‘Our world is not transparent anymore, it’s more opaque! It’s in the shadows. That’s where we must do battle.’

For those who follow the Bond franchise, the scene from the movie Skyfall where ‘M’ justifies her department’s actions must kindle a sense of impact. We may not believe in ghosts but we must believe in shadows because that is today’s reality; social media is the new ground where shadow battles are fought and won or lost. We are constantly at war, with our own self, trying hard to be something we may or may not be, justifying our value to this planet. There is a constant need to be heard and talked about, creating a sense of unease and hollow.

A shadow is a strange being. It resembles you, represents you and follows you wherever you go yet has no existence of its own. When you operate in the confines of a shadow, you’re as visible as you’re invisible creating an uncomfortable zone for your friends, enemies and frenemies. So, how do we engage with the battles that are fought in the shadows? And do we have a realistic chance of winning these battles? The answers probably lie in how we perceive these battles and how they impact us.

If the battle is personal, the best defense I believe is to not have one; absorb like a sponge and cleanse within; pour a bucket of water over your head to cool down if need be but be a bystander rather than a crusader. Even when our deepest secrets are out in the open, find the balance to stay afloat. One could argue that not engaging may be a sign of cowardice but blunting a force with a deadpan is also an art that one needs to learn. However, temperance is not a virtue of the millennium. This era seeks instant recognition, redemption and retribution, sometimes all in the same vein; and that is hard to come by. Taking cognizance of what’s at stake then may lend perspective to the resistance you would like to build.

A battle for justice, however, requires further introspection due to the complexity with which the wheels of the world move. The problem that besets us today is that there are many of these wheels in motion and when each wheel moves at a different pace, it is almost impossible to build resonance and equilibrium. Just the other day, I was watching a speech given by an eighteen year old at a UN summit where the teenager thread together issues surrounding climate change, gun violence and public policy with such clarity that I wondered if the speech would even be remembered by the distinguished audience the minute they left the dais. This is where the shadows can play a great game at making an impact. By forcing the established to act instead of becoming obsolete, this millennium can become that period in history where the wheels finally come together and move in unison.     

‘M’ closes her argument in that scene by quoting Tennyson. She says:

‘We are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are. One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield’

Though she says this in the context of her team’s fight against organised crime and terrorism, the quote is relevant in the context of how we use our shadows.

Transparency in thought and action can be a dream but it cannot be conceived in silo. This millennium is no longer about an individual or a hero (gender neutral) in action, it is about how it uses the shadows to create a chain reaction. What we do with the creation of such energy is up to the next millennium to decide but our job as part of this millennium is to fix what’s broken, rebuild and sustain. That is the best we can do.