Freedom has many facets, not the least of which is the freedom of expression. Salman Rushdie, who was subjected to a horrific attack of hate at an open forum for one of his books, has this to say, “What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”
Dissent is an essential part of freedom. Every argument, every opinion is debatable, there would be discussion, dialogue, difference, heat and light, and then a certain clarity and finally, consensus may emerge. Not always consensus, but we must learn to work through disagreements. Managing dissent is about recognising the value of disagreement, discord and difference in society.
There will be as many viewpoints as there are people, no single view can be imposed but the most reasonable, the most justifiable can prevail. But to deny an individual ab initio the freedom to differ is wrong. Attributed to Voltaire are the powerful words, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Dissent is a symbol of a vibrant democracy, a society where everything can be questioned, considered, no matter how sacrosanct it is. The world is a market place of ideas and there should be no ban on thinking and trying to find out the truth.
Robust system
A democratic system is robust if it can withstand criticism and investigation, admit that the human condition is plural. A society must learn to make the best of differences, make peace with them, welcome them and even discover how similar we are through our differences.
Yuval Harari, Jewish academic and philosopher, in his book Sapiens, says, “Discord in our thoughts, ideas and values compels us to think, re-evaluate and criticise. Consistency is the playground of dull minds ... Where everybody thinks alike nobody thinks.” It is high time we realised that dissent is not sedition and negotiation is not a sign of weakness.
Shrinking of democratic spaces with no elbow room for difference has become the order of the day. Voices of the minorities are suppressed, books are banned, religion is politicised, history is being rewritten with significant chapters eliminated, linguistic hegemony is being imposed and those who dare to be different are victimised. The culture of wordless acceptance of supplication should be done with and the civic society must rethink its values and goals, give praise and criticism where it’s due. A quote in the British museum in London says, “Ultimately, questioning authority, registering protests and generally objecting are an integral part of what makes us human.”
To quote Rushdie again, “Free speech is not for those who agree with us or to whose opinions we are indifferent. Its essence is fearless disagreement.”
Even the revered scriptures of the Bhagavad Gita gave freedom to the devotee to ask questions from God.
It is in freewheeling discussions, in a free and unfettered intellectual ambience, that freedom of expression is found, be it in speech, in the written word or a painting or a structure.
sudhadevi_nayak@yahoo.com
