"rhurbur..blah..blah...Kejriwal...blah..blah..Modi...blah..blah..communal...rhubrurbur..2002...blah..blah...Aam Aadmi..."...This is what one hears these days in the cafeteria. All one hears is a lot of jumbled voices with some familiar political names interspersed in between the noise. On one such day, I saw a heated debate between two people at a table. I the two 'contestants' tensed, jaws clenched, gesticulating wildly. I could see them going through a lot of agony. Even after the altercation, I saw the people involved still suffering from the after effects of the fight. Which leads one to wonder, are these arguments worth their salt?
Whatever a person's political leanings might be, it is an idea that would have taken root after many subjective experiences. And often, the more one is attached to one's ideology/theology/religion the more painful such arguments might turn out to be. Are such arguments even worth it?
I for one am a nationalist and I support a certain party and candidate that I feel is best for the country. A friend was trying to convince me that he is not 'secular'. Secularism has been our country's bane. I did not mince my words when I conveyed my ideas to my friend. But I could see the pain that he was going through. This world is filled with problems of many kinds. But arguments of the kind on political ideologies or religion are self-invited problems. They do not auger well for anyone.
As an ardent devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba, I remember the first chapter of the Sai Satcharita as I pen down these thoughts. "Let us avoid contentiousness and arguments of any kind!" says Baba to Hemadpant advising his devotees to follow their chosen path and avoid un-necessary conflicts brought about by arguments of any kind.
As the Upanishads proclaim, all I can ask from my Sainath (God) is peace! peace! peace!
Whatever a person's political leanings might be, it is an idea that would have taken root after many subjective experiences. And often, the more one is attached to one's ideology/theology/religion the more painful such arguments might turn out to be. Are such arguments even worth it?
I for one am a nationalist and I support a certain party and candidate that I feel is best for the country. A friend was trying to convince me that he is not 'secular'. Secularism has been our country's bane. I did not mince my words when I conveyed my ideas to my friend. But I could see the pain that he was going through. This world is filled with problems of many kinds. But arguments of the kind on political ideologies or religion are self-invited problems. They do not auger well for anyone.
As an ardent devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba, I remember the first chapter of the Sai Satcharita as I pen down these thoughts. "Let us avoid contentiousness and arguments of any kind!" says Baba to Hemadpant advising his devotees to follow their chosen path and avoid un-necessary conflicts brought about by arguments of any kind.
As the Upanishads proclaim, all I can ask from my Sainath (God) is peace! peace! peace!
