In Times of Despair

“If the field does not provide food for the peasant, then burn every stack of wheat from that field” (Allama Iqbal). 

When everything has become political, there is always a huge gap between a majority and the minorities where the latter is more often than not, if not always, oppressed by the former. This has always been the case since time immemorial; the world history proves this with regards to the beginning of political thought and social formations which formed civilizations across lands. From the Eurocentric view of political economy to the modern perspective of the world order, the greed for power in the form of wealth and through politics is greatly sought and lived by people of today and especially of the past. Such ideology for power and domination has caused an immense conflict from people with different dogma, such that of the historically, culturally, and politically marginalized sectors of society.

In the context of the Philippines, just like other colonized states, the people have struggled to decolonize the nation’s identity. Being dominated by capitalism, the political left has challenged the system through opposition and dissent that made history and formed the society we apparently have. For instance, the Philippines and India share significant political and economic features. Having colonized by imperialist states, their citizens have been oppressed by their government – from an unjust system that keeps the underprivileged away from societal progress to blatant obstruction of human rights of the powerless. The agricultural sector – the farmers, the small-business enterprises, the indigenous people, and the poorest of the poor have long sought for equality in a sense that regards them as parts of the society they thought would help them or at least respect them (If the Field Cannot Feed the Farmer, then Burn the Field: The Thirty-Ninth Newsletter (2018)). However, with the disposition of the state as a capitalist, the government does not deliver its prime duty which is to serve and protect the people especially those who greatly need service and protection. Unfortunately, the government does otherwise as it keeps targeting people of different ideologies – the indigenous and the opposition for example, with tyrannical moves that absolutely harm them, their lives, and their culture and identity as well.

            Take the Lumad situation in Mindanao for example; the indigenous people of the south have been displaced, maltreated, and even killed to extinction. Aside from the Lumads, other indigenous people (IP), more commonly in Mindanao, have also experienced similar displacement and violence by state forces. The military has disguised such movement as counterinsurgency but the context can be interpreted as the government political way to bring in logging and mining companies to extract resources from the areas where the IPs historically reside. Such intent can be attributed to the capitalist’s notion of accumulation through low labor cost, or none at all, and possession of resources, regardless of the means through exploitation, for profitable use. This thirst for profit accumulation through land possession sacrifices human lives. It oppresses the marginalized sectors who are evidently powerless. Their culture and identity are bound to be eliminated for the economic progress of the state (Alamon).

Despite the conflict of interests, people have taken a blind eye to these realities since the privileged sectors are not affected by such repression and actually benefit from it. It does not trigger a critical discussion by the public at large and only remains in the vicinity of the academe and a very few thinking people. The media could have been a great tool for discussion, but the major and mainstream are controlled by the elite, by the powerful, and by the capitalist. What gives? Although social media has been utilized for public information, there is a lot of work to do in order to deliver true change and to address societal concerns that the state apparently fails to attend. The assaults on the livelihood and lives of the national minorities should catch the attention of the nation but the nation remains apathetic and apolitical. Such idleness can be attributed to a system of hierarchal power, a personal interest fueled by monetary ambitions without the regard of others, societal and cultural faultiness in instilling values and ideologies.

The money makes the world go round, doesn’t it? The market place is overwhelmed by the prevailing notions of capitalism. As long as people subscribe to such creed, we will never realize the importance of establishing self-identity in both micro and macro scale. Indeed, a political will is powerful, but such will that is inclined to the status quo does not yield any significant change. The descent of the intellectual thought in history, culture, politics, and economy are deliberated by those in power since education nowadays is a privilege and not a right anymore. Only if there are more educational institutions which are nonsectarian and free from outside interventions and are accessible to the public in concern, then we will learn from history. The project of decolonization would not be a subject of disaccustomed thinking because it actually promotes self-identity and formation of a society built on the genuine roots of its ancestry. Understanding eurocentrism as pervasive should not be alienating anymore as it is indeed deemed true in historical considerations. One cannot have a monopoly of power, wealth, and knowledge. A great percentage of the world population is still poor. Humanity has failed its essence when it suffers from inequality.

References

Alamon, Arnold P. Wars of Extinction: The Lumad Killings in Mindanao, Philippines. March 2017. 1 December 2018. <https://kyotoreview.org/issue-21/lumad-killings-philippines/>.

If the Field Cannot Feed the Farmer, then Burn the Field: The Thirty-Ninth Newsletter (2018). 23 November 2018. 1 December 2018. <https://www.thetricontinental.org/newsletterissue/if-the-field-cannot-feed-the-farmer-then-burn-the-field-the-thirty-ninth-newsletter-2018/>.

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Final Reflection paper (Prompts: A discussion on the Lumad situation in Mindanao, Discussions related to the Martial Law anniversary, Forum on Imperialism and the National situation on Venezuela, Why is the despair of atomization not a big topic for discussion when it affects people on a grand scale? What are the ways in which the higher learn- ing institutions like the University keeps learners away from thinking through and shaping their aspirations along the lines of resolving “assaults on their livelihood and lives?” Why, in your view, is this whole essay (see link above), the project of decolonization and the pervasiveness of Eurocentrism are elements of disaccustomed thinking? Is there anything that can be done to help the descent of intellectual thought to a mere conduit of market forces?

SOC SCIE 2 (Social, Economic, and Political Thought)
2 December 2018

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