Deflated Democratic Dichotomy….or whatever!
Well if you clicked on the link on my WhatsApp story and are reading this now, still, after reading the title, I’m sorry! I know its a shadily treacherous way to click bait someone. But that’s the only way I know of! So, whatever!
Balance! We talk about it so much today! And why? I’m not really sure whether I could totally answer that but I’m myself guilty of siding with the “balance conformists” in several not so constructively balanced conversations. Just so that I could find a balanced escape from there, probably! But one force that’s perfectly capable of delivering a top-notch masterclass of sorts on this particular topic, only if it could speak to us in a language that we understand clearly and immediately, is nature. Now, if you’re thinking based on the last line and the “keyword” used in the alliterative title, that this is a Greta Thunberg shorthand of the situation that the world is in right now, well maybe you’re correct……or not……whatever!
I wouldn’t even dare call these times funny in the most grotesque patches of my myopic mental imaginative capacity. Also, there’s no word that I could think of using to sum up the situation, because nothing is really “adding up” right now. But in my observation, in the last few days, I’ve noticed a sadistically poetic balance of sorts, bringing together in striking resonance, the oldest democracy in the world and the largest democracy in the world.
Point in case: the decision in the George Floyd murder case in the US and the lack of oxygen supply for Covid-19 patients across India. Oddly though, these are two extremely incoherent events, happening in different geographies, motivated or caused by highly irrelevant circumstances, not even remotely to be used in a single line at any cost, ever! But the only thing connecting them somehow is that both are events happening in democracies that the world looks up to! How does this then justify the narrative of nature’s balance?
Oxygen! That’s the natures overlap! Although the kind of oxygen that Georges’ lungs would’ve craved for in his dying moments was more natural, given the situation that he was in, while the kind that people here in India would crave for now, either for themselves or their loved ones, would be the kind that comes pumped in cylindrical bottles, the hindrance to both more or less remains the same- the dichotomy of democracy!
On one hand, there’s a black man, a citizen of the oldest democracy, who’s brutally murdered on a busy street in broad daylight and later, efforts are made to save the people behind the act based on the special rights they possess! While on the other, there are thousands in the largest democracy, being rendered lifeless every day, due to the lack of proper healthcare infrastructure in the middle of a pandemic which has been prevalent for over an year now and election campaigns are being prioritized and glorified! If not this, what could be more dichotomous!
Well let me tell you this, I’m all in for democracy and I understand that dichotomy is indeed a reality that we can’t shut our eyes on! Which means that democratic dichotomy is a thing, just like the similarities in deformities of the victims of any nuclear bombing! You’ll be born and you’ll live for sure, at least for a few years, just that you might not be fully functional physically and/or mentally! But come on, you’re alive at least, cheer up!
When does the bubble of this democratic dichotomy deflate though? Does it when you charge the murderer on “All 3 counts”? Does it when none dies due to the lack of oxygen supply? Or it never does? Or is it just nature sucking out oxygen from “somewhere” to provide it “elsewhere” to maintain that balance and it has nothing to do with democracy? Well if it does, do you think even nature loves democracy? Strange how in this case it meticulously chose the oldest and the largest democracies for the transaction though! Well I must say, nature too is a snob for democracies!
George Floyd died on the 25th of May 2020, and in the time it took to convict his murderer, which is almost close to 11 months, one can only imagine how totally “breathless” his family would’ve been! After Derek Chauvin was convicted of second degree murder, third degree murder and manslaughter(“All 3 counts”), George Floyd’s brother made a statement- “We can breathe now!”, on the 21st of April 2021. But can they, in reality?
24 Covid-19 patients, who were on life support, died on the 21st of April 2021 at Dr.Zakir Hussain Hospital in Nashik, Maharashtra due to a leak in the medical oxygen tank that disrupted the supply of gas. I’m totally incompetent to gauge whether or not this could be categorized as murder in our country, but for sure this incident too would’ve left the patients’ family members “breathless”! Can’t say when would their time come to use the statement- “We can breathe now!” Technically, never!
Was that nature trying to strike balance? Well, I surely don’t know!
In both these cases, neither of the victims or their families signed up for what they had to go through. All or at least most of them(being optimistic for democracy, as always!) would’ve exercised their power to vote sometime in their lives, if they were legally eligible to! I could totally visualize right now, their bright and shining faces, while they would’ve come out of that room casting their votes, for or against the now reigning parties(does it really matter now!) with inflated chests and a sense of pride. Little did they know that they’d just pumped up air into a system which would itself eventually suck it out of their lungs, without flinching!
This is not a rant by any chance, and I’m always against people who “just rant”. But somehow, I couldn’t stop myself from comparing these two polar opposite situations where I could sense some weird striking similarities. Nature and balance, I’d admit, were really excuses to drive the actual point home.
But wait, now that we’re at it, I can definitely draw up a conversation where the old democratic veteran is trying to caution the young democratic giant, in classic American style:
The oldie: “BALANCE OUT YOUR SHIT MF, BEFORE YOU’RE CHOKED AT THE HANDS OF YOUR OWN, AGAIN!”
The youngster: “FRANKLY MY DEAR, I DON’T GIVE A DAMN!”
The oldie: “WELL THEN, YOU MIGHT BE LONG GONE WITH THE WIND BEFORE YOU’D EVEN REALIZE!”
Or whatever!