Chomsky's Two Aphorisms We All Must Mull Over
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
8 December 2023
“We shouldn't be looking for
heroes, we should be looking for good ideas.”
― Noam Chomsky
“If we don't believe in
freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.”
― Noam Chomsky
These two very thought-stirring gems of Noam Chomsky have
contributed to building my mental makeup. These aphorisms have a greater and
wider scope and significance, esp. in today's context when hero-worship is at
its pinnacle.
December 7 is the 95th Birth Anniversary of Noam
Chomsky
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The personality cult is so overwhelming that an individual
becomes the alpha and omega. When people are idolized, ideas are cauterized.
This is happening in India at the moment.
A leader is being idolized as a hero and all good or bad
ideas have taken a back seat. Idol worship in any era and in any country has
always eclipsed ideas.
Once Shams Tabrizi and Maulana Rumi were discussing Bayazid
Bastami (804 CE- 874 CE) and his mystical teachings. Hours elapsed and it
dawned on both that they talked little about Bayazid's sublime thoughts and
ideas but dwelt more upon his persona. If evolved humans like Rumi and Shams
couldn't get rid of the addiction of personality cult, it's indeed very
difficult for the masses to focus only on ideas and not on personalities,
luminaries, celebrities and heroes.
The world runs on ideas not on heroes. Men are important but
musings are even more. When it comes to ideas and their fearless application as
well as dissemination, we just cannot discriminate among humans. Your opponents
can also be right and the right that you've to express yourself sans an iota of
fear also applies to those you don't agree with.
A democracy or a healthy society can thrive only when all
individuals, whether friends or foes, have an equal right to express themselves
without any apprehension of persecution. Is this happening in India?
These intoxicated leaders, whether Modi or Rahul, must read
Chomsky. But do they read? Have they heard this name? Both the bearded
gentlemen give the impression of being wise but they're otherwise.
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A regular
columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/noam-chomsky-aphorisms/d/131273
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