Sometimes, okay, not sometimes, a lot of the time, we feel we’re in the front row seat at an irrational, incongruous, illogical tragicomedy which rivals tabloid televisions’ moronic, futile and pointless reality shows, like the discussions on news channels.
This reality show that we have a front row seat at is about life in our world today, it is called ‘Farewell to the Loss of Humanity’. Its tagline: An absurd comedy that hurts the intelligence of independent-minded people!
The protagonists and the antagonists of this freaky circus are simply the Common People. Citizens. Against the Authorities: All authorities who use or misuse their office or position – i.e. politicians and bureaucrats, the government, petty officials media, big business, large corporations who not only own and control land-resources and industry, but in many countries have the parliament, the bureaucrats, the law and the media indentured and in their pockets.
In this absurd theatre; this sickening circus; this dreadful comedy; we see justice being subverted by the authorities, we see the authorities acting out their callous disregard for all but themselves; we see how they abuse their office, their official position to stoke their naked greed for money and power which they wield without an iota of conscience about how it affects the lives of others, the common people. Citizens.
We see in this unreasonable drama, how the authorities indulge in favours, favouritism and cronyism and we see how they bend the rules and subvert justice and the law for their cronies and favourites.
We see how in this illogical show, how the state attempts to suppress and fool the people almost all of the time and gets away with it most of the time, but they are often stopped in their tracks by dissidents and conscientious objectors who protest, object, question and oppose the authorities and condemn acts of intimidation and harassment regularly experienced by citizens.
We see how authorities misuse their position and authority to defame, accuse falsely, belittle, besmirch and condemn those who see through their lies and falsehoods and are not misguided by them.
We see in this wildly unreasonable, tragi-comedy, how authorities, using self-righteous indignation; their own hubris, and their excessive self-regard, sway the common people with their low cunning, threats and empty promises, and brow-beat, heckle, hector and harangue citizens into a single mass of unthinking consent.
The authorities know how to control the herd, so we see how authorities manipulate them into seeing, believing and following their own evil designs so that herd Instinct takes over and minds are put to rest. The herd quickly learn that being part of the masses and not objecting to what common sense tells them is not right prevents them from being victimised themselves.
We see how authorities misuse their office and co-opt the common people in their vilification and denigration of thinkers and conscientious objectors who are people of principle and knowledge, who voice intelligent dissent.
The herd instead of seeing the dissident as a protector who is fighting for the right – and who is actually acting unselfishly and humanely for the greater common good – are convinced by the authorities that these people are doing the wrong thing and dissidents are seen as villains. Independent minded dissidents who are capable of critical thinking are looked upon with suspicion.
The intelligent opposition are projected as bad characters and condemned as heretics and trouble makers, and persecuted by the authorities because they are seen as a threat.
So, we see how an intensive, systematic witch-hunt is conducted to unjustly vilify and injure the characters and reputations of those that disagree with them and oppose them: the intelligent, independent minded, blessed with the ability to think; a minute minority who see reality as it is, the intellectuals, dissidents, the anarchists and the conscientious objectors who have a different more holistic and kinder view of what’s right and what’s wrong.
Dissidents, that is environmentalists, human rights activists, social justice activists, civil liberties and civil rights activists engage with authority, whoever that may be: the state, politicians, government officials, petty public and private office bearers, and other self-important office holders and question these authorities and try to ensure that the right thing is being done for citizens – i.e. for all of us.
The authorities treat environmentalists and human rights activists, and social justice activists, civil liberties and civil rights activists as villains! The authorities target them, dehumanise them, jail them, attempt to destroy them, kill them and make life difficult for them in the extreme while they pervert and distort the truth and lead the common man astray while dissidents are hauled over the coals on trumped up charges for taking the moral and lawful stand against authoritarianism.
This is a common tragicomedy that plays out everywhere in the world. Injustice is the state of being in every country. And it seems to be getting worse. Not better.
Authorities have a history of killing people who think, seek the truth and advocate peaceful coexistence. This is not uncommon, take for example, Socrates (state authorised – to drink poison), Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, who wished to give peace a chance, Chico Mendes, the Brazilian Human Rights and Conservation-of-Biodiversity activist; these are a few of many who have been killed by their own people.
Though its easier said than done – since fear holds us back and it takes a great deal of courage to stand up for the right thing – instead of succumbing to this absurd tragedy, we must as good citizens engage with authority and ensure that the authorities do the right thing by us.
There is a lot we can do to understand the times were living in, therefore courage is an important virtue to develop so we can find ways for us to contribute and play a role in creating sense and sanity in this world.
We have to regain our humanity and change the reality show to ‘Hello to Humanity’. And change the tagline to: The reality show that intentionally opposes the absurd comedians in authority, and welcomes the intelligence of independent-minded people into the theatre of life.
Inspired by and dedicated to the memory of George Carlin. Conscientious objector who made his objections sound funny
Pratap Antony writes on ecology and environment, social justice and pluralism,corporate communications and music.
