losing trust

I must admit that my head is spinning, because there is just too much information circling around me at all times. Perhaps the truth is that such a copious amount of information always did the rounds around me or anybody else for that matter, my own receptiveness for such a massive variety of information seems to have gone up, and my own frustration at not being able to write about them adding to the headache.

I have always tried to be a good political blogger, even though I write in a blog which attracts a minute number of readers most of who happen to venture here by chance. Over time I think I have improved in what I write, and always attempt to back up some of my points made with what is said in the real media, but I think i'm now facing a crisis of trust. Trust in the sources I take my information from, and trust in myself to formulate a cohesive opinion piece that I can back up with at least some data.

To explain the lack of trust in myself, I know that there is always too much information, and there are always too many opinions. Life was good when I didn't care about the other opinions and simply wrote what I wanted to write, or rather, rant. Now I feel I have an obligation to be fair in what I write, and for some reason, the realization that there will be plenty of facts and figures to prove my opinion to be wrong in at least somme way is beginning to bother me. But isn't that true for every opinion expressed, especially in politics and global affairs? I hate the CONgress for the unaccountable and opaque fiefdom that they have turned the administrative machinery of this country into, but then, there are regular opinion givers in the Indian media who sing paens of this fraud Gandhi led gang for all the good they have done, and will illustrate far reaching acts such as the Right to Information Act and the reservation of 33% of seats in Panchayat elections for women. And thus have my opinions ended up becoming stuck in the middle as I try to take into consideration the fact that I should write from all angles as I am aware that I may be wrong! 

For the lack of trust in the sources where I take my information from, again there was never a dearth of sources from where I could glean information and opinions of what was happening around me. However, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that there has been a steady degradation of the way the media of this country functions that has only now become more visible to the common eye. The fact that the media has closely been entrenched with the political system of the country was never in question, and one can only imagine the level of parlays that the powerbrokers at the top of the political/social/economic foodchain must be participating in. However, the recent past has perhaps been the first time that the common man saw how strong these links are. 

Then at the same time what I am feeling about a lack of trust in anything that I write and from whichever source I read is being felt by everybody in this country who now sees the absolute shamelessness and brazenness with which the top governance structure in the country goes about its business of being irresponsible, unanswerable and downright reckless in their disregard for norms and regulations. 

The political class in this country always had their paws in the economic pie, with many of them owning businesses with legitimate or illegitimate operations or both, but I think the last four years have thoroughly established that on the lines of most of the developed capitalist economies elsewhere on the planet, the politician sitting on the proverbial chair of an Member of Parliament or a Member of Legislative Assembly is more interested in doing business than being an administrator and political leader.  

In such a situation, when I do not know what is true or what is not true, I have found it very difficult to trust my own judgement and opinion on a politicial situation, a political entity or a political accusation because I suppose the recent shenanigans of the country's political and business class have more than ably demonstrated that the truth is anything but, especially the 'truth' that we are fed through the controlled media.

However, as much as I rant against the political and business leadership, I know that they represent the society at large, and no matter how bad things get, I, being the idealist that I am, believe that this situation exists only because this society lets it exist. On that corollary, the situation exists because the society wants it to exist. Given the consumption levels of the Indian society, especially the Indian middle class that is working in white collar jobs or owning their little business enterprise or working in the service economy, there is no doubt that while the size of the have-nots is definitely swelling, so is the consumption levels of the haves, and this group is the one that seems to drive policy, despite the politician going all out to woo the marginalized classes for votes.

I think the situation that exists today, of India being this strange mixture of extreme poverty and extreme wealth, extreme under-development to extreme development, absolute lack of infrastructure to the best urban infrastructure, millions of homeless to homes that cost crores of rupees, is because now our society has increasingly adapted the policy of laissez faire - non-interference. Everybody to themselves, is the rallying cry of the masses now, and that definitely includes the options available to make money. Now that consumption and accumulation of wealth defines our existance, surely I have nothing to find fault with in the leadership we have because thats the leadership we deserve. If a few farmers have to give up their farms to make way for a manufacturing plant, then as a supposed democratic republic which is aware of the concepts of justice and fairness, India must ensure that those farmers are given the best value for their land, and more importantly, are fully supported by the state to enable them to continue to earn their living.

However, ensuring justice and fairness takes time, and nobody in this country has the time to wait for it, not the politician representing the people of that land, not the bureaucrat administering that piece of land, and certainly not the businessman backed by a sea of investors who can smell the profit and want to get on with it as soon as possible. So in this case, the unfortunate farmer will have to be sidelined as has been happening for so many years now, be it in mining, manufacturing or urbanization.

Even then, it never remains this simple because even among the haves, which all these people mentioned above are, nobody wants to be left out. Thus even as a politician and a businessman shake their hands and think of the profits ahead, there will a politician and a businessman sitting on the sidelines who will be miffed at not being the politician and businessman shaking their hands. So considering that our national policy is 'everybody to themselves', the miffed players begin their own efforts to scuttle the deal. Now if this happens in an administrative structure that has completely lost the will or the ability or both to govern, then no holds are barred and no amount of money is too small.

Now after all this I try to write about the good things such as social reform, economic security, housing for all, healthcare for all, safety of society, education for our children, a part of me gives up completely at the pointlessness and hopelessness of it all. What leaves me wondering is how this society continues to evade itself from descending into anarchy, because ideally, if things continue the way they are, we should fall into that very soon. Anarchy does not have to mean all out fighting with weapons and gangs roaming the streets, but simply that everybody will believe that nobody is to be trusted, and that any administrative set-up is a farce. As is the case, a government can can't govern, a police force that can't police, a judiciary that can't deliver and a society with its priorities in all the wrong places.

So after writing all this, what do I want? I'm not even sure.