Writings @ Ankur Mutreja by Ankur Mutreja - HTML preview

Chapter 4.1.5: Every Individual Is a Sovereign and Privacy His Kingdom

I hate the concept of sovereignty because it subjugates many to the power and authority of a few. Earlier, there used to be just one sovereign, i.e. the King, but now there are many represented by the politicians. Each and every person in this new world wants to be a sovereign and wants to somehow control the private lives of the others, whether by being a mentor, a boss, a leader, or whatever else. A mentor wants to peep into the private life of his mentee in the name of training the mentee; a boss wants to peep into the private lives of his staff in the name of maintaining job efficiency; and a leader wants to peep into the private lives of the masses in the name of maintaining social order and giving direction. But, all of them do it without any authority in a self-acclaimed manner.

Who gave the authority to a mentor to decide the friends his apprentice makes or the books his apprentice reads or the movies his apprentice watches? and, why and what for? Don’t give me the BS that the mentors are extremely responsible individuals dedicated to the task of nurturing others without any self benefit, and that such mentors are also present in large numbers (almost every second person wants to be a mentor). Until and unless the mentor certifies that you are well-trained to take on the world individually, you dare not think of independent existence. So, a little slavery at this juncture will ensure you the so-called “freedom” later on. Isn’t it a cool choice to make! So what if certain nights are spent in the private den of your mentor! This way, at least your most secretive personal experiences remain private to you and your mentor, of course.

“The boss is always right” not because he has more experience and is better qualified but because he controls your private life. Dare not tell him that he is wrong, else he will make your life miserable. He will throw you out of the job, make a bad appraisal report and diffuse it in the industry so that you may not get any job anywhere and, hence, will deprive you of your ability to earn your bread; i.e., he will deprive you of one of your physiological needs. So, let him peep into your computer, let him install cameras in your bedrooms, let him enter your house at odd hours (or give you a call on your mobile) and direct compliance with his orders. Oh yes, this is surely infringement of your privacy. But, wtf privacy! It is not even a well recognized human right!

The leader is the most annoying of all, and now they permeate the society in large numbers and are present almost every where. Whether be it a housing society or a professional body, everybody has a leader. And the leader, with the growing advances in technology, can now actually see and hear you at all possible times. He will get a budge from one of his dedicated followers (read slaves), the moment you make a move (literally); i.e., he will even know the time you woke up from your sleep, what you had in dinner, what shoes you wore while jogging and what color you like the most. He will know everything especially if you are a celebrity. A leader appears in many forms: he can be a spiritual/religious leader, a political leader, a social leader, a team leader, or even a family head. He is the most corrupt and has misappropriated the highest control over your life. He, of course, is helped by his faithful servants, who appear in many forms like the police, the scientists, the lawyers, the accountants, etc. Don’t even think of fighting for privacy against him because then he will ensure that you live in jail thereafter sans privacy, of course.

Coming back to my dislike for a sovereign, I dislike him because he uses authority over others. What if he is ceased of all his authority? This can happen only if he doesn’t get to know anything about you which you don’t wish to disclose to him. Or, in other words, your private life, which you decide what is private, remains private. This thought is utopian, but this is the only option for ensuring individual respect and dignity. And, the individuals will have to learn to respect and protect their own privacy and fight the infringement of their privacy as a sovereign would do to protect his kingdom. The knowledge and the use of brain are the only tools with which an individual can protect and secure his privacy, or, in other words, his kingdom. Nobody recognizes a sovereign easily, at least not till the time the other sovereigns find it convenient, in their own self interests, to do so. Therefore, all those individuals who want to protect there privacy will have to fight other sovereigns/proxy sovereigns and learn that “Every Individual is a Sovereign and Privacy his Kingdom.” ©2009-2015 Ankur Mutreja