Gone are the days where Masters have to think and give directives and the Slave to follow the directives. It is the age of the concept of 'service' and 'dignity of labour' where humans can help, work and progress together by mutually extending their services-menial to technical according to one's capacity and according to the needs of the society. Likewise, the concept of merit, the concept of contract, the concept of consent and so on and so forth come to be accepted as dominant values.
Gone are the days where one is afraid to talk about Freedom, dignity and equality. They are all positive achievements of our modern civilization.
But when we talk of these three important values, Freedom, dignity and equality, they cater to two spheres - one is individual sphere and the other collective one. And when we emphasize Freedom in the context of individual, we hear and know about individual autonomy/liberty/rights. But when we emphasize Freedom in the context of our collective being- then comes the idea of 'collective autonomy', a people 'right to Self-determination' and to the 'Sovereignty' of a people.
Likewise, dignity could be understood as 'Self-respect/Self-integrity/Self-esteem' of an individual or in the collective sense.
With the principle of equality, comes the idea of equality of opportunities, equality in the eyes of law, equal availability of basic necessities for a meaningful humane existence, etc. Collectively, it endorses the equal right of every people to self-determination.
We, humans, are a political being among other characteristics. It all manifests how we organize our private life, personal life, family for an effective and successful outcome. How our society/collective world is organized, is structured, is managed by the institutions of law and governance covering every aspects of our public-community life catering to the needs and breathing space of our most private and intimate lives for a healthy growth.
Our collective survival, dignified existence and collective strength and prestige depends on the nature of the organization of this political world and the consciousness of our necessary existence as political being for our personal and collective goods and by virtue of this, the required responsibilities which warrant from us. This political realm manages, discipline, guide, nurture and sustain the deliberance of social justice and values in terms of economic-affluency and judicious distribution to all for humanly subsistence; cultural-dynamisms, productivity and creativity by opening up to and critically learning and knowing the other different cultural advancements.
Our modern world demands a very complex and highly diverse sort of activities from us. It is the age of the unending diversification and specialization of our thinking, interest and activities mostly and progressively guided and propelled by our scientific methods, analysis and questionings catering to the demands of the validity of facts. As such, the geometric progression of the manifestation of the concept of 'division of labour' is engendered and thus, serves as a key to translate our potentiality into actuality in every worth pursuing collective interest and activities endeavored by our collective organizations and institutions.
These collective goods are/will be the cumulative effect/outcome of the effort of the cross-sections of persons which constitute our collectivity. Thus, feasibility demands a committed groups of persons-Political actors, not necessarily only those confined few one but the numerous voluntary organizations and associations-to act in and man the political world-to manage and channelize our path to progress. The only thing we, as persons, engage in some other studies, activities, etc. should do is to give our critical suggestions/opinions and show our sympathy, solidarity to these groups of persons.
The two sphere-individual and collective are complexly inter-related and mutually contributing. But it is not entirely impossible to separate these two realms for the sake of clarity. Here, what I would like to express and emphasize about is the collective realm. Each and everyone whoever constitute this collective realm have a stake in this for the reason of being a political being. But the political actors play most of the active part as it is their professed choice.
It is a dedication to the society and must be responsible and accountable to all of us who dedicate to some profession equally necessary for the generation and vitality of the society. No doubt we are/should be all participating in a way, though not be able to actively/physically. Sometime, a situation demands our active/physical participation. All of us are mutually collaborating and helping each other in ways we can.
By virtue of being born in the human race, we belong to a family, to a community and we constitute a people within the greater humanity. Our subjective feelings-feeling of rootedness and belongingness, self-pride, self-confidence, self-esteems, self-dignity, etc. are closely, intimately and constitutively linked to the people we belong. In this sense my people inhabit a specific territory from time immemorial, exhibit a specific cultural trait/traits having a collective written/unwritten narrative/narratives.
Do this people exist in its full strength and integrity with Dignity and Freedom in this modern and highly advanced and competitive world? We yearn for a world-a very egalitarian, judicious and peaceful world where there is no discriminations and injustices due to the differences of religion, community, people, country and race. To have that and to see it crystallized, we need to survive as a Free People with dignity.
Now, what can we think about and do and give, what must we get when this people is understood in the political context in the collective sense to exist with dignity and freedom? Does it have a political position/space-a meaningful and genuine one on that count? Does this political space ensures/recognizes that we be determining ourselves with dignity and freedom?
It should be reflected in the institutions of the society-formal and informal. How far have our formal institutions reflected our collective as well as individual freedom and equality and other basic rights which flows from it and how do our informal institutions/civil society co-exist with the formal institutions? These are questions to be taken very seriously.
Democracy is not necessarily by numerous when understood in the context of the existence of different groups but it could be by all accommodating equally of all the collective voices committing to democratic norms and values. Every institution which generate and sustain such democracy could reflect this value. It is a value/a principle to guide our life.
It could be that much inclusive one catering and accommodative to all differences, opinions and so on, guiding and striving to an egalitarian and equity world. In practice, this will be very difficult but not an impossible task. We should not be deterred from the endeavour to quest for its manifestation for it would deliver us-humane and a better egalitarian society.
An Inhabitant , a pesudonym used by Nongallakpa Horam, writes regularly to e-pao.net
You can contact the writer at [email protected]
This article was webcasted on 27th December 2004.
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