The Greeks had a word for a certain kind of failure that remains painfully relevant today: amathia. Socrates used the term to describe a condition not of stupidity but of intelligent people choosing poorly. Amathia is the misuse of intelligence through pride, stubbornness, or refusal to learn. It is a form of spiritual blindness, where people are capable of understanding the truth but choose not to. Socrates believed that this condition, rather than ignorance, was the true source of many moral and social failures. Those afflicted with amathia are not uneducated. They may be trained thinkers, administrators, or professionals, yet their intelligence is corrupted by self interest, ego, or false convictions.
In Nagaland, the concept has uncomfortable relevance. We are not short of educated people, leaders, or institutions. Decades of schooling, conferences, consultations, and committees have created an environment rich in discussion yet poor in resolution. Amathia explains why educated citizens knowingly take part in corruption, tribes and organizations repeat confrontational politics that never deliver lasting solutions, and leaders make decisions that do not translate into real development. It is why Naga society keep returning to the same disputes and structural weaknesses even after 70 years of political aspiration. The issue is not inability but unwillingness. The habit of protecting interests is often stronger than the conviction to pursue truth.
Amathia is visible when individuals complain of systemic decay yet maintain the same practices that sustain it. It is seen when groups call for unity while deepening division. It is present when leaders speak of reform without taking the difficult steps required. Nagaland has intelligence, resources, and human capital. What it lacks is the collective courage to learn, to correct course, and to confront our own role in the stagnation. Socrates said that the worst tragedy is not ignorance but the refusal to know better. Nagaland will not progress simply by increasing education. It will progress only when we overcome amathia and choose to act on the knowledge we already possess.
Nagaland’s challenges do not stem from a shortage of smart people, but from a shortage of individuals willing to learn from history, reject habitual complacency, and make honest, difficult decisions. The real tragedy is not ignorance but the failure to act when we already know what must be done.