I am always amazed why people counter hyperbolic nonsense on one fringe with something even worse from the opposite fringe. In this ridiculous article it looks like chauvinism is countered by self-loathing, using a rather constricted definition of greatness and progress. If, as the silly line of argument in this article suggests, the principal measure of contribution to society is to join the army, then India has done quite well. It has arguably the third largest army in the world, after China and Russia.
But I am sure most readers of the article have more sense than to believe any aspect of the cartoonish picture sketched by it. Contributions to human civilization involve much more than military prowess and scoring goals - indeed, much more than even technological advancement. There is language, art, music, dance, literature, sculpture, architecture, cuisine, philosophy and numerous other areas of human endeavor that characterize any culture and society. I would like to know whether the author of the said article has thought about them at all. His article certainly does not indicate he has. But if he has or if he does so now, I would also like to know what kind of objective method he would use to place India at the bottom of the pack in these areas as well. BTW, the literal contribution of zero by an Indian to mathematics was one of the most significant inventions of humankind. It was as transformative as the` invention of calculus. Cheers, Santosh P.S. Also, encouraging or shaming the RSS and other Hindu extremists into joining the military would be the worst calamity anybody could wish upon India. --- On Fri, 6/25/10, floriano <[email protected]> wrote: > > Chauvinisam V/s Patriotism - By Adv. Radharao F. > Gracias > > Our self-belief in our greatness is unfounded, and is the > cause of India's downfall, says Adv. Radharao F. Gracias. > > It was sometime at the beginning of the 19th century > that a soldier in the French Emperor Napoleon's army, when > asked to justify the incessant wars that France launched > against its neighbours, gave the classic reply: "My > Country, therefore right" (later modified as: "My country, > right or wrong"). The soldier's name was Eduardo Chauvin > (not Faleiro). He gave the world and entirely new concept: > 'chauvinism' >
