THE AUTOCRAT WITHIN

Whimsy. Paranoid. Insensitive. Dumb. Incapable etc. these are some terms we often use for 'people'. But what are 'we'?  We often overlook the autocrat within us. That might sound strange, so let's get to the basics - Who is an autocrat? 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines autocrat as 'a ruler with unlimited power, or someone who demands that people completely obey them'. We constantly judge people, including ourselves from the lens of the society. 'We' in this entire piece of writing largely refers to 'us' as the society, whereas 'WE' is used in the layman sense. External validation is important for human beings. But the question is -What is deemed Valid? Not being too much?

For must of us, that 'Valid' means being able to achieve SUCCESS. Because of this extra importance to validity, we are unprepared to encounter failures, inasmuch as WE tend to lose out self-esteem and tread towards path of depression etc. Also, now this 'we' has many ways it enters into our consciousness through agents of socialization- not one but many, which includes not only people around us, but also the rectangular screens all of us are hooked to most of the times, resulting in an Infodemic. 

As long as the life is going on a smooth track, WE tend to move comfortably. But as soon as the circumstances become challenging, WE are freaked out, not because of the discomfort that follows, but because of the autocratic mindset that tends to attach meanings to each and everything happening around us. 

Everyone is trying to navigate through the Maze. Some find meaning through SUCCESS, others by being the baddy, fighting ' For a cause' or proving themselves to others etcetera etcetera etcetera. We measure everyone by his/her SUCCESS- how many medals, how many accolades etc. Sometimes, even that SUCCESS does not matter, your success is overshadowed by your looks in the eyes of 'We'. Human beings have been reduced to mere machines who are judged by their efficiency, achievements and looks. The humane element has virtually faded away. Even when some heinous crimes occur around us in the global world connected by media, we are quick enough to monetize the same through hashtags and campaigns, showing us to be fighting for a cause.

We are in this constant struggle for proving ourselves to this 'We', that we tend to forget the basic human ME. ''We'' does not value a being for his/her qualities- kindness, creativity, empathy, hardwork, sincerity etc, but for conforming to the ideals of that autocratic 'We'. Not that this 'We' does not include me or you or someone else, it includes all of us, whenever WE judge someone for being too much. 

The intent of this piece of writing is not to present a gloomy picture of the society around us, but focusing on some points WE often overlook in our daily attitudes and recognising that the lens with which we see the world needs to be changed. Changing 'WE' might eventually change 'We'.