From: trivedi@yukawa.uchicago.edu (Anil Trivedi)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: An Appeal To Arindam
Date: 20 Aug 92 13:46:13 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago

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[At first I was inclined to dismiss Deb's fervent plea that we in SCI
try to "talk sense" to you. Reading the whole thread again, I think he
may have a point. If you think I am meddling unnecessarily into your
affairs, please forgive me. Bear with me for a minute or two, then your
life is all yours. So hear is my modifed two cents worth.] 

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I have been too busy to participate in SCI except for occasional light
browsing. So it was essentially an accident that I came across your
announcement that you will leave us. 

If you do leave, I wish you well, and I sincerely hope our paths shall 
cross again.

 > Sorry to give you many growing pains in my spiritual quest...

No true spiritual quest need give pain to others. Here is a minor
suggestion you can consider: Since you have decided to leave Hinduism,
please do so with grace and decency. You will find that unlike other
religions, Hindus won't condemn you to die or anything; in fact, most
of them will wish you VERY WELL in your spiritual quest. But please
avoid telling them how unsuited their religion is to their needs,
giving them equations like   "Bahai = Hindu + something more", 
or telling them that their religion is like an old well while yours 
is a high-tech pump. Such behavior has very little to do with spiritual 
quest. If you are going to go to another religion, be like a beacon for 
your new religion, don't behave like insurance-salesmen.

I am giving away no great secret by pointing out that you yourself are
a beginner in Bahaism. It was only recently that, in soc.religion.bahai,
you were posting questions like, "Is pre-marital sex really forbidden
in Bahaism?". (This is to drive home a point, not to embarass you.)
So just learn and think for now; you can preach later.

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Please also reconsider if you REALLY understand the Bahai religion and 
movement sufficiently deeply to take as major a decision as you have 
announced. Talk to someone high up at the national level in the American
Bahai community for his views; what harm could that do?

 > I can only comment that you don't have any practical experience about
 > how Bahais work...
 > Stay here : Teach people who are illeterate or down-trodden...

Are you sure you know what you are talking about? This is more in line
with Christian missionary attitude than with Bahai strategic thinking 
on how to bring about change in the world. 

It is my understanding, and it traces to quite impeccable sources :-),
that the Bahai movement has settled on a "top down" approach to social 
change: through LEADERS and INSTITUTIONS. It is to go to and affect
the centers of power directly. Not to challenge the contemporary
mainstream society (as in revolutions), nor to try to bypass it (the
"down-trodden" route), but to succeed IN it, even obeying its occasional
unjust dictates, to place yourself in a position to affect change.


 > Only activities I can do now is to teach the children and study...
   ^^^^

Your words remind me of Hindu/Buddist monks, not Bahai leaders I have
had the good fortune to listen to and talk to.

Look Arindam, you have a right to do what you want. That is not the issue.
BUT in my judgement you won't be in harmony with the path chosen by your
religion and the movement it represents. 

You don't have to listen to me; ask a few Bahai leaders. Not recent
converts like you who would be quoting to you from books and pamphlets,
but those who are really charting the course of the the Bahai community.
If you are shy about that, at least bring it up in soc.religion.bahai .
No harm can come from listening to others.

Please share your thoughts and decisions with us. Since by your own
admission you have spread around some pain, you owe us that much. :-)

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