True Freedom

The quest for freedom has been a supreme motivation for human endeavour.What exactly freedom connotes is a matter of opinion and has therefore been lent different versions and interpretations.However, it could primarily imply the elimination of exploitation of human-beings by others for economic reasons,dogma,ideology,religion,faith,belief ,social status etc.In the real world,the confrontation of the so-called haves and have-nots has been acknowledged as a running battle which at times gets murky and bloody.Most of the times, it leads to the subjugation of the poorer segments by the richer sections for creation of wealthwith lowest possible wages for the former and the highest possible profits for the latter.This division could be internal in the same socio-political group or at the level of countries (namely ,the first world and the third world syndrome). Essentially, it is the control of resources and their deployment for income and wealth generation by the haves utilising the manpower and labour provided by the wage-earners who for sheer survival have no alternative but to accept the relatively low remunerations to work for those who wield economic power and have control over capital and other resources. 

           Freedom also is a goal for political and sociological causes..The fast dwindling systems which promoted imperialism and political subjugation of countries led to the emergence of freedom movements  and now democratic and republican systems of governance by natives have increasingly come into place.Freedom struggles,violent as well as peaceful,by freedom fighters, civil rights activists,protaginists of human rights, and similar other groups have culminated in the achievement of political freedom for all the countries of the world.

      Within societal formations, there have been efforts to seek parity of status  to do away with the inequalities and social stigma caused by the division of society on grounds of caste. In India, the phenomenon of caste system has perpetrated untold misery and inflicted unbearable suffering on the so-called lower castes by the so-called upper castes. Such inhuman treatment has led to atrocities on the poor and down-trodden sections of the society thereby denying them their rights and opportunities to advance. Legislation to check and prevent such a state and to punish and penalise the perpetrators of such atrocious acts has only partially helped. What is needed is a conscious and constant vigil and a firm commitment to ensure that such discrimination is done away with and the historically deprived sections get their due place alongwith all others to prosper and live with honour and dignity. Elsewhere, racial discrimination has brought grief  to and heaped injustice on what were perceived as inferior races. Apartheid was practised as a State policy in South Africa for a long time which was highly insulting and a negation of human rights. Today,however, there is a global commitment to the concept of racial equality and discrimination is scoffed at everywhere. In actual practice, much remains to be done to remove these scourages for good.

              Then freedom also is not complete as long as people are held ransom and manipulated by the enforcement of dogma, in the name of beliefs,faith,religious precepts, ideology, tradition, customs, conduct codes and social mores by such sections and leaders of society who hold the reins of power and presume to control the destiny of people who whom they perceive to be their followers, on ground mainly of the accident of their birth.This tyrannical subjugation has assumed dangerous dimensions of late with the emergence of moral police who are happy to use forceand indulge without scruples in violence and blood-shed to threaten and punish non-conformists who fail to or refuse to give them recognition as the self-appointed defenders of their respective faiths.This phenomenon cuts at the very roots of an individual’s right to choose his own course in life.Freedom is at the highest peril due to such unruly elements and unless such bigoted conduct is curbed true freedom will be lost.

     Freedom may mean different things to different people but the essential feature of all interpretatios is the human-being’s inherent and innate urge to be his own master and not a tool in anyone’s hands.God creted man in His own image and left it to him to decide upon the way he would like to live his life.Of course, there is neither any need or occasion or scope for a normal prudent , rational human-being to impose his will or opinion or way of life on another just as he himself would not like another one to do likewise to him. Unfortunately, crafty and devious elements have all along been playing tricks to invoke religion and all trypes of theories and dogmas to try and control human lives and use them for nefarious motives.Intolerance and violence is abjured by all religious faiths yet in actual practice humankind has been plagued by all types of squabbles, blood-shed and tyranny in the name of faith. While religion should have sublimated and ennobled human-beings, the self-slyled heads have made no effort at all to prevent hatred and anger amongst communities.

         History is witness to the fact that truth has always prevailed in the end. Hindu mythology has thrown up Ravana, Kansa and Hiranyakashyap but they have met their doom like all fiends. It is Lord Budha, Guru Nanak,Jesus Christ,and the likes of them who have held sway and ruled peoples’ hearts. The world has rejected Hitler but acclaimed Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.Good will always prevail over evil, come what may.True freedom of the human soul is comprised in this victory of truth and compassion over evil and this triumph is eternal and will always be so. Amen.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.