Mediaism: A New Faith Shaping Views

The top concerns in different parts of the world vary. But the media plays an important role in shaping opinions everywhere. Even the tone of a presenter's voice can matter

- HARISH BIJOOR

E live in a happening world. And the world is in chaos. Look around: what we see are geopolitical instabilities due to the wars that are currently on, and equally, the wars that could erupt in the near or medium-term future. Geopolitics is suddenly the new politics. And war is the language at play again. Even as I write this, Pakistan's minister Hanif Abbasi has threatened India with a "full-scale war" if India stops water supply to Pakistan in retaliation for the recent barbaric killings in Pahalgam. Abbasi even threatened India with nuclear retaliation, saying 130 nuclear warheads in Pakistan's arsenal are kept "only for India". The language is offensive. Offence is the new defence.

The chaos we live amid is further compounded by the different philosophies that dominate the world. In some parts, right-wing politics is coming to the fore with gusto. Even as this happens, there is a clarion call to get back to the basics of religion and religious belief systems that have dominated our lives for centuries. While some parts of the world are singing the death of the "inclusive" and the "all-embracing" movements, other parts are emerging as protest-centres against all that is "different" and "not meant to be".

In other parts of the world, there is a clear divide between the war philosophies at play. A case in point is Israel and Palestine. The entire world is divided on the lines of two differing philosophies on them. And in another part of the world, it is Ukraine versus Russia, and the completely divergent sets of passion across these two lines of thought and action.