Ideology_____Rationality

Last evening while I was having an evening walk with two of my friends, we were discussing about generic daily stuff and shared some of our personal experiences and thoughts on a plethora of issues. In the middle of all this, we exchanged views on the conflicts we witness among the family members and the society at large due to some very basic avoidable reasons. It may be as small as which job to join or as big as who to marry, or, anything in this world which involves an elder and a younger member of a family to take two extreme stands. Most often it is an ideological clash which happens and as a results egos and sentiments is hurt. And the same is the likelihood of witnessing an attempt to moderate the two sides using some sensible talking and adopting an approach of rationality.

But as we discussed it while we circled around the park, I was left pondering about the futility of the whole exercise of rationality which people advertently carry out. If it’s about an ideology and faith, it just may not follow any logic and might come out to be taken in an absolute manner. There isn’t anything wrong or right and so the debates around it can just go on forever, and tanning the delicate relationships for a very very long time.

So basically what may be a possible solution to this is only a matter of “Who surrenders the ego first?” The sooner that happens, the better it is.

Knowing all this, what does one do?

Follow one’s own set of ideologies irrespective of the emotional turmoil, it might cause among others. This on one hand may bring about a subtle change in the family values or simply cause a hullaballoo in an otherwise peaceful family.

Follow the ideologies which have always been followed and thereby living a conflict free life, devoid of any ideological freedom, which would later translate and manifest itself into a continuously diminishing level of decision making capability.

And as we retuned back thinking about all of this, I just realized that the policy we follow is not the one we choose for ourselves in a manner which is sacrosanct, but, it mostly is circumstantial and a matter of convenience. It is only a matter of priorities and the marginal benefit we hope to derive from our actions and inactions. Everything else can go for a toss. The grey area here is, how we measure that marginal benefit, for there is no tool whatsoever, which could take into account all the possible determinants and an occurrence of a “Black Swan” in our lives.

So now the unanswered question is, “Is it Ideology versus Rationality or Ideology and Rationality?”

-Sriram