Quite a while ago, I happened to be in a conversation with a rationalist. He was rattling on about how he would be conducting his offspring's wedding. (Please pay attention to the phrase -"conduct a wedding" . I mean generally, we conduct funerals and celebrate weddings. ) I remember comments of the nature - " Well, it will definitely be a register marriage. No hulla, no rituals and i don't give a damn of the girl's caste or religion". So far so good! - well look at the positive side, at least it has to be a GIRL - "progeny mandatory". My heart did go out to all those gluttons missing the wedding "SADYA".
Take two: Less than a year later, the wedding was planned - rituals minimised, yes. But the ordinary Hindu wedding it was meant to be, not a register marriage. And as a topping on the irony , a reception was organised as well. No qualms here, honey. Seems that in spite of extensive "girl- hunting", no girl's family could be convinced to CONDUCT the wedding.
Mate, its your choice whether you are agnostic, atheistic or religious.
Its your choice whether you are orthodox or traditional.
whether you are nude or clothed.
whether you are gay or straight;
married, sleeping around or living in.
LIVE AND LET LIVE.
One thing that I have always wanted to tell such people is " You have an opinion; its fine; just give space to other's views. Otherwise you can end up being a turn off ". I remember Jaya bachan's dialogue from Sholay " Agar jeevan mein ye rang nahin hai, tho phir kya hai"?
Please note: This is not meant to hurt any sentiments. This rationalist is a darling otherwise and a dear of mine . I dedicate this post to him with all due respect and also to Khushwant Singh (who was man enough to call a spade, a spade).
So you think people who give other worldviews space is more accommodating. Not necessarily.
ReplyDeleteThe law of non contradiction (logic; undisputed, at least from Plato's recorded times) says that no two opposing statements can be true in the same sense at the same time. The nature of truth comes from there - that it is NOT all inclusive. Irrespective of the number of people claiming the opposite, the existence of truth demands that there are things that are not true. And truth and not-truth cannot coexist peacefully with the same legitimate claim, how much ever post modernist we might pretend to be.
All worldviews are exclusivist: even the one that says "live and let live" (it excludes its opposite, obviously). So by propagating it, you are imposing your worldview (live and let live) on those who have opposing worldviews, and pretending that you are accomodative!