Thread by @shrikanth_krish

So much of subaltern rhetoric on race, gender, caste, stems from an idealized view of human nature

Accept human prejudices as inherent to civilization. And try to gently moderate these prejudices with universalizing "ideals"..

Then you will feel less angry about "injustices"

Ironically -

Religion is an agent of universalism, a creator of abstract ideals that can transcend prejudices rooted in time and space

But progressivism in our times is also against religion. Which is a bit counter-productive to its own cause

I see civilization as an intricate balance between -

Tradition - which encodes within it prejudice and wisdom of the ages

and

Religion - which can be an agent of abstract notions and a progenitor of universal ideals

In India, given the nature of our religious life -

The two are not antagonistic to each other. But very closely enmeshed...to the extent that most HIndus find this above statement of mine rather puzzling

But nevertheless the interplay exists...even in India...

Nowhere is it more evident than in Bhagavad Gita itself

A text that both encodes "tradition", "social realities" but also has radical ideas that kind of transcend its immediate social milieu

A text that is "conservative" - defends Varna, caste duties

A text that is radical - pushes for simplification of religion, sectarian monotheism, "moksha possible for everyone" angle