DEBATE

“Indifference is a great sin than hatred”… so said the humanitarian advocate for the poor and helpless, Mother Theresa, who if alive would have celebrated her 97th birthday on Sunday 26th August. A day earlier Goanet – a debating group of the Goan Diaspora completed 13 years. Surely, the weekend that went by had two dates in history which underline the need to connect and communicate – a message of great urgency in an increasingly polarised and intolerant world.

Wikipedia defines debating as a formal method of interactive and position representational argument. In online debating on websites like Goanet, the exchanges travel the entire range from being researched to opinionated, angry to comforting, personalised to ganging-up, hurt to hope, old wounds to new dreams. The churning, created by the exchange of well thought out points and counterpoints, helps facilitate a broader understanding of an issue, situation or even an attitude.

There are so many dimensions to any issue. And more often than not, we stand positioned in a stationary manner and hence see a singular dimension. However when we share our opinion, somebody else can confirm or dispute our prejudice by sharing another dimension. Besides there is opportunity to shift one’s own position and perspective… and thus develop new dimensions.

It requires courage to allow people to differ on matters that are divisive, but initiates like Goanet have had moderators who have displayed the abilities and the attitude required in a thankless job. And to their credit, they have allowed the worst critics to have their say. Critics of the online debates point out that a lot of hate and anger gets thrown up as old prejudices indulge in name calling and abuse. But like Mother Theresa said “indifference” is an attitude we need to overcome to reach the hurdles of hatred which can be scaled by the approach of love and understanding.

A debate starts with differences but it can eventually move to becoming a discussion that explores the varied dimensions of the topic. The journey from conflict to consensus needs communication, not attitudes of indifference. We only, must ensure that we are not disagreeable when we disagree because the intent of every debate should be to “express” rather than “impress”…

Shed the indifference by sharing perspectives in the debate
“Develop new dimensions” to overcome prejudices of hate…

Regards
Pravin