Do us a favour, please

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

Before I go to bed I would like to ask some rhetorical, and not so rhetorical

questions:

 

- If most of us know everything- would it be any need for this list?

- Is there anybody on this world who knows everything about whatever?

- Is it worth responding to repeated nasty reactions? Can the group protect it's

friendly and tolerant tone of communication, exchange and sharing information?

And from loosing those who have been giving the most to all of us? (I am asking

this last Q from quite "selfish" reasons: I am afraid that those who contributed

the most to my understanding, may loose patience and "mind their own business"

instead of patiently answering questions, responding, investing time and energy

to give us source-info, etc.)

 

I believe that's in the interest of all of us, not only myself. If one cannot

tolerate disagreement with his opinion, he shouldn't bother himself to be with

the list- monologue is much safer. Not having the same opinion is one thing,

fighting is another.

 

Can this stop, please?

Thanks,

Anna

_____

"Art washes the soul from the dust of everyday life"

-Pablo Picasso

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear GJList members,

 

Anna shows the concern that happens from time to time when folks present

differing viewpoints in straightforward fashion, sometimes heatedly

disagreeing with one another.

 

I recall as a teenager, I used to sit in front of our fireplace in New

York State, listening to heated debates among my older brother and his 3 best

friends and my mother. The tempers flew and the arguments were so involved,

that I could hardly keep up with the concepts being rapidly tossed back and

forth. It was a strain to understand the points being made, yet I was caught

up by the vibrant atmosphere of their intellectual debating, and would stay

up as late as I could manage, to hear these wonderful people disputing each

others' theories with such exuberance as I'd never been exposed to before.

Those are happy memories for me. Today I live and work in Northern

Virginia, 12 miles west of the White House. The topic of heated discussion

in this neck of the woods is often the day's politics, since so many who live

here have connections to the US Government. I have spent many hours in

heated debate with my boss, who has a philosophy diametrically opposite to my

own. I have no fear at challenging his theories, he has no fear at

challenging mine; we respect that in America there is free speech and also a

diversity of viewpoints that allows us to have a broader understanding of

current events as well as ourselves in reaction to those events.

To any who have felt concern about those who hotly dispute an

interpretation of Vedic slokas or rules, I would offer this: It is healthy to

air differences rather than to dismiss them and it is vital to represent

one's understanding as best as one is able. I salute all who venture forth

in this medium to present Vedic philosophy for the benefit of and review by

others. Being human, we will make mistakes at times, yet we will be

enlightened in the long run by having aired our ideas right, wrong, or

subject to reconstruction. Let no-one become faint at heart--continue

carrying the Vedic heartbeat of Das' GJList all across the world. Please

carry on, and thanks to all, you are all greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Carol Hook