Walk Alone

My friend thinks I lose my handle very easily in a discussion. That I lose the thread and start abusing the participants.

Well, he may have a point. When I see a discussion filled with ad hominems and non sequiturs, I just lose it. Besides, he very rarely chooses to debate on topics on which I have a firmer grip than him. Half the battle is won when the topic and time of discussion are your preferred choices.

Hell, its just that I’m plain NOT INTERESTED. The going-ons of the Sangh Parivar are given the lowest priority in my mind. I can ALWAYS find something more important to discuss than Hindutva and the Hindu psyche. And frankly, even if I don’t, I’ud prefer to go to sleep. India doesn’t realize it, but it has no time for stuff like that. An indication of how useless such things are, is the ind_league group on Yahoo India. It is failing miserably with threads lagging, polls flopping and messages pertaining to other stuff cluttering the space. And as for members, most have joined for the novelty of it. Only 2-3 members out of 11 post. Its the same everywhere. When your stomach growls with hunger, religion doesn’t help, except in charity - and that won’t take you far. The only way to fill your stomach using religion is to make money out of it. Thats what ALL religious, social and political institutions do.

I know my priorities. I love my nation. I know the ways I can serve its needs. To tell that Hindutva is the way forward, is fascist. To think that they are the saviours of a religion which has thrived for centuries and survived the birth of half-a-dozen other religions without any deliberate effort, is arrogant beyond comprehension. My skills and interests are distinct and I prefer to utilize my energy on them. I would like to use them to help my nation in my own way.

Then, as for debating styles, I prefer to write thoughtful pieces, which are restrained. Then the other side can respond to it and so, it moves on. Short volleys of points and counter-points with the opposite sides shooting down people in mid-sentence - thats not my style. My friend points out that he may not be in the proper mood to read the piece. Well… what can I say to that? So get into a verbal discussion and your mood is just right for it? Maybe, we should catch them in the wrong mood and THEN start a discussion.