Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Manfred Haack, FES Resident Rep in New Delhi, India

Dialogues are the basic components of communication, which cannot come to life through one-way addresses. Communication always requires exchange, generally exchange of information and in particular exchange of ideas, perceptions or expressions. Of course, means of communication are not limited to verbal messages, but include gestures, behavior patterns and actions too-provided, it aims at causing vis-à-vis reciprocation. When speech motivates replay, presentation gets feedback, emotion stimulates emotion and action provokes reaction, all that is communication!

Further, one can say that communication is the medium of learning systems like educa­tion, innovation, management and democ­racy. All those develop ideally after the dia­lectic principle: thesis-antithesis-synthesis. The latter stands for synergies resulting from weighing pros and cons and combin­ing the best of both. The confrontation of a certain idea and its counter-concept, or the comparison of own experiences and those of others usually lead to a higher level of knowledge, which could hardly be achieved through solo attempts.

As regards democracy, the innovative capacity of communication might be superimposed by the imperative of compromise. Nevertheless, public opinion as an indispensable prerequisite of democracy cannot work effectively without communication. Ever since the traditional role play of government and opposition got somewhat ritualized, public opinion has shifted from political theatre to a new venue named civil society, admittedly stepwise undermining the paradigm of separation of powers.

The modus operandi of democracy, nation­ally as well as in its global appearance as the United Nations, is benign conflict management. In this context, communica­tion functions as catalyst for de-escalating conflicts, be it countless interest collisions within highly differentiated societies, be it violent encounters of hostile groups. Almost every outbreak of violence is the outcome of the failure of communication, or more specific, the inability of conflict partners to learn about the essentials of the opponent by talking and listening to each other. Such exchange of information on mutual inten­tions and perceptions is the starting point of all confidence-building measures. Commu­nication per se creates confidence on which a modus vivendi might be based.

On the other hand, use of force can categori­cally not be part of communication, since it inevitably escalates to eliminating the opponent and with it the dialogue partner. Consequently, even those social scientists trying to read terrorism as communication strategy, assume that the lethal message is not addressed to the victims themselves but to a "third party" which may have vested interests. However, it remains doubtful if shock and horror can qualify as communi­cative response instead of being confined to involuntary reflexes. The latter applies, for example, to cases of mass hysteria, where crowds of people are narcotized by demagog­ic agitation. Obviously, frenzied applause on inflammatory speeches is rather a conditioned reflex than the other part of a dialogue.

Cheerleaders who overwhelm their devo­tees to behave as fanatic shouters use force to amplify their message. They want to bring it through, not to get any response. Unfortunately, this scheme has also infect­ed the language of political disputes, when feigned arguments aim at enforcing issues instead of discussing them. Such igno­rance on the matter and refusal to take the opponent's opinion seriously go along with a general decline of the culture of disputing as it has been tainted by bigotry and disre­gard of alternative convictions. Of course, dispute as peaceful exchange of different points of view is an essence of communication-in contrast to ritual expressions of hypocritical approval-but there is - reasonable distinction: arguing but not - quarrelling!

If a controversial dialogue aims at clarification, increase of knowledge, or discovery of new ideas, it will hardly shift to hostile engagement. On the contrary, denying differences, avoiding disputes, sticking to clichés, or persisting with old thinking are hurdles in defusing conflicts and allowing progress to happen. That applies to day-to-day affairs as well as to global developments. The notorious threat of a clash of civilizations is not an inevitable fate but likely consequence of a continuous lack of intercultural communication. The alternative is certainly not to propagate social harmony but to recognize conflicts and learn about their causes and roots in order to cope with them in a reasonable manner first of all through honest dialogues.

Text courtesy: FES New Delhi Office-ed.

Naivetés that makes me feel good

Rajeeb Satyal, Nepal

  Friday afternoon always makes me feel good; it makes me feel good just at the prospect of having leisure on Saturday trying out international recipe learned from TV channels like Travel & Living, Oprah show, cook-books, and websites, together with family members, and discussing things over nothing. I enjoy the laziness that we get indulged into. I feel good when I try new recipe and everyone says “Oh”, its awesome.

Eating makes me feel good; we eat only 2 meals a day- breakfast and lunch which we enjoy so much that we hardly have any desire to eat in the evening I love the first bite of the toasted bread with mango jam so much. I feel good when I eat lunch everyday on weekdays that my wife makes so tasty with the recipe that were handed over to her from her parents. I feel good when I bite a roasted long green chilly served in my lunch. I feel good when I prepare breakfast for the family every morning while my wife Usha exercises upstairs in our bedroom.

 I feel good when a friend, relative or a favourite acquaintance surprises us by barging-in unannounced at our home and enjoys the left over drink and food. I feel good when a friend call us suddenly to join them over a cup of coffee this evening or a simple Dal Bhat Tarkari at their home next morning. I feel wonderful when a friend calls and say Happy Birthday Rajeeb.I feel good when I am called by my first name.

I feel good when my son Parag serves me a cup of espresso that he brews so devotedly and never gets tired of talking about coffee brewing. I feel good when my younger son Parimal tries to explain things from completely unconventional perspective. I feel genuinely happy to be part of the family that has very unique family culture. I feel good when I hear guitar that my sons play during load shedding; I feel good when the family sits and discuss endlessly during load shedding.

 I feel good to take colorful cocktail made of recipe in the cocktail book served in  stylish coktail glass. I felt good when we go out driving on sunny day, and long walk during bandh. I felt good when I had chance to watch movies in HBO and Cinemax. I feel good to watch Tito Satya in NTV, and Monk in Star TV.

 I feel good when I dressed up in the morning after shaving, shower and exercises, feeling proud of my weird spiky uncombed hair , and my thin body with no bulging tummy like that of many of my contemporaries. I feel good when I watch myself at the back mirror of my car with my newly bought Salvatore Ferragamo on . I feel good smelling the scent of my own after shave or my perfume. I felt good smelling hers. I feel good when a beautiful woman unconsciously brushes with me and looks backs again. I feel good at occasional little harmless flirts. I feel good at the prospect of being kissed and hugged. I feel good when some one whispers three letter words in my ear. I feel good when colleagues kindly give me something to eat when I am starving.

 I feel good when I had chance of drinking beer served in spaten beer mug on a sunny day. I feel good when I eat Dal Bhat at Tarkari restaurant on the highways. I feel good when I suddenly find 100 rupees bill in my old book I used as marker.

 I feel good when I buy the books of the subject I loved. I feel good when I had chance to lie down on the bed in the night and read my favourite books, with my wife sleeping on my side. I felt good when I came back home to continue reading the book in middle of chapter. I feel good to be able to use the concept I read in my books to various management sessions I conduct. I feel good to discover my children also share the passion I have. I feel good when my wife make herself beautiful, and presentable; I feel good when she laughs, and becomes happy, and treats everyone kindly. I feel good when my headache goes away as my wife messages my head on her lap. I feel good when she fells asleep on my shoulder watching late night movie. I felt good the beautiful lady that sat next to me unconsciously brushed up with my body and when momentarily we locked each other's gazes.

 I feel good when I suddenly had to pay less than I expected; also when some one returns the money I have forgotten having loaned a long time ago. I feel good when my bank statement showed a saving that I never remember. I feel good during the last days of months at the prospect of getting paid; not so much after I actually receive them as I have to part with them as soon as they come to my hand. I felt good when my accountant comes to me and handover a cheque saying that he over deducted the tax from my salary which he is returning.

 I feel good when I moonlight sometimes to write article like this to express myself.

I feel good when I get kind comments on the ideas and opinion I share from “professional friends”. I feel great when my write up get published in the reputed newspapers. I also feel good when some people take painstaking effort to read and critique them. I feel good when I the person I was thinking about suddenly appear from nowhere.

I feel good to find out that the article published in a reputed magazine which I thought some one copied from mine turns up to be my own published in my own name. I feel good when a couple of young man and women suddenly come of crowd, approached me and say: hey, we loved your articles. They are cool. I feel good when a friend calls me to say s/he liked my article.

I feel good when we get emails from my best friends from Nepal and from around the world. I feel good when I realize there are people around the globe who care.

  I feel good at simple things.

 Editor comments: The opinions made by the author are his own. However, his feeling of good is not bad. Sounds interesting.