Indoctrination

Several stories (for example, the one I wrote about in my previous post) have spawned multiple internal threads of thought that continue to wrap themselves around me, constricting me ever so slowly.

One thought, in particular, bothers me a tad bit more than the rest. It bothers me because it forces me to question conventional wisdom but moreover it forces me to question my own conditioning. It is quite amusing to see my head being virtually split into two as my new found realizations duke it out with years of conditioning. I see this battle plaguing me indefinitely given how deeply entrenched the messages of this cult are both in my psyche and society’s. I am referring to the cult of hard work.

Hard work has been sold as the panacea for everything that ails you. Girlfriend dumped you? Work hard. You are crippled? Work hard. Lost a loved one? Work hard. Everyone is being fed the same shit sandwich. Better yet, everyone is led to believe it tastes divine. Funnily enough no one seems to know what hard work actually looks like. No one will tell you. You just have to work hard. In the Indian context, hard work has a very simple definition. Hard work is measured in hours. Indians believe no valid outcome can be achieved without hours upon hours of grunt work. A positive outcome must be preceded by slaving away for 14 hours a day. Indian institutions have been built on the foundation of glorified bonded labour. For example, the JEE, NEET, UPSC, CA etc. have one thing in common, one must toil to overcome these exams. They are designed in such a way that every aspirant must spend years of his or her life trying to tame these beasts. Similarly, corporate India demands long hours in exchange for perks, recognition, and promotions. We are thus able to see the fetishes of the likes of Mr. Narayan Murthy play out in real time. Of course, the payoff of these endeavours are incredible. A vast majority of students who take these exams are left with the pieces of broken dreams, shattered self-belief, and splintered hope. Corporate slaves are saddled with unrealistic expectations, toxic environments, and pittances.

The cult of hard work has given birth to a more sinister offspring, the cult of success. The modern definition of success is rooted in capitalism. You are successful if you possess more. It is absolute and unflinching. The rules of this cult are simple. Choosing your own path or definition of success or questioning this charade is blasphemy. Such blasphemy will rightfully invite disdain and scorn. Success can never be built on virtues, it can only be built on obscene displays of wealth. A man leading a content life with what he possesses can never be successful. He is a fool who does not have the capacity nor the passion to aspire for more. Such fools must be avoided at all costs. Those who preach contentment or fulfilment are to be admired in public but ridiculed in private.

I am not against either hard work or success. I am against the narrow interpretations of these concepts that have engendered an identity crisis and is disillusioning society. The effects on younger generations are stark. A majority of young adults today lack soul. Their creativity, aspirations, and imagination are stifled from a young age. An individual’s identity is placed in a delicate vessel that is arbitrary. Ask an Indian teenager today, who are you? The answers you get are along the lines of, ‘I am a JEE aspirant’, ‘I am a CA aspirant’ etc. These answers are a scathing indictment of our society. Children as young as 12 are being pushed into a gladiator’s arena where they are performing for society. The audience wants to see them bleed, struggle, and fail. The spectators lick their lips with glee as lives are dismantled. The entire identity and self-worth of a child today revolves around largely inconsequential variables such as exams. And when these children are denied their identity, is it any surprise that they take their own life?

Society has created an inherently unfair game whose rules are unimpeachable. Failures are strictly personal and the systemic issues that contribute to failures are beyond any reproach. We are led to believe the onus lies completely on the individual, that he is the master of his own destiny. Fail an exam? You did not study hard enough. Did not get an appraisal? You did not put in the work. Do not have money? You did not work hard enough. Furthermore, solidarity has been disincentivized. The value in lifting others has diminished. We are led to believe this is a zero sum game. My loss will be someone’s success. Those who fail shall only invite pity. Self-indulgence and gratification are sacrosanct. If an individual falls the mob tramples him. The circumstances that led to his fall are conveniently ignored. Whether the individual was pushed, tripped, or fell down of his own accord is immaterial. To stop and stick out a hand to pick up someone up is ludicrous for the crowd shall trample you too.

Indians today are hollow shells of their true selves. They are cheap imitations of each other because their entire youth was spent following the same diktats of society in order to be eligible for nirvana. It was enforced upon them that the path to paradise snaked through the halls of certain hallowed institutions. Individuals who do pass out of these institutions unfortunately do not find utopia on the other side. They only find an ever increasing mountain of societal expectations. The annals of Reddit and whispered conversations are witness to the confessions of a hollow and unfulfilling life. However, these are regrets in private and virtues in public. Those who are burdened by regret cannot or refuse to reconcile with the truth. Instead they continue to prop up the lies with self-serving LinkedIn posts, glamourous Instagram stories, material possessions, and superficial relationships. The guilt is repressed by repeating the same lies over and over again. The virtues of these lies are extolled and worshipped. The burdened huddle together to show off their wares. These groups celebrate each other while secretly hoping for the other’s ruin. The disillusioned finally cave in, embrace the hopelessness, and then actively preach the lies. The indoctrination is thus complete.