INTOLERANCE

Is intolerance of intolerance, intolerance?

The answer depends on one's convenience. 

We are quick either to condemn or to support, both in my opinion are bad.

For a moment let's forget intolerance, think about tolerance. This itself is such an ugly word and its meaning is so negative.

We need to respect not tolerate.

Tolerance is always limited and this limit can be breached at any time for any reason, even the most idiotic and frivolous one. 

Anyone who tolerates is abiding time until he, she or they cannot or will not tolerate anymore. 

Tolerance is a negative term, and intolerance which is born out of the inability or unwillingness to tolerate is even more negative. 

Tolerance is a simmering of discontent, and its offspring intolerance  always leads to conflict and destruction.

Respect on the other hand is a positive emotion and attitude. 

It sees the good in the other and hence a desire to yield space and energy, to cooperate and to share. Respect leads to flowering of relationships.

It is better to talk about, respect rather than tolerance and intolerance.

Murder of Democracy

Leaders and the ideologies they propound ask a fundamental question, 'Is Humanity basically good or bad?'

Those who believe that Humanity is basically bad, unabashedly seek to concentrate power in their hands and dominate the masses with the help of a relatively small group of loyalists and supporters. It is usually centred around an ideology and a few personalities.

However whenever one entity tries to dominate another, conflict will naturally occur, as Theocracies, Dictatorships, Monarchs and Communists have discovered. 

Each type of domination has its advantages and disadvantages. The more overt the domination more the hostility. When domination is covert and subtle, the less the opposition by the dominated. 

Democracy has the unique distinction of the masses to choose who will dominate them, if even for a short while. Naturally  the people are more accepting of democracy than any other form of rule. 

Democracy is not a new concept it has existed in various forms for thousands of years. An interesting note is available on Wikipedia What is Democracy?

Though I quote American President John Adams, America is not the originator of democracy, though it is the loudest proponent of its own kind of democracy.

Known Western Democracy originated in Europe with Athens 508 -507 B.C.E. and then other City states and across Greece then Roman empire. It then spread across Europe and finally through post Colonial efforts it spread across the world.

In a democracy the politicians have to woo the electorate. This is relatively easy. They break up the electorate into tribes, religions, genders, race, caste, and then grant each group in the electorate with favours and privileges. With passage of time the tail increasingly wags the dog.

Wooing the electorate with the wealth of the state is easy. The politicians don't have to spend their own money, they just take it out of the State treasury and distribute it. 

As appeasement grows, which it will always do so in a democracy, more and more power and privileges flow to certain groups and the drain on the exchequer deepens. 

This is because in a democracy wealth flows from the producers to the non producers in the name of 'equality'. As a result the State sinks deeper and deeper spiritually, financially, socially, morally and culturally.

Naturally a State weakened by the burden of unsustainable load can no longer indulge the people. When governments cannot afford to indulge and bribe the electorate, restrictions are placed on the people and sacrifices are demanded of them.  First the people will grow angry, then furious and finally riots and violent protests will break out and one day democracy will collapse.

When this happens another form of government will step in, promising  to try and set things right. This new form of government will be very centralised and highly authoritative. The people will have lost their freedom and democratic rights. 

This calamity of the death of democracy may be delayed by a wise population but its death is inevitable. That too, only if the people exercise their electoral and citizenship rights with responsibility as long as they can.

While on the topic one must look at a different kind of Socialistic Democracy that was practiced in India for 2000 years until the Muslim invaders tampered with it and the British completely dismantled it. 

Until this invasion on India's civilisational political structure India had a different kind of vibrant democracy. A system where every village was a Republic. 

In the Indian democratic system called the 'Asiatic Model' the people in society held much their resources in a common pool. The villagers themselves decided upon everything that impacted their lives through their Panchayat system (reintroduced in 1992). They paid their taxes to the ruler but otherwise they just minded their own affairs without any significant interference from a government bureaucracy and the ruling elites at the capitals.

The Cholas in South India had a well documented democratic electoral system in 920 C.E.  I am not sure there was any comparable system elsewhere in the world at that time.

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If people want to destroy society then ....

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What is Democracy?

Kill, kill,kill ........

Kill, kill, kill.  If this is what people hear and watch day in and day out then what will be the outcome?

We will calibrate our lives to believe that violence, mayhem and killing are perfectly normal activities.

Add to this state of mind, an easy access to weapons, and further agitate these minds and all hell breaks loose.

The Americans measure and monitor everything and that is extremely informative and educational. A report prepared by the University of Pennsylvania showed that a typical American child by the age of 16 will have witnessed 180,000 acts of violence and 20,000 murders on television. Add to this the violence that is reported in the newspapers, and magazines, the movies, violent video games and we have ticking time bombs.

Starting soon after world war II and promoted by Hollywood and export of this culture to the whole world, violence has become a staple diet for most people.  Imperialism necessitates the glorification of war and violence.  Unfortunately the Americans are not the only ones and the Russians, Chinese, and even we the pacifistic Indians have a big appetite for violence.

Why then should we be surprised by widespread killings and violence, be it in homes, workplaces, schools, and places of worship at regular frequency. People are increasingly using violence as the first step in resolving issues. This insanity harms mainly innocent people who pose no threat nor bear the killers any ill-will.

The violence hurts less when it appears far away, as if we read it in a story book. When it strikes at home or someone we know the effect is usually unsettling if not devastating.

A nephew of mine (at that time aged 10) fancied himself a mini version of some of the killers he saw on television. Much against his mother's angry protests he persuaded his father to buy him an air pistol. Always brandishing the weapon he led his younger siblings and other kids in the neighbourhood playing games of war and killing.

One day while role playing, the young boy shot his younger brother in the face at point blank range. The little boy's eye exploded.  The child's life was scarred, and the family developed irreparable fissures.

Even 18 years later there is a simmering anger within the child and his mother. There is a latent fear and  anxiety in the mind of the nephew who fired the weapon and his parents, for they know what goes around comes around, and there will have to be payback. Not knowing when they will have to pay the price and how, is a fear that haunts them everyday.

 In all of history there has been no instance of violence having effectively resolved an issue permanently. If you do not want innocent people to be maimed or killed, stop glorifying war and violence. Do not expose yourselves and your children unnecessarily to violent behaviour unless you want them to pursue a career or lifestyle which demands violence.