First Think then Pursue

The Bard of Bengal was deeply patriotic, rooted in humanity and moral responsibility—not in aggressive nationalism or blind loyalty to the state. History has suggested that Tagore was critical of aggressive nationalism, as it led to xenophobia. Tagore religiously believed that India’s true potential lies in diversity, and that fierce nationalism may become hostile towards welcoming incoming cultures, threatening the unified diversity of the nation. He fearlessly let his thoughts flow, entertaining their persuasion and consequences—generating the phenomena that truly depict that certain rare thoughts can be and should be entertained before being accepted.

So today, in this essay, we shall think critically about the birth of a thought, its mandatory analysis, method of persuasion, and the outcomes that one desires from it.

To be able to think is the mother of the process. Rejecting mass opinion and then coming towards a fairly developed conclusion is the first target to be achieved in the whole process. Din-i-Ilahi was a social-religious step taken by the great Mughal emperor Akbar in order to promote a secular environment among the people he ruled over. Din-i-Ilahi consisted of the religious teachings common in all major faiths. Thus, this promoted brotherhood among different communities, strengthening Akbar’s reign. This suggests that the process of thinking, analysing, persuasion, and outcome of a thought can lead to changes in favour of the masses. Akbar saw the potential in his ideas and pursued them in such a way that the results strengthened ages to come for his empire.

Every idea can have infinite outcomes, but it is called courage to be able to fearlessly trace the course of it. And for that, it is necessary to leave behind the fear of normality and conformity, and let your fear turn into the zeitgeist of your time. For instance, if you look upon the life story of Walt Disney, it’s quite captivating. The man who had potential since his childhood was fired from his job because he "lacked imagination"—according to his editor. Later, Disney got bankrupt due to the failure of his company, the Laugh-O-Gram Studio. But to him, ending was never an option. He entertained the idea of cartoonist creativity , not knowing whether to accept or reject it. With only $40 in his suitcase, he went to Hollywood and created the cartoon sensation of Mickey Mouse.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Indeed, courage is absolutely necessary, but courage combined with discipline and dedication is another important pillar that leads to the successful entertainment of an idea, its qualification for acceptance—or its rightful rejection.

Dedication and decision lead to evolution and welfare, and this can be easily understood by the life story of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He was not only courageous, but also dedicated to his idea of upliftment, equality, and welfare. He was disciplined in his mission. The architect of the Indian Constitution did not belong to an upper-class family. Rather, he was born into a community that, in those times, was a victim of a superstitious-minded society but the blind practices of society did not stop Ambedkar from seeking education, and later declaring education as a right that every Indian should have—regardless of where they come from.

Education and discipline open doors to power. “All men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Abraham Lincoln grew up in poverty with very little formal education. He entered US politics and spoke in favour of freedom, equality, and democracy. He was highly critical of slavery and, in 1863, issued a declaration regarding the freedom of slaves. Certain moments like these from the life of the greatest US President show us a clear picture of how power can be an absolutely necessary tool in shaping the outcome of an entertained idea—and those who are affected by it.

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

And to be responsible with that responsibility defines the true virtue of a man.Every idea cannot have a positive outlook. Some are there to dominate, criticise, silence voices, and censor truth—leading to the unwrapping of the degraded nature of an individual. A testimony for this is found in the years of the French Revolution. France, under Robespierre’s jacobins silenced moderates making them see harsh times but a woman spoke for her rights, spoke for the rights of all French women who were deprived of equal treatment and were treated as mere housemaids. Olympe de Gouges, a revolutionary writer and activist, was seen by the radicals as threatening. She was captured and finally executed in 1793. But her execution made her eternal, and her writings live on in the philosophy of upcoming revolutions. Hence, silencing responsible ideas is an act of governance that leads to the corruption of truth and the acceptance of propaganda—creating a dystopian environment where war and destruction are labelled as peace and salvation.

Reflecting upon the current situation of the 21st century, we are packed under the ideas of artificial intelligence gaining legal prominence, genetic modification of unborn fetuses, expanding the gender spectrum, etc. Though still working upon these ideas—we, as a human civilisation, still aren’t fully aware of what the future holds. And as time has always depicted, only the future knows the consequences of such ideas. But what humanity can do is to think and analyse, for the evaluation of the result. Only then will we move forward.

“You cannot cross the river by merely standing and staring at the water”

Tagore emphasised that man must be morally and virtuously strong—because these traits lay the foundation of a strong society where the idea of a dystopian culture is only fiction, and the principles of that society are based on thinking, entertaining, and accepting what is good in the name of humanism.