Xpressions
Unleashing the power of Social consciousness
by Rajat Srivastav
Software Engineer, Infosys
Technologies Limited, Bangalore
Revolutions are not something that is created by political elites, but rather by ordinary people when they change the way they think and live. As we stumble through the rubble of the old world putting unsure steps of a toddler in the new millennium, as decline of the old order advances, new forms come into focus—the outline of a new world, some fundamentalist institutions seem stronger than ever. These seem destined to survive, at least in some form. They must be transformed to promote human dignity rather than degrade it. We can hasten the destruction of that reality and undermine the antiquated values and institutions that prop it up by living our own truth. The old world is dying and a new one has not yet been conceived. Increasingly, our social systems are becoming empty shells that will eventually collapse once our belief in them evaporates. When the old temples of thought crumble, there is no guarantee that more human-centered structures will replace them. Truly new ideas that can lead to a more humanized society are not easy to find. In the thinking of both the left and the right, the dead ideas of the dominant culture go largely unquestioned. So where will the new ideas come from that will allow us to build a new world on the wreckage of the old? That is why we all must participate in the transformation of society—to ensure that human values replace the values of the old elite. Because destruction is also creation, the methods we use to pull down the ruins will determine what kind of world arises from the ashes. Instead, new ideas will originate wherever critical thinking flourishes: the grassroots, the fringes of society, the underground—wherever common people are struggling to discover their individuality and seize control of their lives. This is the terrain that the ruling elites can't control because it is too diverse, too decentralized.
It was long back when the twin terms social awakening and consciousness were restricted only to the elite suave intelligentsia; it has metamorphosed into a catalyst of social renaissance. From being just an “aam aadmi” the common man has catapulted to the centre stage and is effecting topsy-turvy social transformations across boundaries and beyond. Every society has had its history of social uproars and uprisings in which social upheaval has done wonders unleashing the power of every individual of the society. Values of independence, professional ethics and gender equity in a democratic society have been under siege for long. Be it addressing the issues of the needy and the downtrodden, the denied human rights, the oppressed women folk the ultimate solution code of all the above has been cracked by the virtue of social realization. It has for ages been the pivotal arsenal of the reformists to battle the blizzards of the fundamentalist, stubborn age-old malpractices and fossilized cultural precepts like patriarchy, hierarchy, the authoritarian family, religious ideology, and consumerisms which were all accepted without serious challenge. None of the "great ideas" that changed history suddenly materialized out of thin air. The genius of Marx and Darwin was in their ability to assimilate and articulate ideas that were already part of the consciousness of the times, embedded in everyday life. Adolf Hitler passed on his vision of a united and a dominant Germany to his people and infused in them the sense of nationalist and chauvinism like no one had ever done.
Effectuating social uprising encompasses bringing the lost awareness back to the people via a good communication infrastructure which instigates a paradigm shift from mundane thinking. In other words, there are two requirements: creating content so that people can understand it, and creating the infrastructure so that people can access the content. Once the people are more aware, it will automatically make them think of good and better ways to create a good and better functional democracy. Knowledge is the key for the onset of a thought provoking society. It has armed the masses with the ammunition to check the anarchist elements and form an egalitarian society. From being just another lousy, slothful, discarded element of the social strata the ordinary man has now turned to be a vital cog in the entire set-up whose voice holds an appeal like never before. Independent and pluralistic media are essential for ensuring transparency, accountability and participation as fundamental elements of good governance and human rights-based development. Conscious and responsible media encompasses social entrepreneurism that is changing the developing world today.
In a social set up, before we celebrate the commitment and dedication of a particular individual to defend the right of freedom of expression, it is appropriate to examine the notion of good governance in the light of this right and its sister right, the right to access to information shunning all paternalistic censorship. The paradox is clear and invites us to examine both good governance and the responsibility of those who govern to ensure the conditions for an independent and pluralistic media landscape in their societies. Governance implies the ways through which citizens and groups in a society voice their interest, mediate their differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations. Good governance includes notions of greater participation by civil society in decision making, instituting the rule of law, anti-corruption, transparency, accountability, poverty reduction and human rights. It links government to the notion of responsibility for and to the citizenry as opposed to the traditional idea of authority over a nation - legitimacy emanating from popular assent to and participation in government, which is concerned with the welfare of its citizens. Greater participation is crucial for good governance in two ways: greater participation by citizens in the decision-making process allows greater transparency and can help ensure that political decisions are adapted to the needs of the people affected by them. Second, greater participation is important for democratic legitimacy, which depends on the investment people have as citizens in their own governing. Independent, pluralistic, conscious society participates in aspects of the decision-making process and voices its opinions allowing various viewpoints to flourish in society. Social consciousness riding on the back of freedom of the media allows for the formation of a public sphere in which the citizenry can express their assent of dissent or explore aspects of issues not considered through official channels. A sound code of law is fundamental to the stability and smoothens functioning of society and invokes social confidence in democratic process over the long term and in the sustainable development of their society.
An independent and pluralistic society epitomizes a country’s stand in the global arena and is able to bring possible conflicts of interest to light and assist the government in maintaining clarity in the execution of its directives. Positive expressions of an open relationship between the masses and democratic governments include judicial protections for the media, inculcated respect for freedom of expression and access to information, and the lessening of punitive restrictions on journalistic activities. At the apex of this partnership closely linked to the issue of transparency is accountability. Accountability includes a sense of moral accountability to the forms of state government and includes internal regimes of accountability; accountability to the public is critical to the legitimating of a democratic society. Wider access to information, through the enactment of freedom of information legislation, ensures greater citizen participation in governance. This allows for maximum verifiability of information and allows all stakeholders to come to the table equally on important issues. As long as the underprivileged are excluded from participation in global growth, sustainable peace and development will remain a far-fetched reality.
We must learn to take our subjectivity seriously.
The controlling force of all the corporate propaganda, religious guilt, and
governmental coercion shrinks to insignificance in the face of a single human
being with a profound belief in a revolutionary idea. Truth, an elusive idea,
has become a luxury in the hands of the doomsayer elitists and is defined in
more generous terms. Real life needs to be touched. The reverence of the social
order needs to be tempered with nothing but truth. The public must not be
harangued at the hands of the rulers but must be informed. Social revolution is
nothing more than a change in the way we live our lives. It springs from changes
in the way we think. In today's context, revolutions occurs when people stop
believing one thing, and start believing something else; when people discard
their old ways of living, and begin to live in new ways. Values and institutions
are social constructions. They were not handed down by God or created by nature.
We invented them. And if they don't serve our needs, we have the power to
eliminate them. Everything we do can have revolutionary implications. Every
activity that asserts individuality and autonomy from
corporate/government/religious control is in itself a profoundly revolutionary
act, regardless of content. Once we truly believe things can change, and begin
to act on our most utopian dreams, we may find there is no limit to our human
potential. "I believe the world can change in startling ways. Amazing things are
possible."
Disclaimer : The views
expressed in the articles are author’s own views B’Cognizance or
IIITA is not liable for any objections arising out of the same.
The matter here is solely for academic use only.