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1 / THREAD DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MORE THAN JUST A POLITICAL POST. IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU’RE LEFT OR RIGHT OR पी के टाइट – READ THIS AS A HUMAN BEING.
2 / I’m no expert on any matter but today I want to share my experiences, observations, understanding of myself and hopefully offer some tools to iron out the fundamental problems that we have amongst us; to make our co-existence a little bit more joyful.
3 / Let’s face it, in India, we’ve come to a breaking point, especially on Twitter, The Left and Right need couples therapy if this has to work out. We need to understand that at the end of the day, we are one country –
4 / one big family – irrespective of our ideologies and we need to preserve this relationship. No better time than now, when we’re all locked up in our homes fighting with each other.
5 / I posted my very first political article about a week ago where I openly supported the efforts being made by the PMO and declared that I do not mind being labelled a ‘Bhakt’. The thread went somewhat viral, people started sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp.
6 / I got a lot of comments and messages – mostly comments that applauded me for my articulation and honesty. But validation is a monster that comes with an immense sense of self-righteousness and arrogance in one’s beliefs.
7 / With my new found voice, it was almost as if I wanted to scream, tear down everything and blame the other, not realising that I was being a total bigot and hypocrite when I started saying to people “You are responsible for this. You deserve hell.”
8 / Thankfully, it took me less than a day to snap back to consciousness from my compulsive reactions and assess my own behaviour. Why was I doing this? It made me feel powerful, it made me feel superior, it gave me a sense of purpose, it made me feel like a winner.
9 / While I thought I was protecting the interest of my country, little did I realise that I was tearing it down and creating a greater divide between “Them & Us” by saying incinerating, hurtful and hateful things.
10 / Left or Right - this is what each of us are doing, all the time, without realising it. Each one of us are guilty of having done this at some point. We keep blowing wind at the fire in the hope that we will extinguish it, not realising that we’re only fanning the fire.
11 / An important question to ask ourselves is, why do we get so angry and frustrated with each other? Guess what? The truth is, most of us on either side what is best for the country – and that’s the common ground we need to move forward with.
12 / Sure, our ideas of what is ‘best’ for the country may differ but I am certain there are commonalities and these are the commonalities we need to build upon.
13 / Osho said “Logic is a whore. Logic can go with anybody. So whenever someone wins an argument, it does not prove that he has the truth, it only proves that he is cleverer at logical gymnastics....
14 / ...When someone is defeated in logic, it does not prove that he does not have the truth, he just may not be logically skilful. There is no truth. There is no untruth. It’s all a game.”
15 / Human beings are flawed. We can all be racist, classist, casteist, categorising bigots and hypocrites - every last one of us.
16 / The only difference is - some of us have either informed ourselves or raised our consciousness enough to not let our thoughts spill out. Some of us have informed ourselves or raised our consciousness to recognise that it is a flaw, a gap that needs to be fixed.
17 / Some of us have informed ourselves or raised our consciousness enough to not let it cloud our judgements and opinions. But only a few of us have informed ourselves or raised our consciousness enough to actually practice inclusiveness.
18 / Forget Fascism,Liberalism,Socialism,Capitalism,Communism and all definitions for a minute. None of that matters where we are at right now in history. With the ultimate reality of death looming over our heads, the only question you need to ask yourself is:Am I a Humanitarian?
19 / With all the steps that the PMO has taken in the last 2 weeks,it is evident that whichever side he may be on,his intentions are on the side of Humanity and that is what we need to support. Do we want the welfare of Human Beings?
If the answer is YES,then I need you do this
If the answer is YES,then I need you do this
20 / LW, I ask you to think “Here are a bunch of people who mean well for the country, who want to preserve our rich cultural heritage – our ancient knowledge and sciences that are helping so many people across the world today.....
21 / ...They do not want to annihilate any caste, creed or religion – they want to co-exist peacefully but they are afraid that we will lose what is uniquely ours.”
22 / RW, I ask you to think “Here are a bunch of people who mean well for the country, who believe in equality, diversity and inclusion but are afraid that that in trying to preserve and promote what is uniquely ours, someone’s rights and freedoms will be taken away...
23 / ...They are afraid there will be wars and bloodshed and the beauty of our colourful differences will fade away.”
24 / Ultimately, we’re all just afraid and insecure and it is these insecurities that are poisoning our minds – not anyone else. Not anything else.
25 / We need to understand the fundamental difference.
While LW is primarily driven by Language and Logic / Reason. RW is primarily driven by Perception and Emotion / Intuition.
While LW is primarily driven by Language and Logic / Reason. RW is primarily driven by Perception and Emotion / Intuition.
26 / Nobody is right. Nobody is wrong. These are the 4 doorways to knowing. These are the 4 wheels of the car. We need to understand that without all 4, we are incomplete in our knowledge. Our strength lies in developing our ability to see things from a different lens.
27 / This may sound like a naïve and ridiculous idea but let’s try it – it might just work : Take a vow today to understand each other’s insecurities, to understand the differences and then move from compulsiveness to consciousness. If you don’t like/agree with something...
28 / Here is a list of good practices:
1. Do not react or attack the person based on their race, gender, caste, creed, colour, sexual orientation, religion or political stance.
1. Do not react or attack the person based on their race, gender, caste, creed, colour, sexual orientation, religion or political stance.
29 / 2. Do not accuse a person for either being an ‘Anti-National’ or being a ‘Fascist’. I think I have already established that most of us want the best for this country.
30 / 3. Do not call anybody names. Let’s erase the words ‘Liberandu’, ‘Sanghi’, 'Libtard' , ‘Bhakt’ and ‘Sickular’ from our dictionary. Let’s not even call each other ‘Stupid’, ‘Idiot’ or ‘Moron’.
31 / 4. Do not be sarcastic or passive aggressive and do not compare.
32 / 5. Do not make jokes about people or humiliate them for who they are or dismiss them for their faith or beliefs. (Even if you think it is the most ridiculous / absurd belief.)
33 / 6. Do not threaten anybody with violence.
34 / 7. Do not spread news and information just because it endorses your belief system. Make it a point to verify your news before you send it to someone. If you think the news / joke will spark hatred towards a certain community: DO NOT SHARE IT.
35 / Here is what you can do in case something is troubling you: 1. If you can ignore it, ignore it. 2. Research, ask questions, try to understand the situation by getting more information. 3. Offer a suggestion or a solution to the problem.
36 / I know, it’s really hard when we want to just slap the other person. Especially for a person like me whose instinct is to instantly give people heartburn with my words.
37 / Let’s try to be inclusive of each other? If we all died tonight, is this the legacy we want to leave behind for our country? Think about it. And you have 10 Days to think.
38 / We are the ones who discovered the Zero and Number System.
We are the ones who discovered Wireless Communication in 1895.
We are the ones who invented the USB.
We are the ones who pioneered Steel and Metal Works.
We are the ones who discovered Wireless Communication in 1895.
We are the ones who invented the USB.
We are the ones who pioneered Steel and Metal Works.
39 / We are the ones who showed the world how to use Cotton & Jute.
We are the ones who pioneered an Organised Education System.
We are the ones who taught the world how to have Sex.
We are the ones who gave the world Yoga and Ayurveda.
We are the ones who pioneered an Organised Education System.
We are the ones who taught the world how to have Sex.
We are the ones who gave the world Yoga and Ayurveda.
40 / We are the ones who invented the Cataract Surgery in the 6th Century BCE.
We are the ones who found a cure for Leprosy and Lithiasis.
We are the ones who eradicated Polio.
We are the ones who basically discovered the true meaning
of ‘One-ness’ and ‘Unity in Diversity’.
We are the ones who found a cure for Leprosy and Lithiasis.
We are the ones who eradicated Polio.
We are the ones who basically discovered the true meaning
of ‘One-ness’ and ‘Unity in Diversity’.
41 / Come on now, let’s get over our petty differences. If one little invisible virus can change the world, surely, a bunch of sensible Indians can change themselves? Let’s accept this challenge to stand with India. Let’s eradicate hate.
42 / Let’s light a flame on the 5th of April at 9pm, not as a symbol of our ideology, but as a signal that irrespective of our beliefs we stand #TogetherAsOne.PS: Make it a point to share this as far and as wide as you can. In every single social circle. Let's make love go viral.
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