Rights denied
Printed in one of the documents that the great nation of America is based on are the timeless words: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you have tendency to read between the lines, then there is also the right to participate freely in market mechanisms. It does not result directly in either of the three, but is very essential.
What can you trade in the market?
Maybe goods. Such as yourself. You go to school and gain valuable experience to increase your value and personal equity in the marketplace. You spend your life sticking labels such as "New", "Improved" and "Free" to the pockets of your coat. This enables you to skip like a mountain goat from job to job, in your pursuit of the American Dream.
This is not the time to judge the merits of pursuing the dream. (Suffice to say that if it is done with honesty, love for your neighbors, care for the environment and endless diligence then it is a worthwhile effort.)
Now if someone takes away the right to trade yourself freely in multiple venues and out a lack of choice, causes you to languish in a bad environment (I did not say slavery), then it is a direct violation of our constitutional rights. I hear of people suffering in Iraq too, but President Bush first and foremost has obligations towards the people of America.
Printed in one of the documents that the great nation of America is based on are the timeless words: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you have tendency to read between the lines, then there is also the right to participate freely in market mechanisms. It does not result directly in either of the three, but is very essential.
What can you trade in the market?
Maybe goods. Such as yourself. You go to school and gain valuable experience to increase your value and personal equity in the marketplace. You spend your life sticking labels such as "New", "Improved" and "Free" to the pockets of your coat. This enables you to skip like a mountain goat from job to job, in your pursuit of the American Dream.
This is not the time to judge the merits of pursuing the dream. (Suffice to say that if it is done with honesty, love for your neighbors, care for the environment and endless diligence then it is a worthwhile effort.)
Now if someone takes away the right to trade yourself freely in multiple venues and out a lack of choice, causes you to languish in a bad environment (I did not say slavery), then it is a direct violation of our constitutional rights. I hear of people suffering in Iraq too, but President Bush first and foremost has obligations towards the people of America.
Quote
Since I have fever and am feeling ill (whether it is my mind or my body that has gone awry… or are they both one and the same, I have little energy to think of such things) I shall quote from one of the old religious texts today. I shall not name this text, for such an exercise will do nothing to add to beauty of the thought. As a footnote, it is perhaps worthwhile mentioning that the names of all religious texts should be changed frequently and randomly by no particular authority. Snickers? Milky Way? It is all chocolate. You get the drift.
Anyway here is something I read:
The Self is the ear of the ear
The eye of the eye, the mind of the mind,
The words of the words, and the life of life.
Rising above the senses and the mind
And renouncing separate existence
The wise realize the deathless Self.
Difficult to practice. Nevertheless something to think about.
Since I have fever and am feeling ill (whether it is my mind or my body that has gone awry… or are they both one and the same, I have little energy to think of such things) I shall quote from one of the old religious texts today. I shall not name this text, for such an exercise will do nothing to add to beauty of the thought. As a footnote, it is perhaps worthwhile mentioning that the names of all religious texts should be changed frequently and randomly by no particular authority. Snickers? Milky Way? It is all chocolate. You get the drift.
Anyway here is something I read:
The Self is the ear of the ear
The eye of the eye, the mind of the mind,
The words of the words, and the life of life.
Rising above the senses and the mind
And renouncing separate existence
The wise realize the deathless Self.
Difficult to practice. Nevertheless something to think about.
To laugh well after the punch line
The man sits in the middle of the street. He bends down on one knee and places an empty can of cola in the recycling bag of a vagabond, who has happened to pass his way scouring for trash. He walks away quickly, before the beggar had a chance to express his thanks: for some reason such a gesture would make him feel uncomfortable.
A car drives over his feet. The man does not wince in pain. He realizes that all of this does not matter anymore. He receives what he has sought all his life: a confirmation of his feelings. He sees God in front of him, which is to say that he sees nothing in front of him that suggests God is not present.
Churn the oceans till they curdle, he hears a voice with a suggestion reminiscent of a childhood tale, and bring me the nectar hidden in them. The man nods and proceeds to do his Maker’s bidding. He walks up to the ocean and with a giant ladle that he has never seen before, begins to churn. He churns slowly at times, at other times he churns frantically. When he closes his eyes or stares down the spinning vortex, he sees lions, tigers, sheep and some animals he has only imagined shift forms into one another and also through time. Like him, they look old at once and young at the next. He sees his body shake when axes hit trees and watches himself cry when a fish’s daughter is caught in a net. Then he sees the tree and the fish again, nothing has ever happened and they are in the same garden. The fish looks like him and before he realizes it, he is the tree. The visions increase in frequency and everything becomes him and his hands begin to look like everything else. He wonders as to why he cried when his parents died. They smile at him more alive than he could ever remember. The world is now one continuous shape of black and it decreases in size. It becomes smaller and smaller and smaller till it is very small. Around it, there remains a lot of nectar. He collects it and walks to meet his Creator. Suddenly he feels guilty. Guilt arising out of the feeling of stupidity. For he continues to think about whether he has collected enough.
The man sits in the middle of the street. He bends down on one knee and places an empty can of cola in the recycling bag of a vagabond, who has happened to pass his way scouring for trash. He walks away quickly, before the beggar had a chance to express his thanks: for some reason such a gesture would make him feel uncomfortable.
A car drives over his feet. The man does not wince in pain. He realizes that all of this does not matter anymore. He receives what he has sought all his life: a confirmation of his feelings. He sees God in front of him, which is to say that he sees nothing in front of him that suggests God is not present.
Churn the oceans till they curdle, he hears a voice with a suggestion reminiscent of a childhood tale, and bring me the nectar hidden in them. The man nods and proceeds to do his Maker’s bidding. He walks up to the ocean and with a giant ladle that he has never seen before, begins to churn. He churns slowly at times, at other times he churns frantically. When he closes his eyes or stares down the spinning vortex, he sees lions, tigers, sheep and some animals he has only imagined shift forms into one another and also through time. Like him, they look old at once and young at the next. He sees his body shake when axes hit trees and watches himself cry when a fish’s daughter is caught in a net. Then he sees the tree and the fish again, nothing has ever happened and they are in the same garden. The fish looks like him and before he realizes it, he is the tree. The visions increase in frequency and everything becomes him and his hands begin to look like everything else. He wonders as to why he cried when his parents died. They smile at him more alive than he could ever remember. The world is now one continuous shape of black and it decreases in size. It becomes smaller and smaller and smaller till it is very small. Around it, there remains a lot of nectar. He collects it and walks to meet his Creator. Suddenly he feels guilty. Guilt arising out of the feeling of stupidity. For he continues to think about whether he has collected enough.
Today
Today is an amazing day. Switzerland, which is a landlocked nation, won the America's cup for sailing. I think they beat the Swedes, who were as usual just on time. Though for once, it is a piece of news where one can abandon logic and revel in the unexpected. Maybe other news items shall follow this route.
Today is also the third day of the third month of the third year of the third millennium. Three is the number of the trinity - the father, the son and the Holy Ghost or Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu - whichever stream of thought you subscribe to. Be careful when you try to speak to them in front of an audience. Three is also a crowd.
Today is an amazing day. Switzerland, which is a landlocked nation, won the America's cup for sailing. I think they beat the Swedes, who were as usual just on time. Though for once, it is a piece of news where one can abandon logic and revel in the unexpected. Maybe other news items shall follow this route.
Today is also the third day of the third month of the third year of the third millennium. Three is the number of the trinity - the father, the son and the Holy Ghost or Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu - whichever stream of thought you subscribe to. Be careful when you try to speak to them in front of an audience. Three is also a crowd.
If...
The adverbial clause of condition can be a matter of difference between a thousand lives and deaths. India defeated Pakistan in the World Cup match thanks to a superlative performance from Sachin Tendulkar. Two people lost their lives in post match violence. If India had lost, one suspects that there would be many more people departing from the brown turf of blood drenched earth that this nation has now become.
Media around the world have composed and sung many songs about Sachin's performance. Indians (and citizens all around the developing world) should utilize their sportspeople not merely to show them off and hence vicariously justify their greatness, but also to learn from these overachievers and be great themselves.
As a child, Sachin Tendulkar used to work at the game for some thirty-four odd hours during the day, and then a few more during the night. He is undoubtedly an intelligent person and could have well gone the way of the intelligent third world person who spins great theories and has a million solutions for a million minus one problems. This person then grows up and finds out to her/his that all these theories of her/his would work if it weren't for the "system".
The mysterious "system" is filled with corrupt politicians, errant judges and brutal police officers. They have arms longer than a octopus on steroids and even their cats are born ten times. The individual is frustrated soon and resign themselves to a life of conformity and bitterness.
There is one thing s/he does not realize. Gandhi did. It does not matter if there is a system or not. What matters is that there are individuals and there are neighborhoods (even with the Internet, these are still neighborhoods in the old fashioned sense of the word.) In such parts of the world there is no shortage of things to aspire to. It could be producing great musicians or even just clean streets or taps with flowing water.
There is a solution and one that is out of the world of alchemy. It is simple and may be appear naive to the point of sounding cheesy. But it is what Sachin Tendulkar would have done. To quote Jimmy Cliff: You can get it if you really want, but you must try, try, try, try and try."
When you try so many times, it becomes the same as doing. So just do.
The adverbial clause of condition can be a matter of difference between a thousand lives and deaths. India defeated Pakistan in the World Cup match thanks to a superlative performance from Sachin Tendulkar. Two people lost their lives in post match violence. If India had lost, one suspects that there would be many more people departing from the brown turf of blood drenched earth that this nation has now become.
Media around the world have composed and sung many songs about Sachin's performance. Indians (and citizens all around the developing world) should utilize their sportspeople not merely to show them off and hence vicariously justify their greatness, but also to learn from these overachievers and be great themselves.
As a child, Sachin Tendulkar used to work at the game for some thirty-four odd hours during the day, and then a few more during the night. He is undoubtedly an intelligent person and could have well gone the way of the intelligent third world person who spins great theories and has a million solutions for a million minus one problems. This person then grows up and finds out to her/his that all these theories of her/his would work if it weren't for the "system".
The mysterious "system" is filled with corrupt politicians, errant judges and brutal police officers. They have arms longer than a octopus on steroids and even their cats are born ten times. The individual is frustrated soon and resign themselves to a life of conformity and bitterness.
There is one thing s/he does not realize. Gandhi did. It does not matter if there is a system or not. What matters is that there are individuals and there are neighborhoods (even with the Internet, these are still neighborhoods in the old fashioned sense of the word.) In such parts of the world there is no shortage of things to aspire to. It could be producing great musicians or even just clean streets or taps with flowing water.
There is a solution and one that is out of the world of alchemy. It is simple and may be appear naive to the point of sounding cheesy. But it is what Sachin Tendulkar would have done. To quote Jimmy Cliff: You can get it if you really want, but you must try, try, try, try and try."
When you try so many times, it becomes the same as doing. So just do.
<$BlogDateHeaderDate$>
