Democratising Knowledge

Present times tell us to train our brains which was ever needed but past times were silent about this. People were supplied and they sourced to feed and work their brains. Present times tell people to autonomously process all feeds. Among others, social media has made present times to speak thus. It is about people talking among themselves.

Knowledge is a dedicated endeavour requiring resources and an ecology. Required is the diffusion of such pieces and their realisation and for that the bearers of specialised knowledge must make efforts to democratise knowledge.

Democratisation will begin when the bearers first test their pieces on the ground, amidst peoples' trials and tribulations, fears and expectations, despair and hopes. They must prioritise people over their theses.

N
Niraj Kumar Jha

Cooperative Capitalism and Associational Democracy

 Liberalism is democracy in the human domain of politics and capitalism in the domain of economics. It may appear ironic that liberalism, a humanism-based way of life, leads to the concentration of wealth in the economy and of power in the polity causing inequality, At the same time, it is the strength and beauty of liberalism that a person without a background can become wealthy and powerful. Secondly, those who own wealth and exercise power do so under a system of checks and balances and the rule of law based on fair play. Moreover, liberalism inheres more scope for the dispersal of these valuables, a fact often ignored. In capitalist economies, there exist big companies, which are owned by shareholders and they have no big promoters. Big corporations also require ancillary companies and there is always space for small businesses and production units.  More importantly, people can form cooperatives and stand well before megacorporations. Such cooperatives exist in India and have become more relevant in the age of digital economy. Thirdly, communities can take up business activities for their collective good and income. 

In the field of politics too, besides formal democratic mechanisms of separation, division, and decentralisation of powers, liberalism promotes the ecology allowing and encouraging associations. Associations may be purposed meaningfully for carrying out public functions too. Associations can work more effectively to promote health, sports, cultural and literary concerns. All these lead to the fair dispersal of power in society. 

People must recognise the unavoidable: liberalism is unavoidable as is the human drive for betterment. We need to work out only a suitable mechanism and ecology to allow it to work for us. 

Niraj Kumar Jha 

The Deep and the Dip

The power of a nation-state largely depends on the number of mega-corporations headquartered in the state and the nationals having a major share in those corporations.

 
In the current age of the knowledge economy, the biggest corporations are high-end technology companies.

 
It is science, technology and the free market that makes the difference. Even a slight edge or a little drawback brings vast differences in no time.

 
Niraj Kumar Jha

Knowledge Value Depreciation

The ease of access to and availability of knowledge resources has increased dramatically. With easy-to-use personal devices, anyone can know anything anywhere. The phenomenon can only be compared with its absence.

 
Yet, we see amazingly dumb people even in the most unlikeable places in the world. Has the easy availability of knowledge devalued meaningful and connected knowledge? Do people depend more on their instincts, fancies, whims, and beliefs?

The answer is, very disappointingly, yes.

What may be other reasons other than the easy availability of knowledge resources? I think of these.

1. Knowledge is more about experience, and its effectiveness depends on shared practices. The isolated, lonely or aloof people can not gather knowledge to effect.

2. The exercise of mind is more important than access to knowledge. People do not exercise their minds to know as the pieces are easily available. One must understand that knowledge is an endeavour.

3. People survive without applying their minds within a working system. They should understand that exercise holds the system and its cessation causes decay. After a threshold, it is disastrous.

Niraj Kumar Jha

The Fundamental of Economics and Politics

The economy runs best according to its own rules, which appear as the invisible hands of the market. These rules come from human nature, the basic innate drives of human beings. A person wants to own and retain. Here politics makes the next stage of civilized human life; it seeks to ensure fairness so people possess, maintain, and enjoy their lives without much ado.

These are the basics of two fundamental domains of life and disciplines of knowledge: economics and politics. But they are hardly known or realised. 'Geniuses' play spoilers.

Economics is most effective when it follows its own rules. Otherwise, it causes only pain and results in regress.

Niraj Kumar Jha

सभ्यता संस्कार

कुम्भ महानता से भी महान है। यह प्राणवान सभ्यता का स्पंदन है। यह जीवन का महोत्सव है। यह हर पीढ़ी का सभ्यता संस्कार है।

कुम्भ स्नान की यात्रा का गंतव्य भारत के विराट स्वरूप का दर्शन है, उसमें एकाकार हो जाना है। यह स्नान भारतवासी को भारत एवं मनुष्य देहधारी को मानव बनाती है। वे सभ्यता से एकरूप होकर अपनी पूर्णता को प्राप्त करते हैं। वे जल से उठते हैं तो दिग्भ्रम और क्षोभ से मुक्त होकर शुद्ध होते हैं; अस्तित्व की अमरता एवं सूक्ष्मता से सिक्त हो पुनर्नवा होते है।

भारत क्या है? यह सनातन की अनश्वर काया है।

यह त्रासद है कि इस विराट संस्कारोत्सव को सूक्ष्मता से अनुभूत किए जाने और सृष्टि के मूल के दृश्य रूप को आधार बनाकर व्यष्टि और समष्टि के आध्यात्मिक और सामाजिक उत्थान हेतु सार्थक विमर्श के स्थान पर क्षुद्रता ही चर्चा में आ रही है। यह और कुछ नहीं, कुशिक्षा और कुसंस्कार की व्याप्ति का द्योतक है। हमें अपनी अनन्य परंपराओं के प्रति गंभीर होने की आवश्यकता है।

नीरज कुमार झा

लोग गंदगी क्यों फैलाते हैं?

लोग गंदगी फैलाते हैं। गंदगी में रहना उन्हें असहज नहीं करता है।

ऐसा क्यों है?

यह मुद्दा समाजशास्त्रीय इतिहास से जुड़ा है।

यह इतिहास जनित मानसिकता है। दीर्घकालीन अधीनता के दौरान व्यापक और निरंतर उत्पीड़न और दोहन के कारण सामूहिक अस्तित्व के प्रति उपेक्षा का भाव लोगों का मानस बन गया। व्यक्ति अभी भी जीवन की परिस्थितियों पर नियंत्रण करने के स्थान पर उनके समक्ष अपने को निरूपाय पाता है। वह भले ही शारीरिक शुचिता के प्रति सजग हो लेकिन स्थानिक स्वच्छता के प्रति वह उदासीन रहता है।

नीरज कुमार झा