It is said there are always three kinds of people in any given society. This threefold distinction has been noted and made by notable sociologists and public intellectuals.
But these threefold distinction of the three kinds of people was first identified by and first stated and supported by the founders of democracy in ancient Greece.
For the Greek people, people who in many ways gave us the modern civilised world.
For the Greek people, the first kinds of people in any given society are the idiots.
For the Greeks, the idiot is not necessarily someone who is mentally deficient, rather, for ancient Greek people, the idiot, they said, is someone who is a totally private person; a totally self-centered person, and a totally selfish person.
They called him the idiot. The idiot is always out for his personal gains and his personal interest.
He does not have a public philosophy. He has no knowledge, no skills, no character and no virtues to be able to contribute in a flourishing society and community.
He’s all out for his personal pleasures and for his personal treasures.
And the Greeks said, the idiot is just an upgraded barbarian. The first kinds of persons, the idiots.
But the Greeks also said there’s a second kind of people in any given society and the Greeks called these people the tribes people.
When we say tribes people, we don’t necessarily mean the fact of belonging to a certain tribe, which is a good thing; but when they used the word ‘tribes people’, the Greeks meant a tribal and a tribalistic mentality.
And the Greeks said the tribes people are those who are not able to think beyond their small tribe or their small groups.
For tribes people, their primary allegiance; their only allegiance and their ultimate allegiance is to their tribe.
Their tribe is their god and their religion is tribalism.
And tribes people, the Greeks said, are always afraid of things that are different; that are a little alien to them.
They are always suspicious and fearful. And they always dealt with different people and difficult situations with intimidation, with force and with violence.
And the Greeks also said that the ideal person for tribes people is the WARRIOR.
But it was not so for the Greeks. For the Greeks, there was another kind of people, another kind of a person and that was the ideal person and the Greeks called this ideal person, the CITIZEN.
And here, when you use the word ‘citizen’, we are not talking about legal status or political status; we’re talking about the idea and the ideal of citizenship.
And who is the citizen? The citizens according to the Greeks, is someone who has the skills and the knowledge to live a public life; who is able to live a life of civility.
The citizen recognises that he or she is a member of a commonwealth and thus, strive for the common good.
That is the citizen! The citizen, yes! He or she knows his or her rights in a society. But he or she also knows his responsibilities to society.
The citizen can fight for his rights, but always with an awareness of and with a respect for the rights and interest of others; of their neighbours, of the smallest of minorities, and of the worst their enemies.
And it is citizens, the Greeks said, that make up a civilised society because citizens settle their differences with civility.
So they produce a civilised society. A society that truly lives up to the name, to the meaning of the name society.
Society literarily means friendship and friendliness.
That is the threefold distinction that the Greeks have given us.
That is the choice that each and every individual, wherever he or she may be has to make in a society. And I believe, that is the choice that starkly faces us Naga people today.
Would we be idiots living only for ourselves?
Would we be tribal, tribalistic, tribes people, unable to think beyond our tribes and our small groups?
Or would we be citizens?
Today, on this historic day, I believe I want to make my choice and I also believe that you would also want to make your choice and I hope you and I would take that right choice and it is with that hope that I want to finally address you ladies and gentlemen as my fellow Naga citizens.
May God bless you! Thank you!
(Compiled by Paul Kums)
kumsatpaulpwaspo@gmail.com
politics, business, capacity building etc. 