Santhosh's ramblings

This year, over 60 nations held elections, including the so-called “mother of democracies” and “mother of liberty.” The recent election that concluded yesterday was closely watched worldwide. The spectacle was, in many ways, bewildering. Each context brought unique peculiarities, but common themes seemed to surface globally.    The pre-election period was saturated with rhetoric, often illogical. In our "post-scientific" era, even well-established scientific truths—whether about COVID-19, fluoride in water, or climate change—were branded as fabrications or propaganda orchestrated by “deep states” or opposition groups. Historical facts, too, were dismissed as myths or manipulations from hidden agendas.    This rhetoric stems from our “post-truth” culture, echoing the age-old question, “What is truth?” Whoever can speak with confidence, irrespective of evidence, is deemed truthful. Truth is whatever one can convincingly sell.   Linked to this is the emergence of “...

Yesterday, we attended a sacred classical music concert—or can I even call it a concert? It felt ethereal and heavenly and brought tears to my eyes. I asked myself, why these tears? Three reasons came to mind. Nostalgia played a part, having grown up with choir music, stirring memories of the past—a feeling of loss mingled with joy. But beyond that, there was a lifting of my soul in the present, something that defies easy explanation. And then, a sense of hope—a reassurance, despite the confusion in my heart and around me, that someone is indeed in control. The words of the music amplified this feeling.   "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents." Beethoven.  Is it that my ears long for such higher, soul-lifting music?   We headed to a bustling restaurant where loud rap music filled the air. I enjoy rap, but amid the young crowd, I felt a bit out of place. The rhythm was enjoya...