Interview With Desh Subba On Fearmorphosis

                The cause of Metamorphosis is Fear 

Desh Subba

Desh Subba is a contemporary philosopher. He has written several books on Fearism. Some of the books he has written with co-authors and some of the books sole. He is a founder of 1. Philosophy of Fearism (2014), 2. Trans Philosophism (2021), 3. Fearmorphosis (2023). He was born in Nepal and now lives in Hong Kong with his family. For Bishwa Darpan, Bishwa Raj Adhikari has interviewed him regarding his new book Fearmorphosis. 

 

 1. You have done a lot of research on Fearism. What is Fearism?

 

Fearism is a philosophy which centralizes civilization, philosophy, society, literature, ecology, economics, language, criticism, religion, and politics on a fear basis. It looks very different when we look at our life, society, ecology, literature, religion, philosophy, criticism, politics, language, dark age, modernism, postmodernism Marxism, Existentialism, colonization, subaltern, hegemonize, and feminism from it. It is an eye. In the past, thinkers, authors, and spiritual leaders interpreted fear as a negative emotion, we (Fearists) are looking for it positively.

 

2. How Fearism works on our general life?

 

Fear is the first consciousness. Every step of life we are very conscious because of fear. For example, at home we use everything for safety purposes like doors, windows, locks, alarms, CCTV, passwords, healthcare, dieting, rules, discipline, laws, morality, doing job, educating children, physical fitness, savings, insurance, ambulance, fire brigade, hospital, investment, police, army, corruption control, border control and immigration all are doing because of fear. Its philosophical analysis is Fearism.

 

3. You have written a book and is published recently “Fearmorphosis” . What is it all about?  

 

This book reanalysis concept of Sisyphus (Camus), Panopticon ideas (Jeremy Bentham, and Michel Foucault), introduces Scapegoats theory (Eastern and Western), Metamorphosis (Kafka), Hell is other people (Sartre) and Das Kapital from Fearmorphosis. The cause of the metamorphosis of living things, languages, society, politics, civilization, our job nature and migration are fear. The definition of metamorphosis is unclear. I needed to define the cause. We are always pushing our life, society, capital, language, literature, and politics as Sisyphus. We fear that a boulder of these at any time falls. Thus, we are Fear Sisyphus. Fear Sisyphus is a subtitle of book.

 

4. What is Fearmorphosis?

Fearmorphosis is a new term in English. No one has used it before. I used it for the first time in Biswa Darpan’s interview. Later on, I developed it in the book. The cause of metamorphosis is Fear (Fearmorphosis) because the reason for it is fear of dying (extinction).

 

5. Does Metamorphosis not carry a meaning?

Metamorphosis gives meaning to the bodily transformation process of creatures. For example, egg, larva, pupa, and butterfly are the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Including human beings, living things and cultures, religions, languages, races, and civilizations do the same process. What is the cause of it? It is not given by Kafka and other thinkers. Does metamorphosis carry the meaning? I think not. So what word can carry? I couldn't find any appropriate word for it. Therefore, I coined Fearmorphosis. Fearmorphosis is the right word and meaning for Metamorphosis.

 

6. Do you disagree with Hell is other people?

Of course. If we see the practical way, is Hell of Hitler by other people? Jean-Paul Sartre has looked at the second part of ‘No Exit’. He hid the first part. In the first part, Garcin, Inez, and Estelle are the criminals. They had crimes and were sent to Hell. The jail was Hell. Right, but they went there because of crime. Meantime, he contradicted himself. Before he said, Existence Precedes Essence. Now he said Hell is other people. My point is Fear Precedes  Essence and Hell is no other people. Hell is by themselves.

 

7. Strongly you have rejected the Kafkaesque of Franz Kafka. How can you justify it?

I did not reject the Kafkaesque of Franz Kafka. After reading about him, I reached a new conclusion. Victims of Kafkaesque are powerless, dominated, fearful, and marginal. They have been tortured by their Father, Manager, and the state. But the father, manager, and the head of state have not been punished. The positions of Kafkaesque, marginal, subaltern, woman, untouchable, and colonized are always exploited, dominated, and punished though they are innocent. So, I redefined it in the name of a Super Scapegoat Structure (SSS). They are unknowingly being a scapegoat. Karl Marx explained it in Super Structure (SS). I examined his idea. What happens if fear is removed? Obviously, it doesn’t work. So, I reformed it previously in the name of Super Fear Structure (SFS). We can find it in Trans Philosophism book. Later on, I rewrote it, in Super Scapegoat Structure. In all these formations, the victim doesn’t know what his crime is but gets punished. Kafka himself got retribution when he was 9 years old though he was innocent. But he never knew the reason for his chastising. He scapegoated in the name of beliefs, morality, and discipline. So, I reached the conclusion that they are under Super Scapegoat Structure, not merely Kafkaesque.

 

8. Can we look at society, myth, religion, politics, economics, and ecology from scapegoat theory?

Yes, we have two kinds of scapegoats a. self-made b. made by others. The self-made reference I have taken from the Bible. In the Bible, it is written, that Jesus Christ also did no wrong but willingly gave Himself to die for the sins of mankind ([1Timothy 2:6] [3] [66]). He was self-made. Political leaders, business tycoons, social leaders, spiritual speakers, patriots, martyrs, and employees are self-made scapegoats. Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and Aung San Suu Kyi are self-made like

Christ. Four famous patriots and martyrs of Nepal Shukraraj Shastri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dashrath Chand, and Gangalal Shrestha were given the death penalty by the dictator Rana regime of Nepal. They were fighting for democracy. Their sacrifice was for democracy. Some sacrifice for democracy, some for independence, and some for social reform. When India was colonized by the British, not only scapegoated civilians, they scapegoated nature too. Helen was scapegoated in Troy, Draupadi was in Mahabharat and Sita was in Ramayana. Sati system was not exceptional. We have many examples of this theory. Hence, it is time to see history, culture, ecology, and politics from this latest lens.

 

9. I read a new approach in Panopticon. Can you tell me about it?

The Panopticon is an eye. The eye can be visible or invisible.  In the myth, it came from the state of nature. Theoretically, Jeremy Bentham, Michel Foucault, and I (Subba) have defined it. CCTV is its present form. My analysis is scientific and practical. I have shaped it in a new dimension. For instance, General Panopticon, Special Panopticon, Direct Panopticon, Indirect Panopticon, Spiritual Panopticon, and Materialistic. These are watching eyes. It is in the beginning. After some time, its effects can be seen.

 

10. How can we understand the Metamorphosis in Fearmorphosis term?

The Metamorphosis is a Novella of the Samsa Family. Gregor Samsa is an employee. He has been working for fifteen years as a salesboy. For five years he didn’t take a holiday. He was sacrificing for his family’s happiness. He was a lovely son to mom and dearest brother to sister because he was earning. One morning when he woke up, he found metamorphosed into vermin. Vermin cannot go to work and income. Slowly, he became a burden to his family, and they wished for him to die. Gregor was transformed into an insect, but family members changed their behaviour.  It gives a lesson that our every relationship is based on money and money is based on fear. Fear is invisible in Novella but it was the reason for their transformation. That’s why, I look at it from Fearmorphosis point of view.

 

11. Lots of Das Kapital effects can be seen in your book. Does it have any relation with Sisyphus?

Excellent, do we find any difference between the boulder of Sisyphus and the capital of capitalism? Both are pushing the rock. The icon is different. Every day Sisyphus heaved up his stone to the mountaintop. From the top again fell. When it fell, he had a fear of crushing and dying. Likewise, the capitalist pushes his capital to the peak. He never stops. He regularly pushes and pushes his it, but the summit never comes. He is afraid that if not properly pushed, it may fall. It can be applicable to all professions including students. That’s why I said Fear Sisyphus.

 

12. Why you are so interested in Fearism?

 

Fearism is a foundation of education, healthcare, civilization, philosophy, politics, society, literature, language, ecological crisis, psychology, and economy. No one has seen its beauty. Reality was shadowed by illusion in many spares of life. Simple example is, Communist Manifesto was written about the fear of capitalist. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels first sentence is; “A spectre is haunting Europe- the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre; pope and tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.” Is it not a misinterpretation? Fearism entered this intellectual world to show the right light.

 

13. Do you have anything to tell readers?

Among my three ideas, some readers told me Fearmorphosis is the best. I am not sure which is the best. It is the free will of readers. They have the right to decide and mark. The product of Fearism school is spread to different parts of the faculty and the world. Still, most scholars are not familiar with it. Readers can pass the message to them. It gives good tips for life. 

Interview by Bishwa Raj Adhikari