Beware of the Zombies.

 

NEERAJ MAHAJAN

This is an unusual topic to blog on. I feel very strong about the unfathomable world around us and cant help writing about it. I often ponder on Zombies  Who is a zombie ? A zombie  is a living dead as we all know ; no spirit, no craziness,  and the only emotion it evokes inside us is fear, disgust and sometimes pity. And guess what ? Outside the Hollywood movies where they can be seen , our world is also full of such people . And who exactly are they ?They are souls who live like normal humans ie they eat , drink, procreate but, deep deep inside they are dead as a dodo !. And why is that so ? Lemme explicate viz:

THE LAW OF DANTES

The great Rousseau said, " Man is born free yet everywhere he is in chains." The great philosopher probably meant that when a child is born, she is a free soul. As the time passes by, she is subjected to laws of society and forced to follow its rules unquestioningly. Do as we say, don't do this, do that and what not. If you dont do as told to do, you will suffer in hell!  As a result of this forced obedience, induced fear, she loses her spirit, creativity and becomes a zombie ; a living dead who tom toms the path laid down by the society. And if she dares disobey the norms set by others or challenge them, she is labelled a rebel, a heretic , a persona non grata. 

What then is the alternative to this ? Should the society not enforce its collective will ? Should the society revert to state of nature ? If that happens, life will again become nasty, brutish and short to quote Thomas Hobbs. That is highly undesirable and there can be no innovation in such a dangerous place. While I am not qualified enough to delve deeper into this  issue, I have a definite take on this. As most good is in the absence of bad, the solution lies mostly in the absence of Iatrogenics.

Apart from medicine where the harm is clearly evident ,there is presence of Iatrogenics everywhere  around us. From School to family, businesses, relationships, State governance  there is clear evidence of harm caused by unnecessary intervention. The generation of soccer mom interferes in every minute detail of her childs life. The hapless child can not resist her mother even if she wants to. Unwittingly though, she kills her childs creativity through her over powering intervention . Result ? Another zombie added to the ever growing list.

Talking of iatrogenics in school, the situation is even more alarming. Almost every child is naturally gifted to perform mental maths. But try this. Teach maths to your child and then test his mental maths . You will notice a sharp decline in his ability to make calculations. This is appalling and many research have pointed to this. Pl read my piece on Deschooling society inspired by great Ivan Illich on Schooling and its negative effect on our children.

The onus of proof lies on the shoulders of person who interferes. He/she must first prove that the proposed intervention will have a positive effect. Only then, should the intervention be allowed. More often than not when such norms are followed or strictly enforced, the interferer shies away from it. It is nothing but putting skin in the game .

This is not utopian as it may seem to many. This can be easily replicated at the level of a family be it in raising kids, nurturing relationships, imparting financial literacy inter alia. A whole generation can be set free ; kids who dream and dare to work towards their dream. Quite unlike present zombies who are living a monotonous life dictated to them by the society. I am already on to it.

Look forward to your positive feedback, 

WANABI STOIC