I TI THEI, MAHSE…

‘I tum phawt chuan i thei ang (You can make it if you try)’

He thu hi US President 44-na Barack Obama khan mipui vantlang hmaa thu a sawinaah vawi 140 zet mai a zep tel a, ṭhalaite cho phûr nan leh fuih thar nan kan hmang uar viau mai. Kan sawi tum behchhanin he fuihna thuchah hian awmze pahnih a nei thei ang. Pakhat chu eng mi pawh niin, khawi hmuna seilian pawh ni la, i tuma i beih fan fan chuan ‘I ti thei’ tih hi a ni a. A dang leh chu, hlawhtlinna (sum leh pai, eizawnna lama hlawhtlinna lo tinzâwn deuh ila) leh dinhmun ṭha kan tihte hi mimal kutah a innghat tlat a, kan tum leh tum loh te, kan beih nasat leh nasat lohte’n a hril a ni. William Ernest Henley-a’n, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul” Invictus, 1875 a lo tih ang deuh hi a nih ber mai chu.

Mipui mimir tan chuan a pawm naawm viau mai thei e, mihring nun nawr kaltu a ni thei a, a dikna chen pawh a awm ngei ang. Amaherawhchu, heng awmze pahnihte hian a kawh tlat chu – mi, chuti ang hlawhtlinna leh dinhmun thlengte chu an tumna leh theihna, an tuh rah ngei senga chu dinhmun chu thleng an ni a, an phû mai bakah, an thawh rah duhawm tak an seng tihna a ni.

A nih leh hlawhtling ve lem lote leh kan sawi tâk dinhmun luah pha ve miah lote ve thung hi le? An bei nasa tawk lo kan ti thei ngawt dawn em ni? Nge ni a, an thiamna leh theihnate’n a tlin lo kan ti zawk dawn? He thlirna kotlang aṭang hi chuan hlawhtlinna leh hmuingilnate chu miin a tumna leh thawhrimna liau liaua a chan a ni a, hlawhchhamna, pachhiatna leh retheihnate chuan zawmthâwt leh tlin lohna a kâwk thung. He ngaihdan leh khawthlir hian khawthlang nunphung leh zia (western culture)-ah thûk takin zung a kai a ni.

World Values Survey (WVS)-in a tarlan dan chuan, America ramah pawh a mi chêng 70% laiin mahni theihna rinchhanin retheihna ata an chhuah theih an ring tlat a ni. Kristian sakhaw huang chhungah pawh a mikhual lem lo. Augustine Thianghlima hun lai aṭanga siamṭhat hun (Reformation), ‘pelagianism’ aṭanga ‘indulgence’ leh tun hun thlengin mihringin a thil tih, dikna leh ṭhatna (moral virtue) hmangin famkimna, sual tlâkna leh chhandamna a zawng fo tawh ṭhin. Prosperity Theology thurin aṭang pawhin hlawhtlinna, hriselna leh hmuingilnate chu rinna, Pathian ṭih leh thil ṭha tih avanga malsawmna a ni a; a ep chiah – retheihna leh hlawhchhamnate chu rinna tlakchham vang te, sualna vangtea thleng ṭhin a ni.

Sakhuana pâwn (secular worldview) lamah kîr leh ta ila, chutianga inrochun thil, hleih neihna leh induhsak vang ni hauh loa hlawhtlinna leh dinhmun ṭha kan tihte chu mi tu pawhin a thawhrimna leh thiamna avang liau liaua a neih ve theihna kalphung (system) chu ‘meritocracy’ kan tih hi a ni a. Chutiang kalphung zawm khawtlang leh sorkar chu ‘meritocratic society’ emaw ‘meritocratic government’ tia hriat a ni a, mithiam leh theihna nei ṭha ber berte’n rorelna fawng an chelhna kalphung (system) kan tih hi a ni. Chinese philosopher Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BCE) te, Greek philosopher ropui Plato (428/27-347 BCE) leh Aristotle (384-322 BCE) te ngaihdan leh thuziakah hmuh tur a lo awm daih tawh a; tun huna sorkar inrelbawlna, zirna leh hna lâkna kan hman uar ber hi a lo ni ta a ni. Tichuan, tu pawhin hlawhtlinna leh dinhmun ṭha, mimal thiamna leh theihna liau liaua an sual chhuah ve theihna chu kalphung dik leh ṭha a ni mai lo em ni?

A phûte lal ràwnna (tyranny of merit)

American political philosopher hmingthang leh Harvard University-a zirtir hna thawk Michael J. Sandel-a chuan he kalphung, meritocracy hian khawtlânga intluktlan lohna thûk tak awm chu min ngaihthahtir a, mi hlawhtlingteah chapona leh inchhuanna chi a tuh rualin, mi hlawhchham leh chan chhe zawkteah hnualna leh beidawnna nasa tak a thlen a, society-a dinhmun sang chelhte chuan an dinhmun chu phû nia an inhriat miau avangin hmuhsitna leh endawngna mitin chan chhe zawkte chu an en ta ṭhin niin a sawi. He kalphung hian a tir lama kan sawi tak ‘mimal kuta innghat tlat’ tih thurin kha a vawng nung tlat a, a chungthuah pawh mimal chu mawhphurtu a ni a, a tuh rah a seng ṭhin. A awmzia chu, mi hausain a tumna leh theihna avanga a dinhmun a phû ang bawkin mi rethei leh hlawhchham pawhin a dinhmun chu a phû ve bawk a; mi hlawhtling hlawhtlin chhan chu a hlawhchhamte aia a phû zawk vang a ni kan ti thei ang. German sociologist ropui Max Weber pawh khan a thuziak ‘The Social Psychology of World Religions’ ah heti hian a ziak, “Mi vannei leh chan ṭha chang chu a vanneihna ngawtah a lungawi mawh hle, hemi piah lamah hian chu vanneihna chu a chanpual a ni tih hriat ve a mamawh a. A phû mai ni loin, chung zawng ai chuan mi dang nena khaikhinin a phû zawk a ni tih hmin a duh,” tiin.

Kan hma hun chu kan kuta awm a ni a, a rah chhuah pawh kan mawh a ni tih rinna hian mi retheite min hlamchhiahtir fo a, an lu chunga retheihna leh hlawhchhamnate chu anmahni chhêk khawl a ni tih ngaihhaina min neihtir a. Hei hian khawtlânga intluk lohna (inequality), hleihneihna bakah kalphung fel lo (systematic injustice) min hmuh hmaihtir a, kan thlirna tarmit a tifiah lo ta ṭhin a ni.

Tute nge hlawhtlinga tute nge hlawhchham ta?

Mithiam leh theihna nei ṭha ber berte vulh lenna kalphung (meritocracy)-ah chuan tute nge a lèrah awm a, tute nge a mawng lamah awm? American Psychological Association (APA) chuan he lam hawi zirbingna (research) an kalpui a. An zirchianna aṭanga lang chiang em em chu, mimal emaw, pâwl emawin vantlang leh khawsak inrêlbâwlnaa dinhmun an chelh (socio-economic status or SES) hian thil tam tak a hril a. Kan nunhona, ṭhanlenna, rilru sukthlêk bâkah, khawsak phungahte nghawng thui tak a nei a ni. Vantlanga SES sang chelhte chuan French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu-a’n ‘cultural capital’ a tih ang deuh hi an chhawm a; khawsak rêlbâwl awlsamna chuan zirna ṭha bâkah nunkhaw nawmna a pe a, mi challang tlêmtê (elite) zinga mi an nih theih phah ta ṭhin a ni.

Chumi ep chiah chuan SES hniam leh retheihna chu a inkungkaih ve tlat thung. Zirbingnain a tarlan dan chuan, naupang, SES hniam tak chhungkua aṭanga seiliante chu zirna lamah SES sâng zawkte aiin an thiam muang zawk a, hma an sawn mawh zawk bawk. Hang SES hniam kara seilian naupangte’n hun tam zawk an hmanna hmun, zirna an dawnna hmun ber zirna in leh a kalphungte hi a awngrawp bakah, a ṭha tâwk lo ṭhin a, hei hian zirna leh hmasawnna a tiṭhuanawp ta ṭhin a ni. Hei bakah hian in lama zirna hmanrua leh châk–lehkhabu, khâwl (computer), thiamna kawnga min chawk phûr thei infiamna bakah zirtirtu (ziak leh chhiar thiam nu leh pa) tlakchham avangin zirna boruak duhthusam a awm thei lo ṭhin.

Capitalism hnuaiah chuan zirna leh hlawhtlinnate pawh hi zawrhsum an chang zo tawh a (commodification of education & success). SES sang chhungkua chuan sum deh chhuah tur an ngah avangin pawisa peipun tum thawthângin zirna in ṭha ber berah an fate an dah a, mahni pualin zirtirtu (private tutor) neiin, pên tam takin hlawhtlinna kawngah hma an hruai thei ṭhin. French philosopher René Girard-a ‘mimetic desire’ ang deuhin, SES hniam leh mirethei (subject)-te pawhin mi neinung leh challang (model)-te’n ‘hlawhtlinna kailawn’ tia zirna lama sum leh pai an sêng vak vak ṭhin (object) chu awt vein, an entawn (imitate) ta ṭhin a. A sawhkhâwk chu khawtlanga inrem lohna leh buaina ‘mimetic rivalry’ a ni.

Engpawhnise, zirna bakah sumdawnna leh eizawnna kawng hrang hranga SES-in lukhâwng a neih theih dan tur chu kan rîruang thiam tawh awm e. Tichuan, meritocracy kan tih kalphungah chuan mi hlawhtling leh nihna sâng nei (elite) tlêmtête chuan heng kan sawi tâk zawng zawng hi hai derin, an hlawhtlinna leh hmuingilnate chu an thawh chhuah liau liauah an ngai hmiah a, phû inti em amin, a vanduai zawkte chu an chungtlâk ta ṭhin a ni. Hei hi Sandel-a chuan ‘meritocratic hubris’ tiin a vuah a, ‘hyperindividualism’ an tih hi a keng tel bawk. Meritocracy chu chhe lailet dêr, thlahthlam vang vang tur a ni kan ti lo va; amaherawhchu, khawtlanga intluk lohna a palzût dan te, siam chawp duhthusâm ram (utopia) hmanga a tak ram min hmuh hmaihtir dan te, mi hlawhtling leh hlawhchhamtea nghawng a neih dan te, ropuina leh thuneihna tute hnenah nge a pek ṭhin tihte hi ngaihtuah chian a ṭûl hle mai.

Tlipna

Kan sawi tâkte hi khawthlang vantlang nunphung leh zia (western culture) zirchianna ngawr ngawr ni mah se, Mizo society-ah pawh dikna chen a nei ngei ang. Sum leh pai hian hlawhtlin leh dinhmun ṭhat a hril ber a; mimalin a tumna leh beihnate hian awmzia a nei lo e kan tihna a ni lo. Amaherawhchu, feh kawng pik lutuk ai chuan sah ên sa diam lama kal chu a hahdam a, kan tum ram pawh kan thleng hma zawk lo’ng maw kan tihna a ni.

Engpawhnise, khawtlanga mi hlawhtling leh hlawhchhamte chunga kan rilru put hmang te, hausa leh rethei kan ngaihdan te, an chunga kan chet dan leh kan inkar thû hlâahte hian siamṭhat ngai a va tam em!

“There, but for the grace of God, or the accident of birth, or the mystery of fate, go I.”

- Lalremsiama