Politicians, Leaders and the Societal Effect

Fuelled by power, to attain power; politics is all about power. Values and beliefs have no place in this ever-building need to conquer boundaries and create newer ones just as there’s no place for satisfaction. Politics doesn’t see religion nor caste or traditions, but it does create its own religious creed, depending on the requirement necessitated. In its own way, politics might indeed influence society, but politics by itself isn’t self-generated but a by-product of the societal beliefs in the first place. 

Society, at its basest, can be defined as a group of people coming together to sustain themselves not just individually but wholly as a group. But even within a group, it’s the inability of certain people to co-exist in harmony that necessitates the augmentation of politicising in the first place. Greed and avarice, desire to dominate and overhaul doctrines, only to replace them with different sets of dogmas are all manifestations of power, from the basest of societal levels to the most varied and the highest of hierarchies, which determine the core existence of politics and politicians. 

Democracy, autocracy, socialism and every other form of governmental organisation that exists doesn’t function without power and the ability of politicians to successfully wield it to their advantage. Socialism and communalism advocate the prioritisation of society over individualistic avarices, but in essence these two factions are not but ideologies put forth by a certain sect of society that believes its doctrines to be greater than the rest. Same goes for democracy and autocracy – the latter being almost to the point of despotic while the former only presents a titular demonstration of choices and options, more to keep the politicians at check rather than give the public any real chance of actually choosing the right candidate for the job. 

But right candidate or not, the statute of establishing governance requires that there be a leader at the forefront to manage affairs. Leader, or in plurality leaders, who would ideally lead the society to achieve its best. At times, even at its worst. The reality however is drastically different, especially if a society’s leaders pretend to try and lead, only to slacken leadership’s leash having once attained power. Many societies have fallen prey to this tried and tested bait and many more will soon follow considering that many youth aspire to get into this race to become the ultimate ‘leader.’

Which then brings me to my next point; leaders – potential ones included – also have their own version of the rat race. From the start to the finish, achievement after achievement, from the grass root till the uppermost berth, it’s about racing. Against peers, rivals and at times, even against one’s own self. And it’s perhaps in this unending rat race that the whole core of values and beliefs start to get eroded. The laws of the jungle start to apply, where the fittest wanting to survive do anything possible within their means – even beyond – to achieve that lofty leadership mantle. And them, who are deemed not fit, are discarded as though they were lesser mortals of an unmentionable ilk. 

People evolve and by way of that, so does society. But evolution in terms of the world’s – world, too is a society – leaders and politicos always doesn’t underscore positivity and optimism. At the same time, the evolution of the societal frontrunners also doesn’t entail perennial dissatisfaction and discontent. The whole ambience construes as more of an impasse, a vague kind of push-and-pull effect that mesmerises and frustrates us people in equal measure – a classic case of ‘can’t be with, but can’t be without either.’