Geethanjana Kudaligamage

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Rajapakse, regional politics, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Eurocentric DevelopmentalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and the western hegemony

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Inferiority vs. superiority complexes, the underside of us vs. them

Like many other diseases, the origin of this modern ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-killer disease,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of inferiority-complex is also first originated in Caucasian mind. I think the readers who already have visited the link ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The semantic slippage of the concept of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-EuropeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  must be aware of the fact that how Europe, due to the inferiority of their own history, projected its history into the past constructing a narration of a false history with Greek connection which really did not belonged to the actual historical geopolitical entity of Europe.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Why Caucasian man still needs to remind us of his superiority and our inferiority very often? This is a question that many scholars have asked. IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t he sure about himself even after five hundred years of his occupation in this said project? Why philosophers like Kant and Hegel taking lot of effort to prove superiority of European man while blaming the Caucasian ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”otherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”congenital idiocyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ as the cause for their suffering disregarding the fact that they and their people are the real source of the suffering of the lager part of global humanity? Hegel, Kant, even Karl Marx believed this superiority theory, because this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mantraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ was instrumental to maintain an immoral enterprise of colonialism that was the main artery, the lifeline of Europe.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ John Henrik Clarke, of Hunter College of New York, articulating about European inferiority complex saysƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-If they (Europeans) were secure within their alleged superiority they would not have to shout it to the world so often and so loudly. When a people feel called upon to repeatedly announce their superiority to the world, it is suspected that behind all their pretense, they do not believe it as much as they want other people to believe they do. In contrast, if the same people believed in the inferiority of the rest of the world its people and its cultures, they would not spend so much time trying to prove their point. Inferior things normally fall into an inferior position and usually stay there without any help from anybody. All the European laws, lies, manipulation or religion have not kept most of the non-European world in the inferior position the European world have assigned to itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is said that superiority complex is a pathological extension of the inferiority complex, and it might be dangerous and destructive as well. According to Alfred Adler, a prominent modern psychoanalyst, another settler American, has explained, that any form of superiority-complex can be traced back into their origins of various forms of inferiority-complexes. In other words, when we apply this theory to analyze western psychosis, current western superiority complex is just a symptom. Going even further he says that superiority complex must be taken as an attempt to overcome inferiority-complex by way of perfection. Adler answers the problem comprehensively.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Developing AdlerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s concept of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”superiority complex,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ his successors declare that superiority complex includes the attempt of exaggerated opinion of oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s worth and abilities, (like in the case of infamous western philosophy, especially Hegelianism and then their history writing) unrealistically high expectations of oneself and others, (like Caucasian manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s rules of war and peace, good governance, human rights, crimes against humanity etc. prescribed only for others in holier than thou attitude of exhibiting an attitude of superior virtue; self-righteously pious, while not living up to those standards) persistent attempt to correct others, regardless whether or not they are actually correct, (demanding transparency from others while being corrupt to the hilt like Europeans, like demanding war crime investigation in SL, while committing mass murder elsewhere) the tendency to discredit others and their opinions (current western behavior in regard to Sri Lankan affairs, western political, diplomatic and propaganda machinery discrediting SL) over-forcefulness aimed at dominating those who threaten their image of superiority. (Like western attempt to crucify Sri Lankan administration for discarding their global authority at the war, as a result of western manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s historical suffering from ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Eastern NightmareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚)

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However Adler, as a pupil of Sigmund Freud, seemed to have studied Caucasian mind to formulate his theory. Alder and Freud, both being Jews and victims of European/Caucasian anti-Semitism and xenophobia must have studied Caucasian mentality deep enough to uncover their inferiority complex deep seated in the psych of Europe that finally developed into a killer machine world over. However, I do not blame for Caucasian for their current pathetic state. I really blame only their ideologues and historians, because they are the first victims of their ideology.

Please read this link The world dialogue between philosophical traditionsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In regard to RhsuperflyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ s statement thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-had the Chinese or Japanese developed centuries before Europe, things would be quite different todayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ is completely a denial of historical facts; because China was developed centuries before Europe, although it never was driven to build a global empire. In 1421 an armada of Chinese ships sailed west up to Africa and another to the east to Americas. And even Chinese fleet had sailed to Italy in 1434 and believed to be the cause that ignited Renaissance in Italy. Among many scholarly researches, ancient Chinese navel power has been discussed in two books, 1421 and 1434 by Gavin Menzies. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Rhsuperfly thinks that west possesses something we do not. And also he thinks that west developed into current status of development due to its internal superiority. Therefore we have an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ethical obligationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to be educated by Europeans. But I do not believe this narration. Instead, I believe Europe was developed solely due to colonialism, as the center of a world system in which all citizens of the European empire participated in this development. Read this links to get some examples of behind the scene contribution of European ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”othersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in constructing so-called greatness of Great Britain, reed about Zoroastrian ship builders in India (link) Bombay Dockyard and Who built HMS Trincomalee?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ European development was a result, or as Dussel put it, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the fruitƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of colonialism. That is a result of its sudden accumulation of enormous quantities of wealth from colonies. Any race will be developed when they receive unending riches from outside without going through accepted function of competitive global trade, putting hard labor in it. But Europe diverted their maximum labor power into violence so they could annihilate populations from distant lands then to cultivate them with using free labor of slavery of Africa for 400 years that provided Europe with definitive advantage over Asia. Europe can perpetuate their superiority myth to uprooted people in Colombo, but not to others who knows the history of the world.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the book, A history of the modern world, by R.R. Palmer and Joel Colton state thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Europeans were by no means the pioneers of human civilization. (Although snobbishly Europeans trying to force the idea through our throats [writer]) Half of manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s recorded history had passed before anyone in Europe could read or write, whereas priests of Egypt began to keep written records between 4000 and 3000 B.C., but more than two thousand years later the poems of Homer were still being circulated in the Greek city-states by word of mouth. Shortly after 3000 B.C., while the Pharaohs were building the first pyramids, Europeans were creating nothing more distinguished than huge garbage heaps. Ironically, like the pyramids, they still endure and are known to archaeologists as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-kitchen middens.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ At the time when the Babylonian king (present-day Iraq [writer]) Hammurabi, about 2000 B.C., caused laws of a complex society to be carved on stone, the most advanced Europeans were people like the Swiss lake dwellers, simple agriculturists who lived in shelters built over the water the water to protect themselves from beast and men. In a word until after 2000 B.C. Europe was in Neolithic or New Stone Age. This was in truth a great age in manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s history, the age in which men learned to make and use sharp tools, weave cloth, build living quarters, domesticate animals, plant seeds, harvest crops, and sense the returning cycle of the months and years. But the near east- Egypt, the Euphrates and Tigris valley, the island of Crete and the shores of the Aegean Sea (which belonged more to Asia than to Europe) had reached and passed the Neolithic two thousand years before the Europe.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  As learned westerners, the writers of this book must have said this not to belittle the west, but in reaction, ashamed by the overwhelming boasting of the west over their civilizational claim.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But after 1492, ColumbusƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s criminal adventure, the backward man in Europe has began to call the Asian as less evolved, less civilized, and the Africans as barbaric, Arabs as uncivilized etc. Ardently we have bought their idea. Now we think we are inferior before they point it out to us. Their philosophers philosophized their flawed theory, and historians wrote cooked up stories glorifying European manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s extraordinary intelligence, and we became the fools of all fools to buy this, because we do not know our own history, let along their history. I know some highly educated people with post graduate degrees in science, who do not believe that Sri Lankans used iron nails for their constructions in ancient times. One of these pseudo intellectuals came to argue with me one night. I treated him with a good meal, so the man left the party even without eating.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That is the kind of crippled knowledge colonial science education has given to our people. These scientists are blind worshipers of the west. Now it must be clear why our education systems sidelining history programs in schools and universities. Pedagogical traditions of Lanka never segregated science from arts or ideology to create impotent and cripple intellectuals. This above said impotent scientist of boxed mentality with crippled world vision or no vision is just a paid laborer serving the rigid processes of modern production. He is blindly fulfilling his role defined by labor specialization of the capitalist market economy. He is not a man of vision. For that reason, Lankan ancient engineers who built marvelous reservoirs and cities, were thousand times superior engineers than the said scientist, and were sensitive to the meaning of being human and his natural environment. They were philosophers by themselves.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ European history, knowledge and their ideology portraying their superiority have no substance as they claim. But there are so many things we can learn from them and we must, without being subservient. Among the things to learn, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-what we must never doƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ part is also something that we must learn from Europe. We in the Asia are the true pioneers of civilization. We must be confident of ourselves, our talents, our creativities and capabilities. And we must be open-minded to learn necessary technologies as needed without being compliant.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Conflicting realities and contradicting claims

As we discussed, our notions about European development is completely false, in regard to policy planning, European experience is also irrelevant to us. The case of third world development on the other hand is a completely a different case, because our issues are completely different to that of Europe. In fact, our difficulties are actually making of Europe to say the least. Due to the impassability of the limitation of natural resources of the planet, Europe already has been distressed by Chinese and Indian presence in the global competition for resources. Currently 80% of world resources have been consumed by only 20% of world population of the west, including Japan. If this 20% along have become responsible for such a depletion of resources and environmental catastrophe, how if the rest of 80% of the world humanity of poor countries are also be developed up to the consuming standards of Europe? This simple calculation alters the thesis of third world development and turns the entire realm of existing third world development ideology up side down. Under this trajectory of paradoxical interests of development between global north and the south, the western approach to development of the third world becomes complete fraudulent affair.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For practical reasons, west cannot let the third world to achieve development. On the other hand, Transnational Capital centered in the west needs continue to uphold a periphery of poor populations for the valorization of labor and resource value at low level, and maintain an unindustrialized periphery to preserve a market for their industrial products. Within this interlocking system, all we can expect from west is creating more free trade zones in the third world, in the name of development for the continuity of their production at low wages eventually to supply into markets in the west. Under this circumstance, if third world is really serious of meaningful development, they have only one path. That is the independent path out of WB, IMF dictates. We cannot put all our eggs into WB/IMF basket. Instead we need to have independent body taking decisive turns in the direction of development outside western dictates. Would anyone expect Europe to be spectators of such a situation where third world getting independent from Europe and rapidly marching toward development, which eventually undermines the status quo, and will threaten their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-way of lifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? No Europe will never be silent and definitely will intervene. That is the reason they already have positioned their social and political devices in the third world like NGOs and so called civil society.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That is why I say that our development is not solely an economical issue, but largely a military one, because Europe definitely will find reasons to intervene militarily and put things back in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”order.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ That is the reason why west is extremely paranoid if any country in the global south developing a nuclear weapon. Please read the article of the following link to know ugly western politics in the third world.

Rwandan genocide ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Third world development is a warfare

The disturbing realities in the third world after the collapse of Berlin wall in 1989 and the advent of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-new world orderƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ immediately after that, accompanied by its unparallel brutality of neo liberal global economic warfare of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Free Market FundamentalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ coupled with its lavish offers of lucrative sweet heart deals i.e. buying off bureaucrats holding powerful positions in policy planning circles in third world and creating NGOs/civil society for institutionalizing and restoration of class power in the peripheral world (by enthroning colonial ruling classes in former colonies) through global networking, demands some serious explanation. Above all, the monolithic economic and cultural subjugation of globalization aimed at subduing the entire global humanity under very few powerful elements of the world stresses a philosophical explanation on many miseries of the peripheral humanity today more pressing than ever before.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Today, when questioned about the disastrous effects of the current version of globalization and related development policies recommended by IMF and WB, third world experts tend to give us a mimic answer. For them, under the prevailing global economical and political realities, there is no any other alternative for economic development other than total submission to the neo-liberal dictates of global capital promoted by global financial institutions such as World Bank and International Monetary Fund, no matter how far they will bring devastating effects upon local populations. If thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s so, the obvious question to ask is if third world needs experts within this option-less situation. Do we need experts to recommend us ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”suicideƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ as the only strategy to get out of our problems? If that is the only answer they have, then why we need experts? We donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t need experts do we? When there are enough reasons to prove that third world development is a suicidal affair for the west, why must we depend on west on our development?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Let me bring an analogy; let us take a situation in which, one hundred people living in a given geographical space. And say their only source of nourishment is an apple tree (nature) that can produce only one hundred apples. (Limitations of nature) But a powerful group of twenty (global north) out of this hundred people grabs eighty apples for their consumption and forces the rest of the 80 (global south) to live with 20 apples. Then they declare that the reason why majority (80) of the group has to survive with twenty apples is mainly due to their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”congenital idiocyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ if I borrow the term, or as Immanuel Kant says, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”culpable immaturityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that has prevented progress for consuming more apples (development) by above said 80 people. (This has been explained) Although, the apple tree can produce only 100 apples maximum, still the rest of the 80 including Sri Lanka tend to believe that the powerful 20 people working hard to help them to consume equal amount of apples that were consumed by powerful twenty. Since the powerful 20 are not ready to reduce their bizarre consumption of 80 apples, which amounts to 4 for each, in order to raise the rest of the 80 peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s consumption up to such standard, they need 400 apples. But the tree can produce only one hundred apples. (Impassable limitation of the nature) Who is lying here? Is this a success story of the lie or the failure of the stupidity?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If poor nations are coming out of poverty through development, they will raise their margins of consumption demanding more world resources. When they demand more resources, since the apple tree can hardly bear only one hundred apples, the west especially Europe, for not having their own resources, will be left with only two options. Either they will have to reduce their consumption to a realistic limit to accommodate developing nations, or use force to rearrange the world again and again to keep their disproportionate share unchanged. Earlier, this happened twice in WWI and WWII, and there is no guarantee of happening this for the third time. The reason is because; this current global competition of resources is the kind of occasion where the nukes get their highest currency looking for justification of their application. The west will roam around the third world in search for unfounded WMDs, human rights violations, ethnic conflicts, despotic regimes, failed states, and corrupt regimes and so on. NGOs and INGOs will create the ground situation and supply moral legitimacy for such interventions and the western media will break the ice for the western infantrymen to pull the trigger with ease, and their philosophy and religion have given the license any way, without having second thought. Then they will tell us that they established democracy after killing one million of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”culpably ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-immatureƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (Kant) two legged animals.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ The existing order is what they call democracy.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This will prove the hollowness of the rhetoric of the west towards development of the third world. When the facts are so obvious to prove that the prevalence of the existing poverty is a prerequisite (a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢) to maintain the current disparity of distribution of resources between global north and the south, believing western rhetoric of third world development is of course amount to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”congenital idiocyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the rest. West has been left without options as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”containmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is the only logical option remaining for them to prevent third world achieving progress, as this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”containmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is the only way for their survival. In other words, it is an impassable, interlocking situation in which the success of the west has been tightly intertwined and depended on the failure of the rest. However, an action plan that devised for the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”negation of the negationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of facts must be central in the philosophy of our liberation. It must be devised to negate the negation of hard facts by the west and their local agents, and establishing our right to negate and decisively resist the western insistence demanding our ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ethical obligationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ for their dictates on our development. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As Dussel argues, if European development was the ultimate causality of the dialectical relationship with non-European world, today, Sri Lankan struggle to progress is also located within a dialectical relationship- but this time with the European antagonist working hard to derail our effort to true progress and divert it into an abyss of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”globalizationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ or to the confinement into mere ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-consumerist citizenryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of the so-called global village ruled by the Transnational CorporationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ regimes through the scheme and structures created by financial agencies like IMF and WB in third world.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I think it might be wiser if our president decides to place nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s economic development policy planning under a national commission of wider participation of the nation, where all sensitivities will be addressed, and heard. Such body must remain under his command as the president and the minister of finance. Policy planning of a nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s economic future would be too bigger a task for few individuals to handle. A commission in this caliber can represent all vital sectors of our economy and the society. Such policy will befit to Mahinda Chintanaya as well. I hope our president would think of this proposal seriously.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Modern man, the victim of Frankenstein monster he created

The spiritually impaired, incomplete western manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s savagery that has been justified by modern ideology mixed up with its immoral theology can be found among those who have got confused with modern techno-centricity with that of the individual development. That is why science degree along cannot create a good human being. Creativity is a developed state of the mind. Technology also a product of human mind and eventually becomes a tool and a slave of man that excels the potentials of man, but shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be other way around.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, although even in European philosophy, development is considered as an affair related to the development of human mind and spirit, when modernism was exported with its flawed concept of development to the third world or to European colonies, its very essential human element was misplaced. To say, the concept of freedom was rearticulated to fit into the colonial setting and its power apparatus in the colonies. Freedom had been reconditioned to match the colonial oligarchic power relations in the colony.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  As a result, we were forced to assume development as something strictly related all along with economics but nothing to do with the freedom that enhances manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s creativity. Thus manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s creative powers have been deformed due to myriad of reason including lack of freedom, market fluctuations, profit margins, productivity, social limitations, bureaucratic barricades, and servile pedagogical traditions that glorifies science without ideology.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Then the man coming out of our science faculties in third world are lacking vision to use their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”know howƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to do things. They know ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”howƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ part of knowledge, but they do not know ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”whatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ part. For that reason, they always were being kept dependent to western initiatives to address ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”whatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ part. In other words, our scientist do what west wants us to do. Economists of third world are no different. They are hesitant to take over the rains, instead, they consult western financial organizations to know about ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”whatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ part of the development.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Consequently our education systems were also designed to glorify western science (the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ReasonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢) and their commerce, giving the false notion that Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, Comparative Literature, philosophy and theory including religion as areas suitable for less intelligent ones, for the socially leftover layers, and branded as nonproductive areas situated in the cosmetics of culture (because culture also considered as just cosmetics of civilization), that have nothing to do with progress, or if not, least progressive. Although architecture was a part of fine arts throughout the human history, in Sri Lanka this area was taken away from arts and affiliated it with science, housing it at Moratuwa University. Thus our education system began to create an intellectual deformity, ideological estrangement where larger part of our intelligentsia was lacking the essential understanding of humanity and its environment, the culture, the nature. That created many scientists, engineers, doctors, and economist without a vision, becoming mere technicians, trained-laborers with no clue of the relationship of their work with their culture, politics, history and ideology.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Every civilization has been fundamentally based on a solid ideological foundation. In other words, civilization means the physical form of manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ideology. This along tells that headless scientist can do nothing without ideology. That is the reason why cultural outlook from one culture to the other is different, because these two cultures based on different thinking processes. Just think of a situation of a scientist or an architect without having solid ideological foundation. Without vision, these professional can become only paid laborers. As an example, a weapon is a tool. When it is in the hands of a visionary, it can bring emancipation for the common good. But when the same weapon in the hands of visionless, it will remain just as a killer device that brings destruction.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What we must learn from the west is not only their technology and skills in administration, but also their mistakes. The reason for their young generation becoming losers is partly due to the absence of substance in their cultural knowledge, hollowness, and lack of vision. We can avoid that mistake. The final and crucial question of our development must be asked from our culture. If our development has nothing to do with culture, then that development has nothing to do with the meaning of human life. Because man is a cultural animal to begin with.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However I still wonder if that idea of Hambantota port was a proposal of our local economists or a farsighted politician. If the idea of Hambantota port project was envisioned by our policy planners, then we hope they wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t drag our economy back into the trap of World Bank and IMF again? No western planners of IMF or World Bank ever suggested us to exploit our ocean resources, commercial advantage of our strategic location, or win the war to develop the country. Instead they prescribed division of the nation as prerequisite to development. And now they are very anxious of our Hambantota port. Disregarding commercial value of our strategic location cannot be considered as strategic slippage of IMF, ADB or WB, but must be a deliberate derailment. This single example reveals us a lot about the true intentions of western planers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Development must be meaningful to human lives

We human always were channeled by our beliefs as we were advancing along the passage of the history. Every historical epoch in that sense is a transition of ideological/philosophical foundations that were guiding us throughout. If we place the term ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”developmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ strictly within the ontological (temporal/spiritual) category, this transition from one point to another is what we call ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”developmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. As members of a Buddhist society, our assumption to material development has been expected to be essentially intertwined with spiritual development. For us, the material development is inevitable when a society advances itself through competitive world like the one we are living in today. Same was the position of the entire eastern philosophy, for which, development is related to the advancement of human mind and that the material advancement goes together with it hand in hand. We never discarded spiritual development as an obstacle to material one. Development deeply grounded upon the condition of manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s freedom (vimukthi); it is the enlightenment in Eastern or in Buddhist sense.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But tragically western development has lost this spiritual part of the development due to its modern ethics, mainly dominated by protestant ethics; then of labor specialization, profit and accumulation. Today in the west, man has been reduced to mere techno centric freak indeed; a techno-centricity needed for labor specialization and increase its concomitant profit. This reductionism that accommodated capital accumulation now have transformed into a deadly monster, an exterminator that annihilate ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ himself from production, replacing him with robots. Today, especially in the west, man has been isolated and removed from his very social interaction. He cannot claim ownership of his creativity. His creativity has been conditioned by myriad of market related conditions and regulations. Man, as the only animal, who can use his excessive ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”creative powersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of his mental and physical labor for production, has now been removed from exercising his creativity from related production. In that sense, he will be much freer in a primitive system of production than in this highly glorified modern means of it. He has been alienated, isolated from his community life. The tension in his social space has been increased while his community life has been tremendously decreased individualizing his entire life activities. Under this condition, his community interaction also has been almost disappeared, if not it has been commoditified for sale.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Western history is going in reverse, are we going to follow them forging ourselves to believe that itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the way forward?

Aging this situation begs our attention to the phenomenon of globalization. These are the forces who demand a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”walbooruƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (wild ass) freedomƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that mutes local cultures of nations replacing those with that of western culture that accommodates the culture of the standardized mass production and mass consumption of the accumulative culture of the west. This accumulative consumerist culture of the west is currently gradually conditioning and taking away the freedoms of the populations in the west that they gained through bloody mass movements of modern revolutions. The ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”thingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ these men fought for believing that it was the device of their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”freedomƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ has turned out to be something else, and has become a monster victimizing them all.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In that sense, with the advent of globalization, I would argue that western history is going backward now, in the reverse, reinventing once defeated feudal suppression in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”neo liberalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ form desiring to achieve total consumption of the entire planetary humanity under the new regimes of TNCƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s globalization. I would call this glorified lifestyle under the regimes of globalization as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Existentialist IndenturizationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of modern consumerist life within the existing conditions of Transnational CorporationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (TNCsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢) standardized and structured living, under its compartmentalization and alienation of human life.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In this mechanism, capitalism gains complete identification of itself with the state in the west, and in its global form of it, it functions under the form of Transnational Corporations, and will be desired to switch its regimes in full force with that of the regime of states in respective lands in the periphery, taking over the rule of geography and their populations through other mechanisms. In the process, international financial institutions like WB, IMF, ADB comes to the forefront to fulfill this agenda, demanding more and more structural adjustments to accommodate the advance of the forces of TNC regimes. This can be considered as the complete opposite, or the negative form of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Declaration of ManƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Rights and FreedomƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of both of the French Revolution and the American Revolution. This situation gives the proper meaning to William MorrisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s expression of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and then it turns out to be not what they meantƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Today, human life has been confined and kept under the control of technocentric robotic mechanisms. Man has been forced to deal with automated systems, and the true human to human contact has been denied to him in many ways; it may be at market place, may be in a conversation about a billing issue or a questioning about his own pathetic situation, still he being denied of having direct human contact. That situation along reveals the pitiless mindset of capital creating this pathetic worthless state of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”godƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in western philosophy, who has become spent force in highly boasted redemptions of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”enlightened DevelopmentalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the west.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now everyone must realize that something is wrong here. Where is the promise of the enlightenment, reformation, freedom, and liberty? Where did they misplace it? When did that flame of the liberty torch being put-off? How can Hegel, Kant, Webber answer this question? If man can be replaced by a mere machine, it means that manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s position has been diluted in a system that man himself created for his redemption and presumed advancement. Can he find answers through his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”reasonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢? This man made system by him, for him, now has condemned him to mere waste with no empathy at all. It has proclaimed that man is not important any longer and can be replaced by a mechanical animation. What a sad situation?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Today man wonders along the passage of history backward as a blind Minotaur without a guiding stick, with the placard hanging in his neck reading ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Not in Use.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ It revels that highly boasted rational power of man of the enlightenment has no substance that capital can appreciate of. Or, man must have been gone through complete deflation in a system under capitalism in which man and his creative powers have become his own killer which depreciates ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”selfƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, the so-called enlightened man into mere trash. I think the liberty flame was decisively put-off at the very moment of the birth of modernity, because modernity was born in the darkness of colonialism. How can one expect meaningful liberty from a colonial criminal, a slave owner who was holding the liberty torch in his right hand and the chains of slavery in the left, at the climax of French revolution?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As Dussel says, the problem, the myth lies at the core of emancipatory concept of modernity. But for me, it is not only embedded there and goes even further. Arresting modern project with its problematic emancipatory concepts by the notorious elements of colonial criminality of Europe at the end of French revolution is also an essential part of the problem. That was the reason for Europe to ideologically justify colonialism and rewrite her history, rewrite her ideology giving a different interpretation to the concept of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ excluding brown, black and yellow men out of the concept of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in their emancipatory ideals. European, philosophy, sciences, history writing and even anthropology began to serve capital.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We are suffering from inferiorityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”complex, yes; yet we never being born inferior, but being made to be inferior. We became inferior before the racially prejudice European eye. We felt inferior, because we tried to perceive the world through the same prejudicial European eye. Therefore our emancipation is not situated in Eurocentrism or in this maelstrom of flawed Eurocentric developmentalist formula that keeps us in this horrible state of inferiority-complex forever. We must take our fate into our hands. We must liberate from mental slavery first. That is the fist giant leap toward our liberation and development.

(Part 16 is concluded) ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚