspective on human existence, a statement that resonates the very survival of the human race. Does freedom give one the right to encroach on another to fulfill ones own freedom.
The poem below by Nelson Mandela, captures the dilemma.
I have walked that long road to freedom;
I have tried not to falter;
I have made missteps along the way.
But I have discovered the secret
that after climbing a great hill,
one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
I have taken a moment here to rest,
to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me,
to look back at the distance I have come.
But I can rest only for a moment
for with freedom come responsibilities,
And I dare not linger
for my long walk is not yet ended.
It took Mandela a 27 years of patience, to realize the freedom for South Africa, and in the poem above however, he has admitted that in the process of not wanting to falter, he had missteps too.
It is only human nature to exhibit egoism for survival. In the case of Mandela, his socio-political enlightenment, coupled with inward reflection of his own existence, could have redefined his quest for freedom for South Africa thereafter.
The 3rd Mauryan King, Ashoka, who perpetrated one of the bloodiest war ever recorded in India, against the Kalingan Kingdom India, in 261BCE, saw the King reflecting on his own action upon his conquest. Until up to that point in time the focus of his governance was efficiency, thus non compliance from existing and new subjects were not tolerated. His contemplation saw the transformation from Ashoka the usurper to Ashoka the bestower. Nobody would ever know Ashoka's motive but the legacy he left behind as a bestower tend to overshadow his earlier despotism. The liberation that ensued must have left deep impression on the psyche of the people to the point that history today glorifies him as Ashoka the Great.
Both the characters above have shown extraordinary leadership and left the most profound mark on human history which hinges on one basic human need ie. Freedom, one as the Oppressor and the other as the Oppressed. But interestingly both met their equilibrium point which resulted in giving us the meaning of Freedom and Liberty.
However, Freedom today has also become a burden to many.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of political ideology, etc.....etc.....etc..... the list goes on. But the complexity of human interlocking owing to demographic mobility has created multiple overlaps of ideagogue hence the "Clash of Freedom."
To add to this dubiety the entry of neo-liberalism credited mostly to Hayek and later Friedman, further encroached into the morality of "Freedom" under the guise of consumerism. Thatcher and Reagan in the 80's, basically, I believe had institutionalized it not only via governance but also deeply imprinted it in the minds of an entire generations after that. Corporations today hold monopoly to what was once governed by public accountability. So it is now lamented that the economic circumstances of an individual is a matter of choice, for which the choice is an endless cycle of disparity with no hope of "liberation" for the weaker. The system somehow has no room for inefficiency and thus tardiness is pushed out of the ecosystem. With diminishing 'social safety net' and a compromised 'invisible hand', the disparity between haves and have not's becomes wider, thus the appositeness of freedom becomes grey.
Hence in reality Freedom seems ALWAYS to be a privilege of a few, whereby the degree and type of freedom granted is in the hands of that few.
So FREEDOM appears to be not a birth right but rather a conditional enigma.
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed emancipation to end slavery 1863, but racial bigotry still rears its ugly head, as witnessed in the recent Dallas shooting.
The independence of India saw freedom from colonial rule but suffered a bitter partition owing to religious and ethnic enslavement, which still plagues the divided countries.
And today the latest buzz, Brexit also reeks of issues pertaining to encroachment of freedom of choice.
Has civil liberty lost its relevance, succumbing to a consumerist world?
No matter how mild or intense it may appear, FREEDOM seems an UTOPIA that had survived to date because of a single fundamental nature of mankind........ the prescription towards HOPE.
With another year approaching, I leave it to you to contemplate and seek reconciliation within you to define what FREEDOM means to you.
Om Tat Sat.
Ravi Varmman Kanniappan
28 December 2016
Both the characters above have shown extraordinary leadership and left the most profound mark on human history which hinges on one basic human need ie. Freedom, one as the Oppressor and the other as the Oppressed. But interestingly both met their equilibrium point which resulted in giving us the meaning of Freedom and Liberty.
However, Freedom today has also become a burden to many.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of political ideology, etc.....etc.....etc..... the list goes on. But the complexity of human interlocking owing to demographic mobility has created multiple overlaps of ideagogue hence the "Clash of Freedom."
To add to this dubiety the entry of neo-liberalism credited mostly to Hayek and later Friedman, further encroached into the morality of "Freedom" under the guise of consumerism. Thatcher and Reagan in the 80's, basically, I believe had institutionalized it not only via governance but also deeply imprinted it in the minds of an entire generations after that. Corporations today hold monopoly to what was once governed by public accountability. So it is now lamented that the economic circumstances of an individual is a matter of choice, for which the choice is an endless cycle of disparity with no hope of "liberation" for the weaker. The system somehow has no room for inefficiency and thus tardiness is pushed out of the ecosystem. With diminishing 'social safety net' and a compromised 'invisible hand', the disparity between haves and have not's becomes wider, thus the appositeness of freedom becomes grey.
Hence in reality Freedom seems ALWAYS to be a privilege of a few, whereby the degree and type of freedom granted is in the hands of that few.
So FREEDOM appears to be not a birth right but rather a conditional enigma.
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed emancipation to end slavery 1863, but racial bigotry still rears its ugly head, as witnessed in the recent Dallas shooting.
The independence of India saw freedom from colonial rule but suffered a bitter partition owing to religious and ethnic enslavement, which still plagues the divided countries.
And today the latest buzz, Brexit also reeks of issues pertaining to encroachment of freedom of choice.
Has civil liberty lost its relevance, succumbing to a consumerist world?
No matter how mild or intense it may appear, FREEDOM seems an UTOPIA that had survived to date because of a single fundamental nature of mankind........ the prescription towards HOPE.
With another year approaching, I leave it to you to contemplate and seek reconciliation within you to define what FREEDOM means to you.
Om Tat Sat.
Ravi Varmman Kanniappan
28 December 2016
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