Be Mindful of Black Cats

An economist went to a renowned book author in a conference hall and said.

I read your recent book on Global economic turmoils. I don’t agree with many of your viewpoints. Let’s talk about it. 

The Author suddenly snapped back and said, Sorry gentleman, I don’t fight with fools.

 But, I certainly Do! The economist replied.

There is a clear difference between fight and debate.

Fights are damaging but debates are productive.

Many of us grew up in an environment where parents, relatives, and teachers insisted not to pick up fights with others, with all due right intentions. The message is so loud that many have a tendency to avoid and run away even from small debates let alone the fierce fights.

The debate exists when there are  different  perceived realities or viewpoints related to a specific topic.  The debates in fact serve a great purpose. It helps both parties to come to a common understanding of reality in its’ most authentic form. Both parties win and become satisfied with the end outcome.

In India, there have been debates between different philosophies for more than 800 yrs. This philosophical debate between scholars was also called Shashtrathra. The 15-day-long debate between two renowned scholars Adi Shankaracharya and Mandana Mishra is quite popular. It was the debate between two philosophies. The Karma Kanda (Rituals & Sacrifice)  practiced by Mandana Mishra verses Gyan-Kanda (inquiry into nature of self) propounded by Adi Shankaracharya. After Madana Mishra surrendered, Adi Shankaracharya had to continue the debate with Mishra’s wife Ubhaya Bharati. The rules of the debate were very simple. Whoever loses, has to give up old doctrines and become a disciple of opponent contenders. This way Adi Shankaracharya had so many followers by the virtue of his laser-sharp intellect to establish and convey the truth “Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya” (Brahman is the ultimate reality; The World is an illusion ) 

Let’s note, both parties had a common objective in the background. They were in search of ways of living meaningful & richer life.  The very debate although intense enabled both parties to gain more clarity, understand gaps in respective version of realities, and finally, uncover the truth of life. 
 The other philosophical debate between Vedic and Non-Vedic schools is still relevant. One of these is Adi Shankaracharya’s Purnavad (Everything is Brahman ) vs Buddha’s ShunyaVad (Everything is Empty)

Along similar lines, there have been long debates on multiple scientific frontiers which empoered the scientific community to discover the reality more deeply and clearly.  The nature of Light was intriguing. It was debated if Light is a Particle or Wave based on experimental evidence. Finally, it was concluded that Light has both natures, called wave-particle duality. The very nature is utilized in many applications like microscopes, cameras, medical diagnostics, Television, Photo electricity, etc. Understanding the new reality of the subject matter always creates more benefits. 

In the Technology world, the debate between two prolific inventors; Edison and Tesla in the 1880s constitutes the major part of industrial revolution. It was the debate between DC vs AC electric power supply. Today as we know, We need both types of electricity depending upon requirements and applications. This is in a way a logical end of this debate creating value for society.

Debate with no objective, ground rules and open mind is a sheer waste of time. Solid Time-tested principles are needed to conclude the debate in its most meaningful form.

Here is a small Tenali Rama story.

One day, two neighbors came to Tenali Rama to seek a solution 

The first person said. I have a Mango Tree planted in my compound. So all mangoes belong to my family.

The second person started expressing. Well, that is true. But some branches are flowing into my compound. All the mangoes hanging from those branches certainly belongs to my family.

Our families are debating every day related to who owns the mangoes.  What should be done?

Well, I see the situation. Tenali Rama said and continued.

The tree has naturally grown from one compound and branched out into a neighbor’s compound. At the same time, the tree has also grown underground spreading its root into the same neighboring territories for its nutrition.  The resources needed for the tree are already shared between two compounds, so the mangoes should also be shared in the same proportion.

This is the principle for both of your families to use and conclude 

Both the parties nodded with conviction and left the place after working out a formula.

A fair deal or justice is all about giving each person what he or she deserves using solid principles. We need similar common grounds, logic, and principles to arrive at a meaningful outcome when the point of view differs.

Our Grudges and differences with others are the results of all those debates which never took place!

The debates are avoided or deferred because their very nature makes us uncomfortable. This is for the simple human reason that it challenges the core beliefs, proven knowledge, and winning formulas. It shakes an individual’s identity.  Nevertheless, they are needed to know the things the way they are.

Narendra was a young intelligent and curious man. He debated with his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa on the subject of religion, God, and the reality of the soul for a few years till he was satisfied with the answers.  These intense debates only opened up new dimensions and insights for him to subsequently emerge as Swami Vivekananda, the great spiritual scientist known to the world.

 In many schools and universities, debates between a group of students are part of the curriculum as means to accelerated learning.  A good and healthy debate needs three ingredients; A clear learning objective, ground rules or principles, and Open Mind to change one’s viewpoint.

When we don’t have the conscious process in place, what we get is muddy political debates. They are driven by individual desires, selfish motives, and ignorance in the background.  Such debates never meaningfully settle and soon turns into resentments, dissatisfaction, and fights.

  “What is the point in debating over the black cat in the dark room, especially when there is no cat”.

This is how it will sound in the language of Confucius, a Chinese sage who lived 2500 years back. We need to be mindful of such black cats during our interactions to save our energy. What We need is the light of awareness to collectively see all the corners places  in the big dark room called the World. In the end, it is undoubtedly going to benefit all the involved parties. This is available for everyone to verify and experience in everyday life.  Be sure that the foremost prerequisite to learn and know the reality out there is to remain open to debate!

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