Fanaticism is dangerous, avoid it

We can find fanatics in each and every field. The reality is that no field can claim to be untouched by fanatics. Fanaticism is spreading so rapidly that even so-called liberals and tolerant people seem to be so aggressive that they sound fanatic about their views and their attitude leaves no scope for discussion. The mindset that "you are either with us or against us" is rapidly becoming very popular among people across the world. Very few are interested in real exchange of ideas, most people are interested in delivering their own views and ideas. They don't want any feedback, counter-arguments, or alternate views, but only want agreement or acceptance. Even so-called big political leaders are falling prey to such a mindset, that is why I say that this increasing spread of fanaticism is dangerous. Especially on social media, this attitude is clearly evident. The public platform that social media has provided us is an amazing opportunity to have various discussions with people across the world. One can discuss any topic with anyone, from anywhere if they have a simple internet-connected device like a computer or smartphone. Many people are making use of this technology and sharing their ideas with each other, but at the same time, many are not open to any scrutiny or questioning. People want to share their opinions but are seldom interested in listening to others. Discussions quickly turn into arguments and arguments into verbal fights. This reduces the scope for any sensible discussion. The major signs of fanaticism are that people don't like disagreements, they are not very welcoming or tolerant towards alternate views and ideas, and they show contempt towards the other side's views. Another aspect of fanatics is that they are not interested in knowing the other side's arguments, they are only interested in defeating the other side and proving them wrong at any cost. Normally, these people are very passionate about their beliefs, there is nothing wrong with being passionate about anything, but to become overly aggressive and intolerant is definitely not right.

Free exchange of views or ideas is one of the necessary features of any tolerant and progressive society, but I think slowly we are losing this very good quality. Tolerance is not a sign of weakness, it requires a lot of strength and patience to be tolerant of others' views even if you don't agree with them, but liberals and conservatives both are failing to display any tolerance. This attitude leads to intolerance and that results in a highly polarized society. Polarization stops the flow of ideas, it creates barriers that are often difficult to break. People stop talking with each other and start talking about each other that too only bad stuff. This creates a very unhealthy and regressive environment as people start living in their own silos. I understand that many people are very passionate about many issues and they want to convey their ideas as assertively as possible, but there is a difference between being assertive and fanatically aggressive, one can be assertive without being overly aggressive. Actually, people should understand that fanaticism doesn't help their own cause, rarely do people from the other side yield to fanatic arguments. Discussions and arguments are integral parts of any progressive society, but they need to be carried out in a very healthy and conducive environment. Previously radicalism was limited to certain people who used to be brainwashed by certain religions or cults, but now this habit is spreading rapidly all across the sections of society and we need to spread awareness about this. We need to be aware of our own behavior and check from time to time that we are not becoming fanatics while propagating our own views. Discussions and negotiations are the best way to solve any complicated or sensitive issue, but fanaticism shuts the doors for both of these options. As a society we need to talk to each other and discuss our differences, then only we can solve the many complicated problems we face today. I hope people become more tolerant towards each other's views. Tolerance doesn't mean one has to accept those views, but just try to listen to them and try to understand the reason behind those views. I know it is not an easy task but it is worth our time and effort, it is easy to become a fanatic, so, please don't take the easier route as easy doesn't always mean good.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Hinduism and today's Hindutva are totally different

Some self-proclaimed Hindutwa forces are in full swing nowadays in India, they are smelling a fresh ray of hope because of the emergence of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Mr. Narendra Modi in the political arena. Mr. Modi is leading the race for the job of the next prime minister of India, his RSS background and image of a Hindu nationalist leader have made these people very optimistic about their future. There are many religious or cultural organizations all over the world, and they all try to propagate the agenda of their own religion. There are many organizations like RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal in India, that claim to be flag bearers of Hindu ideology. Many others focus on propagating ideas of other faiths also but in this post, I want to focus on some organizations that claim to propagate the message of Hinduism. They all claim that their ideology is synonymous with Hinduism, which is considered one of the oldest-practicing religions of the world. All these organizations have a very sizable number of followers in India. Religion plays a very important role in day-to-day life for many Indians and because of this it is also widely used in politics.

Organized and aggressive campaigning by all these organizations, their strong cadre base, and supply of sufficient amount of funding from various sources help these organizations spread their message. They claim to be the protector of Hinduism, they create a perception that Hinduism is under threat by some invaders and other religions (like Islam or Christianity) are trying to destroy it. A similar line of thought (threat from other religions) is used by almost all religions all over the world, it helps them to polarize society in favor of their own religion (if they are in the majority). If they are in the minority, it helps them to instill feelings of insecurity among their followers which in turn increases their dependence on such organizations. This type of propaganda is especially dangerous in plural societies like India as it creates communal tension and religious animosity. This divide-and-rule policy can take an ugly turn which results in incidents like communal riots, forceful religious conversions, casteism, and other discrimination based on religion. There are many examples of such incidents from history to support this hypothesis.

The perception created by these organizations has worked very well for them, we can see that at least to some extent they were successful in propagating some of their hard-line Hindutwa ideology among people and creating polarization based on religious beliefs. The coexistence of many religions at the same time (pluralism) is a central feature of India. Hinduism is a very good example of a pluralistic religion, a religion where a variety of traditions and beliefs coexist without having any single book or saint dictating the terms. Some countries from southeast Asia after their gaining their independence chose to follow a religious path (for example Pakistan) and we all can see what is their situation today. India, fortunately, chose to follow a secular path that keeps religion and state separate, there is freedom to choose and practice any religion, and state laws are not biased towards any single religion. Many people still need religion and their religious beliefs play a very important role in their lives, many associate their identity with their religion. Because of such a strong influence of religion on people, many politicians use it as a tool to attain their political goals. For this purpose, many of these organizations twist and turn the facts as per their convenience, they try to propagate very biased views of certain cultures to instill feelings of hatred or fear. They try to create as much animosity among people as possible as it helps them to polarize people's opinions. This game has been going on for a very long time everywhere in the world, and India is one of the victims of this type of politics. The British rulers started it and now Indian political parties continue to play the same game. The politics of polarization has resulted in some gruesome communal riots but still, neither political parties nor people are willing to forego this approach.

This hard-line Hindutwa philosophy that these organizations are preaching is totally different than Hinduism. Many people don't consider Hinduism as a religion but consider it as a way of life or call it by some other name like Sanatan Dharma. Like all other religions, Hinduism has its own pros and cons. But in general, it is a very tolerant and inclusive religion. But it also has its own share of bad traditions like casteism, untouchability, discrimination of women, and many superstitions. Like any other religion, there are hardliners that propagate hate under the name of protecting Hinduism. These hardliners are the people who create problems in every religion, they are the ones who are always interested in conflicts. They are the ones who think that some conflict is always necessary to keep their religious movement alive and active. To keep their religious movement alive they can go to any extent, even to the extent of creating a communal riot which results in the loss of many innocent lives. There is no strong deterrent that can stop these people from using politics of hatred and divisiveness. It's entirely up to people to understand this dirty trick and oppose these efforts to divide society on religious grounds. 

Hinduism and this so-called Hindutwa are totally different things. Hindutva is a political ideology and is designed to suit some particular organizations and their aim is to target minorities. Any religion which targets minorities can not be considered tolerant or inclusive. Let's oppose this fake ideology which is trying to camouflage its divisive agenda under the banner of Hinduism. Hinduism and this Hindutwa are totally different things. The sooner we understand this better it is for our country and society, otherwise, we don't know how far this communal polarization will go and how many lives it will claim.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Religious fanaticism - Let's talk about it

The recent incident of the Boston Marathon bombing is another example of how religious fanaticism can drive people to do insane things. This bombing is not the first example where some crazy person (or a group) attacked innocent civilians to take revenge for some incidents in the past where they felt their religion was targeted unfairly. Every day we read news about these types of attacks all over the world. Some places are more prone to these types of attacks than others, but this happens all over the world and no country is immune to this.

Religious fanaticism can drive people crazy. It can push them to do unimaginable things, they can do extremely good things (Mother Teresa is one example of this) or can do extremely crazy or cruel things (mass killings of non-believers, religious riots and terror attacks are some examples). The problem is not the religion itself but the feeling of "fanaticism" which is encouraged in almost all relations with the hope that it will motivate people to become devotees and totally surrender to their God. Religion wants to create a group that will practice and defend its beliefs without questioning them. However, it doesn't work this way all the time. People not only practice their own religion but they also force others to practice it, this is where the problem begins. No other discipline preaches fanaticism as much religion does. The closest second can be politics (actually both are like twins of each other). Religion needs devoted followers, who don't question the basic foundation of that religion, and submit themselves totally to serve the purpose of that religion. Religion recruits a dedicated force to propagate its values and protect it against any outside attacks. These things sound very benign but they can instill fanaticism and hatred about others who don't subscribe to the same ideology. This hatred can be in many forms. A subtle form of it makes people discriminate against others based on their faith. Devotees may form exclusive societies or cults which only cater to people with particular beliefs system, they may stereotype particular gender or group (like gays or transgenders). The extreme form of this hatred can result in violence, like mass killings or communal riots. The problem is that there is a very thin line between a devotee and a fanatic. You never know when any devotee can cross that line and become a fanatic or terrorist.

Many people who carry out all these barbaric attacks look and behave like normal people most of the time. The only difference if at all they have is they are very passionate about their beliefs and faith which is not a very unusual thing as many devotees are also passionate. These terrorists or fanatics also go to the same temple, church, mosque, or any other religious center, like any other devotee. They listen to the same sermons, but they interpret everything differently. Also, some religious gatherings preach fanaticism and extremism, they also ridicule other religions while trying to glorify their own religion. All religions should abstain from preaching hatred of any type against any group. This is the need of today and every religious group or leader must understand this. All religions need to update or revise their syllabus, the one which they are using is too old, totally outdated, and not at all suitable for the current world in which we live.

Just for the sake of not hurting the feelings of its followers or for diplomacy, many people say that no religion teaches hatred and they all teach truth and love. NO, this is only the half-truth. All religions teach love and compassion for their own followers but not for others. At least this is how the preachers and followers of every religion interpret the message. In some way, directly or indirectly every religion in its current form says that people who don't follow the path prescribed by them are either on the wrong path, are misguided, or plain evil. This is why we see so many attempts of conversion (from one religion to another), riots, and killings in the name of religion. Otherwise, what can be the reason for all this? Where is the love which all religions claim to teach? If they all teach only love then from where this hatred and violence is coming? Time has come to acknowledge that this current system has a problem, a serious problem that teaches people to hate or discriminate against people with different sets of values. Even kids in these families are not spared from such divisive teachings. From a very young age when they cannot decide what is good or bad, these kids are fed with a dose of sectarian beliefs which limits their intellectual growth in so many ways. By doing this these groups feel happy that they created obedient followers who will follow their respective beliefs and rituals to the core but at the same time, some of these kids become like a time bomb (with so much hatred in them about non-believers) which no one knows when it will explode. 

Many of these religions and cult movements teach one totally ridiculous thing that any crime (no matter how heinous it is) if done in the name of religion or to protect it is forgivable or rather rewarded lavishly by their super powerful God. They all also promise some imaginary, unrealistic, and outrageous after-death rewards. To encourage conversion (to attract new customers) they promise that all your sins and crimes will be immediately pardoned/forgiven once you surrender to their deity or God and not only that you will also be eligible for lucrative rewards just for surrendering to their almighty. It all sounds so stupid, and outrageous, something like a bumper offer to wash all your sins. This is a very clever marketing tactic. Many people believe in this propaganda and fall for it and this turns out to be a big selling point for all religions.

Fanaticism in any form is the ugly side of all religions and cult movements. This ugly side shows its presence more than often in various forms. Sometimes in the form of suppressing a particular gender or group. Sometimes in the form of physical or psychological violence within that religion. Sometimes in the form of terrorism. This is the aspect of religion that its followers don't even want to discuss and many don't even accept that this even exists and is a serious concern. As long as we keep on pushing this issue under the carpet for the sake of not hurting religious sentiments it will keep on hurting all of us in some form or other. Let's first acknowledge that this problem exists and then search for possible solutions. We need to talk about this and talk loud so that everyone concerned with this issue can hear it. Our silence has been way too long and if we remain silent then it will be considered as our approval of such violence.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)