I wish you an evening as wonderful as your most productive ideas, dear reader.
Every caustic remark, every questionable comment, and every intractable input and those not necessarily associated with issues-at-hand as well, is the first step to a quarrel. Every honest acknowledgement, every respectful rebuff and every appreciative wonderment, and every hungry query is the first step to a storm of productive ideas.
What curdles a collage of good ideas
Questionable comments include vindictive sarcasm and insinuations against any person, insinuated spite, suggestive communal / tribal remarks, and slight on personal character either directly or indirectly, either against the forum's administrators or forum members, and other intellectual misadventures that masquerade as perspectives and words. Images in poor taste included.
Every conflict starts off as a casual disagreement. It takes only one careless comment to start a paragraph of hatred. Do not let apparent passion of conversational engagement deceive you -- being gentlemanly still validates one being a gentleman.
Laugh with each other, not at
There is a difference between friendly, lighthearted sarcasm and the other, acerbic cynicism that simmers from a bruised ego and hiding behind a ‘smile’ emoticon. We can differentiate them. Crack jokes, laugh with others and enjoy being strange humans and funny beings – but not with vindictiveness as the punchline. Please work with us, dear members.
We are all men with minds, language and education – how we use them, will also decide what results would emerge if a great idea, or a thought or a task was entrusted on us. What is the whole point of good argument if your words simmer with angst?
Let us use the gifts of language and ideas responsibly. If you do not, the men of minds still walk away from the table taller.
A drop does not make rain
I believe all of you here are perceptive enough to understand that out of a community a handful of people having a grievance does not validate a remedy. Likewise, few comments proven unfeasible do not represent a compromise of the small objectives of the general truth. Or any truth
Let us not be like terrorists – they launch a global holy war every time someone loses his rubber slippers. Having an opinion is not enough. Having a relevant one is.
Do you indulge your whims in loudness and ego? Just remember though, that one need not always turn the other cheek to be a man. You only have to avoid getting into situations that brought you a slap in the first place.
I am sure all of you know that it is not always others to blame – sometimes we offend ourselves by taking offense every time someone says something somewhere.
Being men of minds
Sometimes, just choose to be the finer mind, the taller man and the bigger heart. Ignore the barbs, or if you must respond, state your displeasure objectively (without sounding sarcastic or personal under grandiose English). Let us be willing to learn from each other.
I encourage you all to not take offense at all and everything. People will naturally respect you as a strong, honorable man if you choose not to repay in the same coin. You only have to allow your self-respect to chuckle off the ambitions of smaller people.
I tell you, if you are getting slapped on the face by the pygmies, you’re probably crouching at their height so they get to hit you effortlessly.
And tall men do not stoop to look into the eyes of small men – they just know that the smaller minds are looking up, to them.
PS: I was unhappy with the way some members of our forum on Facebook called 'The Naga Blog' were going for each other amid discussions about a controversial road construction project in Nagaland, North East India. As one of the administrators of the group, I wrote the appeal (the blog you read) on the forum.I am glad the members sobered up.
