Swaad Vivaad ka or Vivaad ka Swaad

Taste in Controversy or Controversy is taste

Controversy (vivaad) is all about discussions and arguments on something, often involving strong feelings of anger or disapproval. Anyone can find themselves involved in such issues, but what matters is how they deal with it, as it often seems pretty hard to find the right results to controversial issues. On a lighter note the only people who can talk sensibly about a controversial issue are called humorist.

Swaad Vivad Ka (taste in controversy) occurs when people with opposing ideas deliberate with a desire to agree upon the best option. Constructive controversy techniques as introduced by David Johnson & Roger Johnson is all about assessing different arguments in a structured way and to achieve a positive outcome. They recognized that each individual has their own limited perspective on a situation and one’s ‘obvious’ and ‘right’ solution is likely to look quite different after seeing the fuller picture. Swaad Vivad ka is all about improving solutions by arguing for and against fair options, encouraging people to develop, express and defend a range of positions, to challenge one others reasoning and to reach solutions that work for the common good.

In reality when we look around, what is actually happening with controversies? Vivaad Ka Swaad, is about individuals who act in controversy for the sake of being in controversy. Some people like playing the ‘controversy card’ because in certain fields, professions and institutions, that is what sells and it persist because for ordinary minds a thing ceases to be a subject of interest when it ceases to be a subject of controversy.

Vivaad ka Swaad is all about seeking undue attention and popularity and those indulging fail to realize the dust of controversy is merely their falsehood flying. Vivaad Ka Swaad may help some foolish mind entertain some fools some time but not all the time. Although a saying "Controversy equalizes fools and wise men" however the platform or table you share with controversy, ensure to use rational arguments and logic, draw conclusions based on evidence and reason, not with emotion or prejudice. Importantly focus on good decision making, rather than on winning. Your learning's and initiatives may help manage yours and the opponents controversy better.

Some in senior positions criticize just about everything and starve juniors for praise in keeping pressure on them to perform well. Certain research shows many a seniors can’t reliably rate the performance of others. As per their findings 50% of ratings of the other reflects one’s own characteristics. Secondly neuroscience reveals that criticism provokes the brain’s “fight or flight” response and inhibits learning. Excellence is not the opposite of failure; it looks different for each individual. Managers may never produce great performance by identifying what they think is failure and being in controversy with their juniors all the time.

Life in the materialistic world stirs up many a controversies, some mess their spiritual journey too, but a few manage well with a Guru & His Naam.

Gurbani says: “pandit parh parh vaad vakaaneh bin gur bharam bhulaa-ay”... "The Pandits, the religious scholars, read and argue and stir up controversies, but without the Guru, they are deluded by doubt. They wander around the cycle of 8.4 million reincarnations; without the Shabad, they do not attain liberation. But when they remember the Name, then they attain the state of salvation, when the True Guru unites them in Union". SGGSAng67