WHY INSTITUTIONALISE AN INDIVIDUAL ?
Institutionalising anybody leads to authoritarianism. Society is best served by making room for the maximum flowering of individual talent with a fluid developing principle the basis for rational intellectual growth rather than a structured rigid system being adhered to. Creative flow demands individual freedom to critique iconic beings and established institutions without fear of retribution following so-called blasphemous statements made.
The delicate balance between the rights of the individual and that of a specific group or community is to be struck by wise legislation where free expression is not so curtailed as to stifle opinion and kill democracy itself. Communities must not be so sensitised as to feel hurt at every statement made contrary to their scripture or traditional code of acceptance. Rather they must be trained into accepting contrarian viewpoint graciously and have the freedom in turn to counter them. This rationalisation process must begin with in school where children must be taught how to think rationally and accept things only on the basis of evidence. They must neither be indoctrinated into scripture nor into blind rejection of everything that has been handed down to humanity by tradition.
A rationalistic atheism when brought to bear upon people with force could be as pernicious, and often worse, than a believing theism under compulsion. In this regard Communism, Christianity and Islam are all culpable to the same offence from diametrically opposite ends of the thought spectrum. Neither is democratic delusion instilled in the people under a capitalistic regime that survives through depredation of other countries welcome. What is needed is a wholesome fusion of creative thinking, both in intellectual and spiritual terms where the individual is free to determine the course of his thoughts and have an equal freedom in their expression so that new ideas gain ground and equip humanity to amend existing systems unto a more efficient order of survival and advancing into the future.
Freedom is the means and freedom is the end, so say the Upanishads, but this freedom has to be attained through training and not through licentious living. Restraint will be there not on thinking or in expression but in the disciplining of the faculties which is the core of education always. Hence, evolution on the human plane will be through education, free and fair and not imposed and accepted.
This fundamental urge of phenomena towards freedom was understood in ancient times by our Vedic Rishis as the basis of civilisation as well but the principles thereof never found adequate expression in the polity as an unequal society based on privilege denied the masses their legitimate rights. In the infancy of social civilisation high-flown spiritual principles never could make for themselves room enough to hasten man unto freedom and millennia of social tyranny passed before the masses are somewhat ready to receive their rightful freedom from age-old feudal tyranny.
But are they? Are they yet capable of comprehending the true intent of the freedom of the soul, their divine right to creating conditions for assertion of their freedom, the illegitimacy of prophetic injunctions and scriptural dogmas that as yet attempt to frighten them into submission? If so, grand days are ahead. If not, the tyranny of the knowledgeable over the ignorant will continue, that of the rich and the powerful over the poor and the powerless will perpetuate, God knows for how long. But through it all let it be affirmed in bold voice that the days of blasphemy ought to be over and it is time to critique everything under the sun from the secular to the sacred, from the diabolical to the divine so that humanity may make rapid strides towards progress and prosperity and a more fulfilling life on earth unto eventual freedom.
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