After the elections of 2019 were over, i wanted to write a long post about the current hate mongering in India and how i think this is campaign part II of the Congress. The first part of this campaign was run before independence, and that led to the partition of the country.
But I was told very sternly by my meditation to not write such a post. In fact, to not even mention it. I was confused. Of late, I have come to realise that one is just a channel. There is incredible freedom and joy in this realisation. And anyway, that sternness meant no action at all. But I wondered why. People are losing their lives, and if they can only see that this whole campaign is just a smokescreen, maybe 2 ppl will be saved. So why not?
This morning, I was told why not. In opening up about the Congress, I was coming from a place of fear and hate. There was this need to save lives, but there was a greater fear - terror, almost - of a second partition. That was what i wanted to avoid through writing that post - the second partition, and the violence inherent in that.
Now I realise that we cannot make people realise these large waves. And we cannot come from a place of hatred and make a difference. The reason that people become even more dogged in their convictions when confronted on social media, is that everyone comes from a place of hate. In that place, no one wants to open their hearts and listen or absorb. Like the proverbial wind and the sun story, the harder the wind blows, the closer one hugs one's shawl.
The way to make a person receptive is to start by being receptive. I view your actions as indifference and even criminal, because you are encouraging hate mongering without realising that one is a puppet in a much larger drama. You view me as steeped in the past and unwilling to move on. Fair point.
Now that we are aware of each other's prejudices, lets also accept that both of us believe that we are basing our views on pure facts, and not on some biased interpretation of those facts. Perhaps we have chosen our facts carefully, to validate our own prejudice, and perhaps we have subconsciously interpreted the facts to suit our own bias.
Now, lets talk. I will always be scared of the Congress, and I will always hate them. They have proven, time and again, their ability to divide people and rule because of that. That is my bias.
What will help me remove that bias: I would welcome facts that prove a time when the Congress moved to unite people who were earlier in conflict with each other. I would also like to see the dynasty come clean on its actions. If it does, and if it is suitably punished, I promise to not punish the party for the actions of the dynasty.
What is the fact check that I have done to arrive at my biases?
Oh, plenty! The reason I could identify this as campaign part 2 was that i had read campaign part 1 so carefully. Half my life was spent in asking the question - Why was i born in Delhi and not in Shekhupura. Why was Punjab steeped in terror? How did it happen that even the British could not divide the Hindus and Sikhs, but independent India could? These are events that have affected me personally, so i know a lot about them.
What is your bias? What would help you overcome that bias? What did you do to arrive at your bias?
But I was told very sternly by my meditation to not write such a post. In fact, to not even mention it. I was confused. Of late, I have come to realise that one is just a channel. There is incredible freedom and joy in this realisation. And anyway, that sternness meant no action at all. But I wondered why. People are losing their lives, and if they can only see that this whole campaign is just a smokescreen, maybe 2 ppl will be saved. So why not?
This morning, I was told why not. In opening up about the Congress, I was coming from a place of fear and hate. There was this need to save lives, but there was a greater fear - terror, almost - of a second partition. That was what i wanted to avoid through writing that post - the second partition, and the violence inherent in that.
Now I realise that we cannot make people realise these large waves. And we cannot come from a place of hatred and make a difference. The reason that people become even more dogged in their convictions when confronted on social media, is that everyone comes from a place of hate. In that place, no one wants to open their hearts and listen or absorb. Like the proverbial wind and the sun story, the harder the wind blows, the closer one hugs one's shawl.
The way to make a person receptive is to start by being receptive. I view your actions as indifference and even criminal, because you are encouraging hate mongering without realising that one is a puppet in a much larger drama. You view me as steeped in the past and unwilling to move on. Fair point.
Now that we are aware of each other's prejudices, lets also accept that both of us believe that we are basing our views on pure facts, and not on some biased interpretation of those facts. Perhaps we have chosen our facts carefully, to validate our own prejudice, and perhaps we have subconsciously interpreted the facts to suit our own bias.
Now, lets talk. I will always be scared of the Congress, and I will always hate them. They have proven, time and again, their ability to divide people and rule because of that. That is my bias.
What will help me remove that bias: I would welcome facts that prove a time when the Congress moved to unite people who were earlier in conflict with each other. I would also like to see the dynasty come clean on its actions. If it does, and if it is suitably punished, I promise to not punish the party for the actions of the dynasty.
What is the fact check that I have done to arrive at my biases?
Oh, plenty! The reason I could identify this as campaign part 2 was that i had read campaign part 1 so carefully. Half my life was spent in asking the question - Why was i born in Delhi and not in Shekhupura. Why was Punjab steeped in terror? How did it happen that even the British could not divide the Hindus and Sikhs, but independent India could? These are events that have affected me personally, so i know a lot about them.
What is your bias? What would help you overcome that bias? What did you do to arrive at your bias?
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