Defence for the non-conformist

Title

Creator

Thapar, Romesh

Language

English

Source

Volume XV (Issue No.7) July 1963

Year

1963

Subject

Conformity

Social influence

Influence

Social pressure

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Non-conformism can be the great catalyst for an Asia caught at the crossroads of tradition and modernism

Fulltext

■ Non-conformism can be the great catalyst for an Asia caught at the crossroads of tradition and mo dernism. DEFENSE FOR THE NON-CONFORMIST Romesh Thapar We in Asia are forever be ing inflicted 'with long and tiresome lectures about the paramount need to liberate ourselves from the deaden ing grip of traditionalism, to develop the modern out look, the free mind. The stress on this aspect of the problem of change and tran sition in Asia is justified on the plea that without the cultivation of a free mind progress is slow, spasmodic, mercurial, unrelated to eco nomic and social needs. There is much truth in this, but, generally speaking, those who seek to 'free* the minds of Asia are in fact on ly interested in, replacing the tattered dogmas of the past with the more emphatic dog mas of present-day ‘isms.’ It is, therefore, imperative that we in Asia locate the essen tial ingredient of a free mind. Considering that we know so little about the mind it self, free or otherwise, what it conceals, its composition, its behavior patterns, we must proceed with caution. What we are in the habit of casually describing as Asia is that region of our earth which embraces two-thirds of mankind and which is va riously described as develop ed, developing, under-dev eloped, backward; an area which was until recently di vided and ruled, exploited, imposed upon by alien cul tures. In our lands, without exception, several centuries are telescoped into the pre sent. These facts of history, geography and social dev elopment unnecessarily dis tort the present-day thinking process, create psychological blockages to rationality of a kind which have yet to be ta bulated, encourage the fusion of chauvinistic and sectarian notions as a defense against further ‘alien’ penetration 26 Panorama and rupture the sensitive channels along which coha bit and spawn. Such is the reality. Small wonder, then, that our minds with which, and with in which, we seek to build range over past and present, the spirit of uninhibited quest and free enquiry, must absorb the essence of the pro cesses which have created estrangement between men, given superfluous wealth to some and grinding poverty to others, broken the back of one communtity to aid the growth of another, creat ed chauvinism and false-patriotism to disguise the real motivations of men and movements, and let loose a flood of despair, cynicism, nihilism — the closed-in atti tudes before which reason is swept away. Sifting the truth from this jungle of contradictory trends is a long and continuous process but the mind must be trained for this challenging task. All over Asia we have been attempting some such intellectual b r e a k-through, but without much success. This largely is due to our failure to recognize the abso lutely essential ingredient of a free mind which will help it extend the frontiers of knowledge, to weaken the hold of superstition and dogipa, and to neutralize the new falsehoods which seek to take their place. What is this essential ingredient which we ignore? It is non-onformism. I would say this: utilize every opportunity to enshrine in the minds of the young and the old a deep respeect for the non-conformist, the person who is not afraid to express his innermost thoughts, who puts even ac cepted truths to test, whose determined quest for greater understanding lpads him on to truth. Those who have develop ed the habit of seeing things only in shades of black and white, and . who approve of this lazy and convenient ana lysis of world problems, will be horrified at the prospect of popularizing non-conform ist attitudes. They will see in this an attempt to ‘con fuse’ the mind, to destroy its ‘dynamic,’ and thereby to ‘splinter’ the ideological uni ty of political, economic and social trends. Perhaps, to some extent, they are right in their deductions; non July 27 conformism loosens the chains which bind the com mitted and demands a sus tained and more thorough investigation of the ideas fed to us through various media. But is this not the only way in which we can enrich the ’ thinking process in Asia and prevented it from being maimed by those who speak in the name of a. variety of freedoms but who have little respect for the authentic free mind? The more one ponders on this, the more one is convinced that non-conformism can be the great catalyst for an Asia caught at the crossrpads of tradition and modernism. There are other people, less committed, suspicious of new stirrings, who might think that I am preaching the philosophy of the angry young men of our age. Far from it. Men become an gry only when their ideas are scorned. They are the products of conformist and scmi-conformist societies. What I have in view is a healthy, lively respect for non-conformism which, in most countries of the world, is repeatedly decried, insultted and quarantined. I firmthe non-conformist provides a better building site for mature and sensitive thought than the conformist mind which resists new impuses, or accepts them grudgingly, hoping an opportunity will arise to throw them out again and outlaw them. We have seen this happen repeat edly at different levels of na tional life on our continent. When we adpot this ratio nal and scientific view of the conflict of minds in Asia, it soon becomes clear that it is the conformist mind which is the breeding ground of the violence and hatreds locked up in our structures of caste, community and na tion. Indeed, when the con formist mind actively works towards revivalism, as a de fence against the currents of new thought, we witness manifestations of what is commonly referred to as fas cism. Only non-conformism establishes respect for the difreferences we see in others and thereby makes us truly civilized. You will also perceive that one of the major achieve ments of the non-conformist mind, the free mind, could be a clearing of communi28 Panorama ly believe that the mind of cations between one mind and another. This is vital, for communication is the sensitive and fragile thread with which we can weave our attitudes, our desires, into a pattern of peace. Comuni cation becomes real only when it is non-conformist. If you should think I exaggerate to press a point, then recall the names of those remarkable men and women who have made last ing contributions to know ledge, understanding and peace. You will find a non conformist in each of them — from the teachers of an cient times, who raised new gods in place of the old, right down to the dynamic men of our day whose thought and activity profundly alter the course of human endeavor. Only when force is used to impose conformist, or, for that matter, non-confomlist ideas, is wasteful vio lence and hatred generated. Man’s mind has to seek the fresh air, the contest of ideas, the fire of debate. This is why I urge that respect for the differences we see in others must be en shrined in the mind of Asia if we plan to take those ‘leaps’ which will place us at the forefront of advancing Man. It will not be easy. Text books from primary school level will have to be re-written. The prejudices of teachers will have to over come. Chauvinisms, major and minor, will have to be fought. And this would be but the beginning of a cam paign to change our atti tudes to the non-conformist, for the relapse back into the deadening grip of conform ism could occur without warning unless the respect for the differences we see in others is deep-rooted, unas sailable. The cultivation of the free mind, which actively defends non-conformist views and ideas, is essential to Asia be cause on this continent small elites actually control the le vers of power at national or regional level and can there fore be easily persuaded to suppress or inhibit trends which threaten their grips on others. In other words, the leaders of political, eco nomic and social opinion in Asia often resort to the total itarian remedy because there JULY 29 is no sustaind pressure to make them face the harder and more tedious alternat ives. Free minds could build these pressures rapidly and make a deep impact on the summits of power in a continent like Asia where the broad millions are hot chained by vested interests and where the desire is al ways strong to break free from a dreary, misery-ridden past. We have done practically nothing as yet to cultivate the free mind — or even to discuss the essential elements of it. Now is the time, as we push relentlessly forward to claim the fundamental right long denied to us. — The Asia Magazine. MASTER RACE? In no other country was there a higher rate of suicide. The very monotony of accepted faith and custom became to some few a veritable nightmare. Each youth planned his life step by step and, if he failed in an examination, he felt that all was over for him. A new idea once accepted went to the head like wine. It became an obsession which admitted of no contradiction. The idea of the superiority of their race and culture to the relatively irrational, inconsequent, and unorganized ways of foreigners — especially the English — was so much emphasized as to blind them to their limitations. — Harold Gaod in Language in History. 30 Panorama

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