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Truth: who wants it?



Truth is the handmaid of power. As American philosopher Barrows Dunham put it in his book Man Against Myth, “Generally speaking, truth has been suffered to exist in the world just to the extent that it profited the rulers of society.”

If the truths in our scriptures came from the gods, then our gods were also in collusion with those people who wielded the power. Who decided, for instance, that Sanskrit was the language of the gods and the men of the gods, and that the lower caste people should not even hear it spoken? Which gods would have benefited by having molten lead poured into the ears of the lower caste people if they happened to hear the Sanskrit shlokas even inadvertently? Who created the hierarchy of the caste system in the first place?

Why did the Bible make the Serpent tempt Eve rather than Adam? The man who created the myth was creating the ‘truth’ that the woman is a dangerous creature and should always be kept subservient to the male of the species.

Have you ever wondered why most of our gods are male? And why are our goddesses bizarre creatures with either enormous breasts or more enormous teeth? Why did Sita of Ramayana have to prove her chastity not once but three times? [The number depends on which version of the myth you are reading]

The answer to all these questions is one: the truth which necessitated each of those was a fabrication of a vested interest.

Vested interests continue to fabricate truths even today. Who decided, for example, that India belongs to people of one particular religion? Who decided that certain foods and dresses are taboo? [Recall the lawyer who was assaulted by the Madhya Pradesh police just because he “looked like” a Muslim.]

“History is the lies of the victors,” says a young character in Julian Barnes’s novel The Sense of an Ending. His history teacher adds that “it is also the self-delusions of the defeated.” Lies and self-delusions. Most of our truths are those in reality.

We have coined a new phrase now to describe the condition of truths in our own times: post-truth. The word implies circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping our opinions than appeals to emotions and personal beliefs. The award for the best post-truth speeches should go to India’s Prime Minister.

P.S. Written for Indispire Edition 326: Truth is a creation of the powerful. If Ramayana is narrated from Sita's or Ravana's perspective the truths in the epic would be different. So would a lot of other truths. #ColoursOfTruth



Comments

  1. जितेन्द्र माथुरMay 22, 2020 at 9:19 AM

    Every word of this article is true. Hence the reliability of the history made available to us is poor that, indeed, is a naked truth which most of the people deny to acknowledge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 22, 2020 at 10:40 AM

      Couldn't that denial be a conscious one? People want a different history? Do you think just one person, merely because he has the power of eloquence, could change the history of an enormous nation?

      it may be interesting to conjecture what makes people look for alternative histories.

      Delete
  2. Anagha YatinMay 22, 2020 at 2:04 PM

    There is a proverb in Hindi that says "jisake hath me lathi usaki bhais". That's true for everyday happenings around us as its the might that is always right and weak doesn't has voice. Truth then turns to be the mistress of the powerful, the victor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 22, 2020 at 2:11 PM

      It has always been the same situation all through history. So we need not be surprised. The lathi will change hands, however.

      Delete
    2. Saibal BarmanMay 22, 2020 at 4:07 PM

      Very poignant...the progress (?) of civilization bears a unique theory, called Bandit theory, about how rulers came into being..the ways the bandits turned into protectors and subsequently rulers also indicate how tehy started colluding with the
      religious preachers and so called wise people...women has always been the worst casulaty in our social mindset, which received adequate inducement of those interpreters...gods, if at all to be believed, never had any quality..truthfulness...integrity...what's been professed so strongly ...they had to create myth to hide all evil tricks they all along used to subdue others...the history has been power-sanctioned...so has been the larger chunk of art and literature...and the truth have carefully stayed away from all....it remains a subject of self-realization....the battle is unequal, yet, the world has always produced a few luves, who continued to explore it...fight for it, how powerless they.might be, ...and, the future will also be not unkind, I hope...my sincere thanks for enlighting on a very serious matter

      Delete
    3. Tomichan MatheikalMay 22, 2020 at 4:59 PM

      I'm thrilled to have you as a reader, dear friend Saibal. You add more value to the posts with your observations and views. This Bandit theory goes to show why we have the kind of leaders we do. Why do only such people enter politics? Power and mediocrity of intellect go together, I believe. And the gods join them too.

      Delete
  3. DashyMay 22, 2020 at 6:30 PM

    This reminds me of George Orwell's 1984 novel, where the truth constantly changes as per the wishes of the government. It is restricted to a time frame. It is scary to think of such a scenario in real life, where we lose the ability to question our own thoughts or conscience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 22, 2020 at 6:42 PM

      Aren't we already living in that situation? Look at what's happening in our country. Whatever is presented to us as truth by the government and its media is far from truth. And even those keep shifting. We are asked to shift from one slogan to another, from one dream to another, from one illusion to another. Worst of all is the kind of suffering that people have to endure. People walk thousands of kilometres to reach their homes when the Prime Minister is supposed to CARE with a fund dedicated to just that purpose and the fund has billions of rupees in it. People don't even have the opportunity to become martyrs because heroes just disappear. Heroes are silenced or made to vanish! It is worse than Orwellian world.

      Delete
  4. Lopamudra BarmanMay 23, 2020 at 10:24 PM

    I landed hee through my husband(Saibal)'s page....Enjoyed reading a few of your writing...Covering issues that matter, what people joyfully avoid...Truth is a non-entity in the pretty world...Even the half-truths...It stands only on the bulk of utter lies....Completely deceitful globe of life...Even far away from the power...The perpetuity of lesser truths in approximation to the ultimate has fled even from the holy books...None wants it....We only allow it to exist in our serpent's lips...My sincere regards

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMay 24, 2020 at 7:46 AM

      Happy you landed here. Saibal has been a frequent visitor.

      Truth is the biggest casualty in the post-truth world of today. Don't know when our world will crash under the weight of all its falsehood. It has to, one day.

      Delete
  5. Renu VyasMay 26, 2020 at 12:24 AM

    I agree with each word of this post and it makes me sad too..truth is what those in power make it..and it's been that way since forever I guess.

    ReplyDelete

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