A little heart-to-heart with you, my friends:

People who know me IRL know that I'm very vocal about my political opinions. It is imperative that everybody gets as much info about the things they care about as possible. Having said that, I choose to be apolitical in here.

The reason for this decision wasn't easy. I was tempted on so many occasions to chime-in on issues. It's much easier to voice out my opinions on topical issues as an anonymous account. After all, what am I risking as a nameless, faceless person in here?

Social Media platforms have this weird effect of breaking everyone down into a bunch of characters on your screen. This dehumanizing aspect of Twitter (or any SM) often prompts us to say things that we normally wouldn't in person. We get emotional cues and body language cues IRL.

Take that human element away, and add the comfort that anonymity provides, and you have a raging cesspool of opinions and half-truths that, while well-intentioned as they "sometimes" can be, might not always necessarily capture the ground reality of what's happening in the world.

So, I could either choose to voice out my political "opinions" in here, and try to influence people to win an online argument, or I could follow my own advice and remain apolitical, not adding any more noise to the cacophony; hoping that people would do their own research.

So, what I am going to ask of you, is to diversify the sources where you get your news from. Keep an open mind. Come out of your bubble. Not all liberals are hot-headed, knee-jerk reactors. Not all conservatives are bigots and fascists. There are always exceptions, of course.

The next time we feel tempted to call each other names, let's remind ourselves that we are still real people talking to other real people out there. There is a very real probability that you are "IRL friends" with the very set of people you are name-calling online, anonymously.

Finally, Question (not Taunt) everything. No ideology - Be it Political or Religious, is above criticism. Question your Politicians, Saints and Prophets. But remember to be respectful at the end of the day; for what is skeptical to you, may be sacred to another.

We humans are richer as a species because of the diverse world-view, that each one of us has, that shapes us into distinct entities. So, Let us celebrate our differences, instead of weaponizing it to hate our neighbors.

"Varadhu Kutty - Over & Out"

Peace.