My Response to Gurumurthiji - II
...contd
Some more are in urban or in big cities standing on the cross road? Some privileged among us are settled in foreign countries not knowing where there life is. Our web site is the proof and please notice that out of 1000 or so members hardly a few hundreds take part in discussions. Balance 90% do only watch the threads and trying to understand who are we or what and where are we!! So if you prescribe that taking part in the debate only qualifies me for asking questions then I humbly say my pranams and keep quite.
If people are content to sit in the sidelines and watch then they have no business to come and legislate on issues developed by those who are actively participating. Here, in this forum, we privilege participation over non-participation. Our community in general, the current elderly generation in particular, has set a fine example of how to keep quiet and allow all kinds of people to say all sorts of things to us, Brahmins. The past generation or two has been quite selfish, thinking, 'why should I be bothered' and they have moved away or kept quiet. It could have been much more easy to cut the bad influences right at the beginning. Now the younger generation is finding it so hard to work up a sense of respect that can benefit the entire community. We feel the first step toward rectifying this problem is to encourage participation.
I understand that there are some great exceptions in the older members of our community such as those actively participating in this forum. In this current effort of community building some elders have come forward to help and their presence is such a huge relief and great welcome. Of course the younger members who are participating are our hope, they are our future. Bottomline, there is no excuse for being passive. To answer your question more directly, YES, the persons who actively participate in any debate have more privilege in shaping it than those merely watching. Why? Because participants invest time, effort, words and thoughts to help shape some concepts. It is not always pretty, it gets messy but the important thing is they are DOING something, as opposed to selfishly absorbing everything without giving anything in return.
No. We want members to write with good logic and reasoning. Otherwise things can quickly escalate to name-calling and bad-mouthing.
My humble view is that any thing written politely and with due respect to others should be acceptable. What one feels good logic and reasoning not necessarily be the same to some others. Disrespect is un brahminic and to be corrected.
I don't think my questions to KRS were illogical or impolite. If it is illogical, he is the one who should say it. In other words, if I said something to him and he understands and responds to it the matter ends there. This happens to be a case where we have shared a certain level of intensity in our debates. So I would rely on his understanding more. If you think my comments are illogical, then you are welcome to ask for clarifications.
You say that disrespect is unbrahminical, yet you were so quick to judge the admin as 'imposing our own views'. I find that contradictory.
Also, what is logical to one, is not necessarily logical to another. I think the answer is a YES and NO. Our legal system is based on laws and logic. It is not everybody's idea of logic but there exists a consensus about what constitutes a logical argument, right? Similarly there do exist a few things like rules of good writing, rules of persuasion and sound reasoning. We in India are not taught the value of 'arts' subjects because it won't get us a job. But it is these arts subjects that enable a person to communicate well. Those of us who have more familiarity with those subjects tend to do a better job of understanding things like logical arguments. Those of us who do not have expertise in the field can and perhaps should treat it as a learning opportunity.
That's how it has been happening. So I don't understand where this question is coming from.
No ! some time asking to split the point in to smaller points etc also lead to totally losing the original. E.g., you split this in to part II – So the original author is lost and you become the author in all such splits. Please do not give me technical reasons for this. This is wrong and to be corrected. Also summing up again of somebody’s point diverts the attention and delays the flow.
Asking somebody to split a point is not the same thing as setting the limit for the number of pages on the thread. So you are comparing two different things here.
I asked KRS a few questions from the point of view of clarity.
Setting page limit is done for a couple of purposes - (1) Long threads have a way of deviating into completely different topics that after a while the title of the thread does not indicate the content of the thread (2) All of us admins are volunteers. Sometimes we have to look at an entire thread from start to finish because our work has kept us busy and we have not been able to be present then and there. In such times looking at a thread of 80 pages is really tedious. So yes, some of our convenience is very much part of it.
You said that the threads are split so that we admins become the author. As you have probably noticed every thread is authored by all of the posters and administrators become contributors to a few. I assure you none of us have the time to sit and author all of the threads on our own.
If you mean that we admin are keen on establishing our ego in these threads, I assure there are far more profitable ways open to us. And in almost all cases our egos are satisfied by the jobs we hold by the things are able to do outside of this forum. We wouldn't be spending our precious time thinking for our community. This is strictly service. And I am learning how tough it can be!
Asking someone to sum up their points, to me, is a logical way of asking for clarity. I don't know how that can stop the flow of any debate. To me, it can only enhance it.
This is a very unfair comment Gurumurthiji. The admin has been doing its level best to not impose our views on anybody. Our roles as moderators has strictly been towards guiding any given discussion. We check to see if the arguments are sound - if there is proper backing especially for controversial claims. Some of us are better at debates than others but that doesn't mean anybody is trying to impose their views.
Very sorry Chintanaji… sorry I never meant to be un fair to you. By and large all of you are doing a good service and I only took the privilege of guiding whenever I felt deviation. Nothing more than that.
Suggestions are welcome. But please don't be so quick to judge! Thank you.
Certainly not the admin, if that's what you are asking!
Let us see whether any useful message emerge out of all the discussions and ultimately the community benefits !!!
I would like to see that too.
Please explain this statement.
Simple. Out of this discussion if we have to accept and rectify our mistakes we have to come forward to do that even if it is painful. Also we have to change the molding pattern of the community from the young age. The qualities that we have to inculcate from the younger age, have to be identified and accepted even it is painful.
I hope the things I have said in this posting are taken in the right spirit, although, in your language, it may be 'painful'.
gurumurthyji
Regards,
Chintana
