Finding Your Voice

Finding Your VoiceClarity. Freedom. Truth.

Somik Raha

A talk for Center for Child and the Law, Nov 24 2014

Clarity.

–Rabindranath Tagore

“The small truth has words that are clear. The great truth has great silence.”

Exercise.

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Exercise

Iceberg, right ahead!

Minor Premise

Major Premise

Major Premise

Minor Premise

Find the Major Premise

Examples of challenging the major premise

India escaped the financial crisis because of nationalization of banks

Liberalization does not protect us from financial ruin

Examples of challenging the major premise

Police are better with men than with women in filing FIRs

Police are dinosaurs in their gender sensitivity

Examples of challenging the major premise

Juvenile delinquents actually pose a threat to society, are unchangeable, and evil

India is violating its obligations on child rights

Why is it so hard to spot the major premise?

If you feel strongly about something, you are likely to miss the major premise!

Because you are intensely focused! Finding the major premise requires detaching from what you care about.

Takeaway 1

If you feel strong about something, artificially treat it as a minor premise, and ask, “What is the major premise?”

Six Elements of Decision Quality

Framing

Alternatives

Information

Values

Integration

Commitment to Action

Cool Head Warm Heart

Appropriate Meaningful

Feasible Inspiring

Relevant, Material Decisive

Preferences (trade-offs) Noble Purpose

Clear logic Narrative

Action plans Laddership

Focus on where your biggest weakness and strengthen it

Six Elements of Decision Quality

Framing

Alternatives

Information

Values

Integration

Commitment to Action

Cool Head Warm Heart

Appropriate Meaningful

Feasible Inspiring

Relevant, Material Decisive

Preferences (trade-offs) Noble Purpose

Clear logic Narrative

Action plans Laddership

Focus on where your biggest weakness and strengthen it

ExerciseCritique advocacy

from the perspective of

decision quality

ConsequencesAvoid value-loaded language when

making arguments

e.g. “social justice”, “equality”

Be careful of associative logic errors

e.g. Deen mey dari hai, dari mein deen nahi (The faithful have beards,

but the beard has no faith)

e.g. Jainism and non-violence/vegetarian

e.g. Democracy and human rights

Get beyond philosophy/ideology and into clarity of action

e.g. Dating question, Is leader X right for India?

Take holistic, ethical perspective

Shortcuts can create more problems!

e.g. ethical pitfalls of coercion, legal system as that part of your personal

ethical code you are willing to impose on others by force

Takeaway 2

Instead of ideological advocacy, focus on decision quality

Freedom.

Exercise.

Pick a topic you are greatly passionate about. Close your eyes and come up with your most powerful argument.

When I ring the bell, tell it to your partner.

Debrief.

In the second try, was your partner convincing?

A Great Debate

What does it take to travel to the other side?

Takeaway 3

Leave your current body (context), and travel into another one to experience what is being talked about.

Takeaway 4Enroll your opponent’s well-wisher as your judge.

Dalai Lama Case Study

Takeaway 5

Test your assumption of what your opponent cares about.

Nagarjuna can help!

Professor Nagarjuna Chancellor, Nalanda University

The proposition is true

The proposition is false

The proposition is both true and false

The proposition is neither true nor false

Tetralemma of Nagarjuna.

Takeaway 6

When passionate about your position, slow down and feel the truth of each lemma.

The proposition is true

The proposition is false

The proposition is both true and false

The proposition is neither true nor false

How do you retain your freedom when someone comes charging at you?

FA C I N G AT TA C KT H E E A S T E R N W A Y

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http://blog.aikidojournal.com/media/morihei-ueshiba-throwing-tada-575.jpg

http://www.aikidomiami.com/photos/Aikido//Ueshiba.gif

http://www.aikidowagga.com.au/media/uploads/AikG.jpg

A I K I D O = T H E W AY O F H A R M O N I Z I N G W I T H T H E L I F E F O R C E

“Attacker” and “defender” are replaced by “receiver” and “applier”

The technique is an excuse to experience oneness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KihiVy0in4E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIv80U4BjRw

The technique is an excuse to experience oneness

Takeaway 7

To change your attacker’s direction, you have to unite first and then move in the better direction together.

Truth.

Service.Wu: “How much merit have I earned for my support of Buddhism?”

Bodhidharma: “None. Deeds that expect worldly return may bring good karma but produce no merit whatsoever.”

Wu: “Then, what is the highest meaning of noble truth?”

Bodhidharma: “There is no noble truth, only emptiness.”

Wu: “Then who is standing before me?”

Bodhidharma: “I do not know, your majesty,” And he left.

The Virtuous Butcher

Sacred Service

Grandmother

Gandhi Meta-strategy

Meta-strategy of Jainism

aliveness

Meta-strategy of plastic packaging firm

Your voice. Unique voice.

Show examples of couple.

Takeaway 8

Know thyself.

Akash Bhora.

Takeaways

1. If you feel strong about something, artificially treat it as a minor premise, and ask, “What is the major premise?”

3. Leave your current body (context), and travel into another one to experience what is being talked about.

4. Enroll your opponent’s well-wisher as your judge.

5. Test your assumption of what your opponent cares about.

6. When passionate about your position, slow down and feel the truth of each lemma.

7. To change your attacker’s direction, you have to unite first and then move in the better direction together.

8. Know thyself.

2. Instead of ideological advocacy, focus on decision quality. Clarity

Freedom

Truth