By Nadeem Zafar
The Lessons to teach - a Note to The Reader
Revolution must not be seen as a means to bring about negative change. It must not be frowned upon, or thought of as something that needs to be forgotten about. On the contrary, change is everything we need to survive. Change is what brings us forward - and it is from change that we learn. And we must learn to better ourselves rather than the opposite. Revolution is the pure embodiment of exactly that.
And with the current situation in Sri Lanka being chaotic, and hectic – it's extremely beneficial to understand why people are revolting, and protesting. It's extremely beneficial to draw the lines between peaceful protests, and violent riots that definitely do more damage than harm. Its extremely beneficial for us to acknowledge the pain of the people, rather than ignore the situation as a whole. Again, knowing to learn from mistakes is the goal of a revolution.
So dear reader – with that in mind, I hope this article will provide a window into the realities of our situation, while getting rid of that stereotype of revolutions being damaging and deadly, more than helpful. Furthermore, let it be food-for-thought, something to think about during these times.
Stay safe.
The Defining Question
If you went around town, hoisting up posters on the wall, shouting; "Rebel and revolt everyone!", you'd get a handful of ugly stares from those around you. The word, "Revolution" has been around since the dawn of man - yet its ubiquity with violence and chaos has deemed it an ugly, and unwanted phrase. Even whilst revolution has brought about our modern-day society, it has been viewed as an action utterly pointless, and destructive. For, why is it necessary to cause utter destruction, in the namesake of peace and prosperity?
Well, the truth is, a revolution is more than just a string of violence that results in short-term change. It's extremely important, in our current time, to understand the weight of revolution, and what revolution can do for the people. Let’s dive into the initial apprehension to revolution we sometimes feel.
Its common affiliation with military coups, dictatorships and totalitarianism has brought about a notion that revolution is purely destructive and damaging. But to understand why people make those connections, and why a revolution would seem so "bad" - for lack of a better word - its context must be taken into account.
The Stereotypes - The Bad
For all too many people, the Russian Revolution of 1917 was the defining event that has shaped the collective perception of the word. The Russian Revolution of 1917, better known as the October Revolution, was the pivotal moment in which the socialist Bolsheviks seized power from the Provisional Government after the fall of the royalist Tsar. Centuries of torment, and strife amongst the mainly middle- and lower-class Russians under the Tsar eventually culminated in the perfect breeding ground for left-wing ideas. The Bolsheviks, forefathers to the present-Russia, Soviet Union seized power for themselves after successive failures by the governments to address a whole host of issues.
Ironically enough, the October Revolution was rather peaceful - as no opposition to the revolution ever took place. Rather, it is the outcome of the revolution that gave birth to this affiliation of destruction. The Soviet Union, a socialist force that gripped Eastern Europe until 1991, a force that propelled wars in Korea, Afghanistan, Greece, (to name a few), a force that brought together socialist nations around the world, and a force that nearly brought the world into a nuclear war during heightened period of tensions with the US, aka the Cold War.
The attribution of revolution giving way to dictatorial police states that think nothing of but war, formed this modern-day notion that revolution is "bad". Hitler's "Beer Hall Putsch", Mussolini's "March on Rome", Castro's "Cuban Revolution", Mao's "Cultural Revolution", the list is endless. In fact, every single nation in the entire world including Sri Lanka has undergone some form of revolution that toppled a government. - The Good
Yes, if you take things into a pessimistic point of view - all revolutions end up in arousing chaos and disaster. But if you look at the revolutions that have brought about world peace - then it may not seem as if revolution is all but positive.
One such revolution is the American Revolution. A period of uprisings, and rebellions by American colonists against their British rulers. Battles upon battles, the Americans eventually rid their mainland of the British - establishing the United States of America through the Declaration of Independence. For sure, America has been the birthplace of countless ideas and innovations that have shaped our modern world. It has been, although controversially, the police force of the world - intervening in various nations where it sees fit. It has been the foremost promoter and perpetuator of democratic ideals such as freedom and power to the people.
Imagine a world without the American Revolution ever taking place - how strikingly different it would be. Other examples include the French Revolution, the Indian Revolution and its Independence Movement - and Sri Lanka's Independence Movement which shares revolution-like characteristics. Imagine if none of these ever took place. Our world would be even darker than we could have ever have thought.
Take Sri Lanka’s past history into account. Sri Lanka has straddled between control of various colonialist powers like Holland, and the UK – which all culminated in their inevitable departure, after handing power back to the people. The cycle of revolution, and the expulsion of foreign powers – cemented the notion of rebelliousness in Sri Lanka. When you take the “Good” side of revolutions into account, you often end up looking at examples where brutal oppressors were overthrown by a populist, collective uprising – and Sri Lanka is a good example of that. However, the “revolutions” that were brimming in Sri Lanka during the pre-independence days, were largely peaceful. Sights of revolutionary brutality, and violence were not a feature – compared to the large shows of civil disobedience and sit-ins, that define the current situation right now. If you take the outcome of the independence movement into account, then the results have obviously done us better than worse.
Sri Lanka goes to show how revolutions, and uprisings need not be violent in any way. Violence does not need to spearhead the movement as a whole, rather it should be the opposite.
The Outcomes
Revolution has not only brought about peace, but ideas. And it is these ideas that have been immortalized, studied and applied - to shape our modern-day world. Whether for good or for worse, fascism, democracies, socialism, all political ideologies from all spectrums came about from common suffering and struggle. Man's inner voice to rebel and revolt when times are increasingly uncertain, and when they're oppressed - is all natural. For it is human, to revolt. The ideas and even notions that govern us to this day, have all been tested and shaped through the minds of revolutionaries who dared to go against repressive people.
At times where peace is nothing but a far-fetched dream, revolution is increasingly needed in so many places across the globe. In Myanmar, amidst an oppressive military dictatorship, a revolution will arise sooner or later. In countless African nations that have witnessed military coup these past years will see a revolution sooner or later. And even in Sri Lanka, revolution is ripe. Apart from all the evident displays of violence and damage counter-protestors have wreaked across Sri Lanka these days – the common suffering of the people is still undergoing massive ignorance.
Think about revolution as a tool, rather than an action or an event. It is your sole choice whether to use this tool peacefully, or violently – regardless of the situation. It goes to show how universal revolution is. Every single human being has been oppressed, and repressed by other peoples. Revolution is the tool they use to voice their strife, and their shattered hopes. And it is their choice to make something better out of it, or to become the oppressor themselves - like we've seen too many times to count. Thus I beg to ask, my dear reader, who will you fight to be? The revolutionary, or the oppressor.
Comments