Preface
Election times!! And I am always vocal about to whom I am going to vote. But this time, things are super different in my mind. here it is…
1. When you updated the Whatsapp?
Guess you don’t even notice it, as it happens automatically.
2. When you upgraded your phone. (Bought a new one?)
6 months back? Good. Hope you are loving it.
3. How about your PC?
Upgraded it an year back? Guess the new rig with the latest graphics card is making your Gaming sessions awesome.
4. And have you shifted your home recently?
Ha. You shifted to a bigger new home an year back. Awesome!
5. I see you also changed to a better Job recently.
From your Phone app to your Job, we keep upgrading things for good.
How about other Technologies?
1. Train – We were riding Coal engine trains centuries back and now upgraded to Bullet trains. Some parts of the Globe even started running Maglev trains?!. That’s sooo cool.
2. Clock – From medieval age Hourglasses to now Apple Watch
3. Phone – From Ancient dialer phones to our current Smart phones
4. System – From that old 128 MB RAM, P3 Processor, with which we played Age of Empires to the current 16 GM RAM, Quad core Processor that runs Fallout 4 smoothly.
5. Network – From reading Erotic stories in your WAP browser/GPRS connectivity (good old days) to streaming 4K porn in xvideos these days.
Wow. We have upgraded our technology a hell lot. What about our Social systems?
1. School – From Gurukulam to Schools to Online academies, Udemy
2. Jobs – From 100% pure Slavery systems to White collar jobs.
okay. So it is very clear we keep upgrading things to a better state. Now the prime Question. Title of the post.
When was the last upgrade happened to your Democracy?
Of course we all voted in the last election. But I am not asking about voting in Election and changing parties. But am asking about the system of election, system of ruling itself?
Yup. You got it.. We upgraded from Monarchy to Democracy. Huge thanks to the French revolution happened in 18th century. But wait. Didn’t we do that centuries back, almost at medieval times? when there is no Internet, Computers, not even Telephone?
Looking at current happening across the world, its clearly evident now Democracy 1.0, which is invented centuries back is struggling and not delivering on its promise in 21st century. Corruption grows everywhere. Climate change is killing the Planet.
Yet we keep changing parties in this outdated Democratic system? Not thinking about updating the Democratic system itself.
Hypothetical scenario: A Bullock cart – Democracy
Let’s imagine a Hypothetical scenario to help us understand things better. Look at this Cart image above. But imagine a ‘bigger cart’ which could seat some 20+ people. Also add to ur imagination that one of the tyre is punctured. Say this is the first commute vehicle invented in France in 18th Century, and replicated across the Globe later.
Coming to India, say this is the only commute vehicle to take us from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari. We are all so super used to this cart that we totally forgot about the improving this vehicle. Especially given the following context:
- Not just India, but the whole globe, uses only this cart.
- This cart was initially not given to India. It took great souls like Mk Gandhi, Chandra Bose, Bhagath Singh and 1000 other revolutionaries to give their blood and soul to bring this cart to India.
- And the great person Dr. Ambedkar set the rules on how this Cart will work.
- More than all this, no one told us to question the cart itself. We are always told to elect the person to drive the cart.
- So that is what we always talk about. BJP/Congress, DMK/ADMK, who is the best person to drive the punctured cart?
How this Cart system works?
Say we got 25 commuters in the cart, which has only 20 seating capacity. The driver (politician) gets to drive the cart for next 5 years, once elected. He also gets to chose his favorite bull to help him do the actual pulling (executives – The secretaries, the commissioners, etc.,) Keep in mind the bull is not here to serve the commuters. The bull is here to execute the orders of the driver, which indirectly helps the commuters. Just for clarity, this is how we (the people) setup up the system.
Now let’s look at some conflicting situations:
Extreme weather conditions: Hot sun, Heavy rain
Driving this vehicle with over crowded passengers with the punctured tyres is itself one hell of a job. Now how can we expect the Driver to improve the condition of the cart by putting in shelters to cover us from weather while he is driving it. The maximum support he can realistically do is, provide umbrellas. But mostly to those who can afford it (to Ambanis, Wall marts, etc.,)
Bullocks work for whom?
Let’s say some Commuters (or even most) like to take a left cut. But a small minority of commuters with money like to take a right cut. These small rich minority are the one who are going to help the Driver with his needs during Election times. Also the driver knows the majority people are not serious about anything. Whatever happens, they tend to forget. For 3 months they will get hyped about Delhi girl rape case, Next 3 months, they quarrel on Syria bombing. Next 3 months, they care about Uttarakhand floods and so this is how it goes. They can be easily canvased and to do such mass canvassing, the driver needs media access, which can be bought with money.
Obviously the driver instructs the Bulls to take right to satisfy the rich minority. Now the commuters gets furious, feels cheated and start staging Dharnas, file complaints against the Bulls (the commissioners, secretaries, etc.,) Seriously?! Dharna against a bull asking for Fairness?! The 2 bulls doesn’t even understand any of what the commuters are doing. They will simply follow the orders given by the driver and execute them.
From Jallianwala Bagh to Sterlite (Thoothukudi) the bull will run over and kill anyone who tries to protest by lying down in front of the cart and kill them.
Just for clarity, it is not the bull’s mistake. This is how we setup our System to work. Remember?
The Architectural problem needs a Architectural Solution. Not people solution!
Rather than trying to vote for different Drivers every 5 years and wishing some *magical* fairness to happen, I think it’s high time we start think about upgrading our Systems, upgrading our Cart.
We need an ‘Henry Ford / Wright brothers’ for Democracy, to take us from Carts to Automobiles / Flights.
Because no matter who the Driver is (could be Arvind Kejriwal, MK Gandhi, Batman, Superman, Allah, Jesus, Krishna) it’s not possible to give a pleasant, fair experience with the current system.
From 18th century to 21st century, we invented a lot and learned a hell more lot about ourselves. I am not here to present future vision of what Democracy 2.0 should look like. That’s way beyond my capabilities. But I think we all should start thinking in that direction, rather than spending our time, energy in voting for right candidate and expecting some ‘unrealistic magic’ to happen.
But here are few things fundamental principles over which we should build our new updates. I arrived by applying first principle thinking everywhere, mainly to Human Psychology.
- We are a Survival of the fittest (Selfish) species.
- Let’s not argue here, Let’s not put our wishes, ambitions here. We understood million years of evolution. Let’s accept it now. I spent good years of my life, being in this fallacy. Even now, my mind isn’t fully adapted to this hard cold fact.
- How Earth is having Gravity, Humans (or any life forms) will be selfish. You might not like it, You might wish otherwise; But u can’t change gravity. You can change our fundamental psychology.
- So have system with proper checks and balances that even if the most selfish person on the planet is elected to be driver, that damage will be super minimal and we should be able to quickly vote out him or do something about it.
- Power corrupts, Absolute power corrupts absolutely
- Need for Decentralization, Need for Dis-intermediation (Not just the crypto thing. But am referring to decentralization of many things, starting with Governments, maybe)
- Decentralize highly concentrated powers anywhere. Not by legal means, but by architectural means.
And If anyone is still interested to know whom I am voting for. It goes to Makkal Needhi Maiam / Torch light.
