It is unlikely that global warming was the cause, but my frosty relationship with Fritzie had begun to thaw. But like climate change, the warming was erratic and yielded some tempestuous interactions, two of which stand out.
I was mildly amused when someone who had spoken passionately about climate change ordered beef stake for lunch. But unlike me, that person was not guilty of flying around the world for conferences. I suppose I had to compensate by being a vegetarian! And yet, aviation is far less responsible for greenhouse gas emissions as compared to agriculture. Ruminating over these thoughts, I wondered aloud to Fritzie if it would not be useful if everyone who ate meat decided to fly instead. Fritzie accused me of arguing along the lines of the people-lynching cow protectors in India!
I was mildly amused when someone who had spoken passionately about climate change ordered beef stake for lunch. But unlike me, that person was not guilty of flying around the world for conferences. I suppose I had to compensate by being a vegetarian! And yet, aviation is far less responsible for greenhouse gas emissions as compared to agriculture. Ruminating over these thoughts, I wondered aloud to Fritzie if it would not be useful if everyone who ate meat decided to fly instead. Fritzie accused me of arguing along the lines of the people-lynching cow protectors in India!
It was Fritzie's turn to narrate an incident from her life. A cousin of hers who lives in India asked her to be his guarantor at a US university (Fritzie lives in the US) he was offered admission to. Potentially willing to sponsor him, she proceeded to do her political due diligence. "I must find out which political party he supports. I could not possibly find myself supporting Modi." So, she proceeded to interrogate him about his views, "with the hope of influencing, if not converting, him". He promptly blocked her on all social media.
Most international universities are bastions of freedom which expose their students to different perspectives. Students, far away from anything familiar (although that is becoming more difficult now), invariably tend to reconsider their world-views and philosophies, and sometimes change them entirely. At the very least, they feel compelled to embrace differences whilst at university. By alienating that cousin, Fritzie, I feel, denied him an opportunity to challenge his own ideas, and might have unwittingly strengthened his devotion to modern right-wing ideologies.
Perhaps abandoning tact myself, I called her out for being "tactless". Before I could elaborate, the articulation of my disagreement was fatal, and Fritzie asked me not to speak with her, and hung up.
No Modi fan myself, I do not think all his actions are bad because he is the actor. I could never take an Autobahn (although trains might be better) should I adopt such logic! But have the rules of engagement changed so drastically that disagreement is no longer acceptable? I hope not, lest the poles expand to rapidly freeze the world over, even as the ice caps melt.x
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