The Price of Development

The Price of Development 

When there was no democracy there was wisdom.

Strange. Isn't it?

Do review. I urge, to see the truth.

There was a time when the noble did not have to be rich. They had to be wise and intelligent. They were in a better and stronger position to decide for the society as a whole and impact their communities better. The process fell I guess when they did not pay as much attention to the have-nots. That, however, is just one argument.

In a democracy, one found the opportunity to give the have-nots the power to decide. It worked fine only so long as the educational have-nots got the grip on power.

However, as the democratic establishment expanded to be more inclusive and bring in people with or without education in the decision-making process, it appears to have presented an unforeseeable dimension.

What do you do when the goals have been limited to make ends meet? What do you do when the aspirations for an age beyond just the means to live, or live better take over the greater human pursuits? What do you do when the wisdom to prevail over the needs and explore knowledge to transcend the basic curve of life loses priority?

That's when the intelligent, the wise or the knowledgeable turn minorities. Minorities who may simply argue, debate or make a point of view. Yet fail to impact the decision making. Further, they will not find a share of quotas as they will be branded critics of policies and crying loud.

It is a challenge that not just the emerging nations like India face, but the more advanced nations - the UK, the USA and the Europe are unable to manage.

The voice of the majority people in a more established democracy narrows down to the lower end of the constituency, thereby, giving power to those who are faced with the basic challenges of lives, than carry forward the greater human aspirations inspired by the more evolved generations of the 18th or 19th centuries.

Consider a few harsh possibilities. As the educated, the wise or the more evolved people lose their significance in the more inclusive society, will the exchequers find it more reasonable to stop at the basics of human lives?

I must concede that more advanced or evolved soap is just a basic need. So is the laptop, mobiles or the gadgets at home. They are driven by the aspiration of consumption. Will the R&D, education or technologies orient themselves to meet better consumption? Will the Universities find more vacancies in the philosophies, literature, humanities, social sciences, scholarships? It is laughable when the mission to the moon or Mars are being imagined as a way to make a fancy trip or making a township. Such an advancement may turn more mammoth by the big size commerce giants meeting the larger common needs. In its process eliminating perhaps the possibilities of more evolved boutiques or the signature brands.

And the entire fraternity of poets, writers or thinkers will remain happy so long as they get their share of the audience - good, bad or woeful?

Already you can hear the whispers about the quality of news or the quality of entertainment.

Wonder then if democracy is a cruel form of communism.

Am I serious?