From: arbi@charles.polymer.uakron.edu (R Balaji)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: more preaching
Date: 16 Nov 92 16:25:34 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.1992Nov16.162534.21671
Followup-To: "it has been fun.."; but fun never lasts!
Organization: Institute of Polymer Science, University of Akron

some time ago, i pointed out that when people are dying in one
country, we shouldn't get upset that they are making it difficult
for us to see the niagara .... unfortunately, the other side of
the coin has raised its ugly head now.
the fact that some people are fighting for freedom (in their opinion,
which is neither accepted nor refuted here, for i donot have first
hand information) does not necessarily mean that others in other
places should not watch video movies. sympathy and support are something
that are earned ... not demanded. how someone feels, reacts/ignores
a problem of a part of society is his/her prerogative. that does not
have to mean that he/she must be ashamed to be a tamil/human being.
drawing a parallel, must all chemical engineers fell ashamed about
bhopal? must all sailors feel ashamed about valdez/alaska?
i'm afraid people expect too much from others. it's not right. a
person is ultimately responsible for his/her life and actions. if
a sri lankan does not like what's happening in his/her country and
decides to live elsewhere, what's wrong? if your house caught fire
yesterday and i see the movie backdraft today, how can you claim 
that i must be ashamed? if the video store moved when it was burnt down,
i'd say the owner has sense - what's the point in doing his business
from a burnt down building?
if you are fighting for somethings in your country, whether by being
there or being in the u.s.a. and discussing over the net, it's your
prerogative. but get your perspective straight - you cannot tell others
what to think (it's people like this who end up starting/intensifying
wars). you are not making your task, whatever that may be, by alienating
onlookers.
people who live in tamil nadu AND who speak tamil can call themselves
tamils - if they want to. if they are ashamed about it, or proud of it,
it's their way of thinking. i do not understand how someone can claim to
be "tamil" in the strict sense of the word when the only qualification
is that he/she speaks a dialect of tamil. if i were to acquire citizenship
here and settle down, i'd still be tamil - not american; because i was
born and brought up in tamil nadu. but the children of such tamils, born
and brought up here, would have to be american. just becuase their parents
are tamil will not automatically make them tamil too.
humanity is what it is today due to evolution. evolution signifies change-
not necessarily for the better. i find it amazing that somebody who hasn't
lived for any significant of time in tamil nadu (especially during the
period of growth) can tell people from tamil nadu that they have lost their
tamil identity! i understand that statement as a proclamation of the utterer's
inability to keep abreast of the changes that are taking place. since i don't
live like my ancestors did 2000 years ago, does it mean that i have lost my
human identity?
language is a medium for exchange of ideas among people. since people, their
ways of living and their ways of thinking change (probably too fast for
some to follow), it's only consequential that their languages also change.
the human nature to hang onto things of the past is the major culprit for
statements of the type: "back in 1943...."; we cannot pass a judgment on our
own society - our views are jaundiced. only the future can tell. but the
fear that what we are doing may go wrong should not prevent us from trying -
evolving. change is the essence of life.
i'm impressed by your admission of the fact that you are confused. now all
you need to do is to realize is that others will be confused in other issues
but clear on some; there maybe people who are totally confused and people who
are not confused at all.
peace an' luv,
arbi
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian