What our obsession with domination and power tell us about ourselves
We Homo sapiens love to dominate or be dominated by others of our kind. In pursuit of domination, our long gone ancestors razed entire species to come on top of the food chain. Our forefathers fought each other under the banners of tribe, clan, religion, sect, nationalism, and ethnicity. We, the present torch bearers of civilization have our own battles to fight in our workplaces, our own wars to win in our family feuds, and our tiny, little universes to rule and conquer.
And how do we conquer or try to conquer our environment and folks is a question worth deliberating. The many nuances in this play although look novel but are primal. Also the many shades of domination have their roots in the evolution of our species over millions of years.
Since the inception of civilization, few thousand years back, the law of the jungle came to a halt. The brute physical might was blunted and ultimately made way for morals, codes, traditions, folklore and laws. As the tide of time progressed, the political power- power through either commanding the confidence of the governed or through keeping them in servitude of fear- became the only big game in town.
Ultimately, the power of words and ideas are murdered by the brute, raw force which meets it end by the eternal domination of nature
The stronger ones among us love to dominate the weaklings through sheer use of force. The intellectual ones live to dominate the stupid by their use of words, images, poetry and riddles. The religious ones dominate their followers by invoking awe and fear of hellish torture. The lover dominates his or her beloved once promises have been made, tears have been shed, smiles have been lavished, the dark side has been revealed and all there is left is either acceptance in entirety or a void in one’s soul.
Much has been written on dominance, dear reader. The lust to triumph all has been a constant theme in world literature. From ancient Greek plays to modern day post-modern fiction, the primal instinct of man to subdue nature and other men has given birth to masterpieces like Odyssey by Homer, The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris and Ghulam Bagh by Mirza Athar Baig to name just a few.
As the title of this piece suggests, the main theme of Baig’s Magnum Opus Ghulam Bagh is many faces and iterations of domination. Ghulam Bagh, a symbol for perished past glories casting their dark shadow on all that is present and breathing is history shaping, molding and ultimately ruining the lives of those who insist on asking the forbidden questions about the exact nature of things and beings. The instinct to dominate plays itself in various ways. The brute power of the mighty is challenged by the complex dialogues, analogies and intellectual wanderings of a scholar whose power lies in words. Ultimately, the power of words and ideas are murdered by the brute, raw force which meets it end by the eternal domination of nature.
Another theme of Ghulam Bagh is Past and its many facets. Past, for those who know a little better than others, lives on in present and perpetuates it indefinitely. One may think one is done with the past, yet the past never gets done with anyone. Past neither forgets nor its forgiveness can be sought. One lives it, day in, day out and then becomes part of it.
Nietzsche, while ruminating on past wrote: ‘Since men do not really respect anything unless it was established long ago and has developed slowly over time, those who want to keep on living after their death must take worry not only about their future generations but even more about their past: that is why tyrants of all kinds (including tyrannical artists and politicians) like to do violence to history, so that it will appear as a preparation and stepladder to themselves’.
And since we have been doing violence to history, interpreting it, re-interpreting it, writing it, re-writing it, celebrating it, and condemning it, it is about time we accept it for what it is: a track record of all the doings we ever did and omissions we made. Only then the sovereigns and slaves of Ghulam Bagh will find their true place.
