Tuesday, April 7, 2020

First of all we need expose the bluff of Modernity. In this time of crises which ironically also presents us with an opportunity (but that's the way of nature that is why we have phrases like 'every cloud has a silver lining' ; emphasis on the word *every*; that it is never unidimensional). I call it भ्रम मुक्ति and मोह भंग। I think it is the need of the hour to do this - expose modernity and call it's bluff in every field, every area, be it education, be it modern democracy, be it modern so called 'progress', 'modern science', modern judicial system, technology.  In every area of human life modernity has played havoc, manipulated our perceptions (hence our thinking, our desires, our imaginations, our sense of values, our feelings) and controlled us, giving us the illusion of freedom while making us completely dependent on - the system (from water to food to all the essentials in life) for everything. Our relationship with all the essentials are not direct anymore but via the market where money (cash) is the via media. So money which is an imposition, an imposed value starts being perceived as real as true! But real is that which we consume, we buy *with* money. We don't consume money. Money is a means. Real is what we buy with it. But what does this do to our perception? Money gets *over* evaluated while the real stuff, the goods (food, clothes etc etc) starts getting *under* evaluated. This is how perception gets moulded. This is happening for the last 100 years and more at a rapid rate.

Last century blurred the important distinction between Needs and Wants and somehow the economy of nations was tied to this tendency. So it suited everyone except the common ordinary man got caught in this racket without being aware of what was happening. He was just a cog in the huge machinery called ECONOMY. He was mere pawn but a pawn without whom the machine won't work.

Modernity works on creating illusions while the reality is completely different.

It talks of FREEDOM but in actuality there is no freedom. In fact the very MEANING of the word has been hijacked. Actual meaning of freedom is better described in our languages where it is called स्व+तंत्र+ता=स्वतंत्रता। it is pointing towards the ISNESS which is existential. THE WAY IT IS. We human beings have the freedom to assume/think/believe the way we like but that does not change the REALITY or ISNESS. Swatantrata is to live in alignment with the way of our BEING (the. स्व)।or living in alignment (which comes from understanding, from education शिक्षा) with the ISNESS (तंत्र)of our Beingness (स्व). स्वतंत्रता is not anywhere near freedom which basically gets translated into 'do what you like'. This is against ISNESS of existence. But the modern person is taught through education to be free, that freedom is his fundamental right (another word which is full of problems but we will deal with it later). Freedom is a bluff. This needs to be understood that there is no provision in existence to "do as you please". That there is an existential order and we can live in alignment with the order in existence (which included me as I am part of existence and not separate from it).

But the (false) idea of freedom is propagated as it serves the market and the State. The idea of freedom gives rise to the notion of INDIVIDUALITY, again in divergence with the existential order. At the level of BEING inherently  we are all alike. But we are *trained* to 'stand out', to 'be diffetent' from the other, to 'move ahead', be ahead of everyone,etc  etc. The while emphasis gets scewed. Instead of the emphasis being on the common ground the BEINGNESS it shifts to the APEARANCE part, the LOOKING (good or different) part. Not the real, the being but the false, the pretentious, the veneer.

But this too serves the system.

More later

Pawan
5/4/2020

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