Disclaimer — I was inspired by the ‘Stream of Consciousness’ technique while writing it and the content below is not related to ‘Animal Farm’.
George Orwell was right when he said it. There is nothing in the world that is ideal. It may not be easy to define what a perfect scenario is. For me, the perfect state is subjective. It’s something that we expect, given the highest human potential, which can make it possible. The perfect scenario regarding Orwell’s quote would have been equality. But it is still a utopian dream. Almost all activities or actions undertaken may represent various reactions from the people. While people may belong to the member of the same species-sapiens, they possess different natures with cultural orientations and backgrounds. Their thought process also varies. “Cogito, ergo sum” As said by Descartes, our essence is immortal because we think, however, we cannot evade other risks. Assumptions and expectations are like pandora’s box. It depends on which intensity a person has. It’s not wrong to expect the needed result however, it is not worth the time to rely on something out of your league. American writer and Professor Issac Asimov said, “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” The problem may be the same with need and want. Meanwhile, needs are urgent but wants may add further comfort and preferences to life. Well, I was not aiming to write about Microeconomics. But the truth about life sometimes hits you hard. I am not referring to any literature that may support what I am trying to make sense of here, but some things are intuitive and idiosyncratic. Correct me If I am wrong. Have you ever witnessed long-term happiness as a person? On the other hand, the same thing applies to sadness.
Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ says it all “ All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, And one man plays many parts.” One must be aware that the journey is uncertain, and ups and downs are likely to occur during the trip.
But there are many ways to make it as specific as possible. Again, to what extent do we assume and expect in life. Less the expectation, it is more likely that disappointment will be more minor. More expectations may bring some chaos. But, even If we want, we cannot abstain from specific actions, i.e., everyone is into something, productive or unproductive. Something productive for someone may be useless for others. And indeed, they may find productiveness in what society or commerce calls useless. For instance, when we look at doing the things which please people. . Alas, You are not in control of yourself in this regard. Some mechanism has been controlling you for centuries. Your worth is equivalent to the object or lesser. More nearer you are to its scope, the more prosperity(economic) you will find, forgetting the other cost and sacrifices. The very mechanism is called by 19th-century German philosopher Karl Marx as capitalism. I don’t consider myself a Marxist, but there is something that you cannot ignore in the ideology. Forget about Communist leadership; think about the inequality and how unpleasant this system is, and you will know something is wrong. There is no space for equality. Since it has deeply entrenched in all walks of our life, it’s time to think about what went wrong. The problem when it comes to thinking is that the vicious circle of this system won’t let us think of liberty. What about the service taken without paying a single penny? I often remember the quote “If You Are Not Paying for the Product, then You are the Product” from Netflix’s ‘The Social Dilemma’ documentary’. The irony is that I have to mention a subscription streaming service for some reference.
This is not limited only to social media. Basic facilities such as education and health have been commodified. Neoliberal practices have led to vast inequality in the present time. Some people may lecture about the trickle-down concept on the lawn of Mcdonald’s and KFC. But does this idea work? To some extent and period, it may function. But at the end of the day, the rich will get richer while the poorer will be left at the margin. One of my reservations is that the trickle-down effect believes low-skilled labor will get higher pay. But how? Given that situation, inequality would have decreased, leading to less poverty. Unfortunately, the scenario is the opposite. I don’t want to write here about the middle class. The middle class is most probably difficult to understand. Their day starts and ends with the indecisiveness of preferring which camp they belong to, i.e., left or right(I am not referring to Left and Right ideology). They want to adjust to the center that comforts them, fulfills their needs, and enables 24/7 work. I couldn’t recall, but some theorists, even in recent times, have said only two classes exist. Meanwhile, Marx also focused on the proletariat and bourgeoisie. Since my knowledge of class and capital is limited, I will not unfold what I don’t know. I want to restrict it to a few things to avoid more confusion for the readers. Moments ago, I tried uncovering a few realities of the middle class. Coming from typical middle-class family background, I can relate more to it. What is left for others except for the ones at the Pinnacle? Okay, subjectively, we may even explain the pain of being super-rich. But the dire situation is that disproportion now stands at 99 Vs. 1. I feel it is essential to know how capital and capitalism work. It is only with the help of understanding that we can come up with some solution.
Capital is everywhere. Periphery got penetrated with capitalist invasion, and it is not turning back. Some economists believe only with the help of this system can we see relatively more prosperity. At the cost of what? Let me remain silent again. “The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.”
Apart from theory, let’s be true to ourselves. How many of us have felt acceptable everywhere? No, we certainly lack the sense of belongingness in one place or another. Let me point out something, even the person you like or have started loving may ignore you. Upon completion of my last sentence, one might have felt disregarded by others multiple times. One argument is that men are evil. But leaving out the positive side is ineffectual. Gandhi saw the highest potential in human beings, and his view of the species was they could live in harmony and peace. It is still a utopian dream. Has the situation always been such? I have no answer. It is essential to note Aahuti here; I remember him in some interview telling, “The structure of our system is such that privilege will oppress their subordinate. Meanwhile, marginalize also dominates more marginalized ones.” This was perhaps his idea. Finally, can we make the earth a better place to live? But in the beginning, we must look at ourselves and reflect on what we have done to the planet and humanity. Can we prove George Orwell wrong? I can still imagine one day that all homo sapiens will be equal, and no one will be more equal. But how? We must stop pointing out problems and start looking for a solution. The top 1 % at the helm of politics and the corporate world must acknowledge the fact. And intervention must be made possible to start the action. The fate of 99% of people is in the hand of 1%. Let’s see for how long the dance of this minority will discomfort us, and we will keep tolerating it.
