Gilbert Lawrence wrote:
> >
> It is one thing to have a "questioning mind", which is good.? It is
> another to have a 'jaundiced eye' with an attitude; and present oneself
> as an all-knowing person.? This applies to all of us.
> >
Mario observes:
>
Hey, Gilbert please turn your chronically "jaundiced eye" on yourself first,
before indicting "all of us":-))
>
Marshall Mendonza wrote:
> >
> What astonishes and surprises me is the kind of nit-picking and hair
> splitting over minor details which in any case do not alter the gravity
> of the crime. It seemed more like a boy scout trying to score brownie
> points. Further, the facts were indeed pointed out later as it was
> published. I would have thought that educated and well balanced persons
> would have looked at the bigger picture.
> >
Mario observes:
>
1. I wonder if Rina Mukherjee is pleased at her name becoming synonymous with a
vigorous but often scatter-brained discussion on the violence against
Christians in Orissa:-))
>
2. Marshall, you are probably too wet behind the ears to know that, while there
are exceptions as there are to any rule, "balance" in thinking is generally
inversely proportional to the level of "education":-))
>
My "questioning mind" has observed that the more highly educated a person the
narrower the focus typically tends to become - which only means that they are
more qualified than others in their particular expertise. If the person's
education, while extensive, is also very broad, they become so philosophical
and vapid in their thinking that they seem chronically confused by "on one
hand" versus "on the other hand" kind of circular thinking that leads
nowhere:-))
>
If a person does not possess a basic level of common sense - the kind that can
normally be seen before finishing high school, then all further education is
generally less effective and sometimes may even be counterproductive.
>
Regarding the kind of violence that needs to be firmly tamped down in India
before it gets out of hand, there is no excuse for it, most of it is
politically motivated, and much of it falls on innocent members of the target
group, i.e. Christians who may have nothing to do with forced conversions,
which are being conducted by a very few extremist Christians for the most part,
just as the violemce is being conducted by a very small percentage of India's
800 million plus Hindus.
>
In a secular country like India, which has long promoted itself as tolerant and
wise enough to lecture the world on morality, people changing their religion
should not bother anyone, unless the conversions are being forced on people
against their will, which would make them like an illegal psychological assault.
>
I think commentators like Rina Mukherjee have come to believe that the legal
system in India is so useless and corrupt that radical elements become
frustrated and therefore resort to violence. Doesn't this make India sound
like a version of Zimbabwe? Regardless, this is not acceptable in a country
whose brains power much of the world and is moving inexorably towards
superpower status. Refraining from violent reactions to non-violent actions,
and adopting greater civic sensibilities in personal behavior must complement
what India is achieving on the world stage.
>
The problem seems to me a breakdown in political leadership starting right at
the top, right below Sardarji's turban.
>
