Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "democracy"
On the Nature of Democratic Psychology
The human society has been running on fumes – the fumes of pleasure, reward, gratification and charm. And while walking on this illustrious path, they have constructed illustrious ideals without thinking about their practicality and actual implications in the society and have tried their best to stand up for those ideals, despite the fact that these so-called ideals have nothing to do with genuine everyday human existence whatsoever. On this disorderly path of delusions, humanity has organized its religions – it has developed its methods of education – and to watch over all these structures, it has developed its so-called governments on an illustrious ideal of democracy. Democracy – that is what it’s called, when a huge population of sapiens are made to think that they are competent enough to choose the individual or individuals who would essentially be in control of their lives in the society.
Democracy is supposed to be a system of government constructed by the people, for the people. Now here is the question? Do people really construct the government! Democracy of today’s society is dictatorship without the bitterness. At the current mental maturity of the human species, democracy is as barbarian and degrading as dictatorship – it just doesn’t feel that way, because of the illusory sense of control. Please don’t freak out or think of me as anti-democratic. I am not anti-anything, except anti-fundamentalism and anti-sectarianism. We are just beginning our journey of investigating the actual implications of the so-called system of democracy upon the human society. And this is not going to be a criticism of democracy. I despise criticism, because it brings out no positive outcome in the society, but only makes one waste time and energy. Criticisms and revolt do not solve a thing, what does, in actuality, not in theory, is awareness of the reality. And the reality is democracy can be effective, productive and progressive only in a society where people live with the awareness of the self, beyond the labels of traditions and ideologies. But in the current mental state of the human society, though superior to tyranny in terms of comfort of the masses, democracy is actually inferior to dictatorship, because of its hypocrisy and its manipulative nature.
Read Full Paper (PDF)
Democracy is supposed to be a system of government constructed by the people, for the people. Now here is the question? Do people really construct the government! Democracy of today’s society is dictatorship without the bitterness. At the current mental maturity of the human species, democracy is as barbarian and degrading as dictatorship – it just doesn’t feel that way, because of the illusory sense of control. Please don’t freak out or think of me as anti-democratic. I am not anti-anything, except anti-fundamentalism and anti-sectarianism. We are just beginning our journey of investigating the actual implications of the so-called system of democracy upon the human society. And this is not going to be a criticism of democracy. I despise criticism, because it brings out no positive outcome in the society, but only makes one waste time and energy. Criticisms and revolt do not solve a thing, what does, in actuality, not in theory, is awareness of the reality. And the reality is democracy can be effective, productive and progressive only in a society where people live with the awareness of the self, beyond the labels of traditions and ideologies. But in the current mental state of the human society, though superior to tyranny in terms of comfort of the masses, democracy is actually inferior to dictatorship, because of its hypocrisy and its manipulative nature.
Read Full Paper (PDF)
Why Entertainers are More Appealing to the Masses than Scholars
Stop making stupid people famous. Such goes the saying. Everybody has heard of it. Everybody knows what it implies, yet, that very everybody, or at least, almost everybody, never thinks twice before “making stupid people famous”. Hence, I have said in my book “Mission Reality” – “Stupid people make stupid people famous”. But why? Is there a deeper reason behind such a primitive act? Is there something more than mere stupidity? Is this stupidity really that stupid or does it have some incomprehensible value which can only be discovered if we see past the surface of such behavior!
If we speak empirically, then there is no such thing as stupid or wise in the kingdom of nature, for the kingdom of nature is governed by only one quality, and that is survival potential. If a behavior exists, it does so, because it has some sort of survival potential attached to it. And this is the reason why scholars, such as scientists and philosophers are way less appealing to the masses in comparison to entertainers such as filmstars, singers or sportspersons.
Scholars (including scientists, philosophers, doctors, teachers, innovators and many more, involved in the practice of science, technology and philosophy) make some of the greatest physical contributions in the health, prosperity and progress of the human species, take away the scholars and all progress will come to a standstill, yet most of them spend their life in anonymity outside the tiny circle of their distinct field. On the other hand, entertainers are seen by people from all walks of life as some form of all-knowing prophet – if they say, a certain health drink is good, the masses would most naively embrace that health drink in their life – if they say, a certain watch or perfume or handbag is the symbol of elegance, the masses would most blindly run after it – and if they run for office, the masses would most stupidly vote for them, without actually knowing their psychological capacity to run a people.
Here, I beg you not to think of all entertainers to be stupid, rather what I am pointing out is that, the expertise of an entertainer is in entertaining, so you should give them as much reverence as they deserve, not more than that. They are not expert in medical issues – they are not expert in running a people – they are not expert in anything except their work in entertainment – just like, I am not an expert in Chemistry or Physics or Mathematics – I am a Biologist and that’s where all my attention is placed. So, if you have a question about Quantum Physics, you must not ask me, rather you must ask a Physicist. And the same is true for every other expert in the world – be it an expert of science, mathematics or arts. For example, my favorite actors are Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, and I enjoy their work immensely, but I don’t expect them to have a deep insight into human nature, just because they were and still remain quite famous – that’s my job, just like their job was to hold up a mirror in front of the society through their acting.
Now the big question is, why do people fall prey to the charm of celebrities and confuse their charisma to be the sign of wisdom, in most cases quite subconsciously? This behavior goes back millions of years. When our ancestors lived in the jungle amidst other animals, the chances of survival of the tribe increased in proportion to their blind loyalty to the alpha, a character with leadership characteristics, which mostly consisted of an absurd amount of confidence and charm. And this evolutionary instinct of attraction to confidence and charm still remains rather dominant in the common human psyche, which makes them vulnerable to the spell of charisma, even if that charisma has no content of character or wisdom underneath it.
In everyday life of the common human, reason takes a back seat and emotions dictate all significant behavior. “Erase the emotions and you would erase the most important part of what it’s like to be human” (as said in Mission Reality). In short, no matter what you say, if you can say it with such a confidence that it touches people at an emotional level, then you can make them believe in anything – you can make think anything – you can make them do anything.
In the human society, being famous is not the same as being right. Because people who make individuals famous, do not care about right or wrong – they don’t care about truth and reasoning – they are subconsciously driven by their instinct for survival, towards confidence, charm and charisma, just like moths are drawn towards a burning candle to face their inevitable demise.
I’m afraid, if the humans do not learn to make conscious and conscientious efforts to place their attention on character and wisdom, instead of on charm and charisma, then the demise of humankind is inevitable. Here, one may wonder, how can an entire society of humans change their behavior overnight! And the reality is, such a transformation or change cannot take place overnight, moreover, it won’t happen all at once. All change begins with the individual. When we change, the world will change.
Recommended Reading:
All For Acceptance
Mission Reality
Citation: Abhijit Naskar. “Why Entertainers are More Appealing to the Masses than Scholars”. EC Psychology and Psychiatry 8.10 (2019): 1083-1084.
If we speak empirically, then there is no such thing as stupid or wise in the kingdom of nature, for the kingdom of nature is governed by only one quality, and that is survival potential. If a behavior exists, it does so, because it has some sort of survival potential attached to it. And this is the reason why scholars, such as scientists and philosophers are way less appealing to the masses in comparison to entertainers such as filmstars, singers or sportspersons.
Scholars (including scientists, philosophers, doctors, teachers, innovators and many more, involved in the practice of science, technology and philosophy) make some of the greatest physical contributions in the health, prosperity and progress of the human species, take away the scholars and all progress will come to a standstill, yet most of them spend their life in anonymity outside the tiny circle of their distinct field. On the other hand, entertainers are seen by people from all walks of life as some form of all-knowing prophet – if they say, a certain health drink is good, the masses would most naively embrace that health drink in their life – if they say, a certain watch or perfume or handbag is the symbol of elegance, the masses would most blindly run after it – and if they run for office, the masses would most stupidly vote for them, without actually knowing their psychological capacity to run a people.
Here, I beg you not to think of all entertainers to be stupid, rather what I am pointing out is that, the expertise of an entertainer is in entertaining, so you should give them as much reverence as they deserve, not more than that. They are not expert in medical issues – they are not expert in running a people – they are not expert in anything except their work in entertainment – just like, I am not an expert in Chemistry or Physics or Mathematics – I am a Biologist and that’s where all my attention is placed. So, if you have a question about Quantum Physics, you must not ask me, rather you must ask a Physicist. And the same is true for every other expert in the world – be it an expert of science, mathematics or arts. For example, my favorite actors are Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, and I enjoy their work immensely, but I don’t expect them to have a deep insight into human nature, just because they were and still remain quite famous – that’s my job, just like their job was to hold up a mirror in front of the society through their acting.
Now the big question is, why do people fall prey to the charm of celebrities and confuse their charisma to be the sign of wisdom, in most cases quite subconsciously? This behavior goes back millions of years. When our ancestors lived in the jungle amidst other animals, the chances of survival of the tribe increased in proportion to their blind loyalty to the alpha, a character with leadership characteristics, which mostly consisted of an absurd amount of confidence and charm. And this evolutionary instinct of attraction to confidence and charm still remains rather dominant in the common human psyche, which makes them vulnerable to the spell of charisma, even if that charisma has no content of character or wisdom underneath it.
In everyday life of the common human, reason takes a back seat and emotions dictate all significant behavior. “Erase the emotions and you would erase the most important part of what it’s like to be human” (as said in Mission Reality). In short, no matter what you say, if you can say it with such a confidence that it touches people at an emotional level, then you can make them believe in anything – you can make think anything – you can make them do anything.
In the human society, being famous is not the same as being right. Because people who make individuals famous, do not care about right or wrong – they don’t care about truth and reasoning – they are subconsciously driven by their instinct for survival, towards confidence, charm and charisma, just like moths are drawn towards a burning candle to face their inevitable demise.
I’m afraid, if the humans do not learn to make conscious and conscientious efforts to place their attention on character and wisdom, instead of on charm and charisma, then the demise of humankind is inevitable. Here, one may wonder, how can an entire society of humans change their behavior overnight! And the reality is, such a transformation or change cannot take place overnight, moreover, it won’t happen all at once. All change begins with the individual. When we change, the world will change.
Recommended Reading:
All For Acceptance
Mission Reality
Citation: Abhijit Naskar. “Why Entertainers are More Appealing to the Masses than Scholars”. EC Psychology and Psychiatry 8.10 (2019): 1083-1084.
Sonnet of Meritocracy
Where states dictate humanity,
Harmony remains an eternal fiction.
Diplomacy only divides people in secret,
And democracy sustains that foul friction.
Where the society is mesmerized by charm,
And politics is fueled by populism.
Values and character exist as theories,
As matter of talks, not as alive aphorism.
Under the sectarian watch of states,
Inclusion and acceptance turn to dust.
In an attempt to sustain sovereignty,
Humanity of the humans gets all lost.
Electing authorities on whim is only poker,
Without merit as core, democracy is peacebreaker.
Harmony remains an eternal fiction.
Diplomacy only divides people in secret,
And democracy sustains that foul friction.
Where the society is mesmerized by charm,
And politics is fueled by populism.
Values and character exist as theories,
As matter of talks, not as alive aphorism.
Under the sectarian watch of states,
Inclusion and acceptance turn to dust.
In an attempt to sustain sovereignty,
Humanity of the humans gets all lost.
Electing authorities on whim is only poker,
Without merit as core, democracy is peacebreaker.
Humanizing Democracy (A Sonnet)
Dictatorship is rule of the cunning,
Democracy is rule of the halfwits.
Both are quite degrading for society,
Cause neither of them is born of merits.
Progress requires practice of reason,
Immersed in a whole lot of love.
But when the people prefer indifference,
Society regresses down the savage curve.
Character is the foundation of civilization,
Yet that character is taken for granted.
All talk and no walk has made us shallow,
Separatism has made our soul tainted.
So it’s time we feed values into democracy,
While abolishing all populist fallacy.
Democracy is rule of the halfwits.
Both are quite degrading for society,
Cause neither of them is born of merits.
Progress requires practice of reason,
Immersed in a whole lot of love.
But when the people prefer indifference,
Society regresses down the savage curve.
Character is the foundation of civilization,
Yet that character is taken for granted.
All talk and no walk has made us shallow,
Separatism has made our soul tainted.
So it’s time we feed values into democracy,
While abolishing all populist fallacy.
America on Our Shoulders: After The Democratic Disaster
The first step of good democracy is to choose a good leader, or more importantly, to not choose an animal as a leader - yet we made that ghastly mistake in 2016 by electing the most non-presidential creature on earth as the leader of our United States of America. There are good presidents, there are not so good presidents, but the unique problem with the president that we chose in the previous election was that it was not even a civilized human to begin with - it was an "it" not a he or she or they, and even after being handed over the very lives of the people that savage beast showed no sign of accountability whatsoever.
Thus, we broke our democracy in 2016, but with sheer determination and conscientious persistence we have succeeded in fixing that mistake. Yes, I am filled with joy unspeakable to say out loud, that we have corrected our mistake and fixed the democracy into its usual imperfect but functional state. I say imperfect because democracy by nature is not perfect, but the problem we created last time was that we took things too far, and in the process turned a somewhat functional democracy into an absolutely dysfunctional one - in short, we broke it. And had the leader we chose been a smart one, that is, if that idiot had been not an idiot, but an actual cunning dictator, we wouldn't be celebrating our victory as a civilized people today, instead we would be mourning the burial of democracy.
Fortunately, the insane ravings of a brainless, spineless and heartless maniac will no longer have to be considered as the statements originating from the sacred office of the President of the United States of America. We have fixed the broken democracy - yes - but the problems that existed before the maniac came to power still exist today. Therefore, we may cherish the restoration of our democracy as much as we want, the real work begins now. Choosing a proper human as a President doesn't magically make the problems of our nation disappear - those problems still exist - and they'll continue to give us chills time and again, unless we as a people stand accountable, both the government and the citizenry alike, and start working on those problems. Remember, the United States of America is not the responsibility of merely the President, the Vice President and their administration, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us whose veins carry the spirit of liberty and whose nerves carry the torrents of bravery.
We have won the battle of making the White House human again, but the war has just begun - the war against systemic racism, against misogyny, against homophobia, against islamophobia, against gun violence, and against post-pandemic health and economic crisis. So, though we may celebrate the victory for a short while, we mustn't lose sight of the issues - we must now actually start working as one people - as the American people to heal the wounds on the soul of our land of liberty. It's time to once again start dreaming and working towards the impossible dream - the dream of freedom not oppression, the dream of assimilation not discrimination, and above all, the dream of ascension not descension. Never forget my friend, AMERICA means Affectionate, Merciful, Egalitarian, Responsible, Inclusive, Conscientious and Accepting.
Thus, we broke our democracy in 2016, but with sheer determination and conscientious persistence we have succeeded in fixing that mistake. Yes, I am filled with joy unspeakable to say out loud, that we have corrected our mistake and fixed the democracy into its usual imperfect but functional state. I say imperfect because democracy by nature is not perfect, but the problem we created last time was that we took things too far, and in the process turned a somewhat functional democracy into an absolutely dysfunctional one - in short, we broke it. And had the leader we chose been a smart one, that is, if that idiot had been not an idiot, but an actual cunning dictator, we wouldn't be celebrating our victory as a civilized people today, instead we would be mourning the burial of democracy.
Fortunately, the insane ravings of a brainless, spineless and heartless maniac will no longer have to be considered as the statements originating from the sacred office of the President of the United States of America. We have fixed the broken democracy - yes - but the problems that existed before the maniac came to power still exist today. Therefore, we may cherish the restoration of our democracy as much as we want, the real work begins now. Choosing a proper human as a President doesn't magically make the problems of our nation disappear - those problems still exist - and they'll continue to give us chills time and again, unless we as a people stand accountable, both the government and the citizenry alike, and start working on those problems. Remember, the United States of America is not the responsibility of merely the President, the Vice President and their administration, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us whose veins carry the spirit of liberty and whose nerves carry the torrents of bravery.
We have won the battle of making the White House human again, but the war has just begun - the war against systemic racism, against misogyny, against homophobia, against islamophobia, against gun violence, and against post-pandemic health and economic crisis. So, though we may celebrate the victory for a short while, we mustn't lose sight of the issues - we must now actually start working as one people - as the American people to heal the wounds on the soul of our land of liberty. It's time to once again start dreaming and working towards the impossible dream - the dream of freedom not oppression, the dream of assimilation not discrimination, and above all, the dream of ascension not descension. Never forget my friend, AMERICA means Affectionate, Merciful, Egalitarian, Responsible, Inclusive, Conscientious and Accepting.
Sonnet of National Sickness | Handcrafted Humanity
Wanna study a superpower, study America.
Wanna study dysfunctional power, still study America.
Wanna study spirituality, study India.
Wanna study rotten spirituality, still study India.
Wanna study rise of secularism, study Turkish Republic.
Wanna study fall of secularism, still study Turkish Republic.
Wanna study standards of beauty, study the Korean Republic.
Wanna study doctored beauty, still study the Korean Republic.
Wanna study pride and loyalty, study good old Britannia.
Wanna study primeval pride and loyalty, still study Britannia.
Wanna study statehood, study People's Republic of China.
Wanna study the horrors of statehood, still study China.
Every nation on earth suffers from a distinct ailment.
The first step towards recovery is acknowledgement.
Wanna study dysfunctional power, still study America.
Wanna study spirituality, study India.
Wanna study rotten spirituality, still study India.
Wanna study rise of secularism, study Turkish Republic.
Wanna study fall of secularism, still study Turkish Republic.
Wanna study standards of beauty, study the Korean Republic.
Wanna study doctored beauty, still study the Korean Republic.
Wanna study pride and loyalty, study good old Britannia.
Wanna study primeval pride and loyalty, still study Britannia.
Wanna study statehood, study People's Republic of China.
Wanna study the horrors of statehood, still study China.
Every nation on earth suffers from a distinct ailment.
The first step towards recovery is acknowledgement.
War Ain’t Peace (The Sonnet)
Hudson, Thames, Nile and Sindhu,
All are now red with the blood of the innocent.
Who is to blame for such catastrophe,
Everybody who accepts arms race as upliftment.
Suited savages have seduced them to believe,
That bigger the military greater the pride.
It’s necessary for politicians to sell nationalism,
Or else their loyal subjects will all get untied.
Acts of national security only breed insecurity,
Which forces people to seek comfort in weapons.
True, lasting stability and serenity of a nation,
Comes only from a universal desire for union.
Let the politicians sell war in the name of peace.
Why must the citizens buy it like rats chasing cheese!
All are now red with the blood of the innocent.
Who is to blame for such catastrophe,
Everybody who accepts arms race as upliftment.
Suited savages have seduced them to believe,
That bigger the military greater the pride.
It’s necessary for politicians to sell nationalism,
Or else their loyal subjects will all get untied.
Acts of national security only breed insecurity,
Which forces people to seek comfort in weapons.
True, lasting stability and serenity of a nation,
Comes only from a universal desire for union.
Let the politicians sell war in the name of peace.
Why must the citizens buy it like rats chasing cheese!
Serve Britannia (The Sonnet) | Making Britain Civilized
Let us build a new Britain,
A Britain with actual heart's beauty,
Where we shall right our wrongs,
Instead of boasting our atrocities.
Let us build a new Britain,
Where commoners are king and queen,
Where unlike our tribal ancestors,
Our habit is not occupation but caring.
Let us herald a new Britain,
Where there is no exit only inclusion,
Where no one bows to no one for honor,
And each lives with self-determination.
Serve Britannia! Britannia, serve as aid.
Britain never again shall make others slave.
A Britain with actual heart's beauty,
Where we shall right our wrongs,
Instead of boasting our atrocities.
Let us build a new Britain,
Where commoners are king and queen,
Where unlike our tribal ancestors,
Our habit is not occupation but caring.
Let us herald a new Britain,
Where there is no exit only inclusion,
Where no one bows to no one for honor,
And each lives with self-determination.
Serve Britannia! Britannia, serve as aid.
Britain never again shall make others slave.
Difference & Discrimination (The Sonnet)
There ain't no difference that can't be conquered,
Except for those that are rooted in inhumanity.
A bigot's emphasis on their supremacy over others,
Is not a difference in opinion but clinical insanity.
Nobody is inferior to nobody in this world of ours,
Except for those who think of others as such.
Neither ancestry nor luxury defines a character,
Conduct alone defines character, above all fuss.
Say, discrimination is not a difference in opinion,
It's an act that sets animals apart from humans.
Free speech is a phenomenon of human society,
Hate speech is an act of stoneage barbarians.
Let us distinguish differences from discrimination,
Then celebrate differences while treating discrimination.
Except for those that are rooted in inhumanity.
A bigot's emphasis on their supremacy over others,
Is not a difference in opinion but clinical insanity.
Nobody is inferior to nobody in this world of ours,
Except for those who think of others as such.
Neither ancestry nor luxury defines a character,
Conduct alone defines character, above all fuss.
Say, discrimination is not a difference in opinion,
It's an act that sets animals apart from humans.
Free speech is a phenomenon of human society,
Hate speech is an act of stoneage barbarians.
Let us distinguish differences from discrimination,
Then celebrate differences while treating discrimination.
Handcrafted Humanity Sonnet 81
If a tradition endorses hate and mistrust,
It’s the tradition that we must reject not people.
If a heritage endorses division and discrimination,
It's the heritage that we must reject not people.
If an ancestor passes on bigotry and barbarism,
It’s the ancestor that we must reject not people.
If a bible teaches phobia and separatism,
It’s the bible that we must reject not people.
If a messiah preaches blindness and conspiracy,
It's the messiah that we must reject not people.
If God commands oppression and occupation,
It’s the God that we must reject not people.
Above all commandment, love is the highest truth.
Anything that divides love is a stoneage residue.
It’s the tradition that we must reject not people.
If a heritage endorses division and discrimination,
It's the heritage that we must reject not people.
If an ancestor passes on bigotry and barbarism,
It’s the ancestor that we must reject not people.
If a bible teaches phobia and separatism,
It’s the bible that we must reject not people.
If a messiah preaches blindness and conspiracy,
It's the messiah that we must reject not people.
If God commands oppression and occupation,
It’s the God that we must reject not people.
Above all commandment, love is the highest truth.
Anything that divides love is a stoneage residue.
