Is Being Controversial A Fad

To the list of common things with living and dead; controversies is quite included. The dead are not spared in controversy and the livings are having an overdose of it. Controversy seems to be an essence of human relationship and exist even between allies and enemies. Nowadays if you try not to be controversial, truth is controversial enough.  On a lighter note former US President George W Bush is by far Wikipedia's most controversial person as his page has been revised 45,866 times as per an article way back in 2016.

An ordinarily understanding of controversy is quite simply discussions marked especially by the expression of opposing views. Controversies do have potential advantages which include stimulating critical thinking, raising awareness about important issue, promoting diverse perspectives to result in positive changes and policy improvements by forcing examination of existing viewpoints. It is fair to say progress seems not to be made without it.

“I may not be right, but what about the possibility that…” there were times these polite ways of introducing  different views without openly disagreeing made things interesting to talk about and that helped. Nowadays it is not about help but all about hurt. In recent times be it any institution; government, corporate, charity or family people’s controversial content provokes a strong feeling which is actually exhibiting problematic behavior in one’s daily interactions.

I seem to wonder if controversy is a new fad as there seems a free for all in engaging in it with responses as of belligerence, arrogance, and self-righteousness. Being belligerence is a natural disposition to be hostile or exhibit aggressive behavior quite popular among some representatives of political parties. It is time we recognize individuals exhibiting belligerence to have personality disorders lacking empathy and have egocentric centre of gravity which promotes that kind of aggression that causes hindrance to progress.

The social media impact in our lives fascinates me at the difficulty intelligent people have in distinguishing what is controversial from what is merely offensive. Philosophers of all ages have always urged men of good will to avoid controversy. People disagree in politics, in religion, in education, in economics, in law and strangely even in science where facts seem to rake up controversies.

Personality trait psychologists believe that if someone consistently engages in provocative or disruptive behaviour, deliberately seeks out conflict or uses inflammatory tactics to consistently create controversy has a behavioural issue, potentially related to attention-seeking or manipulative tendencies. 

The dust of controversy is merely the falsehood flying off. The unknowable creates the greatest controversies and off lately people indulge in controversy because that's what sells. A well-managed controversial view/debate can conclude with admittance one is wrong and to do so with pride, which is but saying in other words that they are wiser today than they were yesterday. Sadly our intellectual controversies tend to be like dog fights without the teeth, in which the barking not the biting does the damage.

Be wise and avoid being a garbage can for head trash to anything that does not feed one’s intellect or make one more compassionate peaceful person. Avoid all resources, sources in all medium that promote and make you part of conflict or controversy, as this can infect you with a mind virus of cynicism or defeat, and you won't even know it!

Controversy is eating out the heart of lively piety in too many of us. Let us not subject our personal godliness to fall into the background.

Controversy for the sake of controversy is sin. Controversy for the sake of truth is a divine command.