When asked to give an opinion about a certain model of a Chinese smartphone, a whiz-kid in the West Coast of the US responded by saying that it appeared to be future-proof. A gadget geek with a laptop in his sling bag and a phablet in hand strolling inside the showroom of the telecom giant off New Road confirmed the judgment: “Even though newer versions are better, the last model too is future-proof.”
The contradiction between the terms used was probably lost on the hipster who used “newer versions” and “future-proof” in the same sentence. Probably, the concept of contradiction—the statement of a position opposite to one already made—itself has now become outdated. F. Scot Fitzgerald observes that the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. Increasingly, another test of the talent is the audacity to be certain about what has always remained uncertain—the Future, uppercase pointedly lowered to make it sound predictable.
Future-proof seems to have made it to the English dictionaries way back—that’s how techies would perhaps refer to the period half-a-decade ago—in the CE 2011 and the term is defined as an adjective to describe a product unlikely to become obsolete. The adjective apparently has many derivatives, including a noun—Future-proofing.
Creators coin words that gain acceptance into a language after being widely used in everyday conversations. Dictionaries merely collect such terms. A dozen or so years ago, the term smartphone wouldn’t have made much sense even with a hyphen. Geeks and nerds changed their meaning with the popularity of computers. Phablets—a portmanteau of smartphone and tablet with a size somewhere in-between—isn’t yet popular despite its linguistic recognition. Users decide the relevance of a term, not lexicographers.
By sheer chance, there already are a few words in English language that capture present predicaments of Nepali politics. The country is currently being governed—misgoverned is perhaps a more appropriate term—by an “Oli-garchy” consisting of cartel chiefs, syndicate supremos, business bosses, NGO-entrepreneurs, and party patrons with a figurehead Premier fronting for them. A clutch of “Oli-gopolies” with formal interests in the 4Bs (Banking; building; businesses in essential services such as education and health; and brokerage of foreign companies) as well as the flourishing informal economy in every sector have the country in their tight grip.
In addition to oligarchy in politics and oligopoly of economy, perhaps there is something called “Oli-ology”—not yet recognized, but already in use—in sociology that capture complexities of Nepal of the second decade of the twenty-first century. Possible derivatives would perhaps include, but not be limited to, terms such as “Oli-fication” (turning a serious issue into a joke), “Oli-faction” (a process that justifies the relationship of domination and subordination between the self and the other) and “Oli-titter” (a kind of smirk that is born out of the assumption that everyone else is naïve or fool).
Coining words isn’t difficult. Even a child does it all the time. Acceptance comes from public circulation. But, how do such terms acquire acceptability? There are no clear answers.
If ever Oliology manages to make it to the pages of Studies in Nepali History and Society—a world-class journal that has managed to survive for unbroken twenty years of publication—perhaps the term will establish itself in the field of humanities. That, however, is easier said than done. It’s not easy to measure up to the exacting academic standards of SINHAS as any Nepali or foreign scholar studying Nepal will most readily testify.
Knowledge pyramid
The anecdote about “future-proof” cited at the beginning of this piece can perhaps be classified as raw data—collection of numbers, words or expressions that come from random observations or experiences—that don’t have much significance. Yes, despite the belief that they are sacred, many facts, in fact, can be misleading and false. Details, description and contextualization turn facts into usable information.
The information becomes knowledge when presented with analyzed data, synthesized information, and learned opinion accompanied by alternatives for decision-making. Or, that’s what the knowledge management experts say. Knowledge, however, once meant the ability to see beyond immediate utility and deepening of understanding of cosmos for its own sake. Managers of knowledge have since classified that as wisdom on what they call the DIKW (Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom) hierarchy.
The idea of a hierarchy, or pyramid, however, may not hold in all situations. It’s possible to develop insight and gain wisdom without passing through the rigmarole of data, information and knowledge cycle as it often happens with poets, artistes, literatures, philosophers, and yes, the child who clearly saw that the emperor had no clothes in the famous tale of Hans Christian Anderson.
Sharpened sensory perception is often a gift. Scientists now agree that certain abilities come with what they call DNA of inherited genes. That’s merely scientific mumbo-jumbo for in-born abilities. In case of individuals, it’s easy to explain away one’s attitude as a strange mix of nature and nurture, which vary from person to person. But why do societies become what they are and how do they get where they are? Perhaps any answer to that question will merely be an explanation.
It’s tempting to dismiss Oliology as an aberration. In Maithili-speaking Tarai-Madhesh, Thuthurology is slang. Derived from Thuthhur, a term for pigheadedness, Thuthurology means the tendency to justify the unjustifiable ignoring all evidences, arguments and rationality. Oliology is clearly an extreme form of Thuthurology. However, it would be too simplistic to assume that Premier Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is solely responsible for creating such a common trait of Khas-Arya lumpenproletriat and lumpenbourgeoisie alike.
Premier Oli expresses the commonsense of the mainstream majority in colorful language and he knows what his listeners want to hear better than most of his contemporaries. Commonsense, after all, is little more than a collection of social biases, cultural stereotypes and prejudices prevalent in society. Oliology captures the essence of social tendencies that equates Nepali nationality with Khas-Arya communalism.
Wisdom tree
Teamwork is a useful jargon to keep motivation up, but most worthwhile enterprise or cause has a dynamo of a person keeping it running. Undoubtedly, something like SINHAS wouldn’t have lasted for as long as it has without active participation of its patrons, partners, participants and well-wishers scattered all over the globe. However, perhaps they too would agree that the publication wouldn’t have been what it is without Pratyoush Onta, the anchor as well as motor of the ship that he is occasionally charged to captain too! Somewhat mixed metaphors, but reality is not always so neat as to fit clear categories.
Pratyoush is an independent historian and revels in revealing mythologies of “Bir History” that hagiographer of Ranas and Shahs created to give continuity to the stranglehold of the PEON over societies and cultures of the “Sacred Country” that somehow had always to survive by selling the services of its bravest and brawniest to imperial powers. That could perhaps be one of the reasons the dons of History Department in Tribhuvan University never deemed it fit to invite him even to deliver a special lecture. That, however, is a digression. The straight point is that history is politics.
Like the DNA of a person, history is the chromosome of a country. Thus the only thing truly future-proof is history. There is no escaping the past. Geographies change. Economies are transformed. Cultures evolve. But societies are what their histories have made them to be. That can only be endured with persistence and prayers.
If all that Oliology sounds too bleak, here is some cheer. Spring is slowly seeping into the air. Happy Chinese New Year 2016: The Year of the Monkey.
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