Intriguing Thoughts on Development

This is an attempt to explore my intriguing thoughts on development. I make no pretense of being unbiased about my handling of the same. On the other hand, I would like to point out that all of the views expressed are a result of constant churning of these ideas in my mind. I myself, have graduated from being a staunch socialist to a lazy agnostic and now (finally I hope) a passive socialist.

The change in my positioning of myself has not been as a result of any intrinsic changes in my own personality. I would like to believe that I have been the same person all through. It is only that my understanding of the ideas have probably gained an extra dimension, and lost the empty, high sounding romance of the earlier days. This understanding most definitely has been a result of various influences through my transition. Finally I aim to achieve a sense of logical unity in my arguments, about completeness of my argument, I lay no claim to it.

Firstly, I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the term ‘White man’s burden’; in my eyes the imperialist justification still stands true today as it did 200 years ago. Only the perpetrators seem to have changed, “Educated man’s burden” is what I like to call it now. The basic fault seems to lie in our assumption that our way of life is in any way better than the poor people we have so nobly set out to help and save. The impending implosion of our exploitative machine seems to be looming dark upon the near horizon, and then suddenly beckons the lack of logic in bringing the same to someone else with the intention to helping them. Well, the road to hell truly seems to be paved with good intentions. I am not against the existing ways of life and the ultra-modern post industrial revolution world but wish to dispel a misunderstanding among those who are products of it that it is something to be at content with and worth replicating. Right now ‘Development’ seems to have become an overused, corrupt ‘cliché’; in fact it seems to be striving hard to reach the overuse needed to compete with another popular term- ‘Happiness’. To make things more clearly I don’t hesitate to say - “Everyone seems to be looking for both of them, working for them, but nobody seems to have a faintest idea what they mean”. It’s really funny at times; walking among all the saviors of the poor people and watching them run amok like disturbed nettle’s nest trying to achieve something through directionless reactionary action. Project after project seems to whiz by in a hazy blur leaving in their wake confused, disillusioned simple minded subjects of their experiments, subjects left wondering as to what happened, and who will pay the price for the planner’s lack of fore sight.

Lastly, all the actions (from the development point of view) need to be examined, tested and only then tried. The idea should always be to practice what we preach (if at all we do). However I would like to add a note of caution - Just because we are in the development sector, where we face a fixed set of ideas and notions towards progress and more importantly a fixed framework - there is still scope for work. I am not referring to grand schemes and such here, but rather minor actions outside the 'project' scope. Most times, listening is all that is needed! My experience thus far tells me that there is actually very little need for a thriving development sector. All that is needed in most cases is a conscientious government to execute various schemes and acts in honesty and totality. I feel there is always scope for a degree of activism (if only to clear the cobwebs). Coming to the other points I made earlier - the one I would like to talk is about the reactionary impulses. I recently met a friend of mine, well versed in the ways of the world! He was moaning about the fact that the revolutionary fervour of the youth is being consumed by relatively peripheral actions in the development sector (rather than investing energy in bringing about a truly radical change in our society). This basically is a double blow - at one shot the fervour is diverted to peripheral acts which may bring relief to all parties involved, but it remains in essence a reactionary tactic at best. The rest of the world (read the elitist class) is so freed up from all restraints pays lip service to these reactionary tactics and then goes on in earnest to the business of making more and more money. I have not made up my mind about this point of view, but it remains a very interesting point of view. I am still learning and moving ahead so I am in no position to conclude anything but still wished to bring across a thought with hope that we together can bring something better to this world in our time and the biggest lesson so far has been the understanding that I need to learn a lot and carefully examine the consequences of any tangible actions I take.