Power Struggles.....

The recent happenings in our country, has become a stand-off between the so called Nationalists and Anti- Nationalist’s. One is made to believe that there are a group who are anti nationalists and the nationalists responsibility is to see that these are nipped off in the bud! But if one goes into details of what is happening, one realizes that, all are nation loving people. The only problem is the understanding of how each group sees and understands this complex and divergent nation of ours, which I love and I am part of. But the issues underlying all these cries of Nationalism and Patriotism, are not evident to the common public. They are forced and encouraged to believe that all these are about nation loving and nation hating. The underlying deeper issues seems to be “power” and “Self”.

Power is self-perpetuating and self-preserving. History shows us that, popular power tries to suppress the alternate centres of power to preserve and consolidate the power which is already given or in hand. The powers that be, use issues like popular ideology, or nationalism as a vehicle to consolidate and preserve this power. So steps taken to preserve and consolidate popular power through suppressing alternate centres of power leads to conflict. This alternate voices are inevitable, since in a nation like ours, there will be many who want to be the alternate centres of power – at least ideologically, since we are a nation of nations, poverty and injustice and corruption are issues which common people grapple with daily. And these issues need alternate thinking always!

The other methodology used to preserve power is through self-promotion. You promote yourself as the best, you have marketing techniques to make people believe that you are more than what you actually are and use stories to promote your history and past, for consolidating power in the present. But then, thinking and reflecting alternate centres of ideological power will see through this sooner than later and will question the gap between the promoted realities vs the actual realities. And when one is in a movement for consolidating and preserving power, any such questions are unwelcome.

The third way power is preserved is through offers of resources today, which are visible and tangible, which may be economic, political, positional and or status-wise. This what we all long for, a visible change in our life today at any cost. And majority will align to what is visible tangible and at hand. And once these resources are received, we will align ourselves to the popular power.  But in the midst there will a group who are looking for a better tomorrow and reject the short term befits of today for a perceived future and hope.

We see a parallel in Jesus life. When he started the ministry, he was led into the desert and there he was offered three things. One, easy resources for self-preservation – Stones to Bread – he refused the same for the Word, the greater ideology, which He had come for, the ideology of the Kingdom. Evil one knew, if Jesus could be satisfied with bread and gives up the ideology, he would have Jesus in his hands. Jesus refused to be tempted by self-preservation. He was then offered the spectacular to consolidate power – jump and be protected by angels. Jesus again refused self-promotion to consolidate power. He was finally offered the visible and tangible, the Kingdoms of the earth and position that comes with the owning same, at a cost of shift of allegiance from His father. He refused that for a greater eternal purpose and an allegiance to His father. As an alternative to this, instead of self-preservation, he gave himself up – self-giving. Instead of self-promotion, he decided to serve others. Instead of the tangible and visible, he held on the eternal and a future hope, for which He had come....

What India needs at this time is, models of this alternate power. Power which gives themselves up, power which serves each other and power which perseveres for a greater good, and envisioned future. 

But this comes at a cost….