As English has
become the language of the world, capitalism has become the world’s
religion. Wealth is the only real
god. Unlike the jealous Yahweh of the
Bible whose very first commandment was “I am the Lord your God; you shall not
have any other god besides me,” the god of capitalism says, “I am the only God
who can buy up all other gods.”
Apart from a
god (or many gods depending on their tolerance level), a religion requires
certain norms and values by which people organise their lives. Capitalism has its own system of ethics and
morality. Egotism and profiteering are
the elementary lessons in the catechism of capitalism.
Every child is
taught that it is special. It is brought
up like a prince or princess. Pampered
by parents at home, the educational system at school, and the businesses and
their advertisers in the society, the child grows up seeing itself as the
centre of the universe. The child grows
up to be a monarch, the monarch of a little kingdom which is his private world,
a small little world.
Ensconced on
his/her virtual throne, the monarch establishes virtual relationships through a
smartphone with other monarchs. It is
the most sacred duty of every monarch to make conquests. The only purpose of existence, reads the
capitalist catechism, is to make profits.
At any cost. You can sell anyone
for that purpose. Including parents. Use other monarchs to make the conquests. How you use them is your own affair –
laissez-faire. All is fair that brings
in the fare.
Relationships
are either diplomatic strategies or casual affairs. The former rakes in the moolah while the
latter panders to the body. The body is
divine, dictates one of the commandments in the capitalist catechism. Pamper it with savoury foods, branded dresses,
and all the luxuries possible including the one night stands or ten night
affairs.
Once in a
while visit some Guru’s convention at the makeshift pavilion built on the bank
of a holy river and learn how to supersede the sanctity of the nature with a
wealth of verbosity (and possibly some plastic smiles). Make a video clip of one of the many jokes
cracked by the Guru and send it instantly to all the friends on half a dozen social
networks.
Networks
matter a lot, says the catechism. Your
opportunities lie therein. Watch out for
the next prey. Watch out for your own safety
at the same time. We are the prey and we
are the predators. While we are at the
game, let us take a break and play by texting jokes and exchanging new age
gospels. We need the game in order to
ward off loneliness.
Ha ha.. we need the game in order to ward off loneliness. The picture is not all that scary. :)
ReplyDeleteTrue. Actually the picture can be fun depending on which side of the fence we are.
DeleteBut isnt it our responsibility to guide the younger generation towards embracing a Kinder, Gentler philosophy of success ?? Because, across the world there is a realization that pandering to excess profit will never result in a person climbing to the summit of Maslow's need hierarchy theory...
ReplyDeleteYes capitalism is not great but there are no/less workable alternatives around us. Need of the hour is to promote the benign face of capitalism, a more inclusive one !!
Isn't satire a corrective more effective than moral preaching?
DeleteCan capitalism be benign rooted in egotism as it is?
Capitalism based on greed has hit the nadir....the chasm, they are discovering is not bottomless.....the consequences are visible across many frontiers....environment (pollution), philosophy(greed), entertainment (crass), belief(aggrandizement) backed by crass consumerism and mechanisation (drones, robots)most of all....the glaring inequality in terms of wealth (read thomas piketty)..From here if they try to press the above model it would be chaos....because if you look at the above it doesnt cater to the intrinsic needs of the exploiter as well as the exploited...as per maslwos need hierarchy theory...
DeleteIs there an alternative model around ? Yes but they cannot work on a grand scale.....then what to do ?? you need to reimagine capitalism....by factoring in the environment (low carbon growth trajectory based on renewables and phasing out emission), belief (to make the capitalists think about the other half through the Universal Basic Income), philosophy (more inclusive and sustainable), entertainment (scripture replaced by culture through better news,arts,movies,literature and architecture)...This needs a thorough overhauling of institutions as we know today.....There is every possibility of this happening across the world...but it would be gradual across the world.....but has already started in the west...
You are missing the woods for the trees....
Satire can backfire spectacularly creating more chaos...
Satire can incites hatred....CHARLIE HEBDO is the greatest example..
conversations based on socratic method would be more inclusive and thought provoking....
As elders it is our responsibility to steer children away from greed by creating such conversations.....by serving as an example by our behaviour as well as by gradually increasing our sphere of influence...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDeep and insightful, loved the deconstruction of capitalism, Sir.
ReplyDeleteGlad you could relate to it.
Delete