I have always been a debator... since I was 13. There was a time in engineering college when the last 2 pages of my CV were a list of debates that I had won, till someone told me that might not be the most important thing for an engineeing job, and I shortened it.... to one page :P !!
I appreciate a good argument, even when I dont agree... thats the soul of a debator. I can argue for both sides, and you can never make out what I truly believe in... comes out of years of "switch debating", where you switch for the motion or against the motion in the middle of your speech when the panel asks you. A lot of my friends are also debators.. including Iya (whom I met at an Univerity debate) and Ms NRI. Iya continues to have the soul of a debator.. and most of our conversations sometimes tend to be a debate. I remember a chain of mails we exchanged about some Harvard article recently, in the midst of a week which was very hectic for both of us. That was more of a debate. You just cannot help but support your motion with more and more arguments.. and if you really feel about the issue, then God spare the world. Here is a comment trail from one of my posts, How Global am I? ... you will know what I mean if you read this. (You might have to read my post.. link above... to understand whats going on)
5 comments:
Iya said...
I think each and every one of us who are avid internet users are 100% global. I rest my case there.
April 9, 2009 9:07 PM
I think each and every one of us who are avid internet users are 100% global. I rest my case there.
April 9, 2009 9:07 PM
Merlin said...
Are we?? I have been an internet user since I was 17.. and I dont think I was global at all that time.. I still dont think I am.. not compared to some people I know. I believe you have to travel to at least 5 countries each in at least 3 continents to be truly global.. Thats my benchmark!
April 9, 2009 10:55 PM
Are we?? I have been an internet user since I was 17.. and I dont think I was global at all that time.. I still dont think I am.. not compared to some people I know. I believe you have to travel to at least 5 countries each in at least 3 continents to be truly global.. Thats my benchmark!
April 9, 2009 10:55 PM
Iya said...
As long as we have access to information across the globe, we are global. Global does not mean u have to travel the globe. Definition of global as per the dictionary"involving the entire earth; not limited or provincial in scope "I am definitely global in that case. I have often felt that English language is the most abused language. We use words to convey their perceived meaning and not their true meaning.
April 10, 2009 4:39 PM
As long as we have access to information across the globe, we are global. Global does not mean u have to travel the globe. Definition of global as per the dictionary"involving the entire earth; not limited or provincial in scope "I am definitely global in that case. I have often felt that English language is the most abused language. We use words to convey their perceived meaning and not their true meaning.
April 10, 2009 4:39 PM
Merlin said...
I agree. I do not have to travel the globe to be global, but to me having information about a country does not mean watching Discovery Channel, or reading Wikipedia. It means a bit more to me than that. I believe I know Iran closely, because I am around 2 people who are very closely linked to Iran, so I know the customs, the places that surround it, the beauty, the darker side, the image, the humor.. not everything perhaps, but certainly more than I could have ever known from Discovery or the internet. If I can have enough of what u call 'information' and what i call 'the feel' from such sources I would consider myself global. And till I feel that I have seen but a drop in the ocean that is the world, I will not consider myself global. 'Having information' is a vague term. I am more demanding from myself when it comes to being satisfied by information. Take a look at the non-Indian people around you who think they know India by virtue of having watched Slumdog Millionaire. Is that information enough for them to say they know India? Or having read the Wiki page on India? Or having watched an Indian episode on a travel channel? No, you do not become global by visiting the airport or the tourist attractions of a country, nor do you become global by having read the Wiki page of every coutry in the world. It takes a little more than that.As for definitions, I once put in the word 'love' in the online dictionary. The dictionary gave me 28 meanings of that word. I was not satisfied by any one of them. I realized that day that some words are just facilitators to a feeling, and they are better felt than defined. I dont blame the language if there are some feelings too difficult to encompass into a simple word. I define my own words, and respect those who define theirs.I rest my case. No more counter comments from my side on this topic :)
April 10, 2009 4:57 PM
I agree. I do not have to travel the globe to be global, but to me having information about a country does not mean watching Discovery Channel, or reading Wikipedia. It means a bit more to me than that. I believe I know Iran closely, because I am around 2 people who are very closely linked to Iran, so I know the customs, the places that surround it, the beauty, the darker side, the image, the humor.. not everything perhaps, but certainly more than I could have ever known from Discovery or the internet. If I can have enough of what u call 'information' and what i call 'the feel' from such sources I would consider myself global. And till I feel that I have seen but a drop in the ocean that is the world, I will not consider myself global. 'Having information' is a vague term. I am more demanding from myself when it comes to being satisfied by information. Take a look at the non-Indian people around you who think they know India by virtue of having watched Slumdog Millionaire. Is that information enough for them to say they know India? Or having read the Wiki page on India? Or having watched an Indian episode on a travel channel? No, you do not become global by visiting the airport or the tourist attractions of a country, nor do you become global by having read the Wiki page of every coutry in the world. It takes a little more than that.As for definitions, I once put in the word 'love' in the online dictionary. The dictionary gave me 28 meanings of that word. I was not satisfied by any one of them. I realized that day that some words are just facilitators to a feeling, and they are better felt than defined. I dont blame the language if there are some feelings too difficult to encompass into a simple word. I define my own words, and respect those who define theirs.I rest my case. No more counter comments from my side on this topic :)
April 10, 2009 4:57 PM
Iya said...
Do you realize why we never debated in the same motion now.. If I was for u were against and vv.. I remember that.. Thats what we are .. It is like I can argue from both sides, But I like arguing against you. We should have totally debated as a pair, we would have rocked a lot of contests :PI love this ! Thats why I was very very happy when you started blogging. I was looking forward to this very thing !A toast to debating !
April 10, 2009 5:04 PM
Do you realize why we never debated in the same motion now.. If I was for u were against and vv.. I remember that.. Thats what we are .. It is like I can argue from both sides, But I like arguing against you. We should have totally debated as a pair, we would have rocked a lot of contests :PI love this ! Thats why I was very very happy when you started blogging. I was looking forward to this very thing !A toast to debating !
April 10, 2009 5:04 PM
Hhehehee...
ReplyDeleteTwo pennies :-
ReplyDeleteMere access to information does not mean we are global. Using the information, accessing it atleast makes us global. For example, a farmer in India using the Internet to interact with a specialized advisor might make him technologically-able but not global. An old man using the net solely to keep in touch with his son abroad has access to global information, but by not using it, he stops at the threshold.