On being emotional and irrational

On being emotional and irrational

John Hargreaves commented on my letter from July 14, 1999,
that I was worrying about the wrong issue (The Jakarta Post, July
20, 1999). He said being emotional and irrational are two
different things, arguing in the words of Joseph Conrad,
"convictions are a disguised servant of our passion". In some
ways, it is true that one's convictions may reflect one's
passion, but I cannot agree that being emotional and irrational
are two different things that have consequently no link to each
other.

When emotional, one tends to act irrationally; however, it is
not necessarily so otherwise. An angry emotional man may kill
another. That man is obviously in some way irrational, especially
if the murder is without good reason, while the rational man
will think it over before doing such a thing. Not being able to
get what he wants, one may run amok emotionally, and this act is
undoubtedly irrational.

In regard to the thumbprints in blood by Megawati's fanatics,
it shows us how emotional they are, and it becomes irrational as
their intention to do so is pressing others to support them in
electing Megawati as president. As long as the pressure is
passive it will hopefully not raise any problems. Then they said,
however, that they would call on fellow fanatics to go to the
legislature building in the next General Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly to form a mass movement for the election of
Megawati as president.

In this way, the intended pressure may become
counterproductive to the process of democratization and to the
stability of this nation. We should not forget who will guarantee
that the opposing groups will not counteract them, and thus
letting physical clashes and a chaotic situation ensue. This is
the issue I am trying to raise for the rational to persuade
those, who are emotional and irrational, to think before acting
for the sake of all of us and the nation.

H.W. PIENANDORO

Bogor, West Java