An
annoying wake up alarm – (and if that’s not loud enough) – a deafening argument
between the wife and the housemaid – followed by a never ending journey to work
through the metropolitan traffic – only to encounter an ever frowning boss
right at the entrance - of a negatively charged workplace - placed right next
to a disoriented set of colleagues - working for a team that is always swamped
with poor standard projects – back home to an ever discontented wife – and an
unhappy self.
A typical
itinerary for almost everyday
Unpleasantness Quotient
This state
of unhappiness and un-fulfillment is measured by the ‘unpleasantness quotient’
that arises when, even after a healthy financial situation one continues to
remain in a state of dissatisfaction,
and ultimately develops a resenting attitude. In a developing and a growing country,
personal income unquestionably rises too. But if this economic development ends
up in a creation of a pessimistic society, does that make all the effort worthwhile?
Concept of modernization
According
to Fred Riggs, it is the ‘developmental gap’ between the economically
privileged and the under privileged that is the biggest challenge for administration
in a developing country. This gap is
further unsettled, when a backward society struggles to deal with ‘modernization’ – a concept which means bringing
about a ‘social change’ together with the ‘economic development’.
The cycle
of economic development for a country may probably be about a 100 years long. But it
is much shorter than the cycle of ‘social development’ – a factor of many
interdependent variables in a culture. The simultaneity of both results in emergence
of a ‘hybrid society’ that on the contrary, starts to overlook the importance of social change in the pursuit of economic
development. It is a situation where modernization
actually results in conception of a ‘Zombie’ culture - where people become
focused on self-development rather than community development - where one man’s
loss is another man’s gain – Where everyone hates everyone.
Egocentricity and Self centrism
An ego
centric person is the one who disregards others’ perspectives and beliefs. In a
country with myriad ethnicities and religions, small ethnic ego centric groups
are treacherous to a harmonious coexistence. These are the economically
thriving groups of individuals who on one hand claim all benefit of the
collective growth in a country, but reject a widespread social change
on the other hand, creating a barrier to a country level social development.
They dwell on their gullible ethnic followers and misanthropically alienate a
significant population from the evolution. Dealing with such groups can be
extremely challenging for a federal republic that is extremely presidential at
the local level.
At
individual level, self centrism takes
cues from ego centrism. The individual loses sight of a symbiotic living and
becomes parasitic i.e. it feeds on collective growth but returns nothing. For
example - A traffic policeman who accepts bribe for releasing a traffic
violator, or a bureaucrat who passes a project in return of a huge favor, does
not amount to a collective growth.
A very
few could continue to pursue honesty and optimism in such a situation. The rest
will simply develop resentment against the system.
Public loathing
Do you
get almost sickened by the fact that there are too many people sharing too
little resources?
We detest
other people – especially where one world chooses not to contribute to the
public money at all. The extent to which this feeling of ‘hatred’ persists in
our minds, against this part of the world is beyond belief. To add to it, there
is no way one can identify the tax criminals.
‘Hate’ is
an emotion that runs through almost everyone, but is verbally expressed the
most by anyone who has ever driven a car in a metropolitan city (read: road rage). It is in the form of the reluctance
that we often demonstrate to the accident struck on roads (read: ‘Bystander apathy’). It is the ‘unhealthy
mindset’ through which we perceive everyone else as a ‘potential rival’ to our very survival, whether at work (read: corporate rivalry), at home or in life
as such which undermines every possible sensibility that one has an option to
pursue.
In a
country of limited means and massive economic disparities, the queue is a long
one outside a public office, on a job portal, for admissions to a state hospital,
school/college enrolments or for a service’s seat. Running out of patience is
easy. Anger, frustration and hate is inevitable.
Oppression of the weaker components of the society that followed the former caste system has
evolved today, taking the crime against weaker sections of the society to entirely
a different level, especially in case of women.
Crimes against women
Women are
treated unequally invariably in every part of the country for all forms of
nutritional, educational and developmental opportunities. According to National Crime Records Bureau, The dowry death
statistics work out to ‘1 death every hour’. Unlike popular belief, rapes and
gang-rapes are also social crimes and not sexual crimes that are committed as conditional
strategies employed by men to ‘keep women
in their place’. Especially, Gang-rapes where the pleasure inundated is
twice and the responsibility of the crime diffused.
Even
political leaders often overlook that the key to the economic growth lies in
the development of a better world for women. Focus on this 50 percent of the world can unlock the full economic
potential of a country, strengthen productivity, stimulate demand and
boost growth.
Summary
To sum
up, the biggest evil in a developing society is the inception of a ‘value
system’ based on reckless virtues. It is important to stick to the values of
humanity, love and equality, as the same will get transferred onto the forthcoming generations.
The idea is to measure growth in terms of GDP, life expectancy, literacy
and levels of employment and also in terms of the less-tangible factors such as mutual
love and harmony, safety and freedom from fear of physical harm, gender
equality and the extent of participation in civil society.
Such
socio-economic community development is the key to a better country, a ‘hate-free’ society and a far less unpleasantness quotient for the day.
