Some issues

[anand_hudli at BMC.BOEHRINGER-MANNHEIM.COM]

  Ravi wrote:

>2) Reverence/Irreverence issues

>Few weeks back I sent a request asking members to avoid rude and
>offensive postings[1]. In fact as a response to that mail,
>Ramakrishnan Balasubramaniam signed out of the list. I requested him
>personally to join back again as I thought his contributions are
>important. He accepted my request and subscribed in again.  Last week
>some of the members protested personally to me about the rude language
>used by  Ramakrishnan Balasubramaniam. Since Ramakrishnan is no
>longer in the list and has signed out, I did not bring up those
>protests to the list. But if I receive a subscription request from
>Ramakrishan I will request him to withdraw it. If you disagree with my
>decision please let me know.

 Personally, I think barring anyone from the list because he appeared
 to be making rude statements is a punishment that does not fit the
 crime. After all, any statement is perceived as rude or polite at
 the level of the ego. No praise can make the Self higher than It
 already is. No censure can make the Self lower too. This may sound
 a little too philosophical but isn't this kind of philosophy the
 business of this list?

 It is the ego that can get hurt, but rest assured that the Self is
 very thick-skinned. As Lord Krishna says, even a weapon fails to
 pierce the Self.

 I personally try to read through anybody's posting, searching for the
 gist of his/her argument. I ignore the rest of the posting.

 Most of us have never met and may never meet each other. While I
 don't understand the need to be rude to someone you have never
 met, I also don't understand how you can be offended by someone
 whom you have never met.

 What is perhaps regrettable is a systematic and deliberate denigration of
 another religion or school of thought. I have seen this kind of
 negative propaganda in  certain newsgroups, but not on this list so
 far.

 Anand