This first appeared on LinkedIn.
Are we allowed to have an opinion? Can we afford not to?
There are people I know (in business) who are salivating at the thought of war, at the prospect of teaching “them” (Pakistanis? Muslims? Kashmiris? They never explain) a lesson, at the idea of reiterating (and reaffirming) their masculinity. This is dangerous. Not just for the economy, but for society in general. As entrepreneurs, we must understand that the five pillars on which our enterprise stands are all made by people: Our vendors, customers, employees, investors, and the society in which we operate.
We cannot not be politically aware and vociferously active. We cannot afford to. Else, we would be reduced to being reactive, and become a mockery in the society we live and work in. This has recently happened with many business people now coming out to say that while they all knew that the economy was going downhill without brakes, no one had the heart to tell the Emperor that he had no clothes, and some were actually threatened not to open their mouths.
I believe these are the saddest people on Earth: the dhobi ka kuttas, na ghar ke, na ghat ke. Now that they have gathered the courage to speak out (or is it because their own backsides are on fire?), no one (not even the opposition) will listen to their whining.
And that is what I mean by us entrepreneurs not being able to afford to remain unaware and uninvolved in politics, for it what is politics but the power to influence and control policy, and that is where we, the thinkers, the doers, the risk-takers, the leaders, must not just want to be on the frontlines of influencing any and all decisions that affect us and the society around us, but actually ought to be the cutting edge of the social zeitgeist.
With this said, I believe that the uncertainty that plagues the economy today cannot be balanced on the other end by sabre-rattling or warmongering. War is not a game. As someone who grew up in military cantonments all his life, and someone who lost his brother in the line of duty, I believe I have some insight, and the right to speak up when everyone seems to be licking their lips at the thought of what they think would be a quick and easy, painless victory over our traditional enemy and arch-rival.
This scares me. Not just the naiveté but the bloodthirstiness. It does not behove us as thought-and-action-leaders of a democratic and more or less capitalistic society. We should make our voice clearly heard above the din, especially when some of our peers are exhibiting signs of having left the rational parts of their brains home for the holidays.
Here is something small I wrote some time ago. Perhaps, it is time to revisit it.
