Beware the absolute peril of being ignorant of history
Without a proper sense of history, people, nations and civilizations will decline.
A few examples to kick off the post
Ayodhya 1992 CE
I last visited Ayodhya in 1992, one week before the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and two weeks after crazed Hindutva mobs demolished the structure. I could easily identify Muslim homes by the burnt doors, as well as the desolation that hung around their homes like broken ghosts.
A few weeks ago, I visited Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and struck up a conversation with one of the lady guards there. We got talking about my many road trips, and she told me I must visit Ayodhya to see the magnificent temple built in honor of the avatar of Vishnu, Lord Ram. She had absolutely no idea of the Babri Masjid or its destruction.
People don’t have an idea of the subcontinent’s ancient or medieval history, I thought, and repressed my desire to reproach her for her absolute ignorance of India’s modern history.
Falsehoods & Our Freedom Struggle,
Our Prime Minister declared that the British Raj imprisoned members of India’s fascist organization, the RSS, during India’s struggle for independence. This statement is demonstrably false. Even though the British jailed VD Savarkar (the creator of the Hindutva philosophy), and he did suffer, he and the RSS did not fight for our independence. They were, in fact, British apologists and turned against the Muslims, who were, are (in my opinion) easier targets.
Benjamin Netanyahu & The Bible
Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the Bible states that God will bless those who support Israel and curse those who criticize it. Again, this is a false statement, and the question we must ask is, if at all, which God made that statement?
Our government now wishes to depict the Mughal kings as unrepentant tyrants – a false depiction.
So-called leaders falsify history. Beware.
Politicians, businesspeople, and academics often falsify history, a fact that we must acknowledge. We must be mindful of the lies emanating from the mouths and minds of these individuals and verify every statement that emerges from their thoughts.
At this point, I will ‘back pedal,’ and travel down memory’s dusty lanes to history class in school. I hated history in school. All I remember is the teacher forcing dates into our reluctant and rebellious brains – the dates for the First Battle of Panipat, the Battle of Plassey, the Battle of Buxar, the Great Uprising, and so on. I don’t blame the teachers, but I do accuse our education boards of being short-sighted, stupid, and primitive. The word ‘primitive’ is unfortunate because we assume that ‘primitive people’ are crude, unimaginative people. A few books I read over the last few months prove that people we deem primitive were, or are, curious about the world, and possess a trove of poetry we, who claim to be more sophisticated, dismiss with a sneer.
The Indian rote-learning system.
Our authorities based our education system on rote learning, with almost no attention paid to critical thinking. I know I keep cursing politicians and priests, but rote learning is convenient for them. Nowadays, this system has broadened its scope to include the WhatsApp University.
The Indian education system and the employment market have a history and sociology problem. When schoolchildren opt for these subjects, parents often discourage them from pursuing their interests because they do not believe their children will find suitable employment upon completing their studies.
In my time, history was a boring subject, and, when I did my MBA, sociology was even more so. Not only did our teachers dry out these subjects, serving us a desiccated dish, but they also failed to teach us the importance, uses, and implications of the lessons contained in the course material.
Contrary to popular belief, history is not a static subject. It flows like a river, forever, changing its course, picking up new material along the way. History is an interpretative subject, and the person who writes history creates history. The same principle applies to sociology.
You must read widely.
Those who read history – even as enthusiasts – must read widely and continuously. I do not recommend you ignore other genres of writing – that would be stupid – but read widely, and ignore 99% of the rubbish you receive on social media.
I’d like to illustrate my theory and recommendations, and will start with India. When I was a schoolchild, history books referred to the events of 1857-58 CE as ‘The Great Indian Mutiny.’ Many years later, I read a history book written by a British historian, in which he stated that it should be called ‘The Great Uprising.’ The events were not a mutiny, nor was this India’s first war of independence: India did not exist at the time. ‘The Great Uprising’ is, in my considered view, a much better description.
Rivers and history.
All of us grew up with the caste system, and many believe that the ideas written in the Manusmriti were cast in stone, dominating Indian thought over the centuries. While the caste system has always existed, my recent reading suggests that, in earlier years, it was more fluid than it is now.
When the British government took over the governance of India after the 1857-58 uprising, it decided to study India and carried out several census activities. A side effect of these activities was to harden the caste and religious divide in India. I did not know of this fact until a year ago.
History is like a river. You cannot step into the same river twice – the river is constantly changing. You cannot expect the interpretation of a particular historical epoch or event to be static. The British coined the term, ‘The Great Indian Mutiny.’ Another called it ‘The Great Uprising.’ The term you use will affect your interpretation of historical and sociological events.
The manner in which ‘The Economist’ writes about the war in Ukraine differs from how it writes about the genocide in Gaza. Objectivity does not exist. Like ‘democracy,’ ‘objectivity’ is an ephemeral concept, forever changing to suit the needs of an audience and the times.
I had read that the term ‘Hindu’ was originally a geographic term, encompassing the region and peoples living east of the Indus River, but books I read a few months back state that the British coined the term ‘Hinduism’ to include the diverse faiths in India, and bring them under one umbrella.
If both theories are true, then Hindus must introspect and question the universal faith they deem to be Hindu. Indeed, people find it challenging to hold more than one idea, and the current government appears intent on reducing the Hindu pantheon to a single avatar of Vishnu. If they succeed, Indians will be poorer because, as per some theorists, monotheistic religions are violent, in contrast with polytheistic societies. Many challenge this simplistic belief, however.
I believe that monotheistic faiths are more narrow than polytheistic faiths in one respect. No polytheistic faith speaks of ‘the one true God.’ In today’s India, the chant, ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ has become a call to violence, especially against Muslims and Dalits. If Indian belief transforms from its current henotheistic/polytheistic form to a monotheistic belief system, Indian society will change and become impoverished.
Strong chains bind history and sociology together. One affects the other.
The rise of mega-influencers. Will you become a puppet?
I will move to another, vital part of this short essay – the rise of ‘mega influencers.’ I came across this term while reading an article on the subject in Engelsberg Ideas, and I endorse the central theme and recommendations presented in the article.
Mass media amplifies messages, but social media has enabled the emergence and growth of mega-influencers. Nowadays, everyone has a microphone, and the relentless barrage of sensations numbs us and dulls our critical thinking faculties. The influencer becomes the message, and we forward messages from group to group, prefacing the forward with a bland statement – ‘forwarded as received.’
The sender seeks to wear a mantle of saintliness and innocence when they use that statement – ‘forwarded as received.’ I disagree, and insist that this behaviour stems from cowardice, and an absolute refusal to be accountable for the messages – truthful, false, or hateful – that they send into cyberspace.
Engelsberg Ideas suggests that we minimize the time we spend on social media platforms like ‘X’ and Instagram. Instead, we must read books, study the citations, and be open to different perspectives.
Echo Chambers: Black, White & Grey
We live in echo chambers, and being open to exploring different perspectives is far more difficult than we anticipate.
Once, I tried to have an open discussion about our Prime Minister. I told his supporter that there are aspects of our PM I admire. He labelled me a supporter and clapped me on my shoulder with approval. Then, when I expounded on my theme and explained the aspects I detest, his face turned a mottled shade of purple, his eyes bulged, and he called me an ‘anti-national.’
Suppose we cannot agree on current events or allow influencers to shape our perception of recent history. In that case, we will allow anyone and everyone to manipulate our already limited sense of history. In short, we will permit and encourage ill-informed and prejudiced goons to poison our minds.
Will you become a puppet?
Study history, and do not react when influential people bombard you with soundbites. I must end with a warning: simplistic messaging that suits social media and advertising always hides more than it reveals. History (and sociology) are subtle subjects, and you cannot reduce them to soundbites. If you do, then prepare yourself to live the life of a puppet, forever manipulated by a puppeteer.
Maybe I should have said India better holds together than the U.S. It seems to me that China and Russia are trying to divide and conquer America from inside just like the English tried to divide and conquer India from the inside before they finally had to leave. And some Indians are feeling uncomfortable living in America because its almost any immigration is being seen as negative.
Excellent discussion of history being falsified. Social media have replaced books to a large extent because people often prefer the short version which isn't always as complete. Many people seem content to take important decisions based on limited information. Some articles are more more thorough than others with more info, references, bibliographies and footnotes with additional information. One needs to obtain as much information as a detective if one is get a definitive answer to any questions. Politicians to easily tell lies or mistate the truth believing that there are more votes to be gotten through lying and fewer from telling the truth. Truth is so much more difficult to digest. With all this, India seems to hold together better than the U.S. which seems ever more divided although there is very slight progress back towards the middle.