The freedom to express a thought, a doubt, a joke, even a mistake is vanishing under the pressure of ideological purism. That, too, is a form of soft authoritarianism: not imposed from above, but enforced through fear of social exclusion. When even freedom’s champions become its censors, we are entering dangerous terrain.

Freedom and democracy , two of the most sanctified words in our political lexicon, are not immutable truths carved into the marble of Western civilisation. They are living, evolving, deeply human constructs, and as such, they are vulnerable. Today, they are suffering not from overt enemies alone, but from quiet erosion, disinterest, and even... See more

These concepts, once grounded in participation , dissent , and dialogue , have too often become performative gestures . Democracy now risks being reduced to the act of voting every few years, while freedom is confused with mere consumer choice. We scroll, we swipe, we “like”.... and call it engagement. We are told we are free, yet algorithms shape... See more

Democracies may be noisy, imperfect, and often frustrating, but that is because they are real. They leave room for dissent, for delay, for disagreement, and in doing so, they leave room for humanity.

We must also recognise the role of fatigue — democratic fatigue. After decades of complex global challenges, from economic crises to climate disasters to pandemics, people are tired. And tired people are easier to sway with simplistic narratives. Autocrats do not need to burn books anymore; they simply flood the space with noise until truth drowns.... See more

Many today believe they are free because they can binge a show, criticise a politician on social media, or change their VPN settings. But true freedom is about fearlessness, not just of authority, but of your own voice. It’s about dignity, and the right to not only speak, but to be heard, to disagree, to exist without surveillance, and to live... See more

And freedom is not boundless, it is bounded by responsibility, by the obligation to defend it not just when it suits us, but especially when it does not.