I am currently attending a workshop by Adv.Norma Alvares and Adv. Claude Alvares on Public Interest Litigation. It started in April, 16 lectures on 16 topics of public interest.
These discussions only made it absolutely clear what state we are in as a democracy! How the environment is under a full blown attack and nobody cares about it.
The widespread corruption! Not that it was ever any less! It has always been the case in India that the rich and the powerful get away with anything.
(Watched Trial by Fire on Netflix. It's a true story. in 1997 A cinema hall in Delhi called Uphaar burnt down due to management negligence. 59 people died. And the owners- Ansals got away with just 6 months imprisonment ,that too after 25 years of litigation that went upto Supreme Court. There is also a book by the same name written by Krishnamoorthy's. These parents lost both their children in that fire. They found out that The film hall was locked from outside. When the transformer in the basement caught fire, people in the hall started suffocating due to smoke. But they couldn't get out. The management, The Ansals, had strictly told the Manager to lock the hall so that not a single person enters without a ticket! This story is about their struggle to get justice. A struggle that never saw justice take place. We often want happy endings. And we find it very stressful to watch such 'negative' endings. But reality and the truth can be harsh. We must grow up and build the courage to face it.)
While this is happening in the background: most people are enjoying their free ride! The activists are burning their ass off to stop illegal activities happening throughout the State. But the activists are a few. The powerful are too powerful. The ignorance and lack of care by the rest of people will finally take down all of us!
( One film which is on spot on this issue is "Don't Look Up" - On Netflix. I thought everyone would understand what this film is trying to say. It's not about a meteorite hitting planet Earth. It is about the state of affairs we are in! How stupid our democratically elected representatives are, how the media is manipulating us and how the social media has trapped us. The film got released, I was like- Oh Thank god! At least now , some people will wake up from their slumber! But no. I over-estimated the stupidity which is rampant in our society. I found myself hyperventilating like Jennifer Lawrence for a while, and then accepted the situation that we are all doomed! )
Citizens in general don't care about the environment, the pollution, state of our water bodies. Their focus is on the rat race. Their limited intellect isn't helping them connect the dots to see that their children are going to be the ones to suffer the most!
So what do we do from here? What are you expecting the world to do? Stop? Like it happened during Covid?
Yes!
Maybe Covid happened so we could stop and look at what is happening for once.
But again, I realised I had under estimated the stupidity.
Soon, everything went on as usual.
Nothing changed!
Not a rule changed!
I read somewhere that the biggest enemy is not evil.
The biggest enemy is stupidity.
The Evil will use the stupid to do evil. and the stupid will do it because he is stupid.
So what we should all sit and talk about serious stuff and get stressed and die?
No.
At the least, be a part of the solution.
open your tiny brains to understand what sustainability is, what climate change is.
At least don't be stupid damn it!
Don't fight amongst yourselves over religions! That's like the mega dumbest thing to do on this planet right now. This is like - baba, what danger are we really facing as a planet and what are you fighting against?
The second dumbest thing is this social race - keeping up with the Jonases! Everyone is thinking - My car, my house, my family, my child, my wife, my this, my that!
Their world doesn't extend beyond that.
this is it!
This is the start and the finish to their life's story.
My dreams, my desires, my body, my hair, my skin, my jewels, my ...my ..my!
🙄
For once, step outside this I ,me, myself and look around you.
For once, think- I've got everything I need. What can I do today for someone else?
For once- spare a thought at least for someone else- a prayer maybe, a good intention, a blessing- anything will do. You don't need to be a crorepati to do something.
We often complain about the rich hoarding money. But how are we any different? They have crores and give away only a few lakhs. We have Lakhs, do we give away a few thousands maybe to save someone else's life? There too we will keep an account.
And when it comes to helping, if you must help. Please help someone who can not do anything for you.
don't trade in this.
But minorities are really suffering right now!
Can you not understand that we need to stop talking this nonsense about minorities and majorities? About upper castes and lower castes?
Can you not see we are being divided on flimsy issues in order to cover up the main issues?
Can you please stop fighting over the candy because you won't have air to breathe tomorrow, damn it!
I am saying this here- Both- Both of you are equally responsible for this shit!
The minorities want stuff for themselves. They want 'special' treatment.
So why shouldn't the majorities not want stuff for themselves too?
What have you done special to deserve the special treatment?
The lower castes want reservation, then why shouldn't the upper castes play games with you?
How long will you take to keep the past in it's place and live in the present?
Is it necessary to walk around with the shit someone threw in your face a 1000 years ago?
Or 100 years ago?
Or 10 years ago?
Or 1 year ago?
How much time do you need to grow out of this stupidity?
Can you start talking as human beings? Rather than talking on your caste, religion, gender lines ?
This is disgusting!
Both these groups disgust me! Their hypocracy , their limited mindsets, their stupidity, their inability to look beyond themselves disgusts me!
They are so attached to one class of people that they don't see the pain the other side feels!
That is how insensitive they have become.
So only minorities are suffering. If someone from majority side is killed, raped, burnt alive- do anything with them, but this class of people won't speak up.
Why?
They are not humans?
Human Rights dont apply to them?
If you care so much about human rights, shouldn't you feel it for all?
So, yes
Something has gone terribly wrong on systemic level. Our systems are stupid. They are making us stupid. Our education system has made us numb dumbasses!
We need to work together for our growth. We don't need to work our ass off for a job to make a living.
Even animals make a living without an education, don't they?
Why is it that some of us have so much and why is it that we don't care a damn about those who don't have much.
Why is it that our farmers are poor? and our CEO's are so god damned rich? How can it be that the person who grows our food and takes care of our soil is at the bottom of our hierarchy?
Have you ever thought about it?
Don't you see the system is upside down?
How can you be okay with this injustice?
Why are we not protecting our farmers? Aren't they the ones to put food on our tables?
Are we going to eat computers and mobile towers tomorrow?
When is this stupidity going to stop?
Is it ever going to stop?
Is it too much to ask these questions? Or you want me to sugar coat them so you don't feel too bad about being stupid?
Yes, let's talk about this, okay? You say whatever you have on your mind about me- selfish bitch what the hell are you doing to change the situation? who the hell do you think you are to point fingers at us? righteous bitch as if you are any different from us!
yes , let it all come out.
say it.
But let's talk about the issues that matter the most to us, okay?
let's fight over having a better environment, having more time for all of us, having no stress,
let's fight for a better future for all of our children!
but let's not keep silent anymore, alright?
The silence is killing us!
Edit #1 : I am aware of religious , caste, gender persecution issues. I am not saying it doesn't matter at all. It is unfair to persecute someone because someone is a woman, or because she is a muslim or rape her because she is a hindu. That is wrong.
What I want to put focus on is the silence we keep when something is wrong. When someone from my family does something wrong which hurts someone else from another family, I choose to keep quiet because this is family! - This mentality is the problem.
Those who can see something is wrong - choose to not speak up. So the wrong keeps perpetuating.
