4. The truth about ‘Change’

Author's note: This is a series of 7 articles written during the Delhi Rape case period. The focus is on the nature of change, our understanding of the law, the system and how real change happens. It is strongly recommended to read them in serial order starting with the first one here, lest they seem too abstract and philosophical.

We might find it 'idealistic', 'unrealistic' - but the truth is change, no matter how ‘right’, cannot be imposed. The needed 'fear' is the evidence in itself, that the change is not for real. If we need a system to force us to do what we won't otherwise, the system is doomed to fail sooner than later. We seem to know this logically, but when it happens, we still feel angry and shocked. Even practically speaking, for instance - Indian laws, no matter how archaic, are still in abundance. But which ones do get priority and which ones don't, as per the limited resources, will still be determined by the social mindset.

This theory(if it does not sound like the truth yet) surely explains all the disturbing questions that come up(Eg. Why did we need something so brutal to trigger outrage?) and also provides some depressing answers(What use is the outrage? Especially if it is directed at SOMEONE, SOMETHING? It is just a chance for more people to declare THEIR superiority and feel good about themselves, rather than do anything for the victim...or for the aggressors/society. More a  "We TOLD you they were bad!!! WE told you it was too much!! This is TOO much!!....We were RIGHT!!! You were WRONG!!") They can FIGHT for change as much as they want. But the fact is, we can only HELP bring change. The truth is, we can only LET change happen. We will see the exact mechanics of this in the next post.

A good change is a step towards the truth, not towards 'goodness'. A bad change is a step away from the truth, not towards 'evil'. And once we SEE a truth, we cannot step away from it. The change has occurred. The seeing is the change. If we have to invest effort to 'make it happen' - its just one of those many things that have been happening so far. Not 'change'.

Again, we all 'know' most of these things, but do we really SEE them? Or do we all get lost to some degree in our self-created subjectivity? The reality is not 'The few liberals against the many fundamentalists' or the 'enlightened few against the ignorant others'. The reality is that the 'WE ARE primarily fundamentalists - with perhaps a few exceptions that do not practically matter'. Once we can see this - 'WE as a society need to change' will triumph over 'THEY need to change'. 'Change' will stop meaning 'correction'. We will have empathy towards the aggressors as well, NOT sympathy. Because they too are part of the society that we come from.

We will ALL fight on the same side for a change. For ourselves. Not against somebody.

So the question is: Being angry is better than being apathetic. Blaming is better than giving up. But when will we care enough to SEE that we have to take collective responsibility as a society - to work WITH the 'bad guys' and help them help us? That there is no 'them' whom we love to hate. When will we actually SEE? What the heck do we MEAN by 'Seeing'? Read on 5. The importance of ‘Seeing’