Ganesh P Paudel
If the cap fits, wear it! The ultimate objective of this write-up is to shake the conscience of the bootlickers out there thereby leading them to transform themselves as a person with a prerequisite amount of self-esteem. Who is a bootlicker? Bootlickers, to begin with, are those who live a life of servitude to their higher authorities or more powerful persons in order to gain advantages and approval. There is and should be a clear line between being formal, professional and respectful and being obsequious towards the higher authority.
From academic realm to sports to corporate and banking sectors to politics to tenants’ relationship with their landlord, bootlicking is ubiquitous. It has plagued the society so much so that meritocracy, moral rectitude and self-esteem have been obsolete. However, we shouldn’t resign ourselves to accepting this as a norm. Let’s shun it or keep it at bay and purge ourselves of the (potential) guilt.
The mindset behind physical servitude deserves little or no condemnation than the mindset behind intellectual servitude. In physical servitude you can enjoy the autonomy of your thoughts. But in intellectual servitude you become a veritable example of a yes-man. The advantages you gain and the joy you extract by means of bootlicking is ephemeral. It is something akin to the pleasure of warmth you extract by peeing underneath your pants, never mind the damage it does to your personality and the generation you are supposed to bequeath your legacy to. It is an indelible shame for an egalitarian society. It is antithesis to the democratic norms and values.
Bootlicking spreads into the institution and ultimately hampers the growth of it. Therefore, it will be in the management teams’ best interest to discourage it or curb it altogether. The authorities at the management team should never bask in the instant benefits brought about by having yes-men around them because those yes-men chip away at the institutional strength and integrity. Time will come when the institution crumbles down like a house of cards.
If a person finds it in his/her heart to bootlick to establish his/her relevance or have some advantage over others, then that person in no time could go to the lengths of going against the belief s/he once espoused. From the perspectives of the person in authority, a bootlicker can never be anyone’s friend consistently. Bootlickers are often found to have silently justified their actions and modus operandi. They do not have faith in their capability and potential. Thus they find it easy to live at the mercy of their lord. Such a person can never be a true asset for the institution.
It’s high time for all bootlickers to undergo soul-searching and work towards the collective good of the institution and all of his/her colleagues or the community they live in. It ensures a life of bare minimum self-esteem and contentment.
(Ganesh P Paudel can be accessed through [email protected] )
