Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine ALL THE PEOPLE
Living life IN PEACE
........ John Lennon
Going through You Tube and listening to Lennon's Imagine, I could not but help wonder as to what made Lennon write this song. I listen to it a lot and no doubt, every time one listens to it, it sends a little shiver down your spine.
Such simple words, written over 3 decades ago, it is still an anthem for many. No countries / No Religion / No Heaven.. nothing but people living for today and in peace.
30 years on, what have we learnt, or are we still trying to learn? We all live for our own selves, we still fight in the name of God, we still fight for more. We live as if there is no tomorrow.
Maybe as one said, Lennon was stuck high on LSD and it is these high feelings of his that transpired into songs and gave such peace messages, my thoughts always close down to one... If the times that Lennon grew up were turbulent and they were looking for peace, what would he have done today?
At the time it was Give Peace a Chance.. Today it might be Peace has no chance
Apr 16, 2010
Apr 6, 2010
Burqa or No Burqa
French Government told to Limit Burqa
Going through the recent article on the French Governments decision to implement a bill that would limit the use of the Burqa in selective places, and the resulting hue and cry and the worry of the council, I could not but help wonder at the fuss and even pass a wry smile.
So the French want to limit it's use. And the council is worried of a backlash. Who scores? The Government who wants to preserve their national identity or the council who are worried about a political backlash considering the strong growing population that could turn around and the impending violence that it may trigger?
The interesting thing was the number of options that are being looked at. Sports arenas, public places, high security areas, faces should not be covered. Of course, people are not going to be satisfied with this. Both sides want their identity secure.
The question does remain as to whether the Government is right or the people who get effected. The French want to protect their identity. They see themselves as getting too dominated by the Muslim immigrants in terms of culture and a change in religion. The Muslims feel it is their right, as they are part of a society that they live in.
But why do they want to oppose? They are after all immigrants. They did make a choice to leave their countries and move to the West for a better life. They chose their countries. They chose their surroundings. They accepted the conditions. They made their choices.
It has been quite the norm for most of the immigrants, more predominantly Asians, to migrate to a new place, want all their benefits, luxuries and a good life, however when it comes to accepting the country laws, reservations creep in. We want to preserve our cultures. We want to live the way we lived in our countries. We want all around us to follow how we live... Why leave your country then?
The Middle East is a prime example. Freedom of religion is not permitted. The only accepted religion is Islam. Though there is no compulsion to follow this, one is not free to practice his or her religion. You follow the rules. Period. Dont we comply with it? Don't we follow this, for fear of a reprisal from the local laws?
Why then this hue and cry over a law, that is meant to protect the local cultures. After all, we accepted them. There will always be two views, the for's and for not's. It never was simple, it never will be simple.
Religion and Politics unfortunately are intertwined and can never be left alone from each other, the lose unfortunately always has and always will be the common man, the pawn in the entire scheme of things.
Going through the recent article on the French Governments decision to implement a bill that would limit the use of the Burqa in selective places, and the resulting hue and cry and the worry of the council, I could not but help wonder at the fuss and even pass a wry smile.
So the French want to limit it's use. And the council is worried of a backlash. Who scores? The Government who wants to preserve their national identity or the council who are worried about a political backlash considering the strong growing population that could turn around and the impending violence that it may trigger?
The interesting thing was the number of options that are being looked at. Sports arenas, public places, high security areas, faces should not be covered. Of course, people are not going to be satisfied with this. Both sides want their identity secure.
The question does remain as to whether the Government is right or the people who get effected. The French want to protect their identity. They see themselves as getting too dominated by the Muslim immigrants in terms of culture and a change in religion. The Muslims feel it is their right, as they are part of a society that they live in.
But why do they want to oppose? They are after all immigrants. They did make a choice to leave their countries and move to the West for a better life. They chose their countries. They chose their surroundings. They accepted the conditions. They made their choices.
It has been quite the norm for most of the immigrants, more predominantly Asians, to migrate to a new place, want all their benefits, luxuries and a good life, however when it comes to accepting the country laws, reservations creep in. We want to preserve our cultures. We want to live the way we lived in our countries. We want all around us to follow how we live... Why leave your country then?
The Middle East is a prime example. Freedom of religion is not permitted. The only accepted religion is Islam. Though there is no compulsion to follow this, one is not free to practice his or her religion. You follow the rules. Period. Dont we comply with it? Don't we follow this, for fear of a reprisal from the local laws?
Why then this hue and cry over a law, that is meant to protect the local cultures. After all, we accepted them. There will always be two views, the for's and for not's. It never was simple, it never will be simple.
Religion and Politics unfortunately are intertwined and can never be left alone from each other, the lose unfortunately always has and always will be the common man, the pawn in the entire scheme of things.
Mar 29, 2010
Earth Hour
Have been hearing / reading a lot about the oncoming Earth Hour.. March 27 is the day, when every one across the globe switches of lights for one hour at the same time..
4000 Cities in 92 Countries participated this time. A fantastic idea, virtually putting everything on hold.. The idea is to conserve energy. Per the report in the Dubai newspapers, they saved 170k KW in one hour. In Australia, it was equivalent to getting 42,000 cars off the road..
I am quite sure that there will be many such success stories in every country, every city. Every one would clamour to state what they achieved and people would be talking about it for a few days.. maybe weeks... And then..
Then we go to our normal lives, our daily routine, where we consume energy like there is no tomorrow. We will switch on all our lights, every single highway, every single multi storey building that we have.. Every single highway, every building, every showroom.. Our cities are going to be brightly lit for the next 364 days.. And then March 27, 2010, we will switch it over for one more hour.. And brag how much we gave to the society.
Did we really? No doubt this is a good idea, a good thought, but why can we not put this into routine practice? Can it not be done every day, every week, every month.. It is the same question that I have.. Why Mothers day one day of the year.. Fathers day too.. What about the rest of them? Are they not special.. People take an extra "effort" to contact their parents and show how much they love them? What about the remaining 364 days?
We have pushed ourselves to the limits of no return in many areas, and now we all try to improve our conciensces, by contributing to these once a year annual piligrimages. It is our way of telling the world, oh, we contribute..
Why bother.. Why have this fake attitude? Do we honestly care? Will we even remember it after one year? Reminds me of the no car day that the Dubai government recently did.. All RTA employees were informed of the no car day.. Come walking, biking, metro.. what ever, but not your car.. People came by Metro, some got dropped, some took the bus.. The fun part.. The Government paid for their tickets !!
Who are we trying to fool?
4000 Cities in 92 Countries participated this time. A fantastic idea, virtually putting everything on hold.. The idea is to conserve energy. Per the report in the Dubai newspapers, they saved 170k KW in one hour. In Australia, it was equivalent to getting 42,000 cars off the road..
I am quite sure that there will be many such success stories in every country, every city. Every one would clamour to state what they achieved and people would be talking about it for a few days.. maybe weeks... And then..
Then we go to our normal lives, our daily routine, where we consume energy like there is no tomorrow. We will switch on all our lights, every single highway, every single multi storey building that we have.. Every single highway, every building, every showroom.. Our cities are going to be brightly lit for the next 364 days.. And then March 27, 2010, we will switch it over for one more hour.. And brag how much we gave to the society.
Did we really? No doubt this is a good idea, a good thought, but why can we not put this into routine practice? Can it not be done every day, every week, every month.. It is the same question that I have.. Why Mothers day one day of the year.. Fathers day too.. What about the rest of them? Are they not special.. People take an extra "effort" to contact their parents and show how much they love them? What about the remaining 364 days?
We have pushed ourselves to the limits of no return in many areas, and now we all try to improve our conciensces, by contributing to these once a year annual piligrimages. It is our way of telling the world, oh, we contribute..
Why bother.. Why have this fake attitude? Do we honestly care? Will we even remember it after one year? Reminds me of the no car day that the Dubai government recently did.. All RTA employees were informed of the no car day.. Come walking, biking, metro.. what ever, but not your car.. People came by Metro, some got dropped, some took the bus.. The fun part.. The Government paid for their tickets !!
Who are we trying to fool?
Mar 9, 2010
The Average Man
It is quite surprising. You think of some thing to write, you start and then you plan to come back as more thoughts come. You stop, take a break for a day, and before you know it, a couple of weeks pass out. Not becuase you planned it, for me, it is simply, will do it tomorrow. However when you come back, it is like you never stopped.
I was discussing a topic on cost of living recently, some people local, some recently moved in.. and the consensus was quite mixed. Of course, people coming from Bombay, stated that living costs were exorbitant back home, people here claimed that Dubai was unthinkable.
Bombay over the years has no doubt grown massively expensive. Demand and supply? Shortages? Real increase? No one really knows in my view. But the fact is that no matter what happens, the price is absorbed by the common man. The rate of increase in population, and the fact that disposable income has more than increased in the last 10 - 15 years, simply ensures that people will continue to spend.
More so, as every one wants to lead a good life, be seen in fancy restaurants, drive a car, have an apartment in a posh building, costs are bound to increase. Of course, as people get used to this kind of living, it becomes very difficult to ensure that the alternate source of income is a continuing trend and there are no hiccups to this.
Similar to Dubai, where I live. Costs have increased, two. Of course the main reason was the artificial inflation on the property market, second the view that anything any country did, we can do better. Good attiture, wrong approach. Rents are still sky rocketing, normal utilities have become more expensive, indirect taxation is simply at its best. People who are earning well, continue to earn well and ofcourse will continue to spend
But where does that leave the average man? There are still people who earn a lot less and living costs are a nightmare. People commit suicide on a regular basis, because they have expanded beyond their means. Current costs cannot be met, cannot be decreaased, and financial liabilities are on the rise. There are a lot of people, all around, who still face difficulties in making ends meet.
How does he survive, how does he live? Would he ever be in a situation where he can move to a better apartment in the Middle East or for that matter, back home when he goes. Would his savings suffice when he goes back home? Can he buy a house? Can he send his kids to the posh school that he dreame of?
What is indeed surprising is that Malls, Restaurants are all full throught the day, often making you wonder, is there really a bad time? Should people stop enjoying a good life when can? Of course, if no one spends, how does the economy grow?
A two sided coin, it indeed is
I was discussing a topic on cost of living recently, some people local, some recently moved in.. and the consensus was quite mixed. Of course, people coming from Bombay, stated that living costs were exorbitant back home, people here claimed that Dubai was unthinkable.
Bombay over the years has no doubt grown massively expensive. Demand and supply? Shortages? Real increase? No one really knows in my view. But the fact is that no matter what happens, the price is absorbed by the common man. The rate of increase in population, and the fact that disposable income has more than increased in the last 10 - 15 years, simply ensures that people will continue to spend.
More so, as every one wants to lead a good life, be seen in fancy restaurants, drive a car, have an apartment in a posh building, costs are bound to increase. Of course, as people get used to this kind of living, it becomes very difficult to ensure that the alternate source of income is a continuing trend and there are no hiccups to this.
Similar to Dubai, where I live. Costs have increased, two. Of course the main reason was the artificial inflation on the property market, second the view that anything any country did, we can do better. Good attiture, wrong approach. Rents are still sky rocketing, normal utilities have become more expensive, indirect taxation is simply at its best. People who are earning well, continue to earn well and ofcourse will continue to spend
But where does that leave the average man? There are still people who earn a lot less and living costs are a nightmare. People commit suicide on a regular basis, because they have expanded beyond their means. Current costs cannot be met, cannot be decreaased, and financial liabilities are on the rise. There are a lot of people, all around, who still face difficulties in making ends meet.
How does he survive, how does he live? Would he ever be in a situation where he can move to a better apartment in the Middle East or for that matter, back home when he goes. Would his savings suffice when he goes back home? Can he buy a house? Can he send his kids to the posh school that he dreame of?
What is indeed surprising is that Malls, Restaurants are all full throught the day, often making you wonder, is there really a bad time? Should people stop enjoying a good life when can? Of course, if no one spends, how does the economy grow?
A two sided coin, it indeed is
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