In Search of Goethe Within Us
The Hamlettian dilemma has never been more strong as it is today where the binary options
-to write or not to write, to speak or not to speak, to express or not to
express, to argue or not to argue have caused increased tension and stress
among many of us who are aam admis in the literal sense, without any political
overtones associated with it. Most of us have gone silent preferring the easier
way out than strike a confrontational posture to invite verbal assaults and
abusive, scathing attacks both personally and on the social media. To me there
has arisen a new kind of discomfiture and I suspect I am not alone in
experiencing such unease. All those who have a different take on many issues
that are singularly labeled ‘Modissues’ are experiencing social ostracization. I suddenly find that many of my friends who
were willing to concede my views as having a modicum of truth have stopped
responding to me. Though they have not openly said so, their silence is
deafening. They are as much scared to be on my mailing list as they are in
mailing their response even if that response is counter to my views. Many of
them have stopped calling me and visiting me while a few others have stopped
even sending innocuous ‘forwards’ not only to me, but also to my close knit family
members. There is an unwritten ban and unspoken fear that has gripped the
literate masses. Sometimes I wonder if illiteracy is bliss and ignorance
beneficial.
Despite the repeated warnings from my well wishers, I have taken
courage to write this piece. I write because I am certain that it will not be
read at all and especially by those who fear the invisible, omniscient
controller. I write because no newspaper, no newsmagazine will ever publish it
for unspecified fear of reprisal. I write because I belong to the aam admi
class which no one can fear for impacting the masses and modifying their
thinking. I write because I want to
lighten myself from the heavy burden of despair, anguish and pain I experience
today in all aspects of life. I write because I want to give an alternate
narrative to open our minds, that are fed on innuendoes and derogatory
implications built on some credible facts and a whole lot of hype. I write
because today no one understands the art
of speaking fair while making a point; on the contrary, with consummate skill
and with recourse to uncivil language turn every issue on its head to expose the
foolishness of one’s opponent. I preface this article with an unequivocal
affirmation that it is not meant as an indictment of the ruling party. It is an
indictment of the new world order, where the ruler and the ruled, the elite and
the masses are guilty of not treating one another with civility. Last
and more importantly, I write to find the Goethe within us whom I have been
searching for.
Who is Goethe? Wolfgang von
Goethe, the mid 18th to mid
19th century German writer is best described as a ‘cosmos in
himself’- a scientist, a writer of poetry, drama and prose, a literary and
aesthetic critic and a statesman, known for his
intellectual endeavors, his intense
passion and above all his humanism. Goethe is the high priest
of high culture. In this century, just
at this moment of the expiration of high culture, Goethe is healthier for all
of us more than ever before. It is time all of us discovered the Goethe within
us to save our world from collapse of all civilized values almost
signaling the end of humanism.
India for the first time after many decades is ruled by a single party
that enjoys a huge majority in the Parliament. We have a strong PM whose personal
strengthand strong image have been
buttressed by the massive numbers on his side.
PM Modi has single handedly
destroyed the opposition both by his oratorical ability that often does border
on demagoguery and his skilful use of the electronic and social media to stay
connected with people. But he is not satisfied with all the electoral success
his whirlwind zooming across the country has given him. He is hungry for more. What
started as Congress mukht Bharat has now been extended to Opposition(Vipaksh)
mukht Bharat. As a leader of a populous and vibrant democracy, this ambitious
goal of Vipaksh mukht Bharat repeatedly stressed by him and his trusted
lieutenant Amit Shah goes against the very concept of democracy. Though it is
projected as unintended, but unprovenly and deliberately intentional, the consequences
of such a proclamation is to consolidate all power within a single party that
will lead to the emergence of an autocratic party system, muzzling all voices
of dissent. Many of the partymen in sheer loyalty to the party join the chorus
to decimate the Vipaksh, which ironically today is a lame duck, hardly able to
keep its head from drowning in the Modi tsunami. Should the PM, who is the most
winnable among leaders and whose position is unshakeable, stoop down to wish
for the annihilation of the Opposition? It is one thing to aim for personal
success, it is another to wish for the elimination of all those who are not in
line with the espoused policies and ideologies of the party. Vipaksh mukht Bharat
is a catchy phrase and is mindlessly used without reflecting on the
anti-democratic consequences. The PM is the best example of the rule of
democracy, where from humble origins, he has risen to the nation’s highest
position. We should seek the Goethe within us to help us develop ‘keen hearing
and keen learning’ without which we will be more easily swayed away from word
play and replace democracy by autocracy
and possibly one-man rule.
Congress has been shown as
synonymous with corruption. The second innings of UPAII was more about scams
than governance , chief among them relating to spectrum pricing, coal auction
and Commonwealth games. The party led by the unimpeachable , incorruptible
Manmohan Singh, who shares with PM Modi disavowal of pecuniary benefits for
oneself, and a good number of honest
ministers in his cabinet have been painted with the same brush and shown to be
tainted. The Grand old party has been defamed and slandered beyond impassable
limits. It is a fact, everyone loves a scam. The public lapped up with glee all
charges levelled against Congress proving the adage that a single drop of
poison is enough to contaminate a whole container. Three years after Congress
was punished lock, stock and barrel, the ruling party and its leaders are not
tired of flogging the dead horse to hold that blackened image of the Congress
before the public. One Raja or one Kalmadi does not make the Congress. Still an
effective myth has been created that all men and women of the Congress are
frauds, cheats and perfidious. Clever use of the social media, abusive trolls
and indiscriminate spread of calumny have successfully penetrated into the Indian
psyche to say, ‘Dishonesty, thy name is
Congress.’ If Manmohan Singh, the erstwhile PM is accused of corruption in the
wake of scams perpetrated by a few unethical men in his coalition government,
it begs the question whether PM Modi and his respectable ministers should be hauled up for the prevalence of fatal
vigilantism all through the nation? No one dares to point false accusing
fingers against PM Modi and rightly so, though for the ex-PM it has been a different yardstick. What is sauce for the
goose doesn’t seem to be sauce for the gander. The wholesale attack on the
Congress- and now on the entire opposition is they(barring the ruling party)
are all, all corrupt. The present political narrative is the modern version of
the wolf and the lamb story where the wolf charges the lamb that if he (the lamb)
is not guilty, the sinners should be his whole family- his father, grandfather,
uncle, cousin et al. This once again shows the absence of Goethe within us who
opposed quasi literacy that in our century is spread by the social media, euphemistically known as educational
networking and which negates deep reading and critical analysis.
It is well known eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. What we
notice today is the spread of vigilantism to protect cows, to force people to
be compliant with an attenuated and circumscribed definition of Nationalism, to
establish Hindu rashtra, very different from the inclusive and pluralistic
variant of India for all as
guaranteed by the Constitution, to ensure no Indian (not just Hindu) eats even
buffalo beef, to regulate the spread of Hindutva ideology in universities and
educational institutions. The killing and lynching of people in the name of
vigilantism , the crude and violent and often fatal attacks on suspected
consumption and hoarding of beef, the
banning and burning of books that do not subscribe to the party’s
ideology, the killing of rationalists on the misconception that they challenge
age old beliefs, myths and superstitions that constitute their version of
Hindutva, the war cry of love jihad
and Ghar
Wapsi or return of the native to his parent
religion have become the new normal, well beyond the pale of the state’s law and order
machinery. India is witnessing for the first time after the 1947 partition, a
new wave of anger and intolerance against one’s own countrymen. Not that there
were no caste riots or communal riots earlier, but the present tide of violence
has been given legitimacy because it seemingly reflects the feelings of the
majority. The quality of a peaceful life is slowly diminishing and yielding to
the irrational frenzy of the mob. The culture of tolerance and co-existence is
on the wane. Democracy, says Albert Camus, is not the law of the majority but
the protection of the minority. Where is the Goethe within us who is well
acquainted with tradition but retains enough strength and courage to defy the
frenetic wrongs done in the name of pseudo religious sanctions? Where is the
Goethe within us to prevent intolerance, homicide and xenophobia- the three
inhuman practices of radical fundamentalism against which PM Modi has time and
again raised his voice?
The rising tempo of intolerance
is best exemplified by our news channels. As Aaakar Patel says, the new breed
of anchors are best termed as ‘Jihad anchors’, who launch the fake crusade on the TV studios every night, recklessly
whipping up emotions sans reason, ‘urging the nation to war and reporting
everything to the same level of lunatic intensity’. They have to follow the
script given to them to talk brashly, vehemently, authoritatively and hound all
those who are seen to be critical of the ruling party. The jihad anchors have
self raised their status to be omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. They are
powerful to humiliate and shout down all those who speak against the
establishment. They seem to know what is right and what is wrong and I wonder
why do they sit on the studio chairs instead of occupying the more powerful
ones in the Ministry and the Secretariat. They muffle all voices of dissent with an aggressive
and imperious dismissal. What started
with one News channel has spread to most other channels where the anchor has
the triple role of being the accuser, jury and the judge. The language is far
removed from civility only to be outdone by the trollers and Twitteratis. We
are entering a new phase of illiteracy where we are proud to be uncivil,
impolite, rude and insolent. Aakar Patel sadly states: “It works to the
interest of the anchor, the media business and the government that we carry on
with news jihad. It hurts the citizen deeply.” Where is the Goethe within us to
bring sanity to our debates on TV channels? Why is the media discussing what
our army is doing in Kashmir and LOC and revealing all the efforts of the
government and mocking Pakistan? Every time the media mocks Pakistan and
screams that Pakistan has been isolated, a couple of our jawans are martyred
and beheaded. US got Osama without giving the slightest hint about the plans of
SEAL to capture him. China is veiled in secrecy till it unfolds its mega plans
like OBOR to the world. But our TV channels are forever breaking news and
breaking the security of the nation. The cacophony of TV discussions shows the
vacuity of wisdom in our erudite spokespersons and political commentators. The
Channels indulge only in scandal mongering and sensational news like the mewing
of Rahul Gandhi after a sensational statement about earth-quaking expose. Where
is the Goethe within us, the literate people who have not only lost maturity
but also lost their morality and spirituality?
Then comes the chest thumping.
Poor Deavkanta Barua . He must be squirming in the grave as his catch phrase
has been unabagedly stolen by the very same people who had mocked him for his
infamous remark India is Indira, Indira
is India. Now is the turn for new aphorisms spun out of Barua’s phrase. It
is Modindia. His acolytes sing paeans of praise to him for every scheme is
Modified.
Modi is South, Modi
is North,
Modi is both, Modi is
Bharat.
Modi is East, Modi is
West,
Modi is Best, miss
not Modifest.
Is this a sign of times to come when we will be ruled by a single
party, by a single leader, when there will be no dissent and no challenge to
the leadership? Whatever PM Modi has achieved in three years is for everyone to
see. Nature does not brag and preen about its glory. It is there for us to see
and enjoy, appreciate and admire. The acolytes of the PM are doing a great
disservice to the PM. They forget what Goethe had stated in his play Faust
where the angels say: “Wer
immer strebend sich bemüht, Den können wir erlösen (Whoever exerts himself in constant striving,
Him we can save).
PM Modi is a unique person by his own right. He does not need minions to bless him. The angels are there to protect him and grant his wishes.Too much exposure and familiarity breed contempt and ennui.
PM Modi is a unique person by his own right. He does not need minions to bless him. The angels are there to protect him and grant his wishes.Too much exposure and familiarity breed contempt and ennui.
Goethe’s works have two fundamental themes. One of these themes is the value of humanity's unremitting pursuit of
knowledge and improvement. The second is
constant striving towards spirituality which is effected by a synthesis of
feeling and reason. In Faust, Goethe
writes:
when in our narrow cell
The lamp once more imparts good cheer,
Then in our bosom — in the heart
That knows itself — then things grow clear.
Reason once more begins to speak
And the blooms of hope once more to spread;
One hankers for the brooks of life,
Ah, and for life's fountain head.
The lamp once more imparts good cheer,
Then in our bosom — in the heart
That knows itself — then things grow clear.
Reason once more begins to speak
And the blooms of hope once more to spread;
One hankers for the brooks of life,
Ah, and for life's fountain head.
I write this, with despair tempered by
hope, anguish countered by reason, intellect complemented by emotion, knowledge
enlightened by maturity and lastly in Search
of Goethe to reveal and energise the
spirit of humanism within us.
