Dr. Baljit Singh
The diversity of a population allows one to see how different people live their cultural lives. In this, people of different cultures mingle with each other and celebrate important days in their lives, thus forming a socially cohesive society.
However, over time, friction can also arise within cultural groups due to economic pressures resulting from unemployment, poverty, misery and deprivation.
Special considerations given to one cultural group compared to another can cause friction between them. Friction arises between two students, one of whom doesn’t work so hard to get into a prestigious school. This is how privileges given to one cultural group can lead to frictions in the society as a whole especially when they live close to each other, in the same town.
This is systemic discrimination that we see all over the world. Even when we abide by the rules not to discriminate against others on the basis of religion or culture, we can still create an advantage by subtly denying employment or education.
For example, several times riots occurred in the state of Manipur, India, between the two cultural groups, the Meitei people and the Kuki tribe. The Kuki tribe wants to set up an independent region. The Kuki are almost all Christian, while the Meitei are Hindu. The Kuki tribe are attached to their land and way of life and do not want any interference from Metai or other Indian states.
But when minorities live on opposite sides of the population, they face social, economic and political uncertainty and insecurity, manifested in the burning of homes and businesses and the loss of lives.
Guns are given to people, but this leads to greater chaos and mutual destruction. At the same time, an understanding can be reached that without guns, their land and rights will be taken away by some dictatorial means.
Politics can also affect social cohesion or conflict, depending on which side they are on. Local politics of a country can have influence on international politics depending on the person’s personality type that helps to tie friendship support to a specific country or group of countries.
Furthermore, by creating continued social and economic unrest, waves of separatism can persist, as happened when India partitioned in 1947. These social unrests take the form of neighbouring countries infiltrating and surrendering their guns and ammunition to fight because the aim is to create an independent state. Still, there are people on both sides who want to live a quiet life in order to get ahead financially.
What should be the nature of economic progress? Both private and government businesses have their preferences, and the economic class system stems from industrialization and modernization, leaving wealth in the hands of the few, unless the ideology is a classless society, which is not entirely possible.
But economic transactions are governed by rules, in which taxes and transfer payments also play a good role to a welfare state of the masses, but it depends how honest the governance is in executing policies to the welfare of all. If some public schools don’t worry about whether students vape while in school, it will damage their reputations, and other schools may find it to their advantage.
Unfettered freedom is a freedom towards destruction, which may be self-made or caused by external forces. There are two philosophies – decide for yourself or let someone else check. Those who are observed will be saved as they are not alone.
It is also possible to have a voice through who you choose in governance. But sometimes, there are people of your choice in the parliament to represent minorities but may not be of much help to overcome social frictions, poverty, and unemployment of certain people or members of the community. It all depends on who has more power to facilitate negotiations.
Hence, even exact solutions do not work to bring peace when ideology and goals differ.
In situations of social chaos, divergent goals, actions, and reactions, it is important for individuals to maintain peaceful relationships with their neighbours because it is both principled and morally right.
In addition, the government must take steps to restore peace to the country by enforcing law and order, which requires significant moral and political action. It is very difficult for an ordinary peace-loving person to justify peace when mobs surround him or her.
Australia will hold a referendum on 14 October 2023 to vote to propose constitutional amendments to give indigenous Australians a better voice and thereby improve their social, economic and political living conditions.
Views are personal
This article does not endorse or express the views of Qrius and/or any of its staff.
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