Menority Voices

Tail end of the alphabet now. Letter of the day is "V".

We live in times when, it seems, there is a clamour to be seen and heard. Everybuddy and their donkey (including me by writing here) has something to say and we have been afforded the privilege of technology to enable us.  All Voices have a potential to be heard, if they have access to this technology.

As has been witnessed, this privilege is often abused and frequently misused.

Veritas (truth). Latin root, Verus. This evolved into the English word 'Very'. We use this word to place an imperative emphasis on things. "She was very unwell." "The very thought caused him to shudder." However, the original meaning was closer to its root which was 'genuine, real.'

When we go around the ether finding all these small and less small voices having their say, how we are held by them and respond to them will depend not just on how real or genuine those voices are, but how much so we are within ourselves.

It is a simple fact that the human critter is drawn to that which most reflects similarity and familiarity. Birds of a feather and all that.

This can be useful for those who feel they are in a minority group. Gathering with others who feel this way makes for a larger group and a stronger voice. If this leads to better social integration and improved esteem, for example, then a positive purpose has been served. Nowadays there are many such examples, be it for those with physical or mental disablity  or others with gender difference, to name but two. These are the times of finding one's voice then finding the space to speak.

However, quite often, the technology affords too much freedom. It can be used to spread confusion, untruth, unrest, and all sorts of negativity. Those who might benefit from it instead find themselves adrift and lost or led down wrong paths due to their need and Vulnerability. Others see the anonymity afforded by the technology as a chance to rant and rave in a manner they are unlikely to use in person - though it must be said that manners and etiquette in general appear to have taken a dive in recent times. Social filters have either clogged or broken down altogether.

Verily, I say to you, herein lies a lack of Virtue (Virtis, the son of Veritas). None can claim virtue without also having truth on their side. What many claim as virtue now, when poked with the pin of intellect, proves to be Vanity, in which lies little or no truth at all.

Virtually all that is seen taking place on the technological platforms of today is an explosion of all that has always taken place in society throughout history. What was previously local and contained is now global and - apparently - gone feral. We may tut and shake our heads but, in fact, nothing is new under Sol. It just got big, is all.

Vast, even.

"Vah, vah, vah! The Vanity of Man. Brought upon himself because of desire and lack of Truth."
(Pujya Swami Swaroopananda)