The Wild West - Celebrating the Individual

The American philosopher Emerson wrote an essay, 'Self Reliance', about 250 years ago. He was a great admirer of Hindu thought, but he had to hide his admiration for several reasons. In that extended essay, he wrote a camouflaged version of self-realisation, the theme of Vedanta. Buddha also said, atta dipo bhava', which means, 'be a light unto yourself'. Both Vedanta and Buddhism refer to a severe process of realising the highest reality through the process of self-inquiry.

The teachings of the Upanishads were conveyed in a culturally appropriate language by Emerson as they had to suit the church which suspected his loyalty to religion. His essay, 'Self-Reliance' was misunderstood by the west which did not know the philosophical background. With similar writings by western philosophers, the Hindu idea of self-realisation got morphed into the idea of individualism as it is celebrated now in the entire west. It became a political and cultural movement, redefining family relationships, child rights, etc. Some of these values are strange and almost cruel.

A new film, 'Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway' portrays the harrowing experience that the Indian parents had in Norway about 12 years ago. A one-year-old child sleeping on the same bed with parents was treated as a crime, and feeding children by hand was also a crime. The kids were picked up from their parents and taken to childcare by the government. It is shocking to the Indian values because the idea of motherhood is ignored, and a woman is viewed as a mere sex partner, expected to leave the child without motherly love.

The Nashville shooting this Monday in a school by a transgender shows the trend in the USA. The shooter was angry that the state was strict about laws relating to gender-affirming medical treatments. So he killed six people, including three kids.

The idea of sex identification is a recent phenomenon in the USA. This is on the assumption that the conventional ideas of boy or girl are social constructs that confine the person and hence are oppressive. This had to be dismantled. Therefore the advocates of this madness say that a boy of eight years can declare himself a male, female, lesbian or queer or transgender. And so can a girl declare her sex. Instead of Mr Hari, it is now Hari He, Hari It, Hari She or Hari They, depending on how the boy wishes to identify his sex, irrespective of his biology. By doing so, he is liberated, they say. This madness is slowly creeping into Hindu families in America. Gay marriages are being performed by our pundits reciting Vedic mantras.

Some such ideas are being peddled in India and must be prevented. Knowledge of Indian thought is of great need now. Self-esteem can only be achieved when we know the greatness of our thought, for instance, from the works of Vivekananda, which convey it in a nutshell. Parents can guide the next generation only when equipped with the proper knowledge.

(The writer is an IPS, Former Director-General of Police united Andhra Pradesh state)