EXCESSIVE LIBERTY, ISLAMOPHOBIA AND EXISTENTIAL INSECURITY !
Existential Insecurity---- The under lying Cause !
After Paris terror attack, a huge solidarity rally of nearly one and a half million people was held in Paris on January 11, 2015 to reiterate Western world's resolve to fight against terrorism and protect principles of freedom, liberty and fraternity , enshrined in the concept of democracy. Many world leaders, including leaders from Palestine , Saudi Arabia and Israel, attended it. The French Prime Minister, Mr Valls , announced a war on Islamic terror, almost sounding like the start of Christian crusades against caliphate movement of the medieval times. All the same, the solidarity rally underlined one fact that 'political philosophy' has not kept pace with the transforming society driven by technological advances in communications and rising level of individual awareness.
The rally was also a tacit admission of the chinks in the principles of ' unbridled freedom, liberty and fraternity' enshrined in the concept of ' Democracy and Freedom' arising out of French Revolution of 1789. Social strategists have not paid adequate attention to "existential insecurity" embedded in practice of "unbridled liberty" practiced by Western Democracies. There is a mismatch of social transformation and outdated political philosophy. It ignores the fact that excessive liberty and freedom loosens the familial grip on the young and growing. And this creates a void in their anatomical and social need.
Every one has his point of view. My point is two fold: Firstly, total freedom leads to chaos and anarchy and total discipline leads to slavery. A balance between the two is a must. Secondly, one man's freedom and liberty must not become discomfiting for others. Therefore, for a social and political good of communities and nations, some restrictions and checks on absolute liberty and freedom are needed. Simple example I give you. I would like to urinate in front of your house---- this is my freedom but it will hurt you----- should it be allowed to be done? What is the uses of excessive freedom of expression and liberty which leads you to curb others freedom by law and force. I hope you understand what I mean. Freedom can not be one way traffic. To live in peace and harmony, some checks and balances are mandatory for collective human living.
Besides,we must note that ' Charlie Hebdo ' episode displays a wide gap between "idealism" of Liberty and its "pragmatic admissibility". Thus, social scientists of the West must become aware of the the need for "Regimented growth of the Child through the control and guidance of parents". Therefore,the basic fault lay with the social system, where a child was allowed to go on his own after his adolescent age. There are no checks and no parental restrictions. In fact some Western social systems encourage a child to report to the police (911) if the parents have said or done something harsh to them. The role of parental guidance and supervision is deliberately being diminished and thus children grow with "Existential insecurity". Emotionally detached growth produces citizens with no concern for the sensitivities of others. The case of an Indian couple in Norway, some two years back, when they were arrested for making their infant child sleep with them, exhibits as to how Western systems promote detached growth. At the same time, such an uncontrolled growth from adolescence to adulthood is vulnerable to promises of "existential security". Religious preachers and hawks exploit this very vulnerability of the human being.
As an aftermath of "Charlie Hebdo" attack in Paris, questions are being asked in France and the Western world as to how come modern educated man/ woman, fond of 'Beaches and Biknis', turn into hardcore Islamist terrorists? Eye brows are raised on the fact that thousands of young men from Western Europe have gone to war zone in Syria and Iraq to fight for Islamic State (IS). This is a stunning news though not surprising. Everyone is particularly surprised at the behaviour of a white woman, Hayat Boumeddiene, the partner of Paris kosher supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly, an African man from Mali. What brought the transformation in her from an 'easy going woman' to be a hard core extremist? Was it because of the company of the people she kept or was it because of lack of control on her actions?
Effect of Excessive Liberty!
The corollary to these questions is : could this have been avoided? Does society need checks and restrictions to prevent such transformation in normal and ordinary human beings? Social scientists and Western educationists have to understand the significance of an old saying : Excess of everything is bad, nay, extremely bad. The excess of liberty and freedom, bordering 'political stupidity', can be gauged from the fact that the wife and family of a convicted hard core terrorist in France , Djamel Beghel, has been staying rent free in Leicester in England for many years. Writing in The Telegraph of January 09, 2015, Bill Gardner, says," ----Sylvie Beghal, a French citizen, lives rent free in a four bedroomed house in Leicester after she came to the UK with her children in search of a more "Islamic environment".
Allowing such notions of unchecked 'Islamic environments' encourage overground terrorists organizations to cultivate material, moral and money support from simple folk by misleading them to believe that Islam was in danger. The rising clouds of uneasiness and restlessness in Europe and Western world, due to wayward behavior of its educated youth, under the influence of 'Islamists' is causing adverse reaction in the form of ISLAMOPHOBIA. The truth of the matter is that such a behavior is the result of an unbridled SOCIAL and FAMLIAL freedom cum liberty, allowed to children, after they leave school. While it allows an independent growth but it also creates a vacuum in the mental slot for a "guide/ mentor". Invariably this space would be filled by some one else, if parents do not.
Indian Social System and Role of Parents !
Shouldn't Indian philosophy of caring and guiding your child till you die be examined and appreciated? It is applicable to Indians of all religions, communities and regions. Indian concept extols the 'head of the family' to a status of God and his words are a final authority on every issue from education to career to profession to even marriage. Under the Western influence, though some of it is losing shine but respect for the family elders still remains, though not at the same level, as enjoyed in the past. But it is there and Indian Children amenable to parental authority. This is where it was opposite of Western social system and it made the Indian man more amenable to authority and discipline.
The negative point of Indian social system was that it made Indians lose their Individual identity and they could be easily controlled by familial diktats. Handful of foreigners could rule them because they controlled the feudal lords. Most people ascribe Indian vassalage and foreign rule for this character of Indian society. Once again it only proves that excess of everything is bad, nay,next remedy bad. Despite this weakness, all foreigners, through the annals of history, adopted this social system except for the British people because they thought it is akin to enslaving the human mind.
Britain and Europe enslaved societies in Asia and Africa while they talked of Free human spirit, liberty and democracy. Winston Churchill, Second World War Prime Minister of England, hated native Indians and found them uncouth, crude and incompetent to rule. Ironically, their own system was more primitive and advocated enslaving other humans as inferiors and weak. The Western concept of family system is similar to a practice in the "Animal Kingdom". In the Western societies a child is left to be on his/ her own after the age of 15 or on leaving the school. This needs to be reviewed by Western educationists and social reformists. When parental guidance is missing, the young mind falls prey to anyone else substituting as parents.
This is the reason behind uncanny behaviour of youth, shown by such movements in the West as Hippy cult of the 60s, ISCKON or such other Cults. And today, religious bigots are filling up the PARENTAL SLOT, not only in the Muslim world but also the Western countries, whether it is ISCKON or any other spiritual movement. This is crux of the problem of Western society.
A Man is A Perennial Child !
As my father always said : EVERY HUMAN BEING, FROM BIRTH TO DEATH, SUFFERS FROM 'EXISTENTIAL INSECURITY'. THIS IS WHY A CHILD REMAINS A CHILD ALWAYS AND SHOULD BE SEEN SO BY PARENTS----- NOT ONLY IN CORRECTING HIM/ HER BUT ALSO PARDONING AND CONDONING MISTAKES. Even the experts of "Transactional Analysis" of inter personal communication talk about the existence of PAC ( Parent, Adult and Child) states in every human being. In too much freedom and liberty in a society, "child state" is more dominating and it definitely requires a "Parent" to guide the child in every human being.
In a controlled growth, the parents do acquire the status of a "God - Man" in Child's life. This is also another way of making society orderly and disciplined. If the child is allowed to go on his/her own, someone else would fill the "parental slot", be it a friend, a lady -love, a heart throb of a lady, or a religious person, ---- anyone who cuddles and caress him----- anyone who treats him as a child for, HUMAN BEING REMAINS A PERENNIAL CHILD till he dies.
Effect of Lack of Parental Guidance !
Primarily speaking, it is the "Existential insecurity" in every person , right from the day he was born till he dies. He / she looks for security in parents, friend, wife, Husband, or anyone who can be a "guide" to satisfy this social Human need. If there are gaps he wanders around to fill it up. This is where the "Islamist strategists" have succeeded in moulding and influencing the child in educated human beings by suggesting a way out of his "existential" problem. The lure of 72 virgins and going to "Zannat" ( Paradise) after you die fighting "Kafirs", is the answer to this problem given by Islamist thinkers. They do fill the slot of PARENTAL GUIDE.
Islamophobia is A Negative Response !
But reverse is also true where "Islamophobia" is now gaining ground as an answer to Islamist terrorism. Basically, it is aimed at gaining control of the parental slot in the human mind to pitch him up against Islamist terror. And all this is happening because of unbridled freedom and liberty being enjoyed by the child and the resulting loss of parental control. Human anatomy is such that no space/ slot can remain unfilled.
A defence mechanism in human beings looks for a suitable candidate to fill the slot. And, more often, RELIGIOUS PREACHERS move into the slot and provide him the intellectual solace. This could have been very well done by the parents themselves. It is the "Existential Insecurity" of a man which has been exploited by the religious teachers down the ages and this has been the biggest problem of humanity.
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