On Modernity

Sometime back, I had to be at a party with my colleagues from work. The usual, boring and senseless things were brought up by everyone just because he/she has to contribute something to the table conversation. One thing led to another and some how the idea of India being the greatest country and how its traditional values, which were so rich, were polluted by the colonization by the British led to the current situation. As always, the immediate reaction was a mixed feeling of irritation, anger and frustration. But then, it did not take me a long time to realize that not so long ago, my thought process was something similar.

What happened? What was the reason for this change? The answer - Ideology and Social Change by Andre Beteille. This man through his book has changed the way I think (permanently, I guess). He brings out the sharp contrast between traditionalists and mordernists, and how their atittude makes all the difference.

No society can escape from his past, but a society should not remain tied inexorably to its past. No doubt, traditionalists believe that society can and should be improved. But they also believe that the ingredients for that improvement are to be found mainly, if not wholly, in their own social and cultural tradition.

It's easy to blame others for our shortcomings and mistakes. That added with psuedo-nationalist driven thought, would be enough to fuel an idea that colonization and westernization ruined the current generation. Sure, it has impacted us, but, not necessarily in a bad sense. It has -

• helped abolish evil practices like Sati
• reduced the impacts of divisions based on caste (sense of purity and pollution), gender ... Other forms of division have started, but, I don't think we cannot avoid it. There is always the innate nature of the human to maintain the self-other distinction.
• brought industrial progress.
• most importantly, introduced to the technological changes, modern works and thought processes early enough thus enabling us to adjust and live comfortably in the globalized world.

(I was not able to come up with more examples, but, I think I made my point)

The boundaries of a civilization are porous. Since the ancient times, there is an exchange of ideas and philosophies among various civilizations. There are bound to be conficts, clashes; survival of the fittest applies best here - a better idea always wins. To ignore that would be foolish and would help no one, even the self. We cannot escape the past; we can only wonder what would've happened if there was no colonization. But again, that would lead us nowhere.

A civilization that cannot accommodate a variety of traditions, seeking to maintain a jealous hold on only one single tradition, can hardly be called a civilization. The vitality of a religion depends on a continuous critique of it by its own reflective members ... Respect for a tradition should not lead to a glorification of the past, and a living tradition does not need to insulate itself from the winds of change or to feel that it will be blown away by them.

I believe, we as a society, always had the capacity and sophistication to be open to change. It's the only explanation to us being so diverse and yet remain as a single nation. But, the psuedo-nationalist views of the conservatives in the recent past have impacted us more than we think. For too long, I've given unnecessary importance to (certain) old norms. I do not want to stick to the past anymore. It's not my intention to ignore the existing values that have shaped us and made us who we are. I would re-evaluate - which of them matter now and which ones are obsolete. That's one thing I'd start doing new. I'd like to end by quoting Beteille from his book.

Modernization is today inescapable, bit it is not a painless process, and it penalizes latecomers severely. Modernity does not presuppose a momogeneous world in which everybody boes the same thing, thinks the same thoughts and speak the same language; on the contrary, it requires and encourages knowledge and appreciation of alternate ways of life.

Note: Italicized paragraphs are taken from the book, Ideology and Social Change.