Dogs and non violence
I have been given the opportunity of taking care of this dog on the Upper West side. If I had to describe that area of town in one word, I would say "leaves". Makes for a refreshing change.
About the dog, she confirms my view as being part of a species that has all the qualities of a perfect non-violent soldier. She is totally in the moment. At one instant she is all over you, pointing frantically towards the leash. When you do take her out and then try and strike up a conversation, she turns away with a look that says, "Please do not interrupt me. I am trying to investigate this bush. "
Another perfect quality for a budding satyagrahi that they possess is that they will do and do without ever giving the impression of trying. This dog pays attention to my every question; though I am not sure it understands much, what given my strong Indian accent. It turns its head clockwise to a question and then counterclockwise to the next. Certainly cracks one up and keeps the mind away from the 100 foot long flat screen TV, that is now part of my temporary environment.
Does Bush not observe his dog? And why does Saddam not get one?
I have been given the opportunity of taking care of this dog on the Upper West side. If I had to describe that area of town in one word, I would say "leaves". Makes for a refreshing change.
About the dog, she confirms my view as being part of a species that has all the qualities of a perfect non-violent soldier. She is totally in the moment. At one instant she is all over you, pointing frantically towards the leash. When you do take her out and then try and strike up a conversation, she turns away with a look that says, "Please do not interrupt me. I am trying to investigate this bush. "
Another perfect quality for a budding satyagrahi that they possess is that they will do and do without ever giving the impression of trying. This dog pays attention to my every question; though I am not sure it understands much, what given my strong Indian accent. It turns its head clockwise to a question and then counterclockwise to the next. Certainly cracks one up and keeps the mind away from the 100 foot long flat screen TV, that is now part of my temporary environment.
Does Bush not observe his dog? And why does Saddam not get one?
An impossible feat
One of the the great tragedies of modern man is that we can never feel equal with a group of people...we either feel superior or inferior and the end result is the same.
It is not possible to get rid of that feeling. It is however, possible to eliminate groups.
One of the the great tragedies of modern man is that we can never feel equal with a group of people...we either feel superior or inferior and the end result is the same.
It is not possible to get rid of that feeling. It is however, possible to eliminate groups.
Follow Amartya
What is the definition of poverty? Some people say it is a lack of income. I say (and I quote Amartya Sen) that it is a lack of access to basic human rights such as freedom to study, freedom to vote, etc. As you can very well see freedom is the key word. I received a potential key to freedom today. This key is green. I now have a choice: utilize the green key and turn down some green with dead prezs on them.
Green Vs. Green?
A fair swap. For the cause of freedom, I am game.
What is the definition of poverty? Some people say it is a lack of income. I say (and I quote Amartya Sen) that it is a lack of access to basic human rights such as freedom to study, freedom to vote, etc. As you can very well see freedom is the key word. I received a potential key to freedom today. This key is green. I now have a choice: utilize the green key and turn down some green with dead prezs on them.
Green Vs. Green?
A fair swap. For the cause of freedom, I am game.
Nearly losing a job
Here is how corporate life works. Menial employee is walking along Park Avenue. He tramples on an ant. The Chairman of the Company sees this from the 35th floor of his posh office building. He throws a fit. Whether the sight of the dying ant was the cause, or the trigger, one will never know. The CEO shouts at his President, who in turn shouts at the boss of the employee. The employee feels sorry that the ant had to die. But mistakes are bound to happen, he says. I apologize, he stammers. He is non violent and is man enough to own up, but cannot fathom what the hue and cry is all about. It is not that the building was in Somalia and the ant was carrying life saving food supplies.
The menial employee is warned that if he ever tramples on an ant again, he will no longer be an employee, only menial. The menial employee wonders if waking up every morning for this is worth it. Waking up is a good habit, he reasons and should be cultivated irrespective of this or that
Oh and the ship full of oil finally sunk off the coast of Spain today. An astrologer told me that the word "oil" will figure on the front page of every newspaper for the times that lie ahead. My conscience tells me that it should.
Here is how corporate life works. Menial employee is walking along Park Avenue. He tramples on an ant. The Chairman of the Company sees this from the 35th floor of his posh office building. He throws a fit. Whether the sight of the dying ant was the cause, or the trigger, one will never know. The CEO shouts at his President, who in turn shouts at the boss of the employee. The employee feels sorry that the ant had to die. But mistakes are bound to happen, he says. I apologize, he stammers. He is non violent and is man enough to own up, but cannot fathom what the hue and cry is all about. It is not that the building was in Somalia and the ant was carrying life saving food supplies.
The menial employee is warned that if he ever tramples on an ant again, he will no longer be an employee, only menial. The menial employee wonders if waking up every morning for this is worth it. Waking up is a good habit, he reasons and should be cultivated irrespective of this or that
Oh and the ship full of oil finally sunk off the coast of Spain today. An astrologer told me that the word "oil" will figure on the front page of every newspaper for the times that lie ahead. My conscience tells me that it should.
Will non violence work when attacked by eight legged freaks?
The protagonist of The Catcher of the Rye speaks of authors, who after reading their book, you want to call and speak to. Yesterday, I saw a movie, the director and screenplay writer of which I would definitely go out for drinks with. The movie, which is destined to become a cult classic, is called Eight Legged Freaks. There is, like incessant and discrete sips of lemonade on a hot day, not one moment that is wrong with this movie.
In this flick, a bunch of spiders of varying abilities, mutate after ingesting toxic waste. They grow very large, break out of a spider farm and wreak havoc on a small town, which is already reeling under the effects of recession and bad economic times. The humor is subtle and carries a lot of personality, as do the spiders, the sheriff and most of the cast.
The question that obviously springs to the mind is "Would non violence work under the influence of an attack of eight legged freaks?
What would Gandhi have done? There exists a definite and tangible problem, which might have rendered his methods ineffective. Giant tarantulas are indifferent to the sympathies induced by hunger fasts. Most giant octalegged beings would eat up an entire procession of chanting protestors. Even civil disobedience, by and large, have proven to be ineffective against such stubborn, single minded beasts.
Then seeing how non violence was not working, would Gandhi have taken up the gun?
Yes, my mind tells me. He would have jumped to the defense of the helpless. He would have shot many spiders skillfully (given his great focus and attention to detail). However, inwardly he would have mourned at the abundance of toxic waste that exists all around the world today. Punish the evil, not the evildoer, Gandhi says. The evil is not the spiders, but the nuclear (pronunciation under review) material. Gandhi would have finished off the spiders and then run the cleverest global campaign to protest against nuclear proliferation.
The moral of the story is that eight legged freaks are a distinct danger given the fact that creating them is fairly simple. Also they see no difference between good and evil and are as happy to run on the lawns of Washington as to jump by the fountains of Baghdad.
Like spiders, like uranium. This is an important lesson.
The protagonist of The Catcher of the Rye speaks of authors, who after reading their book, you want to call and speak to. Yesterday, I saw a movie, the director and screenplay writer of which I would definitely go out for drinks with. The movie, which is destined to become a cult classic, is called Eight Legged Freaks. There is, like incessant and discrete sips of lemonade on a hot day, not one moment that is wrong with this movie.
In this flick, a bunch of spiders of varying abilities, mutate after ingesting toxic waste. They grow very large, break out of a spider farm and wreak havoc on a small town, which is already reeling under the effects of recession and bad economic times. The humor is subtle and carries a lot of personality, as do the spiders, the sheriff and most of the cast.
The question that obviously springs to the mind is "Would non violence work under the influence of an attack of eight legged freaks?
What would Gandhi have done? There exists a definite and tangible problem, which might have rendered his methods ineffective. Giant tarantulas are indifferent to the sympathies induced by hunger fasts. Most giant octalegged beings would eat up an entire procession of chanting protestors. Even civil disobedience, by and large, have proven to be ineffective against such stubborn, single minded beasts.
Then seeing how non violence was not working, would Gandhi have taken up the gun?
Yes, my mind tells me. He would have jumped to the defense of the helpless. He would have shot many spiders skillfully (given his great focus and attention to detail). However, inwardly he would have mourned at the abundance of toxic waste that exists all around the world today. Punish the evil, not the evildoer, Gandhi says. The evil is not the spiders, but the nuclear (pronunciation under review) material. Gandhi would have finished off the spiders and then run the cleverest global campaign to protest against nuclear proliferation.
The moral of the story is that eight legged freaks are a distinct danger given the fact that creating them is fairly simple. Also they see no difference between good and evil and are as happy to run on the lawns of Washington as to jump by the fountains of Baghdad.
Like spiders, like uranium. This is an important lesson.
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