We had a Pakistani poet coming over last Saturday. It baffled me – not the poet, the fact that it’s increasingly popular to invite people to educational institutions to give lectures, or just for students to have interactive sessions. What we have, then, is a so-called intellectual arena, with a discussion that varies from politics, religion, and whatnots.
I don’t know what the aim of the discussion is.
It’s like having a chronic case of cancer and refusing to see the doctor, either out of fear or the possibility of having the fear affirmed. At the same time, you don't want to leave yourself feeling that you haven't made an attempt to make things better.
I can’t help the sneaky feeling that the label ‘intellectual’ and the discussions go together. The concern will vanish overnight.