Living In The Absolutes: The Modern Day Phenomenon of Doing Everything Extreme

‘Democracy should be absolute.’

‘Criminalisation of Article 377.’

‘Freedom of press is sacrosanct.’

‘Ban on the consumption of liquor.’

‘Criminal charges on the consumption of beef.’

Day in and day out, we are faced with such news making the headlines of the newspaper columns not just in our country, but around the world. If something doesn’t suit the sensibilities of a certain section of the crowd, there seems to be an immediate resolution to call for a ban, irrespective of howsoever small that section maybe in the larger context of things. The end result – we are forced to live in an ecosystem that lingers around the concept of pseudo-freedom, wherein we are made to believe that we are free to choose whatever we want, yet all of it is to be done under the supervised provision of ‘law.’ The paradox lies in the fact that while some of these laws are intrinsic in nature (for e.g. criminal prosecution for murdering someone else), most of them are at the mercy of the ruling lawmakers and which change with the arrival of a new set of people amassing power. So, while one day, homosexuality is perfectly legal, you wake up the very next day to find it being criminalised.

The thing is – we live in a world that defines itself on the absolutes but is hardly ever able to implement it.

Take the liquor ban for example. There are states in India that have gone dry but they are usually the ones with the highest consumption rates (not to forget the advent of liquor mafia). There’s ban on porn, beef consumption, homosexuality, dancing bars, alcohol advertisement, movies. In the name of morality and sensibilities, a lot of restrictions are being shoved down our throats.

Will absolutism work in today’s day and age?

If the kind of interconnected world we live in is anything to go by and ‘globalisation’ being the buzzword that defines the current century, an absolutist mindset over any particular subject has a trickledown effect on multiple other businesses which are often not foreseen by the ones passing the legislatures. What we are left with is a chaotic ecosystem where a lot of people’s ‘lawful’ livelihood is directly impacted. And in most cases, ‘absolutism’ leads to vented angst among the masses which manifests in the form of disruption, causing damage to property and lives.

So, what is the alternative?

Apart from setting the basic non-negotiables in place, the day to day choices should be left with the people. They need to be respected for their intelligence and considered mature enough to make their own decisions. After all, in a ‘free, fair world,’ if not in totality, the perception of freedom is essential to maintain peace and order.