/dev/chat

@FaheemMitha This is a scheme u der which farm loans upto some amount would be written-off. Union govt did this in 2008. Now many state governments are writing off farm loans.

Incidentally, apropos of nothing, Gandhi is supposed to have said, regarding what he thought of Western Civilization, that he thought it would be a good idea. Which is certainly a pithy retort, but there is actually no evidence that he ever said it.
As far as I know. If you happen to know of a source, I'd be interested.

@FaheemMitha Gandhi said what about Western Civilizatiols?

Faheem Mitha

@PrabhjotSingh I see.

@PrabhjotSingh That he thought it would be a good idea.

Prabhjot Singh

@FaheemMitha you doubt he ever said this?

Faheem Mitha

Why are loan waivers significant?

Prabhjot Singh

@FaheemMitha loan waivers are nothing but cosmetic solution. What they call this is press populism I think k

Faheem Mitha

@PrabhjotSingh Yes, there is no proper record of it. It might be acrophycal.

@PrabhjotSingh It doesn't like a solution for anything. Are they asking for interest free loans, or to just be given money? I'm not sure.

Prabhjot Singh

6:59 PM

@FaheemMitha farmers want write off the money they already borrowed

@FaheemMitha read introduction in Unto this last.

Faheem Mitha

@PrabhjotSingh That sounds... optimistic.

@PrabhjotSingh Unto this last?

I assume this loan waiver is related to vote getting.

Prabhjot Singh

@FaheemMitha en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Sarvodaya finally got it.

@FaheemMitha announce it in the run up to election, write off loan after election and then do nothing. Govt and farmers both are happy.

Faheem Mitha

@PrabhjotSingh Anything specific in there?

@PrabhjotSingh That's pretty crazy.

Prabhjot Singh

@FaheemMitha People in the West generally hold that the whole duty of man is to promote the happiness to the majority of mankind, and happiness is supposed to mean only physical happiness and economic prosperity. If the laws of morality city are broken in the conquest of this happiness, it does not matter very much.

Faheem Mitha

@PrabhjotSingh I don't know if "people in the West" would agree with that statement. Granted, their institutions are very much geared towards that.

It does not mean everyone is in agreement.

(Back in a bit.)

Prabhjot Singh

7:11 PM

I would say that if the village perishes, India will perish too. It will be no more
India. Her own mission in the world will get lost. The revival of the village is
possible only when it is no more exploited. Industrialization on a mass scale will
necessarily lead to passive or active exploitation of the villagers as the
problems of competition and marketing come in. Therefore, we have to
concentrate on the village being self-contained, manufacturing mainly for use.
Provided this character of the village industry is maintained, there would be no

Kusalananda

@FaheemMitha I got enough sleep. Thanks for asking. Planning to do the same tonight.

Prabhjot Singh

Faheem Mitha

7:36 PM

@PrabhjotSingh As usual, I'm missing context. I assume this is Gandhi's writing. But why are you quoting it?

I understand the point. He's basically advocating a socialist point of view in the context of Indian villages.

Tangentially, Gandhi gets misquoted and misrepresented an awful lot, to make him look like some stick in the mud.

He seems to have been a perceptive and far-seeing person. Albeit with some eccentric opinions. And he seems to have been very clear about the nature of imperialism and its economic consequences, direct and indirect.

en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Sarvodaya seems interesting, but I'm not clear what it is. Part of Gandhi's Autobiography? Part of an introduction to Ruskin's book?

Ok, Sarvodaya is the title of Gandhi's translation of "Unto this Last". But what is the text in the link? It clearly isn't Ruskin.

Prabhjot Singh

8:02 PM

@FaheemMitha yes, both are Gandhi's quotes. I posted because you said there is no evidence that he said that about western civilization. second quote is from young i dia August 1928.

When I was reading his thought, it seemed to me that he is not against west but Iindustrialization. even at one point i felt like i am reading Capital. So I posted secomd comment.

@FaheemMitha Ti

Today I found his revulsion towards English language.

Faheem Mitha

8:20 PM

@PrabhjotSingh Ti?

Prabhjot Singh

Our Non-co-operation is neither
with the English nor with the West. Our Non-co-operation
is with the system the English have established, with the material civilisation and its attendant greed and exploitation of the weak. Our Non-co-operation is a retirement within
overselves. Young India October 1921

Prabhjot Singh

8:38 PM

@FaheemMitha He advised congressmen to read 'The hound of Heaven' by Francis Thompson

He was a friend of Romain Rolland.

2 hours later…

JBallin

10:49 PM

Why is it often advised to check for the existence of a file before sourcing it? I would want to know if the file I'm trying to source doesn't exist...otherwise it's a silent "error"

```
if [ -f `brew --prefix`/etc/bash_completion ]; then
. `brew --prefix`/etc/bash_completion
fi
```

another example: [ -f /usr/local/etc/bash_completion ] && . /usr/local/etc/bash_completion

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