"The World Is One family"

 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a sanskrit phrase that means "the World is one family". It was a very popular phase in the 90's, right about the time Berlin wall was brought down and the Soviet Union disintegrated. The world was thawing, at the end of the cold war.

Apartheid ended, tying Africa to the rest of the world. Human rights and equality seems to be finally getting the focus it deserved. Most countries were independent from their colonizers and on path of building democracies with zest and idealism. 

There were dreams and hopes of the world coming together to pool resources, to shake hands, to help and be helped .. and globalization promised to make the world a better place.

The world is a much worse place, today.

In my opinion the turning point was 9/11. Attack on America and its response highlighted the fallacy of the better world. Hatred, boundaries, violence, disregard for innocent lives, weapons, wars ...resurfaced!! 

The instability in middle east, the Syrian war and refugee crisis, the rise of China as the "cheap commodity provider" of the world and its brazen violations of human rights, the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the absolutely audacious Ukraine war, the global pandemic that spread like wildfire killing millions, man-made Yemen famine, war in Tigray, takeover of Hong Kong, Climate Change .... today the miserable events of the world has directly or indirectly, through volatile stock market, inflation, food insecurities, energy crisis, famines, drugs, guns,  wildfires, tornadoes, storms, disease and death..... impacted all of us

The Trump, Boris Johnson, Bolsonaro, Viktor Orban, Scott Morrison, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping of a singular country ...impacted the world.

Today, there is no region of world that enjoys peace, stellar democracy, unblemished record on human rights and a foreign policy not driven by short-sighted, narrow-minded gains and appeasement of its citizens. Oh and continuous contribution to climate change...

So we are still "one family", now we are bonded in misery...shaped by human insecurities and disregard for nature. I really hope our journey as a family could have been different...

Multiverse

As a comic book/Sci-Fi fan I usually find the concept of parallel universes, as shown the movies/TV-series very underwhelming. They really try to dumb it down by keeping the key characters very similar across the universes with limited changes to their appearances and relationships to allow us to observe the concept.

In reality, the possibility and probability that each moment brings will cause the parallel universes to differ enormously, to the extent that it will be impossible to draw parallels

But the question is that do we even have to travel outside our world to experience concept of multiple, diverse realities?

It was a week of turmoil in Afghanistan while Elon Musk talked about creating Tesla bots.

We are talking about a mineral rich country with which a bunch of other countries played puppet masters.  After many years of interfering with the country, now it's in hand of people who do not believe in human rights, education, woman rights or freedom in general. Like Taliban do not believe in performing,selling or listening to music. A free country where most have lost their freedom.

Afghanistan is unfortunately not the only country where human rights and freedom have a different definition. 

How will AI bots help with human rights?

As human species, we are in unimaginable diverse position when it comes to existence, development, growth, potential , safety, opportunities and hope... to the extent that world leaders and organizations are unable to keep up with the chaos and trying to formulate a basic minimum mandate for human rights. While some lives are plunged into regressive changes and other travel to the space for recreation, let's try to make more realistic sci-fi movies about parallel universes so we can ignore the gut-wrenching reality of this world.

Us and Them ...

At some point in its life, even the Sun grows so large that it collapses under its own weight. 

At seven billion, mankind is exploding and imploding at the same time. As we excel in science, medicine, technology; explore outer space and alien life; learn about nature and natural phenomenons;visit and marvel the unreachable corners of the earth... most humans suffer.

There are man-made wars, conflicts, injustice, hunger, disease, trafficking, exploitation, misery in every corner of the world. But still what is more baffling than the fact that we the "superior race", needs to oppress its own kind to feel empowered like a very ordinary group of hyenas, is that we give terminology to "our opinion" of these crimes against humanity and use these mindless terms to divide us

All blood that is shed is red. Pain, hunger and fear is universal. Empathy is not unique, but definitely universal to humans.

But wait. The terms...

No man of any color should die while being taken into custody.

It's not "black lives matter". It's opposite is not "Blues Lives Matter". It's not "All Lives matter" that was designed to weaken the warcry of "Black Lives Matter".

Its Wrong! Just Wrong. And that should be enough for all!!!

Because lives do not have color. Because injustice and callousness for someones life, does not wear a coveted uniform.

Just like Mourning and protests are constructed of pain, tears, anger, memories, resolve; even the public ones. Have you ever heard, someone looted a target because they lost a brother?

But why just unjustified violence, there are teams for everything. From moral bearing like 

Women's rights on their own body, rights of LGBTQ community, racism to financial decision like protecting the vulnerables of the society, the business of education and health care, the nexus of money and politics, .... oh and the biggest con humankind ever played and got played by... religion.

We are forever divided as socialist, comminitist, capitalist, feminist, republicans,democrats, gun activists, liberals, Right wingers, supermists, confederates, activists, pro immigration, anti immigration,environmentalists, hunters, animal activists, climate change deniers, flat earthers, conservationist.

The idea is to not use absolute terms of wrong and right. This way there is always a doubt on what action is warranted. A debate on topics which do not require one, allowing the unacceptable  to continue. 

It is almost impossible. No actually impossible to not adopt these terms because of the morality associated. Our love and respect for Science, nature, "our god",  our community, our opinions, our friends and family, force us to take a stand. Though the stand is pretty useless and only holds one purpose ...to make us "different" from the people who do not use associate with our terminology. It also lays burden to defend the imperfections of that group/classification. Like as a supporter of "right to bear arms" one should someone defend or ignore its fatal impact of domestic violence, mass shootings and active shooter drills at schools..

We are who we are, and others are wrong, stupid, immoral and corrupt. This is the general consenses and we are all losing to it.

X stages of Quarantine - Part 1

Wooohooo!!! I finally found the use of Algebra!!! My friend X came to return the favor of representing the unknown, for the million times I found value in him.

So let me tell about the stages I have unearthed so far.

Stage 1: Denial
Features:

• Information Vortex: We watch news like our life depends on it. No. We read, hear, see, breathe and think news. We hang on to every statistics, graph , date published about any aspect of the pandemic, for any geographical location. We look for patterns, predictions and possibilities, to take back control of our lives.
• We hoard food as if the markets will become empty soon, because the empty aisles haunt us. And then stress eat all the hoarded food.
•  We still dress up for working from home, postpone setting up a home office or buying gym equipment. We wait for "it to be over" to shop anything except essentials.
• We count days, hour, minutes and seconds to get back to normal.

Stage 2: Realization
Features:

• Renounce Information: The romance with information comes to an abrupt end. We soon realize that scientists and doctors are dealing with a new virus and know little. But as news channels line-up for a sound bite, they say anything and everything that comes to their mind. Politicians are still their evil self. While people die, there are country premier's, preparing and focusing on reelection, privatization, indulging in corruption, circumventing judiciary, causing conflict and redefining the boarders along with hollowing democracies
• We start respecting and rationaining food. The respect for expiry dates,  best buy dates or five second rules vanish. We want to be effective and efficient with food not only because stepping outside is very uncomfortable; But Also because we see the future supply of food dwindling. We take solace is cooking.
•  We accept the futility of changing cloths to work from home.  Or combing hair. We plan to change our lives to contain it in the safety of our homes.
• you not only loose hope to return to the normal, you question how good was the "normal" life 

This is where we are.

I do not know how many more stages will emerge or what they will look like. But I sure hope that end result include these

• Reduce the wasteful activities, specially if it hurts the environment. Simple things like "fashion". Fast fashion hurts the environment more than it fixes one's low self esteem. Or activities like going out with family to enjoy "family time", something which a lego set can do very well at home
• Drive less.  
• Denounce all day news channels.
• be kind! 
• Use our money to give donation instead of tithes. 

P.S. : Thoughts and observations of a fortunate and privileged individual with no urgency to walk hundred's of miles, struggle as an unwanted refugee, deal with civil wars, conflict or violence, face religious persecutions or be old enough to be accepted as a sacrificial lamb to the God's of wall street.

Losing My Mind - Part 1

The little bugs that are trying to eat my rose buds are wondering, who is this person and why does she need to come and observe us closely seventeen times a day. Food and exercise are limited and limitless at the same time.  Sleep is oblivious of my mind's need to rest. Work from anywhere is challenging because the brain constantly harbours a potpourri of thoughts, fears, plans, worries, hope and hopelessness while surfing through life of existing routines and new abnormal.

The real challenge of the quarantine times is not that there is a lot of time on our hands. Even though it may be the most obvious observation. The real challenge is that there is a lot on our minds.

What do we do to not get sick? How do we know, what we are doing is working? Are we taking enough precautions or too many precautions? How do we keep our loved ones from getting sick? Are they doing enough?

How do we help the sick, the needy or the people who are helping the needy? Where and how much should we donate?

What is happening today? How is the virus progressing? What does this number and information mean for me and my neighbourhood? What is the information in my family's /friends's locality and what does that mean for them?  Which newspaper should i read? How many newspapers should i read? How many news briefing are ok to watch?Should i read and collect more news to process or i should just take refuge in watching puppy and baby videos?

Why does my knee hurt? Is it from all the exercising? Why only one knee hurt? I can't afford to exercise  because i cant get medical help. What if not doing exercising make me sick? I can't afford to not exercise  because i cant get medical help.

How is politics still a thing when people are dying from a still incurable virus? ok. Politicians are scumbags. But who are the people going to the beaches? Who are the people protesting for economy to reopen? Who will go out if the stores get reopened? Will they take up all the beds in the hospitals because they went for a hair color? Will the doctors admit patients with shabby hairdo over proper hair because that will be a tell on who got  infected despite precautions versus the one who was a dumbass? Will this system be unfair for sick individuals whose spouse is a hair stylist?

When will this end? Will it ever end? Will it come back? Will it keep coming back?

Why does my stomach hurts? Is it the crunches? How do i get medical aid? How do i know i need medical aid?

Where are we with the vaccine? When will it be available? Will it be foolproof or be 17% effective like the flu shot?

Who will ever go to the gym, movie theatre or concerts? What will happen to my favorite dine-in theatre? Will it be converted to a restaurant? But who will go to a restaurant and worry about who previously sat on their table and who used their cutlery before? So will all restaurants become takeout joints? If that happens, what will happen to the environment as styrofoam and plastic trash will sky rocket?

When and why will we buy new clothes?

Who is the liar talking about meditation? Which dumbass is preaching positive thinking? Believers don't believe that god is outside churches, temples and mosques, should they still be called believers? Is God mad at us? He should be, but is he? If he is mad, is he allowed to be?

How privileged are we  to have a roof and food and a COUNTRY? OMG, there are millions without a country.

Should i use the food i have, to start a kitchen garden? What if food trucks stop? What if exports stop?

Should i write more or save some for part 2? Should i write a part 2? Should i post this? Will there be a part 2 or will the process complete before documenting part 2?

Big World! Small World!!

The paradigm of the world, is chaos!

It was, at least before the Corona virus took over our lives, work, social commitments, social media, grocery shopping hours, vacation plans, news bulletins and conversations. Now he word "chaos" no longer describes  our situation, adequately. I am sure some "working from home" Oxford dictionary contributor, in her pajamas, sitting at a dirty kitchen table, with a pile of dirty dishes behind her, will think of better word or coin one.

In the 1980's and 90's, globalization was deemed the answer to all problems. It promised us a lot. The end of cold war, elimination of economic disparity, the proliferation of democracy, world trade to efficiently and adequately use the resources provided to us by mother earth and the ultimate unification of humans over color, race, cultures and borders.

We never saw the realization of the "globalization promise"

In fact it was followed by a wave of right wing populism and such governments in most countries; closed borders, "walls", trade tariffs and fear of immigrants/refugees became the new norm. We can't call it de-globalization. The countries still seek to benefit from other countries and their goods and services but without any responsibility, with a blind eye and cold shoulder towards the countries that do not provide any monetary benefit or can cause "empathy expenditure".

My friend, the Corona virus, provides us a different perspective on how the world without and with borders exists, almost simultaneously.

It shows, how closely woven the world is, for a virus with very specific origins to travel across the globe, in matter of days. How common are international and national conferences and vacations, sporting events, "entertainment needs", supply chain, essential and not essential services, how economy are interconnected and how we panic on bad news anywhere across the globe. Yet, working from home, cancelling the cruises and postponing the flights,social distancing, grocery hoarding, self-quarantine and attending church over facebook live comes so easily and naturally to us.

As part of a society that at least at some point in time yearned for "Vasudev kutumbakam" (world as one family) , who knew all we need was 75 rolls of toilet paper and absence of a viral infection, to be happy.

Miss Intriguing Bones

My new name.

Intrigue is not a word that usually describes me. Except for the people who see me through the airport x-ray machines.

As someone with no criminal past, present or future, I may be the most stopped ,searched, swabbed and patted-down person in my category, at both domestic and international airports. I have so many stories to tell. I have missed so many connecting flights. Also the reason why i prefer not to travel through Heathrow airport.

Ok, some of these incidents were my fault. There should be packing 101 course teaching you not to pack a huge bag of pistachio in your cabin language, which i was told look likes ammunition in the x-ray machine. But then last evening was, when my body scan came up with the need to pat me down. I almost wished i had something in my pockets to explain the trigger. But there was nothing on me, except confused thoughts and the sinking feeling of "oh no! not again".

My personal best was at Melbourne airport when my hands were swabbed by security agents 20 feet apart as I entered the security check area. I am not, but I am sure even if I was a very talented criminal, I cannot make a bomb at the airport between two enthusiastic security agents just 20 feet apart.

I have discussed this topic extensively with my friends. We agreed that long flights across time zones can leave you groggy and confused, though its not a the ideal look of your average "terrorist" , it can explain why I may stand out. But, not all my journeys are across time zones. Travel for work and pleasure to near by cities result in the same fate of "feeling special".

I understand the need for airport security, even appreciate it. If my persona creates any doubts, I am willing to submit myself for extra checks, every single time. All I ask for, is a Q&A session after each swab and pat-down, on "why?" just so I know what to do in my life outside airports to become a "head turner".