The Curse of Homogeneity

In the rundown to the 2019 general elections in India and almost daily since, situation is getting uglier. Friends, families, co-workers - are already feeling the strain of being politically correct, or at least the pressure of saying the right thing, in front of right people. People now look at themselves and everyone around them basis of who they voted for in the last general elections. This rift is not good in short term or long run. Presently (and thankfully), this battle of opinion is fought the hardest "online" - in whatsapp groups and in comments section of newspaper articles. Wont be long before the fights happen over dinner tables and during water cooler chats. 

Social media has become a nuisance. Equality and access have given everyone voice, which everyone misunderstands as entitlement. This is where danger zone begins. 
When a person applies for a driving license, there is a test and practical. The individual is told what is right way and what is wrong. Following those rules is secondary, but there is awareness. There are road signs that tell people to slow down, not to honk, accident prone zone. Unfortunately, there is no entrance test to get on to social media. There are no signs telling people to behave themselves. I cant help but feel that Indians should be given a written test and practical "Learning licence" before giving them a SIM card and mobile connection. 

But i digress...

Basically, what is the pressure of everyone agreeing with you?? Why should everyone else be on the exact same page as you?? 

I might agree with you about Ambedkar, and not about Gandhi; 
I might agree with you on Ambedkar about Poona pact, but disagree about formation of Pakistan; 
I can say Gandhi was right about local self government, but was racist and promoted casteism using varna system; 
I can dislike Congress for being dynastic, but give credit for infrastructure in formative years; 
I might hate Congress - but doesn't mean i support BJP. 

That is the beauty of it all. I can have my opinions - based on my upbringing, my reading, my experiences. I can do feel and think what i wish to, what i want to. Why should it be anyone else's business to want to convince me and agree to what they think and feel? 
No one else needs to be my ideological clone. And i dont have to someone else's ideological clone. Why is everyone trying to force their opinion on others? 

If we were meant to be ideological clones of each other, we would all have been factory produced, with same IQ and EQ, and same life experiences. 

Those who believe in a higher power, God, should know better than demanding that everyone follow their ideology. 

Those who call themselves liberal, should remember that liberalism is based on diversity of opinion. So, if some people don't hate the same people you do, doesn't mean you belittle them. Similarly, the right wingers have no business labeling everyone as tukde tukde gang and giving out patriotic certificates. 

The echo chamber must never have sounded more shrill. If only everyone can be entitled to their view and opinions, and stopped forcing others to be on the exact same page! 

Policy Paralysis vis-a-vis Emergency

The word most commonly used to described UPA2 was "Policy Paralysis". Not only the government but individuals, families, offices, mom n pop enterprises - everyone, seemed to be stuck in decision making! There was inertia setting in, files not moving, projects not taking off, payments not happening. 

Apparently, the reason was, no one wanted to take risks. The environment was not conducive, one was punished for taking decisions. No one will take risks, if they are going to made scapegoats.

I was told earlier on in life that the key is to take decisions. Right or wrong, time will tell. You learn the lesson and move on. The UPA2 kind of paralysis happened perhaps due to hyperactive CAG, and over-enthusiastic judiciary, and definitely due to indecisive leadership. 

More often than not, knee jerk reaction follows policy paralysis. 
Since May 2014, we have seen many of UPA schemes and plans continuing, and their version 2.0 being launched too. There was extensive coverage in the newspapers about how PM Modi was getting the Delhi bureaucracy to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty - off the golf course. There were reports about early morning meetings, and late night meetings, and monthly PPTs to be made by MPs and ministers on the lines of KRAs. 
A lot of people suddenly woke up thinking nothing has been done for a decade. The coalition in the 90s hasn't helped much... Imagine a some government agency that doesn't do any work in the full financial year, for whatever reasons - and suddenly wakes up on last week of March and launches hajjar schemes to make up for lost time. No one will know the objective, no one will capture the effectiveness, they will just spend money cos they were meant to. 
Has the governance been like that since BJP led government came to power? Spending money, building roads, creating infrastructure? Is there a conducive atmosphere for business? Are they addressing unemployment? And migration? Are they clueless about where they are going? 
There are some ayes and some nays. But the question one needs to answer is, is the opposite of policy paralysis, intolerance? Or emergency. 
Let us introspect. With facts. With what we see, experience ourselves. Without name-calling.