TRUTH  IS LIVED, AND NOT TAUGHT

In the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to kill anyone coming from the front to fight twn. Initially, Arjuna was reluctant to release an arrow at his cousins, his Guru, and his known persons. To dissuade Arjuna’s confusion, Lord Krishna exhorts that Arjuna’s truth is that he is a warrior fighting for Dharma and Justice. He must uphold truth by doing his duty without any hesitation (Nishkam karma). Lord Krishna’s lesson is that truth is relative and situational; it varies from person to person. Truth for a person living in South Korea and another in North Korea cannot be the same. Truth cannot be taught; it is a personal experience and is an end result of evolution. Truth is a metanarrative and metaethics. Hence, the above topic requires an intricate analysis of the variance of truth and why it cannot be taught.

A Peek into the past

When Britishers were plundering our country, they propounded different theories like the white man’s burden, civilizing mission to mask their evil. They presented these discourses to teach their truth to the Indian people. Their education policy also aimed at creating loyal subjects. They were successful in the beginning when Indian intellectuals accepted British truth as a blessing in disguise and British rule as a generous rule.

However, with experience, people realized that the Britisher’s truth was a false consciousness. Leaders like Gandhiji, Bhagat Singh, Pt. Nehru, etc., exposed British plunder and exploitation. It became an endpoint of British truth because people realized what was their truth.

Similarly, in the political field too, Marxist scholars said that democracy is a myth and socialism is the truth. They propounded that capitalist democracy leads to exploitation; hence people should do a revolution to bring communism. As per them, human rights, liberty, freedom meant myths.

However, when Russian people lived that truth, they realized that socialism was actually an authoritarian model of the system which curtailed the development of human personality. Hence, people around the world became cautious of Marxist truth because they lived it or saw someone living it. Therefore, democracy and fundamental rights, along with freedom of speech and expression, became the truth of people around the world. Our constitution also believes in the same truth.

Further, the social sphere also has the same implication. When India became independent, depressed classes, minorities were apprehensive about the model of the social system that was about to emerge. National leaders assured them by drafting an aspirational document called the Indian constitution to quash their feelings.

7 decades have passed; our minorities, downtrodden classes have lived the truth that our social system is inclusive; it respects everyone’s culture and dignity. The truth presented to them has become their truth too due to our approach of assimilation, accommodation, and affirmative action.

Similarly, economic mode development has been a subject of debate. Pt. Nehru presented a socialist model of a system based on planning where the state will be at commanding heights. This truth was implemented in early years. Though productive for some time, it faced various challenges like fiscal deficit, current account deficit, inflation, etc. With changing external climate, the connotation of truth also changed.

Now people having lived that truth moved towards the truth presented by LPG reforms. This truth increased per capita income, national GDP but also widened inequality (1% people hold 85% of wealth), Agrarian distress (3 lakh farmers committed suicides). Hence, a new truth has been presented by social liberals like Amartya Sen who support capacity building of masses to bring about inclusive development. Moreover, global challenges are becoming more and more overarching; for instance, climate change and global warming are wreaking havoc all around the world. Almost 99% of scientists are of the opinion that climate change is real and anthropogenic.

However, countries like the USA are not taking it seriously. For US president, if change is not a truth, it is a conceptual folly – However, for Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Maldives, climate change is real because they are living with it unlike the USA. Failure of climate change initiatives is mainly due to different perceptions of truth.

Apart from this, post World War II, nuclear weapons were presented as the ultimate weapon of peace. The truth taught was that nuclear weapons have prevented World War III. Moreover, it was said that nuclear weapons would prevent wars and establish an era of peace & prosperity.

However, the truth taught and the truth experienced are not matching. Nuclear weapons have become weapons of mass destruction with the fear of accidental launch. Hence people are demanding non-proliferation & disarmament – passage of UN resolution on ‘prohibition of nuclear weapons’ is the rejection of taught truth.

Hence, truth is a construction – postmodernist scholar Foucault says that truth is manufactured at a mass level because there is a linkage between truth and power. Different organizations sell their truth (propaganda) to gain people’s support in order to acquire power. From political parties to business houses to terrorist groups, all institutions manufacture truth but people accept only on the basis of experience.

Thus, truth is a subjective discourse; it cannot be taught; it must be lived. Truth varies from person to person, culture to culture. However, there are some truths like dignity, non-violence, respect for culture, freedom of speech, etc., which must be taught to live a happy & cosmopolitan life.