Colombo (The Island/ANN) - Many
factors shape the historic evolution of nations and their peoples. It is
commonly thought that wise political direction is the key ingredient in the mix
of interventions needed to achieve stability and standing in a competitive
world.
There is no doubt that this is
a necessary condition for benign and successful governance but it is not
sufficient. The degree of empowerment of the underprivileged, the rules of
social interaction and the 'religious' attitude to life's tribulations all play
a significant role as 'parameters' in shaping the historic transformation of
human societies.
India and China present case
studies in the determinative role played by these 'extra-political factors' in
social evolution. These factors - the underlying sentiments that inform the
beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society - differ greatly between
peoples and nations. India and China share significant commonalities - they
have, both, embraced the capitalist model of management that has achieved such
great success in the West. This approach embraces notions of work-efficiency
and egalitarianism that are also copyings from the West. They are united in the
belief that science and technology are of pivotal importance in the great task
of relieving the pains and ills of the human condition. All this conceded,
there exists a great separation between the two Asian giants that we cannot
ignore if we are to be realistic in our assessment of their global role in the
decades ahead.
The peoples of India - the
common and the elite alike - are troubled by notions of the ephemerality of the
world of mundane things and the providential nature of the unfolding of
history. This Hindu-Buddhist cultural heritage blunts the drive to improve
social conditions and sanctifies societal divisions as part of a higher scheme
of things that must remain inviolate. Only the Gods can successfully intervene
to set things right. Thus prayer is seen to be better than work. The
wretchedness of the poor is viewed with stoic indifference and gross
inequalities in society are accepted as irremedial structural features that
must be patiently endured. The salutary notion that 'Work is Worship' is
unknown in India. It is true that reformers and saints have striven valiantly
to remedy matters but the social lethargy of India is such that these failings
will remain a structural feature of Indian society for a very long time to
come.
In contrast to what we have
called the Hindu-Buddhist heritage of 'denial' there is the Confucian philosophy
of work, public order and discipline as the key upholders of social health and
stability. The dynamic core of this Confucian world-view is that society is
fragile and that hard work, public discipline and commitment by all is a
necessary foundation for the well-being of mankind. This enlightened approach
has made the lowest in society participants in the unending struggle to keep
alive and do well. It is undeniable, then, that this necessarily co-operative
attitude to life and living is socially more robust than the static fatalism of
traditional Indian societies.
The approach to human poverty
in these two countries reveals starkly the philosophical disparity and its
far-reaching and unfortunate consequence. The Indian poor are among the most
wretched in the world despite the fact that India is an economic giant capable
of producing all the fancy things prized in the West. Indeed, a very small
fraction of Indian society enjoys the comforts and luxuries that pass as
hallmarks of affluence in the West. Sadly, the poor of India - mostly workers
belonging to the socially disadvantaged castes and peasants - present a very
sorry picture indeed. They are not only starved and emaciated - they have the
forlorn look of humans forsaken by society. The closest to them are the poor of
Africa - but these Africans do not suffer the indignity of being despised by an
elite of their own kind that parade their wealth and separateness.
China was - until very recently
- a poor country. But the kind of depravity seen in rural India was never a
feature of rural China. The peasants were adequately clothed and shod even if
life was generally harsh and unforgiving. Their bearing was one of sturdy
independence that bespeaks confidence - in contrast to the defeatism and apathy
of the rural poor in India. The belief that honest work could mitigate if not
defeat the ravages of fortune is a Confucian heritage while the defeatism of
the Indian peasant is part of the spiritual baggage bequeathed to him by the
dominant faiths of his country.
Poverty, corruption and
indiscipline are the 'three Horsemen of the Apocalypse' so far as India is
concerned. We have spoken of the deforming poverty of India. Corruption rides
close behind. It may surprise most to learn that the malignant corruption that is
so widespread in India has the same causal roots as poverty - they are both
unhealthy weeds in the garden of Indian religion. Corruption is minimal when
there is a strongly-developed sense of social obligation - remorse for those
who lose when fortune favours the well-born and the lucky. If the poor and the
weak are seen as an ill-begotten load carried by society, the prick of
conscience is hardly felt by those win in life's struggles. That practically
all the political parties in India and their stalwarts are corrupt is a fact
paraded by the Indians themselves. They do not refer to its ideological
facilitator - the ancient religious paradigms that see the general lot of
mankind as irremediably wretched.
Let us look at the last of the
three failures referred to above - indiscipline. It is not individual moral
failure that is implied. The social indiscipline that we fault is rooted in the
lack of respect for the laws and practices that ensure healthy collective
living and good citizenship. A deeply religious man (or woman) can be a poor
citizen if his first care is to secure goals which are personal (and spiritual)
while his otherworldliness makes him indifferent to the public good. One's own
garden can be clean and beautiful while waste and dereliction surrounds it.
This metaphor sums up the state of Indian society - the existence of deep
religiosity alongside a callous indifference to the iniquities all around that
deform society at large. It is only in countries like India that hundreds die
in a stampede to worship God.
The ideas expressed above will
be misconstrued if they are seen as a blanket indictment of the Indian way of
living. We in Sri Lanka are bound by the same ideological fetters that drag
down our great neighbour - albeit in a less virulent form. In our country -
just as in India - poverty, corruption and indiscipline ride high and mar the
healthy cohesiveness that is the wellspring of social success. The withering
political rancour that exists in our country is an example of social maladjustment
stemming from the lack of a developed social conscience. This, in turn, hangs
on religio-ethical inheritance from the past - the absence of what we have
called the 'Confusian ethos' in our approach to life and living.
The good news is that we are
moving out of frames of understanding that commanded loyalty in the past. Our
social evolution is headed the right way.
R. Chandrasoma in Colombo/The
Island | ANN
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment