It is often said, ‘History repeats itself’, and so it does, especially for those who stand on the wrong side of history. It is unfortunate that humans are slow to learn, particularly from their past. If one should walk down the ‘history lane’, he will notice that the corridors of history are filled with volumes of ugly human stories of war, destruction, subjugation of humankind, and enslavement. History ought to have been guided by objective truth and morality that promote the common good. Sad, but true, humans have digressed from objective truth and morality and allowed irrational logic and relativism to dictate human society. Why wonder when history repeats itself? The question every generation should ask is: on which side of history do you choose to stand?
Contemporary society is guided and dictated by moral relativism, and the so-called virtue of ‘political correctness’ is exalted. Being politically correct is the ‘in thing’ of our time. Unfortunately, so-called modern virtue is misguiding society and leading to the self-destruction in disproportional measures. It is imperative, therefore, to contemplate that sometimes standing on the wrong side of history in defence of a cause you think is right is still just standing on the wrong side of history.
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How will history judge the ‘Indian Wrestlers’ struggle for justice? The pride of the nation, ‘the wrestlers,’ are sitting on a dharna demanding justice for the victims of sexual crimes and harassment of female wrestlers by the BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India. The protestors are demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan for a custodial investigation into the allegations. The nation is watching, but the ruling dispensation is silent. Yes, indeed, history will be its judge. But what is more pathetic is that the leading athletes of the nation are silent in the garb of political correctness, barring a few. Lessons ought to be learned. Muhammed Ali, the greatest boxer, refused the Vietnam War draft. His refusal would prove drastic: the stripping of his heavyweight title, a suspension from boxing, a $10,000 fine, and a five-year prison sentence. And yet, he refused to be politically correct and stood on the right side of history. On June 28, 1970, the US Supreme Court overturned his conviction for evading the draft. We have another glaring example in our time. Novak Djokovic, the greatest tennis player, dares to stand on the right side of history instead of trying to be popular by being politically correct. We have seen him suspended, deported, and taunted by fans and media, and yet he is not deterred from speaking his mind, especially in support of the voiceless.
On the day of the inauguration of the new parliament building, the mishandling and subsequent arrest of the wrestlers who were innocuously marching, spoke volumes. Parliament is the holy sanctuary of democracy that stands for truth, justice, equality, and freedom. The construction of the new parliament building got underway during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the whole world was under the grip of fear of death and scarcity. Thousands of citizens died in pathetic conditions due to a lack of medical facilities and oxygen, and their bodies were dumped unceremoniously. How would history record this episode? Was the inauguration of the new parliament building monumental? On the occasion of the inauguration of the parliament building, it appeared that one man’s ego and pride were on display at the cost of democracy, whereas the opposition parties unitedly abstained from the inauguration ceremony in support of democracy. Who stands on the right side of history? The trouble is that any assessment of the long arc of history occurs within history, not outside it. At any moment, we may think that the right and wrong sides of history are fairly obvious. But history has a way of revisiting seemingly settled arguments and discredited errors, whether as progress, tragedy, or farce, and ideologies that seemed dead and buried decades ago can come scrabbling to the surface to walk among us again.
The truth in history reveals the decline of the race as its rise and the decadence of knowledge as its growth. And it is because the trust of history is based on objective truth and morality for the common good. The former US Senator Strom Thurmond was heavily opposed to the civil rights movement in the United States and was pro-segregation. The subsequent triumph of the civil rights movement and the end of slavery in the sense that the morally good path is inevitable and cannot be prevented simply because of its goodness and objectivity left Strom Thurmond on the wrong side of history.
Today, the main stream media in India has taken a side in favour of Hindutva and BJP Sarkars for reasons best known to them. The discourse and the narrative are streamlined accordingly by the so-called “Godi Media.” Divorcing its main objective, that is, to stand for truth, justice, freedom, and equality, is truly a betrayal of democracy and their profession. It was the media that glorified the image of Hitler to make him look good as a humble and gentle soul. “The media were able to engineer a complete transformation of Hitler’s public persona,” says Stratigakos. “They accomplished this by focusing on his private life — by showing him playing with his dogs, and with children, and at home in architectural spaces designed to evoke a feeling of warmth. By the end of the 1930s, news stories around the world described him as a caring, gentle individual with great taste in home décor.” Does this ring a bell? The Godi Media is excited about knowing how the Prime Minister eats his mangoes, feeds peacocks, etc. The parallels are glaring, and history will have an objective answer. Where will you find yourself standing—on the right or wrong side of history?
Perhaps, standing at the threshold of eternity, the greatest satisfaction would be to look back on our lives and know that we stood on the right side and not on the wrong side of history. Consequently, understanding the dynamism of human society vis-à-vis the objectivity of truth and morality is paramount to guiding history in the right direction. The challenge appears to be insurmountable, but many noble souls have proven that it is possible, whose greatness we recall with pride. Yes, indeed, to live for truth and right morality is a challenge for all times. And hence, standing on the right side of history often means “ekla chalo re”.
(Peter Fernandes is a priest based at Pilar, Goa)
