Dr. Asangba Tzudir
The ongoing Morung Debate is being held with the larger objective of creating a public debate platform for young people mostly college going students in the age group of 18-25 years, on issues pertaining to socio-political, economic, cultural, and issues of religion.
However, witnessing the debate proceedings a critical appraisal becomes necessary. A general observation is the lack of placing sources in the context of the debate. Most of the debaters tried to ‘substantiate’ their arguments through internet sources though without contextualizing the sources properly. To start the debate so also conclude with a politico-moral quotation though without building on it was like bringing Plato’s world of form or ideas without creating an interface with the world of sense perception. Moreover, a debate will not make sense or do justice to the meaning of debate if is largely delivered like a prepared speech stitched from internet sources that hardly appeals to the real life situations in context.
The lack of awareness about the prevailing issues was also clearly evident, in that it somehow failed to provide the merit and warrant it deserves and for which one needs to see, hear and perceive beyond what is happening underneath the surface.
Another concern is the lack of conceptual clarity. Consider one of the topics that were debated - ‘Is technology a blessing’? The ‘conceptualising’ process was such that the very understanding of technology was more or less confined to machines. But the human mind itself is the ‘techne’ or technology and thus humans lie at the heart of making technology either into a blessing or a curse. On the flip side of blessing, consider the amount of time unnecessarily spent daily on technology, and it is already a curse for nothing can be costlier than time. And the ‘technologizing’ effect have made humans into machines, more so a slave to machines.
For real debate to happen in the right sense of the term, the topic or issues needs to be placed in context and also construct and deliver the arguments or rebut the opponent’s arguments accordingly.
However, a process of acculturization needs to set in so that the young especially the students become truly aware of the pressing issues we live with. Only then will they realize that these are issues, problems and dilemmas not of ‘others’ but one’s own. The thought that one’s problem cannot be solved by others, will in turn generate a sense of belongingness in their hearts and minds towards a better understanding of the problems and issues at hand. This is one direction towards impacting a revolutionary process of change.
Through this Morung Debate, the spirit of debate is born, and a process of unlearning and relearning have begun and therefore, what has taken root today will hopefully begin to generate a productive culture of ‘real life’ debate towards not only sensitizing the society but also intervene in critical issues that is in need of revolutionary changes.
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir writes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
