I have been thinking (a dangerous occupation), trying to make sense of all the hate in the air and the forces fanning it about. While at it, I have also been wondering what is worse, the perpetual doom and despair of Twitterverse or the oft-misleading and toxic positivity of LinkedInsphere? But I digress.
My thoughts led me to two forces, the haves, and the have-nots. The former are the privileged and accomplished who want to see the world burn, and use chaos as a ladder. The latter are the ones whom the world has passed by, who never stood a chance, and are splashing about to leave a wrinkle in time.
Now there is no cure for recreational hate, so the former can only be left to their guilty conscience(?), or better yet, a conflict of interest. But the latter can certainly be won over. How? By correcting the misappropriations of neo-feudalism. By urgently improving upon the growing inequity in our environment.
It is no good pretending all is well when there is a growing mold in our institutions, when the progress achieved is under threat. Our innovations and designs for the future will mean little if there is no future worth having. There are far too many precedents; just from the last century, to be on our guard.
While the responsible agents of the four pillars do their bit, the corporate can do a great deal to improve equity when it comes to opportunity and prosperity. Not to mention, work for development as much as for growth, work to gain the confidence of the ones left behind—the ones who consume and vote.
One may argue, that ensuring the prosperity of the masses is the job of the state and not of for-profit enterprises. But there will be no profit or enterprise if there is no reliable society. Moreover, when private players are entering every avenue of public policy and service, public wellbeing becomes their responsibility too.
Meanwhile, the willingness to partner with divisive forces or weaken democracy and equity to appease the rogue state is suicidal at best. The latest example is Razorpay. Equally detrimental is the unwillingness to hold state agencies responsible for their malicious overreach. The latest exception is Twitter.
Regaining public trust is long overdue and an urgent need right now. This can happen with increased investment in human capital from deprived communities. Winning the confidence of the ‘latter’ – the foot soldiers of disruptive forces around the world – can nip the impending chaos in the bud.
The Pandemic laid bare the inequity in our environment, further rooted by ensuing economic inflation and political and societal unrest. The corporates that amassed wealth during this time must now give back. The lip service and apathy of the ones who gamed it is contributing to societal frustration.
Hope and promise can uproot hate and help people see matters that matter. But this will not happen; in fact, things will worsen if we continue to look away for the sake of political correctness. An inclusive and equitable future is just good sense for the sustainability of all our good ambitions.
arguments & agreements 