RIFLE RANGE BOY: logic

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It always intrigues me to see how some people's mind work. They think just the opposite of what is considered conventional wisdom but they still make lots of sense! You think it is politically incorrect and hence, must be wrong as most people say so, but still...

Two things that I heard over the past week highlighted the above fact. The first is the Biblical saying that is also known as the 'Golden Rule'. The dictum says, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. In other words, do to others what you expect them to do to you! Herein lies the dilemma. How do you know what others want? We do not possess telepathic powers. Living in a society with many personalities, cultures, social mores and even biorhythmic cycles, different people have different needs and expectations. Take the simple example of walking into a lift. The person who walks into the lift would think that it is only courteous to have, at least a cursory eye contact, with the lone occupant of the lift as he enters it. His upbringing taught him that to nod to the temporary sojourner of space is the civil thing to do. And he does just that. The other person, on the other hand, just wants to be left alone. He had enough of small talks that lead nowhere. He might have just had a tiff, a bad day or in trouble deep. He just wants to be left alone! We just cannot use our yardstick to gauge what others really want. In this world where people are super-sensitive, we will only create more troubles than there already are!

The other lesson in alternative thinking is in the Tamil language comedy skeet acted out by Kollywood comedian, Vadivelu. Readers who understand the nuances of the language will appreciate the light-hearted view of the over-rated over-commercialised celebration of all time, Mothers' Day. In the name of appreciation of maternal sacrifice which has no boundaries, jumping into an ice-cold lake or walking into burning buildings included, the over-glorification has reached ad-nauseam proportions.

In the snippet, Vadivelu, an overgrown pampered son of an oversized mother, finds joy sleeping past noon. He responds to his nagging mother who laments about her ageing body, her hopelessness and complaints about her son's laziness. She reminds him of her innumerable sacrifices that she, as a mother, carrying him as a fetus in her gravid womb for nine long months. In Vadivelu's typical jocular whining manner, he tells his mother that his experience in-utero was no pleasure cruise. He, the fetus, was crouched awkwardly like a monkey, trapped in the dark with no idea whether it is day or night, no freedom of movements and basically in a living hell. He accused his mother, on the pretext of carrying a baby, gorged herself fat on the baby's behalf, used the excuse of pregnancy to don colourful sarees, beautify herself with bangles and jewels. So, there was no suffering on the mother's part!

Well, obviously this form of greeting card never made it to Hallmark! If not for the certificate for general screening, Vadivelu's scriptwriters would have gone a step further. He would have said that his mother's role was more of an after-effect of desires to satisfy carnal needs, societal pressures to fulfil the woman's role to procreate and his mother's adversity to be labelled barren!

Coming from a background of science where things are more objective, where a spade is called a spade, I am slowly trying to build the right side of the brain with reasoning and creativity. Culture and logic, I found out of late, is very subjective and can be argued all through the country side till the cows come home.

My quest to acquire knowledge landed me in the company of intellectuals and those who thought of themselves as one on a Sunday noon in the heart of town.
Yes, BFM Night School had their first live show! In a hall in Annex Gallery in the vicinity of Central Market, 5 intellectuals gathered to lead a discussion to theorise the troubles that are slowly brewing in Malaysia. I was particularly impressed with how the panel members approached the title. At one look, it looks all Greek to me but they managed to dissect the troubles simmering in the country from a few angles. Ahmad Fuad Rahmat (of Islamic Renaissance Front) and Sharrad Kuttan (of BFM) acted as moderators.
Boon Kia Meng, the renowned documentary maker whose recent flick on the housing problems faced by the younger generation which had won international accolades, started the ball rolling talking about inequalities in society especially the widening gap between the haves and have nots. Even though his arguments may suggest that he may be a communist, he categorically denied that he is a Marxist. But then Karl Marx himself was also quoted as saying that he was not a Marxist! The level of corruption and the bludgeoning cost of living seem like a perfect recipe for a crisis in Malaysia.

The second speaker, Shahril Sufian Hamdan, highlighted on race relation in the country. He gave hope that the newer generation seem to on the right track to be colour blind to different races in the country. He was optimistic that unlike their predecessors, the youngsters do not compartmentalize people by race. Personally, I think it is just wishful thinking. The scene on the ground is far from this. Daily frustrations of discrimination of government policies felt by the younger generations are only brewing more trouble despite what the leaders want us to believe.
The third speaker, albeit being controversial, was interesting, to say the least. He managed to argue his case of the romanticising the region's philosophical past to justify the acceptance of the Malay Language as the lingua franca of the region and revamping the education system to attain national unity. Muhiyuddin Al-attas, reiterated that South East Asia (especially the Malay Archipelago) was a peaceful region with a highly developed education system which included philosophy, theology and higher studies. With the invasion of Western cultures and way of thinking, our original education had lost out and took a back seat. His outlook is that, we the Western educated, failed to see the superiority of the old holistic education system.
More interesting discussions took place as questions were opened to the floor. Only then did I realise that looks can be deceptive. Despite their simple appearances and non-fancy attires, I was in the company very learned, cultured and articulate individuals. They seem to have been around the world and could put forth their ideas in a well constructed sentences and excellent choices of words.

One interesting topic that came about is the topic of unity of a nation through uncommon binding factors. Our struggle to unify the nation via a common language appears like we are barking up the wrong tree when we see the Swiss unite strongly despite having 3 national languages. Another audience, rebutted that the common denominator in the Swiss experience is religion.
In another discussion, the floor was made to realise that most countries around the world are guilty of prosecuting their minorities in spite of their seemingly homogeneously peaceful acceptance of all citizens.
I gather that history should be learnt and left as it is. We should try to re-live or reenact the 'glorious'past. History has shown again and again that treading along these lines can be dangerous. Hitler tried to romanticize his superior race and met a devastating end, creating a mayhem along the way. The Hindus in India were unanswerable to the meaningless blood shed arising from the destruction of rival house of worship as that spot was their holy spot earlier! Changes on earth are layered just like the magma of volcanic spill that is laid over time. We should be able to accept it.
The hall swelled up with audience as the forum progressed and arguments heated up. The intellect of the audience really showed when questions deemed sensitive by Malaysian standards were discussed in a level headed critical fashion, not by emotion or blind obedience.
As in all intellectual talks, the audience yearned for more, knowing well that all these were talk. Change must come and will come from the masses. Unfortunately, human emotions and loyalty played by leaders determines the path of the nation. Logic and justice has nothing to do with it!