Let us agree to disagree in an agreeable manner
 

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Apologies for the length. Wrote on hard paper after a long time so completely lost track of word count.

[B]Let us agree to disagree in an agreeable manner[/B]

The slogans of ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’ enshrined in them the fundamental values of modern society. These slogans manifest themselves most prominently in the right of freedom of speech. This tenant of democracy, while guaranteeing one person to freely express his ideas, also afford the other the right to refute them. The post-modern ethos demands sensitivity towards the individual and expects an overall courteous approach in disagreement.

We have achieved much by encouraging free flow of ideas which are different and even counter to our own beliefs. Who can ignore the rise of a country which is essentially a melting pot of people from various races, cultures, tradition, religions and languages; the United States of America. Its foreign policy notwithstanding, the nation is a stunning success in the face of conflicting ideologies. Instead of looking to assimilate, the country celebrated its diversity with full fervor and encouraged participation from all population. The success of the civil rights movement by African Americans in the 20th century demonstrates how disagreements can be accommodated if presented in a peaceful but powerful method.

When disagreements manifest into the conflict of personal egos, the development process starts to recede. The fourth decade of the 20th century saw not only the closure of the worst war of human history, but also the rise of a bitter conflict of ideologies. The cold war was apparently an issue of which economic system delivers best in term of human welfare. Unfortunately, instead of debating it out in classrooms, conferences and parliaments in an agreeable manner, the two superpowers took it to the battlefield. What ensued was a tragedy in the affair of human welfare. Starting with the Korea war in June 1950, where 33,000 Americans, 350,000 S.Koreans and 1.5 million N.Koreans & Chinese lost their lives, there was one proxy war after the other. It culminated in a pyrrhic victory for the USA after the fall of Soviet Union in 1991. But in the five decades of the longest arm race, trillions of dollars invested which would have found a much better use in dispensing education, health and other services to the citizens of the world.

Another problematic approach to disagreement in insensitivity towards other individuals. All proponents of freedom of speech agree that lines must be drawn to limit the freedom so that it does not transgress into the territory of causing purposeful harm to human sentiments. The recent case of Charlie Hebdo magazine is the forerunner of this approach which also works against the cause of freedom of speech. Instead of presenting its case in a rational, courteous manner, backed by solid arguments and facts, the magazine chose a most primitive approach; mockery. Not only does it provoke the emotions of the followers of a particular faith, it has also weakened the case for those who were fighting for the liberty of free speech in Muslim countries. Where one went to the extreme in exercising his right, the other would go to the same lengths in curbing the right. A basic pillar of development got weakened.
Adherence to the topic principle has yielded countless positive results. It has prevented wars, flourished science and begotten new ideas. The refutation of this principle has stalled the process of human development, claimed millions of lives and has made the world a worse place to live. But we do not grasp this fact. We must keep working towards these dreams in order to achieve true development. As rover frost says ‘And miles to go before I sleep’.