Why are we becoming so hateful to each other?

I am sure everyone must have noticed the extremely polarized environment around them. I am not just talking about people having extreme political views, but also about any other social and personal issues. We have reached so far in politicizing each and every aspect of our lives, that even being a feminist is now considered a partisan political statement. We are downgrading every personal and social issue to partisan politics, and there does not seem to be any end to this self-inflicted degradation. So, why are we becoming so hateful towards each other? Why are we behaving like we are part of some cult? What changed and why did we allow ourselves to degrade to such a low level? And ultimately, why aren't we ashamed of this degradation? I don't know if people are thinking about these questions, but I have been wondering about these things for the last few years. Maybe many of us were always this racist, casteist, and hateful, these people never dared to express this hate and rage openly as society in general was not receptive to these ideas, and now some politicians have legitimized these hateful and revengeful feelings to come out in the open, just like Hitler did in Germany. This seems to be the case in many parts of the world including democratic countries like the USA and India. People are becoming hostile to minorities, and immigrants are being treated as invaders, and social and cultural outcastes almost like a discarded commodity transferred from one part of the world to another part. I can understand politicians flaming such rhetorics for their selfish motives, but the strange and worse part is that people are buying such ridiculously outrageous narratives. We know our neighbors and other community members. We interact with each other in various places, our kids go to school together, and we share our neighborhood and other public places like parks and shopping centers. And still, we fall prey to utterly false hateful narratives manufactured by politicians and some so-called influencers who do this only to gain votes and popularity. The most tragic part is that this all is happening in an era when access to information is so easy. People are allowing themselves to get manipulated without any resistance, and this is happening across the political spectrum. Yeah, one side may be doing it better compared to the other but they all are doing it. The way conservative politicians are weaponizing their supporters is something I have never seen before. Most political parties are turning into a cult movement but the way conservatives are leading the way is astonishing and phenomenal. Conservatives who used to swear for individual freedom and fundamental rights are now at the forefront of attacking the fundamental reproductive rights of women, and freedom of immigrants without realizing the apparent hippocracy in their behaviour. The situation is so bad that people are neither bothered about their own hypocrisy nor the hypocrisy of the politicians they vote for. Perpetual cynicism is considered as a mark of wisdom and intellect and optimists are considered naive and foolish, this is where we stand currently. However, even after all this, I am an optimist. I am optimistic that people will realize that fanaticism is not going to take them anyplace nice. No matter which side they are rooting for, eliminating their opponents is not a practical option but working with them for the betterment of their society and country is the only option. The sooner we realize this better for all of us.   

Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

© Vinay Thakur, All rights reserved, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com 

Mahatma Gandhi - Live and let live

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated for political reasons. A cowardly terrorist who didn't agree with Gandhi's political and social views but could not fight with him ideologically or via any other democratic ways chose to murder him. However, even though Gandhi died, he became Mahatma, and now everyone, even the organizations who opposed Gandhi have to respect him and praise him, at least publicly. I think Gandhi and Dr. King are two people who are praised by politicians across party lines, but some do it out of compulsion rather than respect, they do it because not doing it will look bad. 

Gandhi's impact on people was so huge that he singlehandedly controlled the Congress party even in the presence of leaders like Nehru, Bose, Patel, Shastri, and others. He was a politician who controlled the politics of India without holding any formal political post. This was not easy, not just one city, or state, but people from the entire British-controlled India were under his influence that's why his opponents hated and detested him because they could never match his influence. Even today, people who oppose him do it with so much bitterness and anger as if Ganshi is still alive and kicking their asses. I feel pity for such people, Gandhi is not only about his personal beliefs or his ridiculous obsession with celibacy, as a human he had many shortcomings like all of us. A lot has already been written about Gandhi and his work as well as about his shortcomings including fanaticism about certain personal beliefs, and I am not going to repeat that here. According to me, Gandhi was an honest man who stuck to his principles, and he had an unshakable belief in the nonviolent freedom struggle. As a politician, he was shrewd and manipulative, but not corrupt or someone who would run away from accountability. Also, it is a strange coincidence that another staunch Gandhian (an ardent follower of Gandhi and his ideas) and India's second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri shares his birthday with Gandhi. He is pitted against Gandhi by Gandhi haters without realizing that Shastri was staunch Gandhian, so it is like arguing that some ardent Buddha follower is better than Buddha.

Gandhi did not live long enough after India's independence to comment on what could have been his impact on the independent India. Some of his ideas and principles definitely had an impact on India in its initial years, but it is hard to say what impact he could have had as a person. It is easy to either praise or criticize Gandhi, it is easy to either worship or hate him, but it is difficult to understand him. It is difficult to follow some of his great qualities, this is why people take the easier route of either worshipping him or criticizing him. For me, Gandhi will always remain a brave and honest person who had the courage to write a book like "The Story of My Experiments with Truth," and had an unshakable belief in nonviolence. I was very impressed after reading his book, his courage, and his honesty in sharing some vulnerable and embarrassing incidents of his life impressed me the most. I am sure, Gandhi will be remembered and celebrated for years to come not only in India but all over the world. Even people who don't like him or don't agree with his ideology will pay homage to him either willingly or reluctantly, such is the power of his legacy and very few world leaders have such a legacy. I really hope people try to understand him and learn the simple principle of live and let live. We need his attitude of giving space to dissent, allowing others to express their views, live, and let live. Maybe we all cannot be friends, but it is not necessary to be enemies who are trying to eliminate each other, this is what I feel was the crux of his teachings. 

Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

© Vinay Thakur, All rights reserved, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com