Longrangty Longchar
Dimapur | June 30
Nagaland Governor K Sankaranarayanan today said that in this emerging global community, interdependence and not independence is the new mantra and added that in this modern world the ideology of violence looks outdated.
Speaking as the Chief Guest at the Peace Seminar, jointly organized by Peace Channel and North Eastern Research Centre here at the IMC Hall, the Governor, stated that the revolution in the field of Information Technology coupled with other technologies has felicitated the process of globalization, after which the national borders do not seem to matter in the free exchange of views and ideas on the internet by individuals. Implying the dependence of nations on each other, the Governor said that some of the powers of nation state have shifted to international organisations like the WTO, while some of it is getting shifted to the citizens.
“In this emerging global community “interdependence”, and not “independence”, is the new mantra. And interdependence requires of us to choose other than violence as a means of settling differences,” said Sankaranarayanan and added that “viewed from this perspective the ideology of violence definitely looks outdated.”
In this regard, Sankaranarayanan said that violence is an expression of anger, a basic emotion. However, he said that humans have the capability of experiencing higher emotions such as guilt, embarrassment, shame and sympathy because of their highly evolved brains.
Sankaranarayanan said that humans can rely on those higher emotions which make it possible to devise alternative means of settling issues without taking recourse to anger and violence.
Giving reason for the occurrence of violence in the society, Sankaranarayanan said that much of the violence today in the world takes place over the issue of identity. However, he said that identities are of no particular order and if one emphasize on only one identity, then one would be restricting one’s individuality.
Citing an instance of himself, Sankaranarayanan said that he has different identities as politician, Indian, Malayalee, governor, father, Hindu, husband etc; the governor said that he does not restrict his identity to only one sine he would be committing the mistake of restricting his individuality just the other person who looks at him in terms of only one of his identities.
“When we generalize our perception about others, we should be conscious of the fact that such generalization comes at the truth of their individuality,” said Sankaranarayanan, in this regard, and added that the unthinking categorization of people into boxes is the source of much misunderstanding, conflict and violence
Sankaranarayanan also said that conflicts cannot be avoided where human live, however, he said that resolution of conflict through violence can be avoided.
“Conquest or capitulations do not bring lasting peace. The best way to resolve conflicts is by searching for and discovering ways of reaching agreement,” he asserted and also called for a change in attitude of the people.
“If you want to have peace, then you have to change your mindset, otherwise you cannot have it, we cannot have it,” said the governor.
Sankaranarayanan further said that as a politician, he is now pursuing the politics of development. He said that peace is not possible without development.
“My politics now as the Governor of Nagaland is the development of Nagaland and the people,” said the Governor and added that the state can have peace only when there is development and generation of more income.
Morung Express News
.jpg)
