limits of freedom 2

EKKENTROS FORUM

The Matter: Report of the proceedings of the discussion held on 20-11-07(Tuesday)
Venue: Residence of Prof.Sankarankutty, Green Hills, Temple Gate..
Coram: Eight members present. Sri T.Bhaskaran, (On visit to Gulf) could not attend.
Subject: Limits of Freedom (Cont’d)
The report of the last discussion was accepted unanimously. After the Forum’s invocation the discussion on Limits of Freedom was cont’d by Prof. Richard Hay. After fellowship and an excellent dinner hosted by Mrs Sankarankutty, the meeting dispersed at 11 PM

Prof. Richard Hay: When there is a curtailment of freedom in any particular situation, it is an aberration. Such situations of aberration prevail,
When an emergency is clamped and there is abuse of power by a regime that enjoys brute force, and usurp the rights of sections of the citizens, especially the minorities, whether political, religious or otherwise,
When by using political clout, muscle power, mafia tactics, or money power, inflict pain on those who are disliked or disagree,
When the rich exploits the poor, or the whites subjugate the blacks as in the erstwhile South African apartheid, or when the big corporations exploit the gullible consumers, or
When the stronger sex exploits and abuses the weaker sex.
In ghastly situations, the freedom of the oppressed is trampled upon by the high and the mighty. There are cases when for generations, people suffered on account of continuous harassment and mental torture by those who wield power. (The lowest cast in India is an example.)
The totalitarian governments, including that of the communists always used third degree methods to silence the opposition. Hitler is a notorious example. In the words of Joseph Stalin, ‘if the opposition disarms, well and good; if it refuses, we shall disarm it ourselves’. This attitude sums up the point, and still continues in all the totalitarian countries. Now, this seems to be what is happening in our neighboring country Pakistan, where an emergency has been declared by the General and freedom curtailed.
Gentlemen, what is freedom? According to Albert Camus, “freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” Freedom is liberty and independence. It is a state of being able to act without hindrance or restraint. Even in India, the largest democracy in the world, we had witnessed many occasions when freedom of the country were curtailed.
The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be openness and transparency as it could only guarantee freedom.
The rich countries have been curtailing the freedom of the poor countries from time immemorial by colonizing them. They have been plundering the natural resources of the poor nations. The poor people are considered by them as guinea pigs to carry out their medical and other researches. They pollute the environment, which is a serious offence that affects millions of lives of the hapless citizens of third world economies. Human right violation has been a permanent feature in the colonies of the west. In Vietnam, Iraq and other war affected countries thousands were killed by the U.S., quite often disregarding the basic human rights of civilians, especially innocent women and children.
Democracy exists and sustains only when the citizens can enjoy individual freedom pertaining to franchise. The moment freedom of choice is hampered, democracy ceases to function. It is evident that continuous rule by one party leads to anarchy and tyranny, and it suffocates freedom of choice. The electorate must have the right to choose either A or B party.
People become fed up with such regimes, and ultimately they have no other choice but to revolt. When fundamental rights of citizens are violated continuously people naturally rebel and revolt. That is what happened in some African countries like Uganda, Tanganika, Botswana, etc.
What happened in Iraq? A sovereign Govt. in power was ousted by brutal force by an alien country. Some other countries were roped in as allies by the villain, and finally it resulted in the partial extinction of a civilization on the bank of Euphrates. It points out to the fact that in a uni-polar world, without balance of power, freedom of many countries would be at stake if they do not fall in line and dance to the tune of the supreme world police of the most powerful country. Thus the future of mankind does not appear to be safe as it is.
If freedom has to be fully enjoyed by the citizenry, equality of rights has to be ensured. Everyone should be treated equal in the eyes of the law. The law of the land should be applicable to all and sundry without any difference or concession. Recently we saw in the media a poor man in Bihar being beaten up by an angry mob and then being mercilessly dragged along the public road, tied to a vehicle, all for a small minor offence. In Kerala, a pregnant poor lady was kicked at and mauled by an unruly mob. A police inspector was seen intimidating and abusing a group of people who protested against the killing of a pedestrian by a police jeep on the National Highway. These and others are instances of blatant butchery of the rights of the common man, especially that of the poor and the marginalized.
In the western world, even a President’s son, if caught for a trivial offence, is not left scot free. He is booked by the arms of the law and punished according to the law of the land. The principle of equality before law practiced in such countries has to be emulated by us in India too. In one incident, the Australian P.M. had to go to the local police station to say sorry for a minor misdeed of his son! Traffic violations are aplenty in India. In the U.S., a man with one yellow ticket is scared to commit another traffic offence. Hence, the citizen becomes more conscious of other’s rights too. Recently a German tourist wrote about his harrowing experience while traveling on Kerala roads. Pedestrians were, it seems, jumping like spider men on the roads to avoid the pits. The basic traffic rules were violated by a majority of the drivers. According to him, ‘God’s own country’s roads are worse than Devil’s own roads!’ Rules of the road are violated with immunity here compared to what is prevalent in the western world.
I had felt a curtailment of my freedom of choice when I attended the compulsory catechism class while in school. The catechism teacher used to find fault with other religions and as I detested such an attitude, I protested. I had to tell the teacher that he was simply a religious begot who was not able to appreciate the basic tenets of other religions, and that religious tolerance would have paved the way for inculcating better human values in the students. I hated his attitude and purposefully cut his classes where free thinking was taboo, and mud slinging on other religions were carried out without a prick of conscience.
One book I shall always remember, from which I learned a lesson while studying for B.Com. It is ‘On the Rule of the Road’ by A.G.Gardiner. In it he mentions about a fellow passenger in the train who was talking all the time very loudly about his family, criticizing the politicians, and passing all sorts of unsolicited comments to the other passengers. Gardiner was compelled to close his book and look out of the window. The fellow passenger who just thundered without consideration for others had no social sense, and as remarked by Gardiner he was not a ‘clubbable’ person. There is necessity to have a reasonable consideration for the rights and feelings of others. He also mentions in his book about a stout old lady walking with a basket down the middle of the street in Petrograd. When she was asked to walk on the pavement she rudely retorted that she would walk wherever she liked to walk, and that she had the liberty to walk anywhere she liked! Gardiner reflects on the episode and states that “individual liberty would become social anarchy if everyone was more concerned about individual freedom.”
It was Nietzsche who said, “Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves.” To enjoy freedom, regulation of conduct is an essential factor. That is why rules and regulations are framed to impose restraint on the freedom of all citizens. And it is the duty of the government to enforce the rules so that order is brought about in the society. The constitution ensures freedom and at the same time enforces a control mechanism to make the freedom effective. Freedom presupposes order and any order presupposes the ability to enforce it by rules. The fundamental quality of freedom is magnanimity- to show that much kindness as to allow the other to have his way also.
Allow me to touch upon also the academic freedom in universities and colleges. Academic freedom is intertwined with the educational policies of the central and state governments. The universities decide the syllabus after obtaining proposals from the academic bodies. But those academic bodies are the creation of the Govt. in power. They are therefore highly politicized rather than academic. The syllabus is thus framed taking into account the political interests of the ruling power, and more often catering to the interests of associations and unions ignoring the needs of the students, industrial establishments, or science and technology. The system, as it is, lacks academic freedom.
Prof. Mohanan Nair: Recently in an International survey, the list 500 independent academic institutions was published; but not even a single Indian university or institution figure in the list
Prof.Hay: Thomas Paine opines that, “He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition”. That is the real extant to which liberty and freedom are to be understood. Then what is political freedom? It is the right or capacity and the ability of self determination as an expression of individual will. Democratic nations prefer to go by this concept. But in actual practice does this occur? Coercion, intimidation, booth capturing, compulsion and fear make people cast their votes in favour of candidates whom they despise and detest. Hence the rudiments of democracy fail.
May I also touch upon the freedom of the press? A free press is the mother of all our liberties and our progress. It has been proved on many occasions that when the wheels of democracy have been put to halt, it was the press, the fourth estate that came to the rescue of the nation. When emergency was clamped on India by Indira Gandhi, the first action initiated by those in power was to gag the press. The same thing happened in Pakistan now when Mussaraf declared emergency.
Prof. Mohanan Nair: When Indira Gandhi declared emergency, only a few of the intelligentsia did or could protest. But Pakistan people are now openly protesting. They are reacting very well
Prof.sankarankutty: The world is changed. Communications are fast and wide spread. Musharraf is also cautious.
Prof. Hay: A free press is the sine quo non for the survival of a democratic polity, and the very essence of life in liberty. Let me quote, “let it be impressed upon your minds, let it be instilled into our children, that the liberty of the press is the palladium of all the civil, political and religious rights” .In Kerala, if the party newspaper which claims that they only publish the truth, was the only source available for news in the state, we would have never have known the real truth of any matter. Luckily there are a few other dailies also circulating news. Hence different shades of the same truth can be known to weed out any falsehood. In Totalitarian regimes, they have only one newspaper, the organ of the Govt. in power. Hence the citizenry can only obtain the views expressed by the state and party in power. There is neither freedom of expression nor freedom of choice to elect a democratic Govt. The press has to play a significant role in serving as a forum of the people, through which the people may know freely what is happening in the state. It is again the power of the pen that has changed the fate of many nations, inspired several landmark reforms, and saved countries from tyranny. The protest of the citizens projected through the press has even resulted in changing laws to bring about positive changes in the society. If we look into the mechanics of governance, even in a democratic system, it is simply left in the hands of certain specialists who focus too narrowly on their respective areas of interest, ignoring the larger interests and well being of the society. The loyal, law abiding and peace loving citizens who believe that everything is in order, are literally fooled by the Government. On many occasions we have invariably seen a newly elected Govt. instituting enquiry commissions to unearth the clandestine and corrupt deals and mis-deeds of the previous Govt. If there is a free press that acts like a guardian angel of the conscience of the citizenry, then the Govt. in power will be compelled to avoid many blatantly corrupt practices. In fact, press possesses the creative acumen to protect the society from the debasing evil practices of the Govt. in power.
Now, let me consider an issue on which the catholic church has a clearly dogmatic view. It is about abortion. The Catholic Church is totally against abortion. Abortion is foeticide and, according to the Church it is a crime. Don’t you think that it is the right of a woman to avoid giving birth to an unwanted child? If people follow the dictum of the Church, then countries like India and China would become too much overpopulated adding to their miseries and forcing them to find food for a few more millions of people. In India, families, especially in the north, often snuff out the lives of girl children before or after birth, since for many, a girl child is a liability. But, as the Church puts it, the foetus, like the infant, is a living being and has every right to live. And as it is incapable to exercise its right by itself, one cannot destroy it by aborting for economic or other reasons. Therefore, like the woman who has a right to abort a foetus, the foetus too has a right to live. Thus there is a conflict of interests between the mother and the unborn child. Whose right should a civilized society protect? Is it the mother’s right to dispense with the infant/foetus, or the infant’s right to live – which one should be protected on moral, ethical, and humane grounds?
Another limit to freedom that comes to my mind is that of euthanasia. Can one who is terminally ill, one who is really fed up with the pain and suffering of life from cancer, acute diabetes, or some other dangerous diseases, be allowed to exercise his freedom to end his life by the practice of euthanasia?
Then there is also the question of the freedom of artists and painters like M.F.Hussain. Protests and controversy arose when the world famous artist painted ‘nude’ pictures of Hindu Goddess. Vehement protests and threats came up internationally when some Danish and Norwegian newspapers published caricatures of Prophet Mohammed. In our own state, a big noise was made by groups of Christians when the C.P,I,(M) secretary made an unwholesome remark about a bishop. Definitely, desecration of religious beliefs and using offensive language against religious heads, gods and masters do cross the boundaries of decency. Recently the Pope had to apologize to the Muslim world for his remarks made about medieval Muslim practices. People have a right not to be abused, insulted, or tarnished by others, either by careless or by deliberate uttering. For building better human relationships, some practical tips can help for the right use of meaningful freedom of expression. Let me mention them here,1. Think of a situation when other people upset you and make you stressed. Now think about what your expectations are. Are they realistic? 2. Remind yourself each day to stop judging others too harshly.3. Train yourself to give the benefit of doubt to others by understanding their situation, before jumping into negative criticism, i.e., reduce the negativity of your reaction.
Let me finally conclude by quoting the words of Stienbeck:
“That the free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for, the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against, any idea, religion or government which limits or destroys the individual.”
Luckily for us, Ekkentros is a genial platform which stands for free thinking.

K.V.Kunhikrishnan: In the beginning of our discussions Dr. Babu Ravindran pointed out that there are three types of freedom, the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. All have their own limits. The physical freedom can be equated with political liberty in which men are free to do anything to sustain his life so long as his freedom does not adversely affect the freedom of others. For this, state makes common laws which the people are bound to follow. Within the four walls of the law, which are the limits, people enjoy their freedom. Freedom from want, freedom from disease, freedom of expression etc. are part of the physical freedom. this freedom and its limits have now been elaborately explained by Prof. Hay.
Mental freedom is the capacity for unbiased free thinking. But this capacity is absolutely limited because the mind from birth is cluttered up with all kinds of notions and belief put in there by parents, teachers, elders, and others. Mind is controlled by one’s religion also. Unless one is free of all these notions and beliefs, one cannot be free in his thoughts. Of course, read everything, hear all what others have to say, and understand them also fully. But for being free everything has to be questioned with an open mind, analyzing every bit of ideas and thoughts, accepting only facts and rejecting falsehoods and doubtful notions. This one should actually start as soon as one becomes an adult. A willingness to find truth may help. Capacity for discrimination will be required. For recognizing facts from fiction, the only thing one can rely on is one’s own direct perceptions, and intuitive understanding if available. The main difficulty of man today seems to be an undeveloped insight or intuition. Too much stress has been made on logic and reasoning, which, although have helped man in scientific development, are actually only instruments for verification of intuitively obtained ideas.
Spiritual freedom is entirely different. We can equate it with absolute freedom or reality itself. The physical and mental aspects, both are bondages to it. Human body is a major limitation and bondage to man’s spiritual freedom as pointed out by Dr. Sadanandan. And a mind in the bondage of all kinds of thoughts and beliefs is another major hurdle in Man’s path towards absolute freedom. Once attained, as claimed by the great masters, body, mind, or intellect is no more a restriction or bondage. In spite of them one is free because the freedom is beyond the body and mind that are still functioning in tact, perhaps more efficiently.
What one can do in the circumstances is only to strive to completely understand the bondage, limitations, and restrictions of the body and mind including the intellect, and try to go beyond them.
The question may still remain why one should have absolute freedom at all? Why chase the will o’ the wisp, the mirage? The answer is that only those who need it crave for it, like all other freedoms. The question what is this life and what all this phenomena is about, looms large, and this Damocles’ sword always hangs above his head. In the Bhagavad Geeta, it is said that four types of people crave God, the suffering, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise. Why not claim to be wise?
Dr. Babu Ravindran: When one is free his responsibility increases proportionately.
Dr. Thomas: In contrast, a dog is very uncomfortable when free. It does not want to be free. Its attitude is, ‘have I erred? Why do you want me to be free? I have surrendered to you’. It has to surrender to a superior being. Another aspect of the same is in the tradition of Travencore Maharajhas in prostrating completely before Sri Padmanabhaswami in an attitude of absolute surrender, which tradition was started by Raja Marthanda Varma. After he won his battle he threw his sword and surrendered everything to the deity.
Prof. Mohanan Nair: Emperor Asoka did the same thing after he won his war and saw the wanton destruction that it brought about.
Sri. Kunhikrishnan: On ultimate surrender the person who has surrendered has no more any responsibility. All responsibility is passed on to the person or entity to whom surrendered.