Did slavery end with the end of colonialism?

 

A few days ago, I studied a concept, in my Sociology book, known as Postcolonialism.

Postcolonialism is the study of the legacy of colonialism and imperialism and their continuing effects on less developed countries today.

Upon reflecting upon it-and I did think about it significantly- I realized that there was more than just marked territories that colonization had bequeathed to us. In fact, territories, and land wasn’t the West's primary motive anyway. Neither were silk and spices, as one may argue in the case of India. West only had one goal and that is best described in their own words:

“I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen person who is a beggar, who is a thief such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and therefore I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”

Lord Macaulay’s address to the British parliament on 2^nd Feb 1835

Now there are arguments which claim that this piece of speech is merely made up and lacks validity. However, if we see our current position, each of us will admit that our situation is indeed the one described above. Also, there are evidences present which show that even if these words do not belong to Thomas Babington Macaulay, he was still known for his dream to enlighten everyone with European knowledge which he thought of very highly.

So, whoever made it up (If not for Thomas Babington Macaulay) squarely displays a clear understanding of the reason behind why India was a colony, that didn’t need any interference by the British for its progress. He/she was clever enough to cue Indians that their values were the real target and everything else-land, cotton, wealth- was just a bi-product of a well-disguised conspiracy. But India was, probably, already in its best-possible form and a formal British attire wasn’t enough to appeal them into slavery. This made dominance for the West difficult since their future slaves didn’t think highly of them. Thus, it decided to dismantle its value system.

What I would today argue is the process through which this happened and how 1947 wasn’t our emancipation from political slavery but an attempt to shackle our real autonomy, which in fact, happened to be the exacerbated version of what we had faced earlier.

West entrapped us in its awe. One way or the other, we perceive it to have a supremacy, and believe that it really has gotten the solution to all our problems. But this undeserved supremacy is merely based on superficial reasoning. If we reflect, we can easily conclude that West has only found solutions for problems that it has authored itself. Meaning, it has treated, less ,the already available predicaments and catered more to the ones it encountered while controlling and modifying the nature. Even more ironic is the fact that these solutions continue to give rise to more problems. And the cycle goes on.

Let us consider the example of medical advancement. Every new technology or bio-medical treatment that West announces adds to the popularity of its medical advancement, such as Vitamin D pills, which are known to be the most effective way to restore vitamin D levels. However, nobody questions that, why do we suddenly need them? It was probably due to the introduction of air-condition and television (by the West itself) that forced us to stay indoors and be deprived of natural sources (sun, for e.g.) of Vitamin D or the consumption of processed foods that cause it to deplete. Similarly, we aren’t even aware what side effects these pills might bring along for which West will find another management gimmick and fool everybody with its progress.

Added more to the list, to what we all extend extravagant praise (Wahan to koi road pe kachra bhi nahin phenkta), is the West’s idea of waste management. Which is again our exaggerated admiration for a solution it has provided us in return to the millions of tonnes of waste it produces every year. If it can manage floods and natural calamities well, its contributing tenfold to their occurrences too. No different is the idea of its welfare government. Which is solely the outcome of their so-called sincere and dedicated law and order system which hoard resources through exploiting the underdeveloped countries. After all, for years it has been colonizing major geographical locations and we all know that industrial revolution wouldn’t have been possible with Britain’s resources alone. Would you really be appreciative of a gang running a lucrative business after robbing you off your valuables?

Western governments may be very generous in granting rights to elderly people. They may extend pensions, old age homes, and various facilities. However, if we flatter them for this achievement on the basis of everything that is English and foreign is good, aren’t we supposed to hold them culpable for years of dismantling family systems, obscuring the hierarchy of relationships, reducing societies and families to individuals, urging us to abandon our parents and grandparents for no longer contributing to the finances of family, encouraging people to live alone and isolated from people they are born with or are married to, causing psychological disorders to appear as a result of this, and then feeding us with a lollipop in the name of rights of old people to get distracted?

The more you dive into this, the more you will understand how the entire Western system is well determined to substantiate its goal of a world bowing down to cultural imperialism. Agreeing upon this, we share the blame no less. Thus, instead of wasting time for an alien to arrive and foretell us about the potential consequences of following the West, it would rather be wise to gain some understanding from our past and navigate our way back to the cultural and spiritual heritage of a time when no thieves were caught and no beggars were found.

It’s time we begin to understand that, how for so many years, we have been misinformed and manipulated into believing the delusional managemental supremacy of West. It’s time we return to our value system. The one, where society isn’t reduced to the individual and hence psychological problems aren’t born, in the first place, for a psychiatrist to be needed. The one, where we search our freedom in slavery to our God. A system where we prefer for ourselves duty, commitment and boundaries rather than rights, wealth and, the freedom of an unbridled horse.