Dear Mr. Kadian,
Thank you for being the first person to voice your thoughts in reply!! I also appreciate the interesting points you have made.
I wouldn't say bad man vs. bad man. But rather, a man with a good heart who is not scared to bend the rules a little bit for a good outcome. Indeed I agree it is the responsibility of the household, and ultimately the parents and grandparents as to the values they instill in their offsprings as well as the courage to correct if they are doing something wrong. As Aryans/Hindus, we are lucky that much of our religion and prayers focus on the deeds of man rather than only 'gods'. Yet, there is much that is wrong in one way or another in almost every Jat family.
In current politics, you are right, the decision would be based on the candidate with less venom. Expecting the 'perfect' politicians who are written about in history is unrealistic. But there are many good people who avoid politics because it is a dirty game and requires tremendous courage and aggressiveness from people who are honest.
I didn't want to mention Capt. Abhimanyu's name because I wanted to see whether anybody identifies him on their own :-) I have written a new post now that reveals much. You are invited to read it. (
http://www.jatland.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28651)
You hit the nail right on the head by referring to Darwin's theory. Life is about survival of the fittest, whether in India or overseas. To face challenges (whether emotional, physical, mental, financial or even spiritual) it is of paramount importance to bring up your child in a way that helps them to be a strong adult. Are Panchatantra tales, Mahabharat, Ramayan as popular today as they were when I was a kid? But this responsibility does not stop when the child grows up. Rather, it is a continuous 'supporting cycle' where parents and children even as adults support each other through difficult times and encourage each other to face their challenges head on and not lose hope. Instead, too often, family members tend to turn on each other.
Ref: 300 the movie. It is one of my favourite movies. Decision making is tricky and is based on many things. No one rule applies. At the end of the day, we have to weigh the odds and play the balancing game, based on the information available at the time as well as the experience we gain through life. There is always a risk and the best we can do is try and control the risk as much as possible. As one of my friends who is an expert at probability and statistics would say, every decision is like making a bet. You can act too safe or minimise the risk and you can still loose or win small. You can risk it all and loose or win big. Trying to find a medium risk where you still have good chances of a decent win is a challenge. It also involves our personality too and our upbringing which dictate the path we follow.
Regarding my ever having voted in India. In all honesty, no not yet. But it is not because of how long the queues might be or the environmental conditions. I have not been in India around election time because of studies and work (internships, part-time work). I am trying to see if there is anyway by which I could cast my vote here. (Please don't generalise about how I won't know about India because I am overseas etc. Living overseas is not devoid of its own challenges :-) )
Best Wishes, Aakanksha