Caveat lector, let
the reader beware, this is not a satire. The author wholeheartedly believes in
what the title states. True there might be some subtly and sophistry involved
even some degree of qualification but on the whole the statement stands. There is a strong belief in this society and
others elsewhere that honesty in all its form is good and beneficial. I believe
it is a pernicious view which can only harm us and make us pessimistic
especially considering the time we live in. Look around us and you will see
disorder, hatred, corruption and other such fiendish things. Are we not
supposed to espouse the efficacy and need for honesty and such other
commendable values? The answer, if not obvious to you all, is a resounding no.
For if indeed moral appeal did work it would have worked by now. This battle
against moral degradation needs to be fought with cunningness and Machiavellian
style; moral luminaries of the world might disagree but then my response would
be they can go and inflict pain elsewhere.
Jose Saramago, the Nobel laureate
writer said "Pessimists are the ones who change the world, for the
optimists being the ones who are enthralled with what it is.", at the
expense of sounding extremely conceited, I think he got it wrong. It is not the
pessimists but rather the unreasonable ones, as Bernard Shaw suggested, on whom
all progress depends. One has to be unreasonable and deeply so, in order to
believe there exists a bright future for this country; our future depends on
such a belief. We can bicker, quiver, and lash out venomous satires against the
society but of what good is it? Yes it
might make us feel superior as if we are above these squalid creatures or
criminals but that’s about it, much ado about nothing. What we need is a heroic
unreasonable belief that the country is in a good state, be dishonest with
ourselves and for a change not complain. Yes we have heard it all, the crime
rate, the fraud, the traffic, the imminent devastating earthquakes, the
politics and what not. What good has it done us? US cities have more crime rate
than ours, Chinese government is far more corrupt than ours, New York probably
has the worse traffic jams in the world!
Our negativism justified or not,
has real life consequences. When we grow abroad and interact with foreigners we
ourselves give the vibe that they shouldn’t invest in Bangladesh and then at
the same time vehemently protest Government’s inability to promote FDI, how
patently ridiculous. We are ambassadors of our country and this has to be
recognized, self pity is the sign of weakness and inadequacy. Our media needs
to be dishonest too; there I have committed a blasphemy. As Oscar Wilde rightly
pointed out "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”. I can already see critics, especially the bardolators among them, going but the purpose of art is "
. . . to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature." And I should say let
the literary genius rest. Instead of giving stories on number people dying and
disappearing let us give news on positive ones too; yes something like the
Rickshaw puller returning BDT 2.5 lakh. But don’t make them sound inspiring and
unique, make them look common place. It is precisely their uniqueness and the
way they are covered, with grandeur and pomposity, that defeats all its
purpose. Instead of inspiring further act of heroism it only strengthens our
pessimism. They should be in the back page, in a small section, just like an
occasional theft; subliminal message that is what is needed.
As for our video media, ah the
level of honesty is simply sickening. The dramas portray dysfunctional families
and the pervasive sadness in our life, the so called art film, as if we were
oblivious to reality. What we need is believable characters that have veneer of
normality, which allows the audience to relate to them, and yet have some
edifying qualities which inspires the viewers. For instance a character who
makes a point of using foot over bridge when crossing a road or waits for the
red light to cross the road using a zebra crossing. This alone can probably
reduce our traffic congestion significantly, if the drama is of any good. It is
also about rational expectation, the more people are bombarded with work of
‘heroism’, the more people will take them for granted and when confronted with
similar situation will react accordingly. Human beings thankfully are cognitive
misers; the universal maxim of our age as Schopenhauer said is “to get by with
the least possible expenditure of thought”. Hence with such little dishonesty
on the part of the vaunted guardian of truth i.e. media, much can be achieved
at the trifling cost of conscience.
If the reader is detested by the
aforesaid ribaldry then the fault squarely lies on the reader for he/she, lest
I look gender biased, was forewarned. If at all I sincerely hope that I have
inflicted you with some level of doubt after all better doubt in knowledge than
certainty in ignorance.
