In the 1968 comedy ‘Carry on up the Khyber’ lives a tribe called the ‘Arsis – Darsis’, that do everything back to front. Comedy aside, call it an Orwellian style of vision come true or whatever, this fictional character has now pretty much become a global reality, calling for a re-definition of words and phrases and an overhaul of the dictionary.
For example, ‘treason’ has lost its meaning and is now met with impunity, e.g. the government outsources a major military port to a foreign power and allows the broadcast of enemy propaganda such as Bin Laden’s threatening videos.
It is no longer ‘unethical’ for the ‘honourable’ prime minister to place his money in an overseas tax haven.
Balance and contentment, beautifully depicted in the yin- yang symbol, has always been free of charge. Now we are experiencing a reverse yin-yang scenario where everything is a sensation, hype, and a cut throat competition, i.e. extremes without balance. People now go for courses and pay money to try and re-discover and cultivate the balance in the yin-yang.
Democritus, would probably turn in his grave, if he saw the face of contemporary democracy, the ‘Rule of the Majority’, turned upside down by noisy minority groups who have infiltrated the political parties and rule from the side lines by means of acoustic volume, intolerance, intimidation, blackmail and even violence, all based on self-fabricated political correctness in the quest for self-gratification.
‘Isms’ and ‘schisms’ have done a 180 degree turn; communists own companies, peace activists create obstacles on the roadmap to peace; were there peace, they would have to work a day job. War mongers, such as Yasser Arafat receive the Nobel peace prize.
People used to consider themselves as being healthy unless diagnosed with an illness. In today’s world of ultra- competitive health marketing and invented medical conditions, we are made to believe that we are sick unless proven healthy.
Spare a thought for the many who choose to book a holiday in hot countries, only to turn the air conditioning up to freezing point when there, and the locals doing likewise only to rug up in clothes fit for the Arctic.
We have to apologise for telling the ‘politically incorrect’ truth, while those who lie and incite hatred and violence are promoted.
Acts of communication that say one thing and mean another are common. Promises, especially political, are meaningless. Aggressors are largely portrayed as the victim and vice versa, from the individual all the way to state level. Much of what we perceive as reality is now virtual, i.e. ‘not real’. Reality TV shows are mostly scripted, again, ‘not real’ and so the list goes on.
I wonder, how are we to re-evolve from this arsis-darsis world we have created and become normal again without consulting highly charging experts?