What makes for interesting conversation? is it humor, is it subject, is it the words used, is it the way they are used, is it the voice of the people (though in this age of computers it would be the fingers that type the words) conversing, what is it?? because i haven't come across it lately, u know, an interesting conversation between two, three or more people. Where has the art of conversation gone?
Lets see, how does a normal average conversation between two average people go here
Q aur kya ho raha hai?
A kuch nai
Q koi nai tazzi?
A itni garmi hai
Q aur?
and so it goes ad infinitum. If its not this then its about possessions because we are a society that loves to possess, acquire, hold, own, and buy things, no matter what they are. So generally the conversations hovers around what one has added to the heap of already cluttered and useless things one owns and is trying to get rid of to declutter one's life. Be it fancy cars or new and second homes, or clothes or jewellery or new cell phones or art collection,or what u may. We are forever wanting, and wanting more. It may make an interesting hoarding of sorts, but an interesting conversation it makes not.
What then makes for good and interesting conversation? you may rightly, ask at this juncture. Well to me anything that does not always contain these three words I, ME and MYSELF in any of its multitudinous variations if you will! And that's a virtual impossibility if u happen to be conversing with a pakistani, because they haven't developed beyond Carl Jung's infancy stage. They can only relate to things as and how they affect them, which we all do to a certain extent, but the pakistani has not gone beyond the 'self' of say a one year old. The average pakistani is still stuck with the maxim that man is the measure of all things. Copernicus and his Helio centred universe is not a possible reality for pakistanis, or a viable option. The world or rather the universe revolves around them and exists only to serve as a stage for them to act out their lives. Hence, the apathy towards everything imaginable and a sense of indifference. We only think and hence talk about things that affect us or may affect us and so on. And this oafish tendency makes for some very dull words i must say. So we hear all around us stories of personal achievements (however dull and un-inspirational) how i did this to that person and how i impressed so and so and how i managed to fool the world and how i am so good and how fortunate you are that i figure somewhere in your life and how barren and utterly desolate this world would be it were somehow bereft of my wisdom, and how i on account of my great altruistic nature did this for him and her and so on and on (read blah blah blah.)
Then there is another kind of conversation pakistanis excel at, the sermon. Every pakistani is an expert on, yes you guessed it, on everything imaginable. Lets see, if we go to a doctor we end up feeling we always know better than him, the teacher in the school knows nothing, the boss is a fool the government a bigger fool newspapers lie about everything and this gives rise to the mother of all bad conversations that is i will give you this advice whether you want it or not. That is because pakistanis consider themselves proficient in everything and anything, you name it. In this country you will find men giving advice to heart surgeons on how to prevent heart attacks, we have women telling everyone on how to live their lives, we have maulvis telling us that they have the keys to kingdom of God, we have every other person telling the next one he knows better!!! And, isn't it a wonder that in this land of know alls we still want others to tell us what to do!
So, where do we go for good conversation because I'm starved for some? Any ideas?????
Lets see, how does a normal average conversation between two average people go here
Q aur kya ho raha hai?
A kuch nai
Q koi nai tazzi?
A itni garmi hai
Q aur?
and so it goes ad infinitum. If its not this then its about possessions because we are a society that loves to possess, acquire, hold, own, and buy things, no matter what they are. So generally the conversations hovers around what one has added to the heap of already cluttered and useless things one owns and is trying to get rid of to declutter one's life. Be it fancy cars or new and second homes, or clothes or jewellery or new cell phones or art collection,or what u may. We are forever wanting, and wanting more. It may make an interesting hoarding of sorts, but an interesting conversation it makes not.
What then makes for good and interesting conversation? you may rightly, ask at this juncture. Well to me anything that does not always contain these three words I, ME and MYSELF in any of its multitudinous variations if you will! And that's a virtual impossibility if u happen to be conversing with a pakistani, because they haven't developed beyond Carl Jung's infancy stage. They can only relate to things as and how they affect them, which we all do to a certain extent, but the pakistani has not gone beyond the 'self' of say a one year old. The average pakistani is still stuck with the maxim that man is the measure of all things. Copernicus and his Helio centred universe is not a possible reality for pakistanis, or a viable option. The world or rather the universe revolves around them and exists only to serve as a stage for them to act out their lives. Hence, the apathy towards everything imaginable and a sense of indifference. We only think and hence talk about things that affect us or may affect us and so on. And this oafish tendency makes for some very dull words i must say. So we hear all around us stories of personal achievements (however dull and un-inspirational) how i did this to that person and how i impressed so and so and how i managed to fool the world and how i am so good and how fortunate you are that i figure somewhere in your life and how barren and utterly desolate this world would be it were somehow bereft of my wisdom, and how i on account of my great altruistic nature did this for him and her and so on and on (read blah blah blah.)
Then there is another kind of conversation pakistanis excel at, the sermon. Every pakistani is an expert on, yes you guessed it, on everything imaginable. Lets see, if we go to a doctor we end up feeling we always know better than him, the teacher in the school knows nothing, the boss is a fool the government a bigger fool newspapers lie about everything and this gives rise to the mother of all bad conversations that is i will give you this advice whether you want it or not. That is because pakistanis consider themselves proficient in everything and anything, you name it. In this country you will find men giving advice to heart surgeons on how to prevent heart attacks, we have women telling everyone on how to live their lives, we have maulvis telling us that they have the keys to kingdom of God, we have every other person telling the next one he knows better!!! And, isn't it a wonder that in this land of know alls we still want others to tell us what to do!
So, where do we go for good conversation because I'm starved for some? Any ideas?????
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