tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775431001619133842024-03-29T08:59:03.382+05:30Santhosh's ramblingsRamblings of a confused brain could be educational too!Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-34399396147766311592024-03-23T09:44:00.000+05:302024-03-23T09:44:24.514+05:30Violence of Love...<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Sixty-five nations around the world are currently in a familiar season that recurs every 4 or 5 years. These periods are characterized by distinct patterns, which can be summarized as the ABCD season.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BDnVxEfkdT70KrkckNKg4rlMGUoYPVir8KCJNQome1fg_1bzKmqMGwrI9yWNvBAsf23FLc_rD3UNaDnkZGZ3Lj_WJq3U3xHDay_k8ea0xsUR7brWoA7bvSfQjhyoAHnglh15pYXaqYI8cQuxvfWIXOQPnCxVCbo3jw5Bkm-Cd-QRV93CozLgWffTRLVk/s667/Image%203.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="667" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BDnVxEfkdT70KrkckNKg4rlMGUoYPVir8KCJNQome1fg_1bzKmqMGwrI9yWNvBAsf23FLc_rD3UNaDnkZGZ3Lj_WJq3U3xHDay_k8ea0xsUR7brWoA7bvSfQjhyoAHnglh15pYXaqYI8cQuxvfWIXOQPnCxVCbo3jw5Bkm-Cd-QRV93CozLgWffTRLVk/s320/Image%203.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">A – Assassination: During this time, assassins metaphorically roam about seeking ways to assassinate people's credibility and character, particularly those from opposing camps. The powers in authority utilize all means to achieve this, while those without power often voice their concerns, hoping to be heard. Fake news and media manipulation are rampant, aiming to sway the masses through distorted information.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">B – Benevolence: Every leader portrays themselves as benevolent, showing care and compassion, especially towards the less fortunate or those whose allegiance they seek. Stories of their sacrifices for community betterment abound, and there's a noticeable flow of funds in various directions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">C – Confusion: The general populace and communities become understandably confused amidst these dynamics. This confusion is often orchestrated by manipulators to steer people towards aligning with louder and seemingly credible voices. However, many fail to realize the underlying truth amidst the chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">D – Destruction: Relationships among communities that once coexisted harmoniously are now torn apart, pushed to align with specific groups. Even within families, there's a reluctance to agree amicably, leading to deep divisions that may take generations to heal.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F1mRCccmpgrMMjaAOB13Wt8YMRB3qQurqbIPHqq-EdfkF85aevgbJ2prF2s8TqYSii6LmrxYfdyzrJqp7QzY9QYyv3HAaR-1z2p7ZgAAklzcRtJl2Fy-Vbsv5csTBsxgQUrfNVkBuy4IvnMIzRYIHSAhS4IEzzPBFklxY5tWv5Wq6W92PLixb_D9lgBp/s500/Image%204.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="500" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F1mRCccmpgrMMjaAOB13Wt8YMRB3qQurqbIPHqq-EdfkF85aevgbJ2prF2s8TqYSii6LmrxYfdyzrJqp7QzY9QYyv3HAaR-1z2p7ZgAAklzcRtJl2Fy-Vbsv5csTBsxgQUrfNVkBuy4IvnMIzRYIHSAhS4IEzzPBFklxY5tWv5Wq6W92PLixb_D9lgBp/s320/Image%204.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-GB"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">This cyclical pattern repeats every few years, depending on the nation, and is commonly referred to as "Democracy." This ongoing cycle has led to a growing global discomfort with the traditional notions of democracy.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-07-29/francis-fukuyama-has-democracy-reached-the-end-of-its-history" style="color: #96607d;">https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-07-29/francis-fukuyama-has-democracy-reached-the-end-of-its-history</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://theprint.in/world/two-thirds-of-indians-support-autocratic-or-military-rule-highest-in-the-world-finds-pew-study/1999151/" style="color: #96607d;">https://theprint.in/world/two-thirds-of-indians-support-autocratic-or-military-rule-highest-in-the-world-finds-pew-study/1999151/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">In such times, the fundamental principles of loving one's neighbour seem to fade into the background, replaced by a climate of animosity towards perceived enemies. This calls for a new paradigm – the "Violence of Love," as articulated by Oscar Ramarao.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">“The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">As Ramarao eloquently puts it, "I don’t want to be an anti, against anybody. I simply want to be the builder of a great affirmation: the affirmation of God, who loves us and who wants to save us."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">To truly embody this "Violence of Love," one must seek personal transformation and salvation from self-destructive tendencies, striving to live out love and affirmation in a world often overshadowed by discord and division.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB">I need to be saved from myself, to live out this “Violence of Love” …<o:p></o:p></span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-78634434998970892232024-03-16T09:13:00.005+05:302024-03-16T09:30:28.639+05:30Virtual realities of life...<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">A casual conversation with a car driver and a friend in his early 50’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">“Saahbji, a few years back when some baby is born or a marriage occurs or something like that happens in my extended family and friends, we will go with a small present (We do not have much) but spend time with them. Today, I do a video call and pass some money by G pay and tell them, but a present for the child or whoever it is”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">“I have only one sister and she stay in the same city. Earlier I would go and meet them at least two or three times a month, take some food or chocolates for her children. We still have a good relationship, but in the last one year we haven’t met face to face. We have video calls and I pass some money to her to buy chocolate for their children”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">“There was time when I used to look forward for the board meetings of our organization. All the members will drive and come, and while the meeting is going on, we drivers have a great time together, and we became close friends, even our families know each other. But now no one comes, I am not sure why?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">I asked how it feels – “Saahbji – some thing is not right; this is not what I wanted from life”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">With VR (Virtual reality) replacing physical reality, will we become more connected or will we be left with an increasing feeling of "something is not right?"</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aj5RwDMTbvTUW6a15qxjqICVy8lP5pdTBzk4asP0wvaxqesOhLDcJk9QkRjgGDLxMvfnzNdj8BlYysbxKoDZ2MjXtrsQ7BvFzBRPUa64i6ZZNgbxs5hDHhe4DkgM8mq25R_DRxoY3PmHCeTENmhZ9EG68HsBEVAT18oA6LHyA6OJHeGQbPV2qQxhJbg0/s1280/1*u9E_tiaCY980rEJVePum_Q.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aj5RwDMTbvTUW6a15qxjqICVy8lP5pdTBzk4asP0wvaxqesOhLDcJk9QkRjgGDLxMvfnzNdj8BlYysbxKoDZ2MjXtrsQ7BvFzBRPUa64i6ZZNgbxs5hDHhe4DkgM8mq25R_DRxoY3PmHCeTENmhZ9EG68HsBEVAT18oA6LHyA6OJHeGQbPV2qQxhJbg0/w640-h320/1*u9E_tiaCY980rEJVePum_Q.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Another conversation with a Gen Z friend. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">“Uncle, a classmate of mine, who was no good (not putting down) had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. I have less than 10,000, despite my presence being for personal and official purposes. I wonder what happened to my life”? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Last night’s conversation (on WhatsApp) with a few cross generational friends, after a meal and singing some old songs together. “It was so wonderful to lift our hearts and voices together…” “It was good to be together and spend some time together after a tiring busy day”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">From a recent article <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">“There are lots more young people being prescribed antidepressants,” he said, “as well as increases in self-harm, particularly for young adolescent women, and an increase in disability claims from young people.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; word-break: break-word;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">What could explain this? Is the rise simply the result of greater recognition of the signs of mental ill health, now that there is less stigma in admitting to having a problem?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; word-break: break-word;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Could there be something to the accusation that young people are less resilient, perhaps because of changes in parenting styles or schooling, or some other external factors? Or has the world just changed so rapidly that it has become more confusing and uncertain, more brutish, perhaps even a nastier place, and the new generations are bearing the brunt?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; word-break: break-word;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">There is no shortage of potential culprits: the cost of living crisis, the Covid lockdowns, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the long-term effects of austerity, the climate crisis, pressure in schools, prejudice against minorities,<span style="color: red;"> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/apr/28/social-media-mental-health-gen-z" style="color: #96607d;"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">the rise of social media</span></a> and smartphones</span>, the evaporating high street and the growing complexity of modern life.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/03/whats-up-with-generation-z?CMP=share_btn_url" style="color: #96607d;">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/03/whats-up-with-generation-z?CMP=share_btn_url</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Is this why the following evidence is emerging?</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><br /><span lang="EN-GB"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExeIq28a0ZcbT0nQWbTTnYE6RXB0m-ZH2oCReu4Qi3Qa9z7pA6Pl3acXXkD4j-PSKPLidnuUb5RgntJYFw73bDtzNdR7wmxzv8fm6_eVQNMl7DuZvT1Z6e7p4wDXRGEGCgNLV258QsfiQ9XTWyjdDK1t1gX6hBRWXjEQJTSDQlCgjW_qaail3bVs4wzCp/s904/Picture%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="904" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExeIq28a0ZcbT0nQWbTTnYE6RXB0m-ZH2oCReu4Qi3Qa9z7pA6Pl3acXXkD4j-PSKPLidnuUb5RgntJYFw73bDtzNdR7wmxzv8fm6_eVQNMl7DuZvT1Z6e7p4wDXRGEGCgNLV258QsfiQ9XTWyjdDK1t1gX6hBRWXjEQJTSDQlCgjW_qaail3bVs4wzCp/w640-h488/Picture%201.png" width="640" /></a></i></div><i><br /><o:p></o:p></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">But in our nation, it seems to more with Gen X and my generation too! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXld06Wek2WSNLTr1HFxtQ4gcc61zS29U9Vg0ElOhGi3Zx_7MfH7lOH5bKAXNf_COb3882hUN6koUh3oAs5Oj2PkKlYhv-Eszrv9LGprGhC6Yof3LELJUBVlhq-G7a9alvA1v3mwN-KfChaHZqsoPzYe7-vaaEc2Zkm__qSWtC0OB7D_TBZLehMNCkjz1b/s904/Picture%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="904" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXld06Wek2WSNLTr1HFxtQ4gcc61zS29U9Vg0ElOhGi3Zx_7MfH7lOH5bKAXNf_COb3882hUN6koUh3oAs5Oj2PkKlYhv-Eszrv9LGprGhC6Yof3LELJUBVlhq-G7a9alvA1v3mwN-KfChaHZqsoPzYe7-vaaEc2Zkm__qSWtC0OB7D_TBZLehMNCkjz1b/w640-h538/Picture%202.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">That may be why – this book is one of the best sellers…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf59W2hFp9BcFn7EZO3YQo9TVnCK1EgVdEHez1qQgzhU34T5VWzDNMXJZqWNuRrFOb78myVJZKa_Z4qUErd4ib1D_i23wxs4oQIC-zspBzFSTpDeDm9opaMlwMLoyuY-TPtNt2MhjsxZf_n2T0Kzr6z2n4bliWrvuZM-B00d4OvLAngd21i7-q-UM7Heqt/s500/Image%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="453" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf59W2hFp9BcFn7EZO3YQo9TVnCK1EgVdEHez1qQgzhU34T5VWzDNMXJZqWNuRrFOb78myVJZKa_Z4qUErd4ib1D_i23wxs4oQIC-zspBzFSTpDeDm9opaMlwMLoyuY-TPtNt2MhjsxZf_n2T0Kzr6z2n4bliWrvuZM-B00d4OvLAngd21i7-q-UM7Heqt/s320/Image%202.jpeg" width="290" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolDYl3sosSbVZ78eWQlSVcxozV0e2HAXZLXmfTm8BhZwMIv9_li5vy2Vn_3UGfyagJ1f3vA0hs8dMARE_kqPO_r8wHWtcvNhcO10m4DzK17Nph8tPF5rBfMFz066tkjxaznT0Pe2YE2E9mBpenSdRouWsbiljZ7hhRgvOpvC4H42Na7WhlBrKpfVqQhgP/s1500/Image.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolDYl3sosSbVZ78eWQlSVcxozV0e2HAXZLXmfTm8BhZwMIv9_li5vy2Vn_3UGfyagJ1f3vA0hs8dMARE_kqPO_r8wHWtcvNhcO10m4DzK17Nph8tPF5rBfMFz066tkjxaznT0Pe2YE2E9mBpenSdRouWsbiljZ7hhRgvOpvC4H42Na7WhlBrKpfVqQhgP/w640-h426/Image.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KIEpE3DXsWPhSnv4tGvgb7QG0LLar9GlKgNSpZ1z_VjdQHpSBGBLWRHfZxojFCsfWGQt71vh1hXpRsMCrq2C6l8ewiPThtFQn2_nte8n1PN8C1yymCQXG2miUOhnNTwHkgN6NSb-QQnPjWAJvi7AuBjwQg43GQgfK2cDd41UYiUY_RQpgrTnDIAZISGF/s540/Image%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="457" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KIEpE3DXsWPhSnv4tGvgb7QG0LLar9GlKgNSpZ1z_VjdQHpSBGBLWRHfZxojFCsfWGQt71vh1hXpRsMCrq2C6l8ewiPThtFQn2_nte8n1PN8C1yymCQXG2miUOhnNTwHkgN6NSb-QQnPjWAJvi7AuBjwQg43GQgfK2cDd41UYiUY_RQpgrTnDIAZISGF/w542-h640/Image%201.jpeg" width="542" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">All these ramblings - Is it an aging brain desiring for past years? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">But this is what the good book says “<i>Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding meeting together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.</i></span><i>” <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Specially this season, with some major days ahead of us for our nation…<o:p></o:p></span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-42442753244159330562024-03-12T13:21:00.002+05:302024-03-12T14:18:03.932+05:30Audacious Audacity <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">I learnt a new phrase today (or rather coined). “Audacious Audacity”. It is like “double whammy” – a situation in which two bad conditions exist at the same time or two bad things happen one after the other. </span>But amid this, people have the audacity to have an audacious belief that things will work out fine! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">There is a beautiful story in the Good Book. A meeting between a prophet and a widow. It goes like this…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><span face="system-ui, serif" lang="EN-GB" style="background: repeat white; font-size: 12pt;">"Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land".</span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="text"><span face="system-ui, serif">“So the Prophet got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, “Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink.” As she went to get it, he called out, “And while you’re at it, would you bring me something to eat? </span><b style="font-family: system-ui, serif;"><sup> </sup></b><span face="system-ui, serif">She said, “I swear, as surely as your</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span face="system-ui, serif"> <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"></span></span><span class="small-caps"><span face="system-ui, serif">God</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span face="system-ui, serif"> </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span face="system-ui, serif">lives, I don’t have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we’ll die.”</span></span><span face="system-ui, serif"> The prophet <span class="text"> said to her, “Don’t worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you’ve said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what’s left for you and your son. This is the word of the</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"></span><span class="small-caps">God</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="text">: ‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"></span><span class="small-caps">God</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="text">sends rain on the land and ends this drought.’”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">And she went right off and did it, did just as Prophet asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn’t run out and the bottle of oil didn’t become empty:</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"></span><span class="small-caps">God</span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">’s promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Prophet had delivered it!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Consider the audacity of the prophet – to ask a widow for food, who has nothing in her kitchen, only a morsel for her son, before they decide to starve and die! A double whammy for her! The audacious audacity of the widow is much more confusing! To believe an itinerant prophet whom she is meeting for the first time and act on his words. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The graphs given below is pushing me for this audacious audacity, to hope beyond hope amid double whammy's around us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsPX7ixcPnjI28KtQlLLzFYEeYkpMblyd4lkzUa1oo1WfHahEp-C_TeFXbE0HV-Y2OOvuUxOfoJVlWf78Kdht4Z2JVRRzyYycD__BlowYnDNsDUrBKUPKvG8KbeEk3OIN4H3YO0U7TSMKfABTuFRCv9y1A3vReumj3yhin5ZBR878XwgH8GVsBm8X42iS/s904/1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="904" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsPX7ixcPnjI28KtQlLLzFYEeYkpMblyd4lkzUa1oo1WfHahEp-C_TeFXbE0HV-Y2OOvuUxOfoJVlWf78Kdht4Z2JVRRzyYycD__BlowYnDNsDUrBKUPKvG8KbeEk3OIN4H3YO0U7TSMKfABTuFRCv9y1A3vReumj3yhin5ZBR878XwgH8GVsBm8X42iS/w640-h328/1.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="904" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9qZTal44XqPGD6NpMGeSNWL0nfRAchIj2sh4oieeYGhm8FM8-nTZlznocmIkScAnq5P21VLFkxSFWSQLkJ_mMg8X5oPFM5T1NRbyUNjQEDQeTd2kSNWVEKGFOax9KjU_YI0relS7C5LZ2ELhvWXeyvEBX5FOiK9p7Ot5oKs1VHz4ZynL1JbL7ogZ1ter/w640-h308/2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKByrORK9Uaz0wR331DctfWb3EOAaO55x6__ktCmu_HoOCeq3BkRFgS_06jgrtZ4blyOrL6sqo3J9SaycKtuyoir6P3d3ZEBcClTKelKjLL97xLnF7bzPkmUA2WfdsSk-18Enp3JRP1D73GjQ4OYNqT7oalfLjziEI2WaHusbLBmZU2w-rhsM3S9oEo3d/s904/5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="904" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKByrORK9Uaz0wR331DctfWb3EOAaO55x6__ktCmu_HoOCeq3BkRFgS_06jgrtZ4blyOrL6sqo3J9SaycKtuyoir6P3d3ZEBcClTKelKjLL97xLnF7bzPkmUA2WfdsSk-18Enp3JRP1D73GjQ4OYNqT7oalfLjziEI2WaHusbLBmZU2w-rhsM3S9oEo3d/w640-h390/5.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHupFJlz6Jk3goKVknJKvsXdByN6trwiLmfd2NB-ZlCYx0tJ5qq9D2jDOPokVc08-j6nv7pnVEvIN6Q2aMvsMoGXn9uo_KnrfJIgiuVLwjdxBv7rVTAR5Gcfch7JEMplN4XJ3Nae8kh6koS0_psVLgMo9g9h8jP1cKO4h01YDq1ifRU6zuPEl5PRS47p4/s1200/LDI.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="751" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHupFJlz6Jk3goKVknJKvsXdByN6trwiLmfd2NB-ZlCYx0tJ5qq9D2jDOPokVc08-j6nv7pnVEvIN6Q2aMvsMoGXn9uo_KnrfJIgiuVLwjdxBv7rVTAR5Gcfch7JEMplN4XJ3Nae8kh6koS0_psVLgMo9g9h8jP1cKO4h01YDq1ifRU6zuPEl5PRS47p4/w400-h640/LDI.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">There are a few ways to respond to these...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">One – resigned resignation, that there is nothing we can do, like Puddleglum</span> the ultimate pessimist in Sliver Chair of C S Lewis! When they were trapped in deep earth “And you must always remember there’s one good thing about being trapped down here: it’ll save funeral expenses.” </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGvBm3XYvEiv_89TxIIYfw43NuZSDbR3T8MfyzqSAdi72tjYqBbqg4NTklMY5edaqPVOx-COtBoAGnktGf6StqzBhOw_owZplwYMO7Rxbb2GKCWrvNI-_FXQ_soD0T-igd6_IJIBsTl5z_rtya-M73LSREj591Tf1-2wZhSj2wdLKBiAq1QDPqbvALqHL/s601/Riliansilverchair.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="601" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGvBm3XYvEiv_89TxIIYfw43NuZSDbR3T8MfyzqSAdi72tjYqBbqg4NTklMY5edaqPVOx-COtBoAGnktGf6StqzBhOw_owZplwYMO7Rxbb2GKCWrvNI-_FXQ_soD0T-igd6_IJIBsTl5z_rtya-M73LSREj591Tf1-2wZhSj2wdLKBiAq1QDPqbvALqHL/w400-h374/Riliansilverchair.jpg.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Or as we are consistently told, these reports are not to be believed, these are intentional mis-representation put out there by subversive elements. All is well and all will be well. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Two – go about life with the belief that this is the circle and cycle of life. Things have happened in the past; this is the circle of life. The song from Lion King is what some hold on to. This is a season of drying brooks, this too shall pass! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3-DkZLyU0DU" width="320" youtube-src-id="3-DkZLyU0DU"></iframe></div><br /><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Three - have a passionate hope beyond hope, or an audacious audacity to believe that “All will be well” not because our leaders tell us, not because of circle of life. But because there is a someone, a God who is working out greater purposes even though this is a season of drying brooks!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">I hope I will cultivate this audacious audacity this season! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-31766034166901582982024-02-24T10:18:00.003+05:302024-02-24T10:18:18.837+05:30Smouldering wicks<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMTMNZfQAKK86FT6oo6JCgAzTtGRygKtDGjJKLs-wDXf61IgljQ1G_1Y2NpUswKG5L8BVs4U0sZujstAOtTvrCzC97lLphLa-xGKxvqcFltWaCRODXbW_B-xR20wnpiKFrC4Wapmi5yoVeHB3rlrPWTXd9OwP-jjULImdRG40Eby2GjYa_WZcv-Nk7VoK/s4030/IMG_6129.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2858" data-original-width="4030" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMTMNZfQAKK86FT6oo6JCgAzTtGRygKtDGjJKLs-wDXf61IgljQ1G_1Y2NpUswKG5L8BVs4U0sZujstAOtTvrCzC97lLphLa-xGKxvqcFltWaCRODXbW_B-xR20wnpiKFrC4Wapmi5yoVeHB3rlrPWTXd9OwP-jjULImdRG40Eby2GjYa_WZcv-Nk7VoK/s320/IMG_6129.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Traveling on Indian railways is always an exhilarating experience. Flights can never replace the joy of train travel. And with the massive upgrade of the railways, it is better than ever before. The new facade of the railway stations, the colorful lights, and the ethnic architecture are worth admiring. The new trains and the upgrading of the old ones, with new colors and pictures, are great to see. Vande Bharat (VB), the most recently introduced one, is sleek and cute.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0qGI_7PNmpWz0RRRLHiISeWuIRqiHWbXIvuadZzhc_q9djg3ibP9mH-BGgIeifERq-CzVrrwFqj_VJMlFbcxhkxTMfxtMZ6grTABzNsy-EgxyFxICBE3EEqDDy_2WyVX4VkHZ3Gwtjx7Vlb6xOiXEAYWbcEH0K1aMYaOvYlptKdDwT5ooAOxv7MW87mm/s4032/IMG_5784.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0qGI_7PNmpWz0RRRLHiISeWuIRqiHWbXIvuadZzhc_q9djg3ibP9mH-BGgIeifERq-CzVrrwFqj_VJMlFbcxhkxTMfxtMZ6grTABzNsy-EgxyFxICBE3EEqDDy_2WyVX4VkHZ3Gwtjx7Vlb6xOiXEAYWbcEH0K1aMYaOvYlptKdDwT5ooAOxv7MW87mm/s320/IMG_5784.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="text-align: justify;">But once you enter the station, it is still the same or better than before. Crowds are more than ever, almost a stampede at times, a 4-hour wait for the VB to arrive and a 7-hour delay to reach the destination, the waste from the previous run pushed into one corner of the train (there was no time for the turnaround trip), the large beautiful bio-toilets, but left un-flushed by the previous occupant, the automatic closing of the doors, etc., give you a mixed feeling. That some things never change. The uncertainty of travel that gives you a thrill. The external-internal divide leaves one confused because you expected an internal change too. I realized that it was my expectation that was the problem!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydDX_JOI5T0_3Qqx9fd9TLKN-IvirabBVZEL0KjToDmAQnkmKPoF2QwVsSOrfi7NQ6Y0A6uO2Ve-LngkwGlKsHZaAiRJ3sSua9ZhK2-vH7ZdTL6cn8fJAZuKqVH6Sj9euPXHa7uINIQFbMBaRJvJACK6dMrYECRjZWyqDErlkD8AkGf5Axsi15dyjXJV7/s4032/IMG_6157.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydDX_JOI5T0_3Qqx9fd9TLKN-IvirabBVZEL0KjToDmAQnkmKPoF2QwVsSOrfi7NQ6Y0A6uO2Ve-LngkwGlKsHZaAiRJ3sSua9ZhK2-vH7ZdTL6cn8fJAZuKqVH6Sj9euPXHa7uINIQFbMBaRJvJACK6dMrYECRjZWyqDErlkD8AkGf5Axsi15dyjXJV7/s320/IMG_6157.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>But then, is this not true of everything today? What is promoted to create a perception of all is well, vs what is true and real. What is promised especially as elections near and what finally ends up being delivered. The visible parts of the nation vs the invisible parts that are kept away or not talked about. The 4th estate that casts a blind eye to what is uncomfortable and promotes what increases their TRP, what the powers that be tell them to promote, etc.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">The reality is, this is not a problem of the powers that be only. It is of me and maybe you and others too. The cardio-oral (heart-mouth) divide – what I think and what I say does not correlate. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">It was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who wrote in The Gulag Archipelago (1918–1956) “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained”.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4I1kB1D2aAYQqd-Ns-5cq8O8Q842EVqmOu0-Owl2cESJ1OWm7HJNO00anl7vFBr5mRS6Dq3s82w-0MBCMUDgphTN9dDI2TTtUrZCCUaVCC_HQ9GW3kvOFflsx0nZw9qeKmWjNTp6JNV9D5HyieZPgDowTbLvWhOLQZnI1xRMosflO91cYWRzde27dHjTX/s210/Image%2013.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="210" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4I1kB1D2aAYQqd-Ns-5cq8O8Q842EVqmOu0-Owl2cESJ1OWm7HJNO00anl7vFBr5mRS6Dq3s82w-0MBCMUDgphTN9dDI2TTtUrZCCUaVCC_HQ9GW3kvOFflsx0nZw9qeKmWjNTp6JNV9D5HyieZPgDowTbLvWhOLQZnI1xRMosflO91cYWRzde27dHjTX/s1600/Image%2013.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Can this change? The good book says, “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is </span><span style="text-align: justify;">that darkness!” The good book also says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;”. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="text-align: justify;">That is the answer, to nurture the small bridgehead of good that we see around, reignite the smoldering wicks of lights around us and within. So that there is no cardio-oral divide, no disintegration between what is promoted and what is real and true.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(236, 236, 236); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">I need someone to blow on my smoldering wick…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVdSTKGFLb6oiF-I9YVmViO9EJX9sxbvWCoPSL46YGmNeBP89I6mNLpec5SUoKg85np1NKSF8jcN2esUiMbyJAluEN8MRXL_N4Ow0zKnk-6j74dbKDI7NKxv8nKQulhT0-WoQKUyYb1qxbudt-dwisnPesCYV8hT9N7icu4X5Ly4U4c5Il_b42t9jtiyR/s3021/IMG_6164.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1766" data-original-width="3021" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVdSTKGFLb6oiF-I9YVmViO9EJX9sxbvWCoPSL46YGmNeBP89I6mNLpec5SUoKg85np1NKSF8jcN2esUiMbyJAluEN8MRXL_N4Ow0zKnk-6j74dbKDI7NKxv8nKQulhT0-WoQKUyYb1qxbudt-dwisnPesCYV8hT9N7icu4X5Ly4U4c5Il_b42t9jtiyR/s320/IMG_6164.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span><p></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-75774348547745065882024-02-16T09:50:00.004+05:302024-02-16T10:50:36.069+05:30Will my house stand? <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Recently, it dawned on me the seriousness of the matter: that I should consider my life as a house being built. I could choose any type of brick to build it—gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw. Some are costly, heavy, and take effort to procure and build, while others are easily available, not too heavy, and easy to handle. But I am expected to choose the best.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjpy-Yq-BluwmYI-s030m-_XTGrH_K75Fm8arFnvowZ8KMV9b4wKTRuPjjgpNBoo5cdKLcuzTEfPXhcEfWVCaE-fr-X10G9sSc3okQ3I39LLJ3wUG00dyJ1g5fcJyx5kSvDfzmlsE2c76UjRzk4oknVd_fwwTxvv7rNTctkum3DMqQ8lEbnF-zIf9mmup/s1690/Image%205.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1690" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjpy-Yq-BluwmYI-s030m-_XTGrH_K75Fm8arFnvowZ8KMV9b4wKTRuPjjgpNBoo5cdKLcuzTEfPXhcEfWVCaE-fr-X10G9sSc3okQ3I39LLJ3wUG00dyJ1g5fcJyx5kSvDfzmlsE2c76UjRzk4oknVd_fwwTxvv7rNTctkum3DMqQ8lEbnF-zIf9mmup/s320/Image%205.jpeg" width="303" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I am expected to keep building it until the last day of my life, when I will be given the house to occupy. I knew this earlier, but I never took it seriously. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Looking back, in some seasons, I had money, time, and resources to choose the best material. In other seasons, I had to use whatever was quick and easy because I did not have the time, money, or resources to go for the best.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">However, I did not know that before I am given the house back to occupy, there will be a structural stability check by a team of civil engineers. The tool they will use is fire and storm, the storm will check the foundation, and the fire will test the durability of the materials used.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjM2fWBC9dx5DdmgZxDBdc7uSvKuDK-1wBU9hfiPxDtvsQWilcaYxtvQo1RGVvn61013NPKmxEZXVfL0tSNlbNUNgz2UmZd82wfZdjH9Rfer7boAGRXSGJjU8IM2A0_XiGWPHLDAxBji52ZxRQNDvlUEmVQ3dzn_eGdOgPGLgViXZbwezYLr2BZdNXwklv/s236/Image%206.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="236" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjM2fWBC9dx5DdmgZxDBdc7uSvKuDK-1wBU9hfiPxDtvsQWilcaYxtvQo1RGVvn61013NPKmxEZXVfL0tSNlbNUNgz2UmZd82wfZdjH9Rfer7boAGRXSGJjU8IM2A0_XiGWPHLDAxBji52ZxRQNDvlUEmVQ3dzn_eGdOgPGLgViXZbwezYLr2BZdNXwklv/s1600/Image%206.jpeg" width="236" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">There was a building manual that had all these instructions, but I did not read it in detail. It says, “<i>Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually, there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.”</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fpEzX7lMrswLIGHgWORLWfzUmZ_5VA4pGq39JZ2A5ksqO6nVR9HDbdFyz0FpzdfTiiqnNT6mT9BxR8nyQ6oKWQaHEQoe11hUd7xPje-rR64O-w3SQuTRM_b3ltj_9_y7AwzMmiQYpeVMoVefhuYLSwA4KXk9TaNVD3OTRye_h4cSzX2GUMyVRHrBaHlU/s414/Image%2011.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="414" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fpEzX7lMrswLIGHgWORLWfzUmZ_5VA4pGq39JZ2A5ksqO6nVR9HDbdFyz0FpzdfTiiqnNT6mT9BxR8nyQ6oKWQaHEQoe11hUd7xPje-rR64O-w3SQuTRM_b3ltj_9_y7AwzMmiQYpeVMoVefhuYLSwA4KXk9TaNVD3OTRye_h4cSzX2GUMyVRHrBaHlU/s320/Image%2011.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">In another section, it says, "<i>But if you just use what I instructed you and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards,"</i> as if to say that you should have read all the instructions before you start building.</p><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I wonder if it is too late. If a fire and storm hit today, what would remain, I wonder? Can I pull down everything and rebuild again? Or go back and change some of the materials? But the problem is, I have put concrete and plaster and built it so well that it will disturb the whole structure.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKhFwe0iNPg230pvp2kwR_593owmhkO7mTDsa2Nc9unga-9R0oR-ojjrFel0G9sOXUv7XlWCaIlzdY_yK8qV4mlQUDFH0aQFlC9nIoPLW8C1_lSMx5-QrbpYkPIdK_0tHf6L6nuTxzqNY3SET3YViU_DSPJaH0Y-XHVsMevO0QwAR0FMnBVOUNmHD3Jed/s612/Image%2010.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKhFwe0iNPg230pvp2kwR_593owmhkO7mTDsa2Nc9unga-9R0oR-ojjrFel0G9sOXUv7XlWCaIlzdY_yK8qV4mlQUDFH0aQFlC9nIoPLW8C1_lSMx5-QrbpYkPIdK_0tHf6L6nuTxzqNY3SET3YViU_DSPJaH0Y-XHVsMevO0QwAR0FMnBVOUNmHD3Jed/s320/Image%2010.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I suppose all I can do is look out for the best materials from now onwards. I have read about a Master Architect and builder who can renew and change what was already done poorly. Maybe that is the answer. I will ask the Master Architect to come and do something with the sections I built with non-durable materials and strengthen the foundations too. It might need destroying some of what I have built in the past, but there may not be any other way. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Also, in that process, take care of the white ants that have started attacking already.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-kS3fzI82dpvnFK_XgnZPcBniB187R3QKaaWRz-0QKClff2XiI0gnQYSBobxoYEfRn5dkXkb_Vs83JCn65nBkYo7JNceL0svG1McjEZYtjrAS2us-1Ru65Fg2wvvIVLt3Wn-jN6Bt62GGkR1gaLRCLVo0n3WdnIe5empBW_KuVptcdaOZsB8PHvzQYUP/s1200/Image%2012.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-kS3fzI82dpvnFK_XgnZPcBniB187R3QKaaWRz-0QKClff2XiI0gnQYSBobxoYEfRn5dkXkb_Vs83JCn65nBkYo7JNceL0svG1McjEZYtjrAS2us-1Ru65Fg2wvvIVLt3Wn-jN6Bt62GGkR1gaLRCLVo0n3WdnIe5empBW_KuVptcdaOZsB8PHvzQYUP/s320/Image%2012.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-39940938267534665672024-02-14T09:31:00.001+05:302024-02-14T09:42:20.723+05:30Fortresses that we build...<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnD_Fgm9opu-zq33VpPslcn8lrDDss_eoSjYsD1XDdVO_GhqAPd-Zrah4ng9zsNyypNQzdwBX2FVxBPhX1XVtxVG8WYU_tMtG7bH46ORf-kRGcBEM1bTzZdIfLfdjMLaRUmazSXId7LbFyTYKj-i9xzNdM6NrYhRTyfIVuOkIbHnmrVZGfHfqMP_55HnK/s800/548011903Vellore_Fort_Main.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="800" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnD_Fgm9opu-zq33VpPslcn8lrDDss_eoSjYsD1XDdVO_GhqAPd-Zrah4ng9zsNyypNQzdwBX2FVxBPhX1XVtxVG8WYU_tMtG7bH46ORf-kRGcBEM1bTzZdIfLfdjMLaRUmazSXId7LbFyTYKj-i9xzNdM6NrYhRTyfIVuOkIbHnmrVZGfHfqMP_55HnK/s320/548011903Vellore_Fort_Main.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Traveling, I came across this fort. Well-built, for the defense of the Kingdom of yesteryears, this would serve as a stronghold for the King and his team. “A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make").'</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj1k5A9Tp-xICwxtNofywF9619-I6Mw9P__JpqjHwiDuFtF6XdGPtppRENwAfYqqXep0Mai_bKDdTe_MTe1Gm7Li5ldtd0nrRXNe4ETHHDfzLyYcrgm_TUsEMbrPk6ktLZ0Jb3hC9vo-PPmxoyadzZfsUKc3RfnkUHGgnD-45BEiHoZOi2KfJmIIImUae/s976/Image.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj1k5A9Tp-xICwxtNofywF9619-I6Mw9P__JpqjHwiDuFtF6XdGPtppRENwAfYqqXep0Mai_bKDdTe_MTe1Gm7Li5ldtd0nrRXNe4ETHHDfzLyYcrgm_TUsEMbrPk6ktLZ0Jb3hC9vo-PPmxoyadzZfsUKc3RfnkUHGgnD-45BEiHoZOi2KfJmIIImUae/s320/Image.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We have moved away from such stone age structures. Now it's more drones and barbed wires, not just against enemies, but also against those who ask uncomfortable questions. To keep unwanted brothers and sisters at bay.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">But then there are others who do not have the power or resources to build forts. Those protecting themselves from the powerful who want to take over their land, for economic interests, must find other ways to protect themselves and their land. We see this in different parts of the world including some parts of our own nation. </p><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnj-ClpKD0sS3eXaMlohiICZ0xYNMTHwgCT5YmCZGkG5dJt-jQG32soWz86cepUsOgfnT8HRmn-c579UFbhyPB5jkMeyJnUSskyZ1cd1whQTkGNW7t8DabHoH9WNbE13rxEUkYVazl4CMS9ShzoFLJ582NXUTVpT15uvrC7KJO_msnHg99hZi4hBSHQ9l/s1300/Image%202.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1300" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnj-ClpKD0sS3eXaMlohiICZ0xYNMTHwgCT5YmCZGkG5dJt-jQG32soWz86cepUsOgfnT8HRmn-c579UFbhyPB5jkMeyJnUSskyZ1cd1whQTkGNW7t8DabHoH9WNbE13rxEUkYVazl4CMS9ShzoFLJ582NXUTVpT15uvrC7KJO_msnHg99hZi4hBSHQ9l/s320/Image%202.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Protecting one's own possessions and positions at any cost is part of human nature, and larger events around us are part of the innate human instinct of self-preservation and protection, at any cost.</p><p></p><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">This has now extended to virtual spaces where we spend much time. To protect our machines and data from hackers and unwanted elements, we come up with virtual defenders, spyware, ad blockers, etc.</p><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But even our personal spaces, both internal and external, are protected. Our hearts and inner lives are kept carefully locked away because we do not want others to see who we really are inside. We open our physical spaces with caution because we do not know whom we can trust. From a <span style="text-align: left;">trusting open vulnerable community, we have become self-defensive, protective, and self </span><span style="text-align: left;">preserving communities</span><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">This was happening all around us, with the strong rhetoric of the powers that be, who wants the powerful to be protected. And we were (I was) busy like the Meercat, trying to build tunnels to protect ourselves (myself) from the hyenas.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SbWN1MahZxU" width="320" youtube-src-id="SbWN1MahZxU"></iframe></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Today I came across this reading: "<i><span lang="EN-GB">He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges.”</span></i></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I am supposed to follow this example, but the problem is “<i>Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, </i><i>obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.”</i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;">I find it easier to preserve self than to be selfless and be poured out! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOiNAUnEAR_3mw78bTZRuwYPHN2ak6wvVDYPpNolrQXgIujoJpj1oMQYIx3lsccFFbdrUEOJDFCGEC4_i1RQbCEQ-ubeJQFavVIFLYn-6nW4CBfRpRZA_C217eg6TWKc2WBUVatyXEUMurr0wtGtugSlQmB-Df_W2oHuaEmbTsbclQEyeBIYdbLQu8EtF/s721/Image%204.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="721" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOiNAUnEAR_3mw78bTZRuwYPHN2ak6wvVDYPpNolrQXgIujoJpj1oMQYIx3lsccFFbdrUEOJDFCGEC4_i1RQbCEQ-ubeJQFavVIFLYn-6nW4CBfRpRZA_C217eg6TWKc2WBUVatyXEUMurr0wtGtugSlQmB-Df_W2oHuaEmbTsbclQEyeBIYdbLQu8EtF/w400-h266/Image%204.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-76814570829991109762024-02-05T22:15:00.006+05:302024-02-06T17:12:10.100+05:30Delirious distractions<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFsoKREXrKEovfnnrbiTxdCWksQ1mGgwPtL3fQNtbcCutI9ic4nQ-4maokP8kDU279OW4bfQIzQH-qdqPn_o-tSl3NJzX-8jET8Rt_TirJY_PUKSmVLo_BFdDoTAkUrJYOT_BA2kXmNAjZio_ebxXWEZjc9jkbiim-RC5AI_dxjAUk8H4dW7iklVvG6hp/s1920/1.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFsoKREXrKEovfnnrbiTxdCWksQ1mGgwPtL3fQNtbcCutI9ic4nQ-4maokP8kDU279OW4bfQIzQH-qdqPn_o-tSl3NJzX-8jET8Rt_TirJY_PUKSmVLo_BFdDoTAkUrJYOT_BA2kXmNAjZio_ebxXWEZjc9jkbiim-RC5AI_dxjAUk8H4dW7iklVvG6hp/s320/1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p>Re-reading the chapter on Delirium in the “Harrison's Principles of internal Medicine” was a re-learning time. Delirium is defined as an acute confusional state, leading to major morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis is based on Confusion Assessment Method Diagnostic Algorithm. Two necessary criteria, and one of the other two as an additional criterion. </p><ul><li><span style="text-align: left;">Acute onset and fluctuating course – mental status changes, sudden in onset and fluctuates during the day.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Inattention – difficulty in focussing attention, easily distractable or difficulty in keeping track of what is being said.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Disorganised thinking – thinking is disorganised or incoherent, rambling, irrelevant, unclear, illogical, unpredictable.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Altered Level of consciousness – not alert – either vigilant (hyperalert) lethargic (drowsy or easily aroused) or come (unarousable).</span></li></ul>Reading this was not only re-learning but revealing too. I suddenly realised, sometime during the day I am in Delirium too! And many around me too! Sudden inability to focus attention, easy distractibility, disorganized thinking, and hypervigilance is part of my life too. <span> </span>I am distracted by the noise coming in from the virtual space accessing devices I use. I am unable to focus, disorganized with information overload, and hypervigilant for the next message! <span lang="EN-GB">Distraction leads to procrastination, and procrastination leads to discontentment. Many of our distractions are gladly received. And distraction leads to shallow communication, and shallow communication leads to shallow relationships. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">(If you want to know more you will need to read Harrison’s Principles of Practice of Medicine.)</span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time Challis writes in his blog, (<a href="https://www.challies.com/articles/look-a-distraction/" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">https://www.challies.com/articles/look-a-distraction/</a>) “We are distracted. We are so distracted, and so accustomed to it, that after a while we almost become distraction</span>” And that distraction leads to delirious outcomes! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">Paul Graham says it well: “Distraction is not a static obstacle that you avoid like you might avoid a rock in the road. Distraction seeks you out.” We surround ourselves with devices that bring us so many good gifts, but even these good gifts exact a cost—the cost of distraction.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Tim Challis recognises three outcome of such distraction, Shallow Living, Shallow Doing and Shallow Loving. “If we are unable to think deep thoughts, we will be unable to live deep lives.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">Distraction leads to shallow thinking, and shallow thinking leads to shallow living.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">Our distraction prevents us from deep engagement with other people. <span> </span>We are always just one beep or one more buzz away from disengaging from a conversation and turning our attention to that text message, that email, that notification.”</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAm6zuvGWlKd4W5CjFaETON7SeWuOg3sG3Zc3ZPtbuqpg4-VKxjW83_j0e9YqT19kW_D4KJ1GZL7mIzMO9l70Fh_J-hflENv4PM4kNtgL2REeYqHHTjtbTRzDTLc2kihiYvtsNantyDiBDQwxj1svO69dMECvsEtbH0AmAbWBAsyVljIzXGT4vZkb17W9w/s759/2.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="759" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAm6zuvGWlKd4W5CjFaETON7SeWuOg3sG3Zc3ZPtbuqpg4-VKxjW83_j0e9YqT19kW_D4KJ1GZL7mIzMO9l70Fh_J-hflENv4PM4kNtgL2REeYqHHTjtbTRzDTLc2kihiYvtsNantyDiBDQwxj1svO69dMECvsEtbH0AmAbWBAsyVljIzXGT4vZkb17W9w/s320/2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p></p><img alt="Delirium: Nursing - Osmosis Video Library" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc" data-iml="4621" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="JuXqh" 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" style="max-width: 1920px; position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB">Quentin Schultze says that “we have become like tourists who are so enamoured by our mode of transportation that we cruise through nation after nation largely indifferent to the people and the cultures around us. We have our passports filled with the little stamps telling people just how many places we’ve been, but what is the purpose of being in places if we have not experienced them? And what is the purpose of knowing people if we do not care to know them on anything more than a surface level? The trend today is toward these fleeting, surface-level interactions”</span>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">We are Homo-Sapiens who have become ‘Homo-technologicus’ are becoming ‘Homo-distraticus’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">If this is not delirium I wonder if there is another term for it. The textbook of Medicine gives treatment protocols too, as Delirium reduction care protocols, simple and effective! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-GB">One - Practice and promote wakefulness - by very simple steps for a hospitalised patient. Sit in a lighted room, plan for the day, get out of bed, have a discipline of three meals, walk and exercise etc. <span> </span>In one sense - prioritise and set up a schedule for activities so that you are not distracted into delirium! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Two - Promote sleep – simple steps of shutting down the light, drawing the blinds, avoiding stimulating drinks like coffee after evening and putting in rhythms for moving from wakefulness into sleep. Shut down, give up, set boundaries, and go off to sleep at times! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjymyz-J6bdZNiwFg08kunuU97F5hWwyxVAT86tJBgJsC5aW_m6LOftHyjZTIGoRUQE0E-RwExL2CHoHqxhPZP61wM0Q7DMTntosePdIF_Wl26aOwiKrCBrCFu90YM713WEole6WO1iJWMOUccKAASMleI517qPlbD17NFkMD7s5T3b3AUG3INQBAyXZdY/s1080/3.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1080" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjymyz-J6bdZNiwFg08kunuU97F5hWwyxVAT86tJBgJsC5aW_m6LOftHyjZTIGoRUQE0E-RwExL2CHoHqxhPZP61wM0Q7DMTntosePdIF_Wl26aOwiKrCBrCFu90YM713WEole6WO1iJWMOUccKAASMleI517qPlbD17NFkMD7s5T3b3AUG3INQBAyXZdY/s320/3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">But then, you do not need technology to be distracted – Remember what the Master told Martha “Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much (distracted) and getting yourself worked up over nothing (Cooking). One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course and won't be taken from her.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I wonder how delirious and distracted am I and what main course am I missing? </p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-26086380281640250122024-02-01T17:32:00.006+05:302024-02-03T08:57:05.527+05:30Who includes whom? <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Travelling through 5 locations in about 10 days, one tends to observe a lot. One thing that stood out was the “Inclusive development” systems being fast forwarded! I am sure what I will be writing here, might be dissected by developmental experts, since my writing is not based on expertise or data, but casual observations. But still here it is!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodx3b18arp7oBQQUZIYb_NM2WYoDa_lE3grNNGkMt6zwjoxxwpMaOAg26A4eL4L4MOpbdlnCkt9tYRnNKfoBFumb1qxD8joZ2A_EFi5lVK0byefJeJFykMSRaG50ulvti4pYcO3UPc7ic5_HDr-jwn2pRVhE5gogvZ4EeQWqNVvUutEXBLCBV8NbG8Erx/s3021/IMG_5986.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2804" data-original-width="3021" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodx3b18arp7oBQQUZIYb_NM2WYoDa_lE3grNNGkMt6zwjoxxwpMaOAg26A4eL4L4MOpbdlnCkt9tYRnNKfoBFumb1qxD8joZ2A_EFi5lVK0byefJeJFykMSRaG50ulvti4pYcO3UPc7ic5_HDr-jwn2pRVhE5gogvZ4EeQWqNVvUutEXBLCBV8NbG8Erx/s320/IMG_5986.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">Technical definition – <i>“Inclusive development is an equitable development approach built on the understanding that every individual and community, of all diverse identities and experiences, is instrumental in the transformation of their own societies. Their engagement throughout the entire development process leads to better outcomes”</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But technical definitions apart, it was interesting to observe that what I saw was something that confused my brain.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Stop one</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> – a B2 city, with a bustling population and an AQI (Air Quality Index) of 300 plus, as part of a team who was traveling to a hill station for a weekend retreat. In the <i>stop one</i> location, the most advertised information was KFC being opened at multiple locations! It was interesting to note that, in this predominantly vegetarian community, but well known for its chicken 65, and chicken biryani’s, the highlight on the roads was a multinational brand. An inclusion that will change our tastes (I love KFC, do not take me wrong) and the local businesses.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MDcOFHBcRy-mR-mcnxVXS_C7lKIA2_qEuzM30N-ByApk5mGoV2oQ8EUwUz48uGTPXQk1kIZihwzR_qbXXqzObc1QIOVZsIVydYU0JENzINmImm_ZOB_-3UKAOIM0c3zdFdpZsrPjLb6vv6ec3szlgoLSIbfXVFiqTML6L2Q_GXXGFYATBdnCLYEYuxD8/s2847/IMG_5983.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1732" data-original-width="2847" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MDcOFHBcRy-mR-mcnxVXS_C7lKIA2_qEuzM30N-ByApk5mGoV2oQ8EUwUz48uGTPXQk1kIZihwzR_qbXXqzObc1QIOVZsIVydYU0JENzINmImm_ZOB_-3UKAOIM0c3zdFdpZsrPjLb6vv6ec3szlgoLSIbfXVFiqTML6L2Q_GXXGFYATBdnCLYEYuxD8/s320/IMG_5983.HEIC" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MDcOFHBcRy-mR-mcnxVXS_C7lKIA2_qEuzM30N-ByApk5mGoV2oQ8EUwUz48uGTPXQk1kIZihwzR_qbXXqzObc1QIOVZsIVydYU0JENzINmImm_ZOB_-3UKAOIM0c3zdFdpZsrPjLb6vv6ec3szlgoLSIbfXVFiqTML6L2Q_GXXGFYATBdnCLYEYuxD8/s2847/IMG_5983.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Stop two </span></b><span style="text-align: left;">– the hill station with AQI less than 50, to which was bustling with crowds from s</span><i style="text-align: left;">top 1 and stop 3</i><span style="text-align: left;">, coming in for breathing fresh air. A fast-advancing inclusive development of internal tourism. But most places of stay were owned by the big names of tourist industry. Taking over the land and property of the locals to bring in tourists from far and wide, and in that inclusion, the locals probably get what trickles out from people like me who were there to enjoy the low AQI.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Stop 3</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> – Metro city, with all its bustling brands, and skyscrapers. Walking through one of the latest multinational brands in India, the only shop for that matter in India – IKEA, was interesting. Every other product, was produced in China, imported in by a company in Delhi. Engaging with staff on the floor was revealing too. Most salespeople were young men and women from small towns speaking in reasonably good Hinglish. But the senior team appeared much different, with accented English, the urban born and educated elite. A welcome inclusion for at least some young people from small towns.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Stop 4</b><span lang="EN-GB"><b> </b>– An A1 city, filled with huge cut outs of politicians. Most banners having pictures of 20 – 30 politicians, 99% men, a stray woman here and there. Large life size cut outs on one or two supreme men leaders, but no woman anywhere. I suppose the 33% is still awaited<b>!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvcGHfeCsBgfnONJ_-YM5MTHjF_TAU1Zay1Rb71Xfs3FNgyvwHyZEcW7hmmK7BqlpJRaPaMZWKzk8dpv000faKaHVaiRyGa8zlEFV3Mjn_ggOTGKrqX2ijMBxiBafNny_rWq8uffVhIKGHSfveTLwAsHHcsJcBz-rMphxdvTmURYLQtOE2OhhgCQ0tHPh/s3355/IMG_5984.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3355" data-original-width="3021" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvcGHfeCsBgfnONJ_-YM5MTHjF_TAU1Zay1Rb71Xfs3FNgyvwHyZEcW7hmmK7BqlpJRaPaMZWKzk8dpv000faKaHVaiRyGa8zlEFV3Mjn_ggOTGKrqX2ijMBxiBafNny_rWq8uffVhIKGHSfveTLwAsHHcsJcBz-rMphxdvTmURYLQtOE2OhhgCQ0tHPh/s320/IMG_5984.HEIC" width="288" /></a></div></b></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Stop 5</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> – a small rural village up in the hills. Where ginger is brought off by from the merchants from stop 4 at 2-3 Rs a kilo, the farmers struggling to make both ends meet, but evidence of inclusive devolvement everywhere en-route!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Huge highways cutting through pristine forest and tunnelling mountains – the economic highway, observed by the locals as “M or RRTH” – Mineral or Rural Resource Transport Highway. Trucks plying out with sand, wood, and many other rural resources. The hills en-route full of tents and camping site where people from Metros come over the weekend to breathe fresh air. But most camp sites owned by the big brands from the neighbouring cities. </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">But in all these locations, a ubiquitous presence of religious flags and cut outs of one or two political leaders, a constant reminder that you are included.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELL0qsUgea0dV8-ZRCpdr5x1m5s5ebO7SkArLbp1kSS0WkvqRSaPw7QAZjIsjlWaXRBPhSt8p_EKozla3KaW5eXC4EdgkNDivr2OkjAD-Ra2nGzo89DvgKWzt_fWdrGJFhjXSntskb8ARy7kpC-a9G1snJUoocktDV_E2kczLGn8PMuh9cIq-i0as9i3Q/s4032/IMG_6010.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELL0qsUgea0dV8-ZRCpdr5x1m5s5ebO7SkArLbp1kSS0WkvqRSaPw7QAZjIsjlWaXRBPhSt8p_EKozla3KaW5eXC4EdgkNDivr2OkjAD-Ra2nGzo89DvgKWzt_fWdrGJFhjXSntskb8ARy7kpC-a9G1snJUoocktDV_E2kczLGn8PMuh9cIq-i0as9i3Q/s320/IMG_6010.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">In the time spend at stop 5, I overheard two conversations. One a local leader telling a development professional. “We do not need you to come to us with roads, we need you to educate our children, rest we will take care of”. Two - conversation a well-wisher of the rural poor had with one of the urban elites. “You do anything you want for them, but do not educate them. We need them to do our developmental work”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><span lang="EN-GB"><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div></span></div><div><span face="Aptos, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">I wonder who includes whom? I am back to AQI 500s at my residence as member of the urban elites, enjoying the memories of the inclusive development experience I had last 10 days! </span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB">I wonder what the real owners of the pristine forest think about such things! And </span>I wonder how can I follow the example of the God who decided into include me in His plans by giving up power....</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1C0RTVkgn5uDew08910dZD3WtOnyrPqb98VRHNJYne_CUu3GwYBzBio7s6XEEVQwxuOWw1QEnsBNGJFr_Ah7VHofy5DLeyAkrL27vsyyP4AZhiE7yT79iSFU86XmJD-o3kJnANPFZ46KnTqAlW47kS6UA-sNM0AUli00pnyihyphenhyphenXytT3JUjVH1d0yus1h/s3780/1CCD137B-2F13-475B-AB7E-0755BD35F443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1C0RTVkgn5uDew08910dZD3WtOnyrPqb98VRHNJYne_CUu3GwYBzBio7s6XEEVQwxuOWw1QEnsBNGJFr_Ah7VHofy5DLeyAkrL27vsyyP4AZhiE7yT79iSFU86XmJD-o3kJnANPFZ46KnTqAlW47kS6UA-sNM0AUli00pnyihyphenhyphenXytT3JUjVH1d0yus1h/w320-h400/1CCD137B-2F13-475B-AB7E-0755BD35F443.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPtZg8VUsGjblleq3amTqCtOqEaABB-6U5RmGPHmF7eya0ZMJd4Sjl3jLce12K5nF6-F5jwoxtC3omwNNMl9M6othUnQingal5nFV5Qrnwuio5CcgeINl0-111hTAl7-YsvKSYXmokXWBvhDJPnJkdrNMG3dMxCfI0jMOjWYyJ7X2CZXRo-idOP5JjLGl/s4032/IMG_6013.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPtZg8VUsGjblleq3amTqCtOqEaABB-6U5RmGPHmF7eya0ZMJd4Sjl3jLce12K5nF6-F5jwoxtC3omwNNMl9M6othUnQingal5nFV5Qrnwuio5CcgeINl0-111hTAl7-YsvKSYXmokXWBvhDJPnJkdrNMG3dMxCfI0jMOjWYyJ7X2CZXRo-idOP5JjLGl/s320/IMG_6013.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-34161349198976986942024-01-17T12:41:00.001+05:302024-01-17T13:15:30.726+05:30Foggy days....<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUsqgPGj2J4kq4v2GYZVMC6FBcpC43lcvJ4qyazyQsfvKZy_58dLciVxLEqrnr6xA2s49DLJjk3FuGg3y0IW2lB8Q0ykTvdH0q5SRJBw21ZUgsgRQJCuIw-WFi_kA6sammGDnV8SQU3LtpM1y2Z-oCUt5U6H6JXMID-fI7IeGRnVIvOoIRB0bw8-Jj5rL/s4032/IMG_5920.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUsqgPGj2J4kq4v2GYZVMC6FBcpC43lcvJ4qyazyQsfvKZy_58dLciVxLEqrnr6xA2s49DLJjk3FuGg3y0IW2lB8Q0ykTvdH0q5SRJBw21ZUgsgRQJCuIw-WFi_kA6sammGDnV8SQU3LtpM1y2Z-oCUt5U6H6JXMID-fI7IeGRnVIvOoIRB0bw8-Jj5rL/s320/IMG_5920.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love foggy wintery mornings and nights in Delhi. There is a mystical and eerie feeling in such mornings and nights. I suppose this may be true for others like me too, who works from home mostly. For those who get out to work daily, foggy mornings and evening is not easy, rather disruptive. </div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Even driving in foggy roads, has its own charm. (As long I am not driving!) There is an adventure to it. It is enjoyable. Roads that are hardly visible, faint lights all around, moving at a snail's pace, and time stands still since you cannot move fast. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSlpoUMDueu3k56hTc2bmlgNZVOMZ4BEsdLTMnQWWXH1QIJSNPix9aPbJs93MjSZpAgiMCnpzhjgypEQof7b8fb31wMzc0i7nB9r5rsp8N6RVEzM52-u25UASaElpSCqfoBIg2AhcXSQdUexzmOB9QW_mCIshxRue7hyktf0icqdlxFRcPyjIeJ06DjR-/s3556/IMG_5919.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3556" data-original-width="2282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSlpoUMDueu3k56hTc2bmlgNZVOMZ4BEsdLTMnQWWXH1QIJSNPix9aPbJs93MjSZpAgiMCnpzhjgypEQof7b8fb31wMzc0i7nB9r5rsp8N6RVEzM52-u25UASaElpSCqfoBIg2AhcXSQdUexzmOB9QW_mCIshxRue7hyktf0icqdlxFRcPyjIeJ06DjR-/s320/IMG_5919.jpeg" width="205" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then for those who are travelling it is a night mare. <b>Delays, disruptions and cancellations </b>are common. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Couple of days back, we had a family who was to come from Chennai to Delhi to stay with us for a training, but flight got canceled. They quickly made alternative plans to turn the training into an online one, and went ahead and did what they were expected to. What we missed was their company and fellowship.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Same day another family stranded in the airport landed up at home. The husband commented - "Normally I get angry and upset with such delays and disruptions, but something told me, there is a purpose. May be it was to spend away with you". A positive way of looking at disruptions. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Same time we got a call from family in USA, whose friends were stranded at Delhi Airport. 12 hours in Delhi, finally managed to get a flight after 12 hours. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is a family member, who was flying out of Mumbai, who lost his connections and landed up at home in USA after a 40 hours detour!. Fog in Delhi has impacts beyond Delhi too! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_M6b0-qSjBgvaJcx8oWJrWTcQV7v10lxZ2tHxoGkpoSjQnlPD7GpOMBBzEJth6FgZdjx3JueLDPh9W0C0u63z0A332NqHYB4gTWQjoW4dAdKiSLIvif3xFweohZoJypVb2cwcbhJl9Nlot5JTX5RinkltmcMqLkXz6QsZ8adHzL25EDberJpyxTUtgD2/s980/Image.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_M6b0-qSjBgvaJcx8oWJrWTcQV7v10lxZ2tHxoGkpoSjQnlPD7GpOMBBzEJth6FgZdjx3JueLDPh9W0C0u63z0A332NqHYB4gTWQjoW4dAdKiSLIvif3xFweohZoJypVb2cwcbhJl9Nlot5JTX5RinkltmcMqLkXz6QsZ8adHzL25EDberJpyxTUtgD2/s320/Image.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Is this not the reality of life too. Seasons of fogs are not uncommon in life. Where visibility is poor, way ahead is unclear and uncertain. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Experts say we live in a BANI world.<b> Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear and Incomprehensible </b>world, post Covid-19 and with ongoing wars. So the whole world seems to be fogged out this season. It was VUCA a decade back, VUCA was a <b>complicated world</b>. BANI is a c<b>omplex world</b>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="benton-sans" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="benton-sans" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">"Complicated problems (world) can be hard to solve, but they are addressable with rules and recipes, like the algorithms that place ads on your Twitter feed. They also can be resolved with systems and processes, like the hierarchical structure that most companies use to command and control employees. </span><span face="benton-sans" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Complex problems involve too many unknowns and too many interrelated factors to reduce to rules and processes." </span><a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-critical-difference-between-complex-and-complicated/" style="text-align: left;">the-critical-difference-between-complex-and-complicated</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBpcoxJk-hrxnJKMaFIgz87dMBXPsiJSe-8rLAgeXplJLuq_NDpdtYZVTdcxeOl8BBkRJ75SHIb8FK03nC7AQLJjQeq_zRc789BA7yMFNSA_UfzJhZo8yJFx_Oh2RR-721H9rZoWqqsLmKSSZESfTDvceqKMmWD4qddwzOoE-mpimu7cF4WZEFM8jjzCg/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2012.13.22.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBpcoxJk-hrxnJKMaFIgz87dMBXPsiJSe-8rLAgeXplJLuq_NDpdtYZVTdcxeOl8BBkRJ75SHIb8FK03nC7AQLJjQeq_zRc789BA7yMFNSA_UfzJhZo8yJFx_Oh2RR-721H9rZoWqqsLmKSSZESfTDvceqKMmWD4qddwzOoE-mpimu7cF4WZEFM8jjzCg/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202024-01-17%20at%2012.13.22.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>And for many life is disrupted, life plans are delayed, and some plans have to be cancelled too. And fog in my life affects those around me too! A complex world and season of life! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But then, some see life fog realted complexities as opportunities! Some consider fog related complexity as something to bite through! Live hoping for TTWP. "This Too Will Pass". Others like me enjoy fog by staying inside, not willing to venture out! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But seasons change for all. Two days later - today this is what Delhi is like. Because there is one who holds the seasons in His hands. And offering a light in the fog! Making way even in foggy days.....<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1zo3fJYtS-o" width="320" youtube-src-id="1zo3fJYtS-o"></iframe></div><br />Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-80950888134624127452024-01-07T11:34:00.002+05:302024-01-07T11:40:01.463+05:30I want to be a "Meerkat"<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The question of living relevant lives in the era of runaway tractors is a challenging question to answer. (Read this before continuing further) </span></span></p><p><a href="https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-runaway-tractor.html" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-runaway-tractor.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9h0AFVo4xvgQUKuX6w62tBK05UlnL8yURzDNqEkn7-bun6J8j9U8xzmYCR9x8F7Z_KRHLnwUNthBX2Z0dRgMRjw7dvhTEqTFHAS2DPk2Cyqoqne_OYYvYTXLVQRVY5SKp2l4LiNO6wDNsfzESNo9TDw9W9ubeYcyrSWDLi39VMkY7Xy7V6_q8e1g6TjH/s653/Picture%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="653" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9h0AFVo4xvgQUKuX6w62tBK05UlnL8yURzDNqEkn7-bun6J8j9U8xzmYCR9x8F7Z_KRHLnwUNthBX2Z0dRgMRjw7dvhTEqTFHAS2DPk2Cyqoqne_OYYvYTXLVQRVY5SKp2l4LiNO6wDNsfzESNo9TDw9W9ubeYcyrSWDLi39VMkY7Xy7V6_q8e1g6TjH/s320/Picture%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Most days, I find myself behaving like an ostrich. “T<i>he ostrich effect, also known as the ostrich problem, is a cognitive bias that describes how people often avoid negative information, including feedback that could help them monitor their goal progress. Instead of dealing with the situation, we bury our heads in the sand, like ostriches. This avoidance can often make things worse, incurring costs that we might not have had to pay if we had faced things head-on.” </i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/ostrich-effect#" style="text-align: left;">https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/ostrich-effect#</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc5dNGNt78gpb_pftDTp8NqRuHGiNyrUhjY-WPt_j152nPR-uKGZ4_LQoMkf8MYPl_WzCp-FUQK-P_Qt52ppiIiKWyDzogvIjBnW_IHkBjtTuhUBtXFpeoCvF93XDSThF6WziWK4L__OUSPNJkjXUapiWPV_I0yudUMuNXEiq5lYPa2_CIrKh_Z_Gm8c4/s574/Picture%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="574" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc5dNGNt78gpb_pftDTp8NqRuHGiNyrUhjY-WPt_j152nPR-uKGZ4_LQoMkf8MYPl_WzCp-FUQK-P_Qt52ppiIiKWyDzogvIjBnW_IHkBjtTuhUBtXFpeoCvF93XDSThF6WziWK4L__OUSPNJkjXUapiWPV_I0yudUMuNXEiq5lYPa2_CIrKh_Z_Gm8c4/s320/Picture%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On other days, I feel like a meerkat. The meerkat effect is defined as <i>sticking its head up to look around whenever something might happen, in hyper vigilance,</i> but then digging a tunnel and hiding. Their theme song is “Dig a tunnel before the hyenas come.”<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What I aspire to be is like a fossa, at least in its watchfulness! T<i>he fossa is active during both the day and the night and is considered cathemeral; activity peaks may occur early in the morning, late in the afternoon, and late at night. It carefully watches the context for potential opportunities.</i> Unfortunately, the fossa is an endangered species, much like discerning humans! <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/fossa" style="background-color: white; color: #954f72; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/fossa</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgDNWawzY-q3KS8G5pAKNUjCXTpzp7eV1yJNM9t3TZgTA934A-ERQ-VCfOAu52ATV3XdayDuhT0I_XD_anzI7TE_Sn3PDduh4eHysGPvSVlomQfzkrjhAHA0y2FGs8oSVX2DsTLzl-rqhReqp_8sn6JDCuZDVNUqca_Ff9K1kBp-tbRldte3R_jNOAKgu/s571/Picture%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="571" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgDNWawzY-q3KS8G5pAKNUjCXTpzp7eV1yJNM9t3TZgTA934A-ERQ-VCfOAu52ATV3XdayDuhT0I_XD_anzI7TE_Sn3PDduh4eHysGPvSVlomQfzkrjhAHA0y2FGs8oSVX2DsTLzl-rqhReqp_8sn6JDCuZDVNUqca_Ff9K1kBp-tbRldte3R_jNOAKgu/s320/Picture%203.png" width="320" /></a></div>What does it mean to be relevant, discerning, and watchful while being engaged in potentially runaway tractor-like situations?<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">The technology of intelligence: How can I equip myself, embrace, and empower myself to be tech-savvy, while at the same time, learning and understanding the boundaries within which I should use technology and intelligence?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Understanding “<i>ne plus ultra” — "no more beyond." (This is famously said to have been inscribed on the Pillars of Hercules at either side of the Strait of Gibraltar, in part as a warning to sailors not to travel beyond the edge of the known world.) </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoibRf0E67TKC8Vb-1bNun2mx7xfzMjwXCAb6KXEHC7C_mu06quxJj-tgeEQAEcCQgT2izzCI2OzRq-k3ZzX-Lt6bTmFHDFzl_ShJ9hMq7Tja1LRo8xZ9tumii9wRaMi_9xQzIHS13HVZoqU5-WTPlv7BsWQgsPQdfcQrLryG9sP7Ja5oJMFMhpQlhXEy/s448/Picture%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="448" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoibRf0E67TKC8Vb-1bNun2mx7xfzMjwXCAb6KXEHC7C_mu06quxJj-tgeEQAEcCQgT2izzCI2OzRq-k3ZzX-Lt6bTmFHDFzl_ShJ9hMq7Tja1LRo8xZ9tumii9wRaMi_9xQzIHS13HVZoqU5-WTPlv7BsWQgsPQdfcQrLryG9sP7Ja5oJMFMhpQlhXEy/s320/Picture%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">The technology of Life – Synthetic biology and growth in genomics. How do I recognize and differentiate between “Redeeming and restoring the masterpiece of God’s creation” vs “Changing design” and draw boundaries? Equip myself to grow in the knowledge of these?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">In the context of self-promoting, perception-managing, and nationalistic political and other leadership across the globe, how do I role model “servanthood” as lived out by our Master? Love my nation but love people of all nations, with no boundaries? At the same time, be wise in understanding the designs of the oligarchs!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">How can I, in my own small spheres, protect and preserve our home, the earth, and encourage each other to care for the planet? Simple and small ways may be but still a drop in the ocean!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">In the context of confusing identities, gender, multiple and personhood, how can I affirm life-giving and flourishing lifestyles and choices? How can I live a life of unconditional acceptance for people who are challenged while holding on to values that are close to my heart?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Too confusing! It is much easier to be a meercat these days. This is my comfort zone!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="299" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SbWN1MahZxU" width="360" youtube-src-id="SbWN1MahZxU"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But I hope I will be like a fossa...</p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-46033403733969918662024-01-01T10:57:00.005+05:302024-01-01T13:13:49.385+05:30The Runaway Tractor <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">It was last night (31/12/2023) – I started to wonder, what will the next few years hold for us as humanity? Socio-cultural, technological, and political transitions that are happening around us have been with unprecedented speed and momentum. On one hand, there are people who believe, “This is the day” – we as humanity (or even as a nation) are reaching the pinnacle of our freedom and heights, and tomorrow will take us to much more new frontiers. On the other hand, there are doomsday prophets who believe this will be the decade or generation that will see the undoing of humanity as we have known thus far!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">A few transitions, out of the many, kept skipping through my confused mind. Each of these positive in some aspects challenging in others…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Technological Transitions (Feel free to skip over this section, but if you want to read more, explore “The Coming Wave” by Mustafa Suleyman).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">One - The technology of intelligence: With AI reaching a potential point of no return, with Large Language Models and Artificial Capable Intelligence, technology will rise to newer heights. Computers that we used to use for tasks have already become machines that we communicate with as equals, and soon will be telling us what to do. Will technology become “persons” who will tell us mere mortals what to do?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGY-h1fTGsZVpmBGBlu2Hj2iuFmyvcFYQQ84J9d7pOgigtid5drlMn3pFnw3P32-CZJSHV3WyhzTOjqwuJLJvqUjgghZ3rvlgdfe_Bq9Y8f1ter2x_qn0tkuqqLJ-IEeF7hG1Tyq7jN9MGPeqfmZlUO5WSmBrnZPiZ_t8vgGZAaZ7NV0yecO5Gz6PHp4H/s832/the-coming-wave-original-imagtr3g6a8pzwbv.jpeg.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="547" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGY-h1fTGsZVpmBGBlu2Hj2iuFmyvcFYQQ84J9d7pOgigtid5drlMn3pFnw3P32-CZJSHV3WyhzTOjqwuJLJvqUjgghZ3rvlgdfe_Bq9Y8f1ter2x_qn0tkuqqLJ-IEeF7hG1Tyq7jN9MGPeqfmZlUO5WSmBrnZPiZ_t8vgGZAaZ7NV0yecO5Gz6PHp4H/s320/the-coming-wave-original-imagtr3g6a8pzwbv.jpeg.webp" width="210" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Two - The technology of Life – Synthetic biology and growth in genomics: The fast-progressing ability to synthesize life by CRISPR and other biotech systems and the marriage of AI and synthetic biology are encouraging and worrying. The brain interfacing technologies like Neuralinks are moving ahead to see if technology and humans can be interfaced to create superhumans! Not to forget the robotics, and wider influences of many of these waves.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span> </span><span> </span>B.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The Leadership and Nation States</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">Three - The nation-state and leadership: These technological advances are happening in a context where political transitions are very evident. Self-promoting, perception managing, and nationalistic political leadership across the globe is taking the world back from all the gains of democracy and value-based leadership of yesteryears! The effects are all around for us to see. Wars, smaller nations under pressure, minorities under pressure, large-scale migration and refugee crises, and many such turmoil’s!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">Four – These leaders are amply and heavily supported by a few megacorporation’s that hold the purse strings and perception, media, and even influence electoral outcomes. Hand in glove with each other, the power is in the hands of a few political and corporate oligarchs. Big date is stage-managed for the synergistic impacts of both these stakeholders. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">C. <span> </span>The Destruction of Our Home<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">Five – Despite all the big statements leaders and nation-states make, the destruction of the home we live in, the earth, has continued with no signs of abating. Blame shifting, the race for one-upmanship, reordering power equations take precedence over stewarding our home, the one and only earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">D. The Confusion of Identity</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLz6v8qiT7OKHEvLZ2f9zam2aHy7HdWBs_koxFlGmNlhCBR7qhEq5mEYsM5Dij8FZkxAGAw2wEh_7I8TzLCyD3GJ1e_Mai6EaLfIqxUoy8kCi30d_uNCb5LSuHxbXRJqawNq4Do_DA63mu5iwCOeXF7v0Ye5svc_RZHbCD7cPViziGJFF0cgOLOUGzgQv/s1176/SG.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="904" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLz6v8qiT7OKHEvLZ2f9zam2aHy7HdWBs_koxFlGmNlhCBR7qhEq5mEYsM5Dij8FZkxAGAw2wEh_7I8TzLCyD3GJ1e_Mai6EaLfIqxUoy8kCi30d_uNCb5LSuHxbXRJqawNq4Do_DA63mu5iwCOeXF7v0Ye5svc_RZHbCD7cPViziGJFF0cgOLOUGzgQv/s320/SG.png" width="246" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Six - Amid all these, there is the whole question of identity: Who are we is a confusing question. Your born sex and chosen gender need not be the same anymore. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">The multiple identities one has – the virtual vs the physical, and the ability to control and manipulate the virtual ones to fit the mood and expectations of the other is the way of life today. With 45-50% of humanity being less than 35, these transitions will have long-lasting impacts on the future of humanity. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">Understanding of Personhood itself is confused – leading to various challenging issues around the unborn child and the unproductive elderly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">The digital, technological, economic, ethnic, religious divides are prominent issues that are confusing life amid all these transitions. There could be many more to talk about, demographic changes, the refugee crises, many such more.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">As I was thinking about these, my attention was diverted by a book being read out to my grandniece. The story of the “Run-away tractor”. Ted, unable to control his runaway tractor, ends up with the trailer going off on its own, tractor and Ted ending up in a pond, and family left to pick up the pieces with much pain and costs involved. I wonder if some of these transitions are like the run-away tractor of Ted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">Or will it lead to a promised utopian state? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQAky23NL1Hpdh3FjKRHJV32tScEm-Muc7lfruiYOG-32kiyFBHZA8Rax7FtVqghGaIYoPZAVHN-RqeEjHIulhsUgICvxmfLrgDyrvBmgdqJgx5-GRinQNPwNG5T-M28nLfLMVirPY7uK9Z3fBfeLo32MpXNKFBXT5WnO3EJw_f1a3j7wdNMGUA3Vh44I/s635/Picture%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="632" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQAky23NL1Hpdh3FjKRHJV32tScEm-Muc7lfruiYOG-32kiyFBHZA8Rax7FtVqghGaIYoPZAVHN-RqeEjHIulhsUgICvxmfLrgDyrvBmgdqJgx5-GRinQNPwNG5T-M28nLfLMVirPY7uK9Z3fBfeLo32MpXNKFBXT5WnO3EJw_f1a3j7wdNMGUA3Vh44I/s320/Picture%201.png" width="318" /></a></div><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HnWo2RDAXmA" width="320" youtube-src-id="HnWo2RDAXmA"></iframe></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">But then I was called to join the family prayer. And my brother-in-law chose this song to sing, the verses of which are given below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“O God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">A reminder that the stormy blast of transition is sheltered by someone who is greater than all potentially run-away tractors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Under the shadow of Thy throne, Thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, or earth received its frame, from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">History reminds us, that there is an overshadowing presence that will remain for endless years to come!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“A thousand ages in Thy sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US">My confused ramblings and those of others like me - of even a thousand years are like an evening gone, and temporal and transitional, and all we can hold on to is…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span lang="EN-US">O God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, be Thou our Guard while life shall last, and our eternal Home! <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="https://wynk.in/music/song/croft-o-god-our-help-in-ages-past/hu_2243913" style="text-align: left;">https://wynk.in/music/song/croft-o-god-our-help-in-ages-past/hu_2243913</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">And live relevant and confident lives amid the transitions around us.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">What does it mean to live relevant lives - that for another blog…</p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-11281176886318876872023-12-24T15:38:00.004+05:302023-12-24T16:02:23.608+05:30Weary, Wandering and Wallowed…<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #374151; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7vNVgXK1L0GGYGPYgvkpFiZr4wbMXgLZw2GPA2cn38zg4b6XjKmxvghr1mzEQUpKHDYzeA3lCoLrbH8tlcAJNkIsS1NBNfavLc_T7ZqNNar07hXbF1ma4LlzMpAZF1PbMlABM-xezVIHokgYDOXCcRp3XBS0N4yRXhZLO3WuBJzh1KAW3_YG3O_KmwuY/s4032/IMG_5796.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7vNVgXK1L0GGYGPYgvkpFiZr4wbMXgLZw2GPA2cn38zg4b6XjKmxvghr1mzEQUpKHDYzeA3lCoLrbH8tlcAJNkIsS1NBNfavLc_T7ZqNNar07hXbF1ma4LlzMpAZF1PbMlABM-xezVIHokgYDOXCcRp3XBS0N4yRXhZLO3WuBJzh1KAW3_YG3O_KmwuY/s320/IMG_5796.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>I went for a walk in the hills today. I saw a tractor-trailer struggling to climb the hills with a trailer full of bricks. The driver and his helpers were trying to shift the burden around to see if the tractor could pull it up. Once loaded, however, no matter how one tries, it is not possible to reduce the load by shifting things around; the only option is to unload. Unfortunately, I am not sure what they finally did.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151; font-size: 11pt;">Is this not what life is all about? Overloaded, with many things, like a beast of burden. In the past, we used to overload beasts of burden; today, we do that with our lives—with work, wants, and worries.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">Weary with work—working for self-promotion and fulfillment, working for upward mobility and the rewards that come with it. However, I am reminded of a statement by Frederick Buechner: <i>'The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's hunger meet.'</i> And the invitation from the Master in Matthew 11:28, <i>'Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.'</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00rOMkA_iB-2kCzyVIG-ey0gct1TxNuZ5-RQRIUdGCEEYrhdHIFi76d6w3W3pfx10Jig0mbl0h9U6F_zjLX_A2ua52413m2b2gs-5xU8wuAASOEvIsnvVTSPE_45bYmFDeAFuOpCgC0EXmsv5Hk3SZ-8f1aguy2MhddztuPVXo8Ku735f2XuFG3URqvXx/s4032/IMG_5797.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00rOMkA_iB-2kCzyVIG-ey0gct1TxNuZ5-RQRIUdGCEEYrhdHIFi76d6w3W3pfx10Jig0mbl0h9U6F_zjLX_A2ua52413m2b2gs-5xU8wuAASOEvIsnvVTSPE_45bYmFDeAFuOpCgC0EXmsv5Hk3SZ-8f1aguy2MhddztuPVXo8Ku735f2XuFG3URqvXx/s320/IMG_5797.jpeg" width="240" /></a></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #374151;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">I wonder when humanity will move from work that wearies to work that gives us deep gladness.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">Wandering with wants—wandering in the heart and virtual spaces with wants and desires. Like Edmund in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' deeply wanting and desiring: <i>'It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating,' said the Queen presently. 'What would you like best to eat?' 'Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty,' said Edmund. Each piece was sweet and light to the very center, and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. 'Son of Adam, I should so much like to see your brother and your two sisters. Will you bring them to me?' 'I'll try,' said Edmund, still looking at the empty box. 'Because, if you did come again—bringing them with you, of course—I'd be able to give you some more Turkish Delight.' </i>Willing to pay any price for that deep desire…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">I wonder when I will move from wandering with desire to wonder at a privilege and desire. A desire to fulfill the wants of others, a wonder at the privilege given to us to fulfill others' wants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">Wallowed in worries—worried about what to wear, what to eat, where I'll be tomorrow, what might happen a decade from now, and many more! Like what is said in Matthew 6, <i>'If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers.'</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #374151;"><i> </i>But replace this with another worry and concern<i>.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #374151;"><i> </i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">Concerned with things that concern the Creator. The status of the world and creation around us. The wars, the refugees, and the worrying needs of many who are in the margins. The nature that is being destroyed and many such concerning issues.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqqK3w6Pp1SoE4GC5uNYcSTkij6HjOK7aj4xocNomZPYlOvx51inaGc6PMZWx8Swwn0hTIQg-9czNfXVctjm6jabdbAPiaLNwDVZ2z-_RrRkgKPJGw4IgpLrMvORqxjZtLJdVxboMK-8Z65abO6DfTQd46eKz7FcDH6SrZ1MfVfwzUHEfeh0ocqxUG1hQ/s4032/IMG_5798.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqqK3w6Pp1SoE4GC5uNYcSTkij6HjOK7aj4xocNomZPYlOvx51inaGc6PMZWx8Swwn0hTIQg-9czNfXVctjm6jabdbAPiaLNwDVZ2z-_RrRkgKPJGw4IgpLrMvORqxjZtLJdVxboMK-8Z65abO6DfTQd46eKz7FcDH6SrZ1MfVfwzUHEfeh0ocqxUG1hQ/s320/IMG_5798.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Thus, move from a soul-draining overload syndrome to soul-freeing and fulfilling work, concern for others' needs, and caring for creation.<div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #374151; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #374151;">The return from the walk up the hill was through narrow and tricky terrain! But it was worth it, from the exhausting upward mobility and climb to the release and freedom of downward mobility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p>I hope I will leave some of my work, wants and worries in hills as I move into the valleys and replace it with things that matter, this season which reminds us of God with us…</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-53142500096537733722023-12-20T10:51:00.004+05:302023-12-21T07:10:24.068+05:30Living before dying or Dying before dying?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyWqLO4rMDiVHEGGejSux0NVjjyCHithQSKSOhzuCaxrt9WAps_zPZwpqGsB4PVEHMixT-Yow5Bq3eI54FFbTklaKjZsQR3OFfUr0bbn9mDecNdizANFgH29DkzU-7S56X0frTGP9hyphenhyphenLIluwCDpI6ekKbHi31kVXafr1k99p244vS49Gy3bd_ZC26ylGJ/s904/Picture%201.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="904" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyWqLO4rMDiVHEGGejSux0NVjjyCHithQSKSOhzuCaxrt9WAps_zPZwpqGsB4PVEHMixT-Yow5Bq3eI54FFbTklaKjZsQR3OFfUr0bbn9mDecNdizANFgH29DkzU-7S56X0frTGP9hyphenhyphenLIluwCDpI6ekKbHi31kVXafr1k99p244vS49Gy3bd_ZC26ylGJ/s320/Picture%201.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">Every morning, the haunting image of the old waxified beehive tomb outside my window serves as a stark reminder of a slow demise that didn't happen overnight. Examining old pictures reveals a gradual process, taking months, if not a year, for the colony to dwindle and succumb to 'waxification'. The cause, as per expert opinions, points to the queen bee deserting the colony—an intriguing mystery in itself. A slow death preceding the final demise, rooted in the absence of the life and purpose giving presence of a queen.</span></div><div class="separator"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdMjVjxz_Pqwf9TxJbPL61kYgY7ns0zj4WGwrwfUFzRnI_TcGJ8a4Tcz5HbFSTsonn0eZ5U-qIJZ-bfTA0GDq-ORP45AkO98ci_eqCPSBXx2gmvNg5JR2IZ8EgGyaoq6q3cmQtpzNy8e-KEmCHY9D9QGLgztnnFatxNElwxalXupV_BzblnHKfNOYkKpf/s2069/IMG_5652.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2069" data-original-width="1752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdMjVjxz_Pqwf9TxJbPL61kYgY7ns0zj4WGwrwfUFzRnI_TcGJ8a4Tcz5HbFSTsonn0eZ5U-qIJZ-bfTA0GDq-ORP45AkO98ci_eqCPSBXx2gmvNg5JR2IZ8EgGyaoq6q3cmQtpzNy8e-KEmCHY9D9QGLgztnnFatxNElwxalXupV_BzblnHKfNOYkKpf/w270-h320/IMG_5652.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-inner-rot.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-inner-rot.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Reflecting on our involvement in HIV work during the early 2000s unveils a different aspect of slow death. In the pre Anti-Retroviral (ART) era, individuals without access to ART or those presenting too late faced a gradual decline due to the debilitating destruction of the immune system. The body, stripped of its protective mechanisms, couldn't fend off opportunistic infections. However, stories of resilience emerged when individuals, particularly women, presented early in the disease's progression and gained access to ART, escaping premature death. A slow death due to the internal collapse of protective mechanisms.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/12/stories-worth-listening-again.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/12/stories-worth-listening-again.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Nature, too, showcases instances of slow death, where insects and animals are zombified by parasites or other creatures, ultimately meeting their demise. The emerald cockroach wasp, for example, injects venom into a cockroach, rendering it immobile but alive. The wasp then implants an egg in the cockroach, and the larva consumes it from the inside out, leaving behind a rotting carcass. A slow death caused by the 'zombification' or paralysis of core functions.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjDGZbXT69qbLBd8yrlQ7xEdndAtkJBp8EURHHgVzXexky3y3z_F674rMmn_Ps77DRkwQ5EpOSw4EgVLNA-IW6Hlr8yR_EQJBquhM9_qXsgLkf5iTQJP7ZnaAyomWnLszCD-8L-QJOstYN8OVUONCs7MzG0Xa1kvZtAI3F_e08LcLy-Auo0Twb3YhG468/s1200/feQSCLuUcc8hSem92XyUTH-1200-80.jpg.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1200" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjDGZbXT69qbLBd8yrlQ7xEdndAtkJBp8EURHHgVzXexky3y3z_F674rMmn_Ps77DRkwQ5EpOSw4EgVLNA-IW6Hlr8yR_EQJBquhM9_qXsgLkf5iTQJP7ZnaAyomWnLszCD-8L-QJOstYN8OVUONCs7MzG0Xa1kvZtAI3F_e08LcLy-Auo0Twb3YhG468/s320/feQSCLuUcc8hSem92XyUTH-1200-80.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/34196-zombie-animals.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.livescience.com/34196-zombie-animals.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">This prompts me to ponder on the countless individuals around us who may have lost their "queen bee" (sense of purpose), carry the weight of fears and anxieties that suppress true living, (an inner destruction) or are paralyzed by toxic influences and behaviours. A metaphorical dying before dying. But with a semblance of living well externally, but internally dying or dead! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Yet, this season serves as a poignant reminder of an alternative—an open access to "Living before Dying." Lining well internally and externally. This access which is available in all seasons, points us to the One who offers "Life in all its fullness," inviting us to embrace the richness of life before the inevitability of physical death.<o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtzFAsF0zSnVxA5FloSAjOCfWzyidMKjeUfVijY1akQjmV203wWy33KEKgm4vEN9td704Up4TgAJqHjAU0Wo4BVPSuCZEUrYUYQqYLJ9uuZeCIAiCrNRfs61GFqocSYVBlmBA4t6BY7ic7oZXtNVcR_JrrUZOzNtC7-NihV3W1CfU2CWCpQtUq2KLb6r9/s1124/Picture%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtzFAsF0zSnVxA5FloSAjOCfWzyidMKjeUfVijY1akQjmV203wWy33KEKgm4vEN9td704Up4TgAJqHjAU0Wo4BVPSuCZEUrYUYQqYLJ9uuZeCIAiCrNRfs61GFqocSYVBlmBA4t6BY7ic7oZXtNVcR_JrrUZOzNtC7-NihV3W1CfU2CWCpQtUq2KLb6r9/w321-h400/Picture%201.png" width="321" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Edited by ChatGPT</span><o:p></o:p></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-74258244307389999132023-12-18T10:08:00.002+05:302023-12-19T18:55:00.321+05:30Thinking it over vs Overthinking it! <div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">Growing up, I was constantly told that every aspect of life and choices you should think it over before taking decisions. Of course it was also emphasised that there is an element of faith in God too, but use your brains too! Becoming a doctor and that too a physician, who is trained to logically think through clinical problems and solve it, was great and thinking over things became a natural part of life. Mentored by excellent teachers, who role modelled critical thinking. </span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">Later in life engaging with “Thought Leadership” (TL) programs and setting up systems for it, enhanced the skills for thinking. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">Here is an example from the TL podcasts if you want to know of this more </span><a href="https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-rpbxu-f014c2" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-rpbxu-f014c2</a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSwLSmWBBw4qIFMeOGJhtLrI8ekABi8Zh4zKx8ovM4jXe97T6nfaKm9cf6fjvN1BfPWfe1fvHpIccY4lpBsoN50lbU8nVazYXtpBaM50yUJrM2a0FlLepzScZ77jnPSSD9XtKqlzWLZ-apcHv5ET9NqKgRR1_b-V3m6UdWkcCzqYAYMttpdhyphenhyphenMse7q5NU/s480/12314-1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="480" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSwLSmWBBw4qIFMeOGJhtLrI8ekABi8Zh4zKx8ovM4jXe97T6nfaKm9cf6fjvN1BfPWfe1fvHpIccY4lpBsoN50lbU8nVazYXtpBaM50yUJrM2a0FlLepzScZ77jnPSSD9XtKqlzWLZ-apcHv5ET9NqKgRR1_b-V3m6UdWkcCzqYAYMttpdhyphenhyphenMse7q5NU/s320/12314-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the challenge I am facing as I grow older is not thinking it over, but over thinking it! Well this is not word play, but a reality. Thinking it over – is focussed thinking about an issue. But focussed thinking comes with an end, where you either come to a solution or stop focussed thinking and then move it to a diffuse thinking mode to help you to reflect and find potential solutions. </div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Here is more on focussed vs diffuse thinking.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJtUg-3DfUk" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJtUg-3DfUk</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But overthinking, there is no end to it. The brain keeps thinking on and on and moves from reality to fears and fantasies. You start imaging the worst possible scenarios or grandiose possibilities which are surreal, at best. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I thought I could blame this pattern on by upbringing and past, but I was not always like this so came to a logical realization that this cannot be nurture issue! I tried explaining this through my learning styles, blame it on how my profession pushed me into this! In one sense blame it on my teachers, again nurture issue. I thought I could find answers in neurobiology, (Blame it on the brain), but then psychiatry gives me confusing labels which is not what I want in life! See one example below. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“I am an embodied perceiver, but I am not in control of my perception”. We suggest that individuals with depersonalisation may believe that ‘another agent’ is controlling their thoughts, perceptions or actions, while maintaining full insight that the ‘other agent’ <i>is</i> ‘me’ (the self)” <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9130736/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9130736/</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But then I also recognise and realise that there are some labels which I need to receive and accept, which might contribute to overthinking too!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">In a diffuse thinking mode recently I stumbled on more aspects of my disorder. I have three disorders. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">One – a memory (mind) disorder. I forget that, things in the past where I thought over or over thought never led to disastrous or grandiose ends! A forgetfulness of the past leads me to move from thinking it over to over thinking. I thought I could blame it on the aging brain, but in my Mini Mental examination I scored well!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Two – an emotions (heart) disorder. Somewhere in the journey there has been a shift from brain to heart, mind to emotions. Truths I know by logic is suppressed by my overacting heart and emotions. I thought I could blame it on the context and culture, as Philip Rieff describes it “the dominant understanding of the self of this present age as that of psychological man, the successor to the political man, religious man, and economic man of previous eras.” <sup>1</sup> I am in a culture of “I feel there for I am” than “I think there for I am” anyway! But my soul prevented me in going that blame shifting way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Three - The soul clarified the third disorder, something that is deeper than brain or heart, a disorder of the soul. A faith issue! Somewhere I have allowed the forgetfulness of the mind and the turbulences of the heart to take over my soul’s journey of faith! I need to return 24/7 to the core of the matter. A faith that speaks to my disordered heart and mind! So that I can think things over and not over think things! I cannot find some one to blame for this! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">May be this is what the good book tells us too “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoSubtleReference" style="color: #5a5a5a; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"><sup>1</sup> Carl R. Trueman - The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self_ Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution-Crossway Books (2020) (p. 92). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoSubtleReference" style="color: #5a5a5a; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoSubtleReference" style="color: #5a5a5a; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjUfQI1sPAQ-f6K-QA1lbUmV26eWGj1s71H3lTrCehMpomUvKY2i5G7GlUmXBVJxj6oLeUEyFrChZzj_jnd08UKgLjmeGZ7epBzT95Tc-6fO_clgwC9BTG5TBPCttGEzI5mcqwzCtahXwpyHFnot5fVb11fp9-2E-abgEtMWvtxU6pOokirezwTHLtcv3/s582/asktheresultsguy_0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="582" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjUfQI1sPAQ-f6K-QA1lbUmV26eWGj1s71H3lTrCehMpomUvKY2i5G7GlUmXBVJxj6oLeUEyFrChZzj_jnd08UKgLjmeGZ7epBzT95Tc-6fO_clgwC9BTG5TBPCttGEzI5mcqwzCtahXwpyHFnot5fVb11fp9-2E-abgEtMWvtxU6pOokirezwTHLtcv3/w400-h291/asktheresultsguy_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span class="MsoSubtleReference" style="color: #5a5a5a; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;"><br /></span><p></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-51521710383248601372023-12-04T17:59:00.000+05:302023-12-04T17:59:02.110+05:30Empty pockets (The Trinity Forum - 2012)<p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;">"This is a story of empty pockets. During a recent trip to Rome, I enjoyed an evening in the company of a group that included a young Jesuit who had spent a year in El Salvador and was due to return there soon. At one point over the course of the evening’s discussion, Father Michael described the time he had spent at one of the L’Arche communities founded by Jean Vanier. L’Arche began in 1964 when Vanier bought a home in rural France and invited two adults with mental retardation to live there with him. Some sixty L’Arche communities now exist worldwide. The guiding spirit behind L’Arche differs dramatically from the therapeutic paternalism that often structures relationships between the “normal” and the “mentally handicapped.” L’Arche is a community dedicated to the unlikely proposition that the more able should not do things to or for the less able but should, instead, live with them in covenant. Writes Vanier, “Handicapped people are teachers of . . . the strong. With their tremendous qualities of heart and lives of faith and love, the handicapped give testimony to the truth that the privileged place for meeting with God is in our vulnerability and weakness.”</span><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoz4BUKRo0y7p6x1bruSwU0bzJcQPj_E2P7ZJnEiZQvNYtjjAGkcVz9Ahhsdu-E42UHTqSizmwwx6tBFKWC0A8RxzujQw3_rXIucQbAL_bn5Xpf-HXBHkJ6kQX0n00RSCNWbovYCoMAMVv5SYpYwnYD8wF-R96AuHjXnUEkO_TVjiue1Qq6c3QYLNATotz/s600/empty-pockets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoz4BUKRo0y7p6x1bruSwU0bzJcQPj_E2P7ZJnEiZQvNYtjjAGkcVz9Ahhsdu-E42UHTqSizmwwx6tBFKWC0A8RxzujQw3_rXIucQbAL_bn5Xpf-HXBHkJ6kQX0n00RSCNWbovYCoMAMVv5SYpYwnYD8wF-R96AuHjXnUEkO_TVjiue1Qq6c3QYLNATotz/s320/empty-pockets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos;"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;">I thought of Vanier’s words as I listened to Father Michael tell a story of empty pockets. At L’Arche, Michael helped to dress and clean a profoundly handicapped young man. One day it struck him that this young man went out of his room and into his world and through his life, every single day, with “empty pockets.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;">Father Michael thought of how odd that was—no change, no wallet. “No keys,” another dinner guest and I exclaimed simultaneously, showing, no doubt, both our automotive and professional preoccupations. In my own case domestic concerns also helped to account for my outburst concerning keys—keys to one’s home being central to one’s sense of self and place. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;">The real problem, Father Michael decided, was not with his handicapped brother, but, as he put it, “with me and my ideas of him and what he felt,” As Father Michael said these words he put his hand over his heart, and I mused and remarked on how the heart’s understanding of humanity is often much more generous and expansive than definitions that rely on measures of intelligence or productive capability. This led those at the table to turn to the growing eugenics enthusiasm, with its techno- cratization of birth and its tacit conviction that the world would be “better off” if “they”—the handicapped with their empty pockets—were no longer to be born, to appear among us. It is important to note that the urge to eliminate those handicapped biogenetically is a view often born of compassion. But this compassion quickly turns perverse because it is a free-floating, untethered sentimentalization, devoid of context and concrete experience or engagement with those with the empty pockets. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;">As I was driven back to my room near the Santa Maria Maggiore on that becalmed, warm Roman night, I felt a spreading sorrow, which has remained with me. For I am convinced that our reigning metaphors of success and productivity, of what “counts” </span><span style="font-family: ArnoPro, serif;">as definitive of the human, will more and more leave our fellow human beings with their empty pockets in the shadows, eclipsed, outside the circle of concern. Here the unbearable lightness of a certain sort of triumphalist and narrow secularism—I know not what else to call it—can be seen as exacting a terrific toll in its heady great leaps always forward, always upward, pockets full of keys, inexorably extending and deepening, not our awe and humility, but our drive for sovereign control. And I remembered one of Vanier’s warnings: “One of the dangers in our world is wanting to do big things, heroic things. We are called to do little things lovingly—to work to create community.” You don’t need full pockets to be a citizen of this polity."</span></p><p style="font-family: Aptos;"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span data-ogsc="rgb(51, 51, 51)" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; font-family: MyriadPro, serif; line-height: 1.2;">Elshtain, Jean Bethke. <i>Sovereignty: God, State, Self. </i>New Oxford Review<i>, </i>1992. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: Aptos; text-align: justify;"><span data-ogsc="rgb(51, 51, 51)" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; font-family: MyriadPro, serif; line-height: 1.2;">© </span><span data-ogsc="rgb(51, 51, 51)" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; font-family: MyriadPro, serif; line-height: 1.2;">The Trinity Forum. All rights reserved. 2012</span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-15225998051594953272023-12-01T17:40:00.001+05:302023-12-01T18:01:31.759+05:30Stories worth listening again....<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">(2023) I met Mrs. R after 20 years today. She and I were happy meeting each other after this long period. She said, <i>“My elder son (who is Sero-positive) is a body builder and doing very well. Younger one is married and doing well too. I am doing fine.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><i> </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNOsgdH3D18AqrvAdJOHzlUC4g6_9EDd40HFMi2rNdJ4ddEMgG2NWFSmAcvAmS87WNe_2NXr8LgoBrZy0AzcvQg4H6Q4LT_6FEV9gk41lI-lPzJwmgMU35_p3g6R5EDLyYdNCmPZvx_ibZDO8dd3WVDkCjL-Ft4B7v3041oGJt4Lt70HrEgbYlbnOQGNo/s4032/IMG_5668.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNOsgdH3D18AqrvAdJOHzlUC4g6_9EDd40HFMi2rNdJ4ddEMgG2NWFSmAcvAmS87WNe_2NXr8LgoBrZy0AzcvQg4H6Q4LT_6FEV9gk41lI-lPzJwmgMU35_p3g6R5EDLyYdNCmPZvx_ibZDO8dd3WVDkCjL-Ft4B7v3041oGJt4Lt70HrEgbYlbnOQGNo/s320/IMG_5668.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>Then she told this story. “A<i> year ago, I was waiting for my medications in the government hospital, and I saw this young lady who looked very disturbed. I went close to her and asked her what happened. She said you will not understand I am HIV positive. I smiled and told her; I am too, and I have been on medications for last 20 years. Then she said, you will not understand, I am pregnant, and I want to abort the pregnancy. I again told, I can understand, and told her my story. She after listening to my story, took my phone number and walked off. A year later I get a call from an unknown number, and it turned out to be the same lady. She did not abort, had a baby and is on treatment and doing well. This is what I do these days Sir, whenever I go for medications, find others, and encourage them”. </i><div><i><br /></i><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">20 years ago, the story given below was written as part of our learnings in the care program. This was the same Mrs. R! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">(2003) It was a Sunday morning, and I had no plans of going to the hospital. In fact, I was all set for a day of rest, a time of worship at church and some time with family. And then just as we took road turning into the church - the Call; “Could you come over to the hospital, Mr. V is not doing very well.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Mr. V was a 42-year-old well-educated businessman admitted with late symptomatic AIDS. He had been diagnosed as infected with HIV, two months prior to this when investigated for a fever of unknown origin. Except for the fever he had been doing well till then, working at his job and taking care of his family.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Now overridden with despair and rejection, feelings of guilt and a loss of will to live, from the time Mr. V learnt of his HIV status he had not left his bed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">When he had come to us, he had had extensive TB, CMV ulcers in peri-anal area, extensive HIV neuropathy and possibly pneumonia - all developed with in span of two months.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">I walked into the ward after an hour’s drive. The predominant thought being ‘what I would convey to his wife, if Mr. V was dying.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">On reaching his bedside I realized that Mr. V was not doing too well, though there had not been much deterioration from what we had observed the previous evening. He was disoriented and unable to comprehend what I was saying. It was clear that he was slowly deteriorating. I felt it was only right that I now prepare his wife for the inevitable. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Married 15 years ago, Mr. and Mrs.V had married against the wishes of both their families’, since they came from two different castes. Now diagnosed as infected a day after he was diagnosed, Mrs. V, could not bring herself to accept the fact that her husband for whom she had left her family and close relatives had been unfaithful to her...and had destroyed her life too.... She was there only because her cultural customs compelled her to care for her husband. Through her words and attitudes, she had made that clear right from the start.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">However, the past 6 days in the hospital proved to have had been a different experience for Mrs. V. She had opportunities to mingle with other women who had similar experiences, she had time at hand to talk thru’ issues with many of the staff, and she had access to stories from the bible, which she could read. There had been some rays of hope but there were still many issues that remained unclear. She decided that now was a good time as any to bring them up….<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">“Why should a man like V live. Why are you all struggling to keep him alive? Can’t you “mercy kill”? He is full of guilt, he is no use to anyone, why prolong his life” … was her question. She was quite clear what she would do if she reached this stage. She declared, “I will never allow anyone to care for me…. I will see to it that I take my life much before this happens…”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">I found I had no easy answers. My training as a physician had not prepared me to answer any of these questions. I tried theological arguments with my limited knowledge. Even my Christian experiences seemed inadequate to answer these questions. I came away almost agreeing with what she said though not expressed ….<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">It was 12 mid night the same day. Another call found me at the center again. This time for another patient. Mr. R now presenting with cardiogenic shock secondary to a HIV cardiomyopathy. He had been in and out of the hospital for the last 6 months. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Walking into the patient’s ward, I found Mr. R in severe cardiac failure and shock. There by his side stood his wife, Mrs. R. With a story very similar to that of Mrs. V. the only difference was that it had been much worse for Mrs. R.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">She had borne the brunt of his abuses, curses, and even physical torture by Mr. R, even in his unwell state…. whenever he had the strength, that was…. But here she was now, massaging her husband’s legs and trying her best to make the suffering tolerable in any way she could…. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">My glance fell upon the next bed. Mr. V. He was crying in his sleep, out of pain. Mrs. V was fast asleep beside him, oblivious to the pain her husband was going through.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">I had walked in with questions lingering in mind from the morning discussions, asking myself “Was it worth all the effort?” It suddenly dawned on me… “Yes, it was worth it. If Mrs. V could become like Mrs. R suffering, struggling and in much emotional turmoil, but at peace with herself and in the fact that there is a God who cares…it was worth the effort.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Is this not what health care should be about? Transformed lives becoming channels of transformation for others! I hope I will meet Mrs V soon too! I hear she is doing well too… <br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Visit </span><a href="https://shalomdelhi.org/" style="text-align: left;">https://shalomdelhi.org/</a> for more such stories....</p></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-15178543808447508452023-11-27T10:15:00.001+05:302023-11-28T07:07:56.500+05:30The inner rot...<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6JEgiCMPCpTF7s4pqnYJTmRMgJekcnkGl2Lt2OTmEmDUmAFRmM3y1P_7L-HMqi1Z5zv3ONFP_NFip-nm6rqN_StUNAa2lsWJ8FjefVQ8mPqvlGPtsK2OtG8WhOjFtNCJWLOfpiWlIjiSFhGaP2Y9D99ClzaU83YMJDQWF2QC-zAYdQw9KQbjQphAq0M6/s3264/IMG_0068.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6JEgiCMPCpTF7s4pqnYJTmRMgJekcnkGl2Lt2OTmEmDUmAFRmM3y1P_7L-HMqi1Z5zv3ONFP_NFip-nm6rqN_StUNAa2lsWJ8FjefVQ8mPqvlGPtsK2OtG8WhOjFtNCJWLOfpiWlIjiSFhGaP2Y9D99ClzaU83YMJDQWF2QC-zAYdQw9KQbjQphAq0M6/s320/IMG_0068.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We were a thriving colony, having settled here about three years ago. Nestled in a well-protected location surrounded by lush foliage and trees, with nearby gardens providing ample flowers for sustenance, we were flourishing at an almost overwhelming pace. At times, I thought the growth was too rapid for my liking, but the queen mother was content, and the colony saw an influx of new workers and drones. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The period from September to December was particularly bustling, marked by the addition of numerous new members. As a worker, these were busy days – foraging for enough food and tending to the needs of the newcomers. Yet, it was all worthwhile. We were a united community, and our lives revolved around the queen mother.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQkImb1OglyYBPGhlHK14Cbz1q_PmgKQw40D842vmg8xXwjrA7zjZA7ScgpzpPK3li0Eq5P9THMwhQGPI_WIot1oeckgBSp744QQpTzpuKVsCwf46RGcQZO056eTdUFeLQpsqjMLZf_WfTaAZsKeAbn-Drt3AnWrg13ekFxGau7jXaytpLUGT7OLlpwHv/s3264/IMG_0081.HEIC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQkImb1OglyYBPGhlHK14Cbz1q_PmgKQw40D842vmg8xXwjrA7zjZA7ScgpzpPK3li0Eq5P9THMwhQGPI_WIot1oeckgBSp744QQpTzpuKVsCwf46RGcQZO056eTdUFeLQpsqjMLZf_WfTaAZsKeAbn-Drt3AnWrg13ekFxGau7jXaytpLUGT7OLlpwHv/s320/IMG_0081.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One late afternoon, disaster struck. Commotion and smoke filled the air as the hive was violently dismantled by the massive hands of a human being. Many of my companions perished. I was one of the fortunate few who managed to escape alongside our queen and the drones protecting her. In those moments, I believed our lives were over, mirroring the fate of our fallen friends. However, life took an unexpected turn.</div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">In a matter of days, we found ourselves back in the same location, thriving and growing even faster, almost with a sense of determination. The colony doubled in size, and although the threat of inhumane humans lingered, we were focused on living our lives. The community thrived, and a sense of purpose permeated our existence.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Yet, as the middle of the year approached, an ominous change occurred. Many of my companions began to perish one by one. The colony started to shrink, with few able to forage for nutrients and no new workers being produced. Once again, I found myself among the survivors, and this time, I decided it was time to move on. The once-thriving colony had transformed into a haunting image etched in my mind – from a lively community, we had become a lifeless, "waxified" tomb.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9SBqBWLmulLmRLeP5pHAbOlHtLyqM6ucc_xLJB7eLOhxFlBoLwgibNLRz6GqRRy6pzn2MZVSqpmqSGMOPIq45GS_T8mcR7YddJTpt8MPdYt_DWRN8jTby9RP-5Q1271UVSfbdO1pIWvtq3v_5ZNaDcsQvg9XFAA1d3lWAZfybcayXBupKPwFHOVUNeXi/s2069/IMG_5652.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2069" data-original-width="1752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9SBqBWLmulLmRLeP5pHAbOlHtLyqM6ucc_xLJB7eLOhxFlBoLwgibNLRz6GqRRy6pzn2MZVSqpmqSGMOPIq45GS_T8mcR7YddJTpt8MPdYt_DWRN8jTby9RP-5Q1271UVSfbdO1pIWvtq3v_5ZNaDcsQvg9XFAA1d3lWAZfybcayXBupKPwFHOVUNeXi/s320/IMG_5652.HEIC" width="271" /><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">I couldn't help but wonder: What had gone wrong?"<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Bee growing experts say, death of a colony in summer/spring or fall are usually due to an inner destruction of the colony due to few reasons. Colony collapse disorder<span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); text-align: start;"> (</span>CCD<span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); text-align: start;">) an abnormal phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_bee" title="Worker bee"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none;">bees</span></a> in a bee colony disappear, leaving behind a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_bee" title="Queen bee"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none;">queen</span></a>, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees. Varroa mites and viruses are the currently the high-profile suspects in collapsing bee colonies. The other is death of the queen. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">An implosion due to death of the life giving queen or inner rot due to infestation with mites and associated viral infection. (After surviving the onslaught of an external enemy)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Much to learn for life, from nature…<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder#cite_note-1"></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><sup><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 8.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></sup></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><img alt="THE DAILY CALVIN: Calvin and Hobbes, June 26, 1989 - (70lb ..." class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" height="176" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a6/06/89/a606891476403f713587bc12b968b5f8.jpg" style="height: 176px; margin: 9px 0px; max-width: 881px; text-align: start; width: 554px;" width="667" /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Edited by ChatGPT</span><o:p></o:p></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-48313949394195787082023-11-24T15:39:00.007+05:302023-11-25T08:22:53.943+05:30Ramblings on the Rails....<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="height: 25px; left: 0px; margin-left: 342px; margin-top: 32px; position: absolute; width: 48px; z-index: 251661312;"><img height="25" src="blob:https://draft.blogger.com/f8223b26-7ef8-4d3a-b045-eb81ca34fd22" v:shapes="Straight_x0020_Arrow_x0020_Connector_x0020_2" width="48" /></span><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUY2xqo_3ZAZdxibG6ybT7GTBImtEPTXfVXbPRqY9aqss4pK1Wt-fdcn9lO1QEP5YJrfHJqNg-rskL1_C9ePA_gxGidG5fJIqkE7-OXWPAA2RzWLNHRLN-JScG29Ixf2QuQ8rUfbfc9mrYkxVzmF0mdntxCjiNX_kZB39XuTYaaZUDwZTuvB68z5Q8MYE/s1286/Lock.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="965" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUY2xqo_3ZAZdxibG6ybT7GTBImtEPTXfVXbPRqY9aqss4pK1Wt-fdcn9lO1QEP5YJrfHJqNg-rskL1_C9ePA_gxGidG5fJIqkE7-OXWPAA2RzWLNHRLN-JScG29Ixf2QuQ8rUfbfc9mrYkxVzmF0mdntxCjiNX_kZB39XuTYaaZUDwZTuvB68z5Q8MYE/w240-h320/Lock.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Traveling by train provides ample scenes for reflection and contemplation. Exiting a conference, where numerous conversations took place, the train ride became a valuable time for introspection.</div><div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">And then, I noticed it – a goods carriage securely locked with a robust padlock, not just one but three, with an additional metal wire holding them together. Below, there was yet another lock, unseen in the picture, reinforcing the security.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif">This sight brought to mind two distinct conversations. One was with a friend passionate about something but hesitant to reveal it, fearing it might not unfold as desired. The other individual feared that their uncontrolled passion might inadvertently hurt others, leading to the constant act of locking it away, albeit with occasional leaks.</span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">Isn't this a common experience for many, including myself? The first lock represents behaviors stemming from preconceived ideas, notions, and perceptions, aimed at safeguarding the heart. Underpinning this is the second lock of belief, emerging from core beliefs that people generally do not change, and interactions might lead to personal hurt. This belief, in turn, is fortified by a third lock, a worldview that accepts this as the harsh reality. Despite the deep-rooted knowledge that God can bring about change and that hurt is essential for growth, living it out remains a challenge. The fourth lock, influenced by peers and past experiences, acts as a deterrent, urging us to keep the lock closed, fearing potential pain. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face="Segoe UI, sans-serif">However, as Henry Nouwen reminds us, "Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people." True service arises from a heart wounded by the suffering we speak about. And we follow a "Wounded Healer"!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif">Then, I saw yellow fields emitting smoke – stubble burning, often blamed by urbanites for city</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisekoPHZOBm2tvdL0udj7P6XunfGhKXmYVnISa7YxFp6W39MZOWcphmzvURJaHlY5sSHkaWTsplQX22QmKmVs3c8fq5H8Tuf4FLhhKCiyOD3u7lMyelrXfpu_OSfb0xqOERZiHXk43Dqq2bHuzOSnWQG2ZYFq4bzNNYxnxhEFZrI4dDmuOcOHmoQRqH-Rx/s249/Farmer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="249" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisekoPHZOBm2tvdL0udj7P6XunfGhKXmYVnISa7YxFp6W39MZOWcphmzvURJaHlY5sSHkaWTsplQX22QmKmVs3c8fq5H8Tuf4FLhhKCiyOD3u7lMyelrXfpu_OSfb0xqOERZiHXk43Dqq2bHuzOSnWQG2ZYFq4bzNNYxnxhEFZrI4dDmuOcOHmoQRqH-Rx/w400-h266/Farmer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">pollution and attributed to the plight of poor farmers. The challenges the farmer must endure each season to ensure a good harvest became evident. The fire, the smoke, the digging, and cleaning are all part of the process, akin to the challenges in our lives. Burning the stubbles of the past is essential for progress, alongside unlocking the heart to allow it to soar freely, though it might be painful. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif">The image of a lone farmer in the grey fields, undergoing the stubble burning, longing for the new season, was thought-provoking. It exemplifies the necessity of consistent hard work, sowing, waiting, and reaping – a cycle of life with no instant gratification, but the enduring effort to make it happen year after year. Learning the "long obedience in the same direction" from the agrarian community seems crucial for personal growth after the pain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_E1OKQyG27NFRX5A68Ag0elKV6gY6s2eMHsv7Td_N0o21M6HcYw_FhsELpzeTAb1USshznFh4jWPXLKKq0E19ZEmy5_lwbCaMwhmbPJ2vpr1Q98cFoC3iqVIio5PLV_D8RMN1QT4XBPrkrCJ2zHM_LNxkan15xXPQQemFP03x98ttto81HFO7J6JD6JgL/s248/Train.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_E1OKQyG27NFRX5A68Ag0elKV6gY6s2eMHsv7Td_N0o21M6HcYw_FhsELpzeTAb1USshznFh4jWPXLKKq0E19ZEmy5_lwbCaMwhmbPJ2vpr1Q98cFoC3iqVIio5PLV_D8RMN1QT4XBPrkrCJ2zHM_LNxkan15xXPQQemFP03x98ttto81HFO7J6JD6JgL/w232-h320/Train.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">The night on the train brought another layer to the reflection. A one-year-old girl, initially entertaining everyone, started wailing when night fell. After the father's failed attempt, the mother tirelessly walked the corridors from 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM, consoling and putting her to sleep after four hours of struggle. </span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Segoe UI, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">A powerful image reminiscent of God as our father and mother, saying, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she </span><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you." A God who journey's with us...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Segoe UI", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face="Segoe UI, sans-serif">An invitation, perhaps, to break open the locks of our hearts and walk with this God, who invites us to embark on such a journey. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-9361665199326050642023-11-14T22:22:00.003+05:302023-11-14T22:38:24.815+05:30A hospitalization for my mobile (Day care surgery)<div class="separator"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><img alt="Doorstep Mobile Phone Repair Service Provider in Pune | Yaantra" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" height="213" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://www.yaantra.com/Images/LandingPagesImage/mobile-repairing.jpg" style="height: 399px; margin: 0px; max-width: 600px; text-align: start; width: 600px;" width="320" /></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"> The schedule of the day care surgery of my mobile...</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; color: black; font-variant-caps: normal; width: 633px;"><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">11.30 - Reached at 11.30 with an online appointment receipt – was attended to immediately (each appointment is 20 minutes apart).<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">11.32 - Was asked the problem (History taking), short and sweet with a smile.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">11.33 - The phone was received with care undressed after consent (can I take the cover off?), for a quick general physical examination. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">11.45 - Phone was connected to a soft ware checking app through a laptop – a thorough physical examination.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">11.46 -The results of the physical examination were shared clearly, and the tentative diagnosis was shared (Battery life suboptimal), and the need for further evaluation was informed.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">11.50 - Was asked if all backups were taken before sending for the invasive investigations – which was affirmed. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.10 - A detailed hardware assessment was done over 20 minutes using software. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.10 - The results were declared with additional system fault which might need addressing, and the need for a VMI test. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.30 - The phone was sent into the minor theatre for a VMI Visual/Mechanical Inspection, for 20 minutes, and assessment of the additional concern observed. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.45 - The results were declared good – the additional threat was declared as dust related.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.45 - Consent for battery replacement was taken.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.50 - Payment was made. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">12.50 - Phone goes into Theatre for battery replacement. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">1.20 - Phone received with transplanted battery.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">1.25 - Rerun of the soft was test was done and found normal.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">1.30 - The phone and the owner starts for home with wallet emptied. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">1.35 - Phone refuses to connect to the email account. <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">1.35 - The team revisited and I was informed to approach a specialist team for sorting this out.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">2.00 - Came home and sorted out the email issue self.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">2.15 - Feedback message and email received<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-color: currentcolor windowtext windowtext; border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 474.65pt;" valign="top" width="633"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">2.15 - Follow up appointment if needed was offered through message.<o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="text-align: start;">I </span><span style="text-align: start;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">wonder whether healthcare has learned from technology teams or vice versa. It seems that healthcare has played a significant role in instructing technologists. Because in many health care institutions, patients go through these processes with much lesser effciency. While there are similarities, the efficiency and speed technologists bring to the table surpass what we often observe within the healthcare fraternity. But then this is to not be expected in health care since body is not a machine. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: start;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But the predicament lies in viewing the body solely as a machine in need of repair in many health care systems. Healthcare often operates under the assumption articulated by Richard Dawkins, who states, "We're all machines built by DNA whose purpose is to make more copies of the same DNA. This is exactly what we're for. We're machines for propagating DNA. It is every living object's sole reason for living."<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; white-space: pre-wrap;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">In a context where healthcare perceives the body as a machine and boundaries blur, how can we recapture the reality of who we are? <span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Wyatt, in one of his videos, posits that on one hand, there are human beings who are </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">unique and made in God's image, distinct in the cosmos. On the other hand, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">there are non-human animals, close relatives yet different. Lastly, there are </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">machines, artefacts crafted by human hands and ingenuity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><img alt="Humanoid Images – Browse 439,289 Stock Photos, Vectors, and Video | Adobe Stock" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/05/79/83/69/360_F_579836914_yo2WTNUIDANJPGGvhXSGMRc6bfCmUGM7.jpg" style="height: 360px; margin: 0px; max-width: 540px; text-align: left; width: 540px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Yet, in the modern world, these distinctions are becoming less clear. The lines between a human being and an animal blur, and similarly, the line between a human and a machine diminishes. The uniqueness of having the image of God in humans defines our humanity. To be human is to possess that image. While body parts can be mended, every affected part impacts our entire being.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">So, what does it mean when humans are to be cared for? John Wyatt suggests four principles. First, treat every human being with wonder because each one is unique. Second, treat every human being with respect, acknowledging their wonderful and unique nature. Third, approach every human being with empathy, seeking to understand their experience. Finally, treat every human being with protection, especially the vulnerable, shielding them from abuse and harm. <a href="https://www.johnwyatt.com/" style="text-align: left;">https://www.johnwyatt.com/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); text-align: left;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I wonder if we could marry the efficiency of mobile 'day care' with the holistic care required for humanity? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="paragraph" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="eop"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="normaltextrun" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="normaltextrun" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span class="normaltextrun" style="text-align: start;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-34222460007654989522023-11-09T10:20:00.001+05:302023-11-09T12:19:09.069+05:30Lost on human highway...<div class="separator"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF4Hd_j-Pe5-6bFeXeNbscZ9sghZUuG9m5dQ8oKbG6LYXbi_EtUX2nOR_xiDnRQfOZiedq_ZdlV1ch0Cg1jxoiFJ3Nq4RuvNi31qhgML70ICqd4fqREdsyScwo8qv9gBvQ4IBQ7dTZldzpkpdt2pzy62vzDUiladNu_vrV0k74oph6wJRQUBxIRVBwBZL/s4032/IMG_5534.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF4Hd_j-Pe5-6bFeXeNbscZ9sghZUuG9m5dQ8oKbG6LYXbi_EtUX2nOR_xiDnRQfOZiedq_ZdlV1ch0Cg1jxoiFJ3Nq4RuvNi31qhgML70ICqd4fqREdsyScwo8qv9gBvQ4IBQ7dTZldzpkpdt2pzy62vzDUiladNu_vrV0k74oph6wJRQUBxIRVBwBZL/w640-h480/IMG_5534.HEIC" width="640" /></a></span><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Beauty </h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="446" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wX8CyJwvyBg" width="605" youtube-src-id="wX8CyJwvyBg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF4Hd_j-Pe5-6bFeXeNbscZ9sghZUuG9m5dQ8oKbG6LYXbi_EtUX2nOR_xiDnRQfOZiedq_ZdlV1ch0Cg1jxoiFJ3Nq4RuvNi31qhgML70ICqd4fqREdsyScwo8qv9gBvQ4IBQ7dTZldzpkpdt2pzy62vzDUiladNu_vrV0k74oph6wJRQUBxIRVBwBZL/s4032/IMG_5534.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bowen: Five new realities after four weeks of Israel-Gaza war - BBC News" aria-hidden="false" class="sFlh5c pT0Scc iPVvYb" height="113" jsaction="VQAsE" jsname="kn3ccd" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/C2BA/production/_131605894_0250f4472ed6568770f746750803f9768dd71d930_281_3855_21691000x563.jpg" style="height: 357px; margin: 0px; max-width: 976px; width: 634px;" width="200" /></div></a></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>Brokenness</h2></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="384" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_kZebZu_6DE" width="463" youtube-src-id="_kZebZu_6DE"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;">[Verse 1]</span></div><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">I come down from the misty mountain</div></span><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">I got lost on the human highway</div></span><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Take my head, refreshing fountain</div></span><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Take my eyes from what they've seen</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20.25px;"><br /></span></div><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">[Refrain]</div></span><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Take my head and change my mind</div></span><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><div style="text-align: center;">How could people get so unkind?</div></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;">Hope</span></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB00wDEbqSUL3Inx0vxZa01gGXcYJSFsb4kNInFdJhLomKLTIBrgZeZVKJVAreqlfbN_X6leZPYrHbyQlEBMydd1arsIT69aAk7dGa8dXIBhxXYp1aRcfJP2ST8V4XygHIFdpKp7jjjvAzNgNKsCP-0DnneR4BpOKIDy73ad1o_kMv0ZJ0wM4bHjT9xl62/s4032/IMG_5547.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB00wDEbqSUL3Inx0vxZa01gGXcYJSFsb4kNInFdJhLomKLTIBrgZeZVKJVAreqlfbN_X6leZPYrHbyQlEBMydd1arsIT69aAk7dGa8dXIBhxXYp1aRcfJP2ST8V4XygHIFdpKp7jjjvAzNgNKsCP-0DnneR4BpOKIDy73ad1o_kMv0ZJ0wM4bHjT9xl62/w640-h480/IMG_5547.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="346" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hO1QpvaOS3Y" width="416" youtube-src-id="hO1QpvaOS3Y"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Programme, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20.25px;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-51207528065725366272023-11-03T09:21:00.003+05:302023-11-03T09:49:38.885+05:30Journey of a day...<p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVX8wch72x59flLWSID6YwH4SRb30o2YfMupBVdNVVeb59dS0KI5_RSIzzataZDzxIA9o-FeRSWSdj12ItVd2bGNmf5TQECQAj7Wvgqcw6lS6Hi0a9DhKZNr732YT0jCFR3e12GvxuIqr2hVIcnXTKcCeijvfqSCdqcU9JZmsWQqMYc_utMwGi-7MOVrB/s3338/IMG_5522.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="3338" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVX8wch72x59flLWSID6YwH4SRb30o2YfMupBVdNVVeb59dS0KI5_RSIzzataZDzxIA9o-FeRSWSdj12ItVd2bGNmf5TQECQAj7Wvgqcw6lS6Hi0a9DhKZNr732YT0jCFR3e12GvxuIqr2hVIcnXTKcCeijvfqSCdqcU9JZmsWQqMYc_utMwGi-7MOVrB/s320/IMG_5522.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Morning visit to the care program for people infected and affected by HIV, and other individuals from marginalized communities, was soul-uplifting, as it usually is. Listening to the women who were being empowered through a tailoring project was both challenging and encouraging. It was challenging to hear the struggles faced by some of these HIV-positive and other marginalized women. However, it was encouraging to see how the team had thought reflectively about what could make a difference in the lives of these women who had no other options. All of this was motivated by love for these people. Still, there was a worry looming in the background - with the changing context of our nation, would this demonstration of love and compassion continue into the future? After all, the program was founded by a faith-based organization. The team was troubled by the potential reactive responses from those in power in our nation - could it hamper the support to these lives? </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span>(Those who want the products made by these women, reach out)</span></i></div></span><p></p><p></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet, my perspective shifted when I reflected on my own reaction to a person who had called me around that time, talking negatively about some of my friends. I had reacted impulsively, realizing soon enough that reactive responses were not solely others' problems; they were mine too.</span></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0vUGrDJoUCgRCYlHEoSOPiIrxEPnqGU_O7IelmX0R71FY0Lxpel6wZzRV5in890dGK0rI2X65bjO0LZDvWTtzYOlkzrURFwNINP2YzMqiUlkno_5eaDxb09iWauorLc4V1FHuy7jRKdzpPGDtd16BL-TOylqXfBRTQbqO8tZqKuREkDBb8Pfqo4p6shz/s4032/IMG_5524.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0vUGrDJoUCgRCYlHEoSOPiIrxEPnqGU_O7IelmX0R71FY0Lxpel6wZzRV5in890dGK0rI2X65bjO0LZDvWTtzYOlkzrURFwNINP2YzMqiUlkno_5eaDxb09iWauorLc4V1FHuy7jRKdzpPGDtd16BL-TOylqXfBRTQbqO8tZqKuREkDBb8Pfqo4p6shz/s320/IMG_5524.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I decided to change my course. Instead of going back home, to stay with a close family member and I chose to travel by Metro. However, the pollution levels were concerning, having exceeded 600 AQI. The horizon was nothing but a hazy blur. It was a recurring saga for Delhiites, a problem forgotten by many until it happens each year. Then, today the government machinery "reacted" into action. In the morning newspaper, a few temporary decisions were announced. But this was expected, as this smoggy pilgrimage was something we were expected to endure annually. I wondered, why not some reflective proactive preventive action? The answer remains elusive.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI475ryoB1qPiFgACFmsoxSmrv2PDqHxp3ucsDmaJR77f-mcQqLjYPNaAoUvb8ZLet4XNmmT7np3AuaJiWN_VPOI1y60chaU6ofuRdv3-revP_P8ypd9awYqBo-cNq8c5lr3DtdTSuAx68XYnjhJKIXL4Ec0pidCiLFmLE3bLH_eRa2oWRzS0AcIHmzwAS/s1334/IMG_5525.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI475ryoB1qPiFgACFmsoxSmrv2PDqHxp3ucsDmaJR77f-mcQqLjYPNaAoUvb8ZLet4XNmmT7np3AuaJiWN_VPOI1y60chaU6ofuRdv3-revP_P8ypd9awYqBo-cNq8c5lr3DtdTSuAx68XYnjhJKIXL4Ec0pidCiLFmLE3bLH_eRa2oWRzS0AcIHmzwAS/s320/IMG_5525.PNG" width="180" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Late at night, around 11:30 PM, I had a sudden revelation. I remembered a forgotten act. I had left my car at the Metro station early in the morning, handing over the key and telling them I'd return at 4:00 PM. Various discussions occurred with friends, contemplating the worst and best scenarios, including the idea of driving the 30 km amid dense smog. Ultimately, I decided to wait until morning to see what would happen.</span></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); margin: 1.25em 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">After a restless sleep filled with the worst-case scenarios playing in my mind, I arrived at the Metro parking lot at 7:00 AM, 30 km away. I couldn’t find my car where I had left it, and my heart skipped a beat. I asked the parking lot attendant, the same person I had spoken to the previous day, about my car. He reassured me, "Don’t worry, it’s here. All cars are always safe; that's our job." </span><span><span><i>(Disclaimer: Those attempting similar action should do so at their own risk; the writer is not liable for any losses incurred)</i></span>.</span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The reason for my action can be found in this blog. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><span><a href="https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/08/gold-fish-memories-and-mediterranean.html">https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/08/gold-fish-memories-and-mediterranean.html</a></span></i></span></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); margin: 1.25em 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">In that moment, I had a sudden realization and revelation - our nation is built by such people. People who take their small or big responsibilities to heart and live them out day after day. People who reflectively try to make a difference in the lives of those who are marginalized. And not by those who react and respond. Of course, there are some like me, who forget and need revelations, but are ultimately saved by those who go the extra mile to take care of people even in the face of foolish actions.</span></p><p style="border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(209, 213, 219); font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wonder how my journey will be tomorrow? reactive, reflective or revealed? </span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-88061982350004019972023-10-29T20:03:00.030+05:302023-10-29T20:15:14.738+05:30Camouflaged characters...<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The quotes and content in this article has been taken from the first section of the book “When None Sees” Copyright © 1992, 2000 by The Trinity Forum<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Recently, in a meeting of friends (baby boomers, to be precise), an ongoing discussion revolved around the loss of character in political circles. As a generation raised during an era of character-driven political discourses, we feel a responsibility to act. I don't hear the younger generation discussing these matters much. Yet, I recall when I was young, looking down on my parents' generation, hearing them lament about how good things were in their time. And now, it seems, it's our turn to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">However, reading the book mentioned above reminded me that such discussions have persisted throughout history. If a Roman emperor from the AD 160s could write, "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one," perhaps baby boomers or elders would have been discussing the same matters back then. A sobering thought indeed (Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from A.D. 161–180). At another time, Marcus wrote, “To change your mind and to follow him who sets you right is to be nonetheless the free agent that you were before,” communicating that to be truly free, one must follow the right path.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRN3FFJzbLyY1uSPIHBMB-DhCzHG8HT-FPJrnMou2JuMQyUTJ1fVxlzBEAMvjSEWAdlufTpmlgKIU-4nucsuJYD62ZZIhHJIebL1Zvzo-DMAe_4dCnQ1k4ilJs0-76Q3A68fdaVCJ_KzeR-qLuZt9_VGKJEFEheWptltg7MJv2UafMYvPtj6i5U1_lq2nh/s1200/best-animal-camouflage-17.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 14.666667px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRN3FFJzbLyY1uSPIHBMB-DhCzHG8HT-FPJrnMou2JuMQyUTJ1fVxlzBEAMvjSEWAdlufTpmlgKIU-4nucsuJYD62ZZIhHJIebL1Zvzo-DMAe_4dCnQ1k4ilJs0-76Q3A68fdaVCJ_KzeR-qLuZt9_VGKJEFEheWptltg7MJv2UafMYvPtj6i5U1_lq2nh/w400-h266/best-animal-camouflage-17.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">So, is this an age-old issue that every generation, especially the aging, will bemoan and eventually move on from? Or is it worth our concern? Concerned enough to stop arguing and embody a person of character, or should we be worried about setting ourselves and others, right? Is it even possible to set others, right?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">President Eisenhower once said, leadership involves “Vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation, and profundity of character.” Yet today, profundity of character and integrity are seemingly no longer prerequisites for leadership. All one needs is the power of articulation and the courage to communicate well what they want. Vision now revolves around what can be extracted from people for short-term goals — the next election!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Politics has become a new form of packaging. It's about packaging individuals so effectively that people believe they've found a saviour in the product being presented. The book mentioned above states, “Style, style, style—if money is the mother’s milk of modern politics, style is its lifeblood. Whereas style and substance were once linked, today style has become an end in itself. Perception is now reality. Identity is about presentation. Style is the art of skillfully packaging illusions and projecting them with confidence as we walk down the corridor of images that make up modern societies.” As the author reminds us, Vogue editor Diana Vreeland’s motto, “fake it, fake it,” is now the First Commandment of the spin-doctor and the commercial-maker. As Vreeland advises, “Never worry about facts. Project an image to the public.” Once again, the casualty is character.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwuNYTLjtTI7_ejfbJt2uGuaOHIs56FRC_7-aVk_W-3rP0C3f8U_QSM4C-UtdWQ8bmDVkayCOL9nW45WDF1GMkoDiv5ztTuGpCt01ggCXG_CDRCOtLXDucxrFkWnX0rdvb8mYD3jLcQ289ASua39dnEI-yt4BaO7k089j44gPEX0d1k44i6MUEiM2JZRy/s904/CH3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="904" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwuNYTLjtTI7_ejfbJt2uGuaOHIs56FRC_7-aVk_W-3rP0C3f8U_QSM4C-UtdWQ8bmDVkayCOL9nW45WDF1GMkoDiv5ztTuGpCt01ggCXG_CDRCOtLXDucxrFkWnX0rdvb8mYD3jLcQ289ASua39dnEI-yt4BaO7k089j44gPEX0d1k44i6MUEiM2JZRy/w640-h226/CH3.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">However, Friedrich Nietzsche said almost 175 years ago, “Mankind would rather see gestures than listen to reasons,” and Søren Kierkegaard, in 1840, wrote, “A revolutionary age is an age of action; ours is an age of advertisement and publicity. Nothing ever happens, but there is immediate publicity everywhere.” Once again, there seems to be nothing new under the sun, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">But then, we get what we deserve. When we discard adoration and worship of the creator, replacing it with self-promoting goals, we search for man-made saviors who can give us something more or greater. Because self-promotion is never enough to satisfy us. Hence, the media gives us God-men or Men-gods who are packaged well. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Benjamin Disraeli said, “Man is made to adore and obey; but if you give him nothing to worship, he will fashion his own divinities and find a chieftain in his own passions.” Historian Jacob Burckhardt wrote, “People no longer believe in principles but will, periodically, probably believe in saviors... For this reason, authority will raise its head again in the pleasant twentieth century.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">Yet, this issue isn't confined to politics alone. When self-promotion and self-worship become gods, “It is forbidden to forbid” others. Each person has the freedom to be what they want and live for whatever they desire. Yet, character is once again sacrificed. W. H. Auden wrote, “One of the troubles of our time is that we are all, I think, precocious as personalities and backward as characters.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">The media and AI tools play into this game, feeding us packaged information and camouflaged individuals who can strike when the enemy is unsuspecting and alter their course with the context and season. Our 21st-century animal instincts to camouflage character in colors that blind us!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;">And we play along, engaging in a game of Calvinball. Following Calvin and Hobbs who invented a new ball game, based on rules that are ever changing. We hold onto short-term gains, but at what cost? Forgetting</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.666667px;"> that the camouflaged animals will be revealed one day, flexible rules will lead to consequences, even in this post-truth culture. A loss of</span></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.666667px;"> the long-term benefits of a life lived well.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHcUc5oJM49MRK3CpPgfkKshMVVPysx98xiM2F-gL0aPIRp7-3aU2RNS2azh0DX2S87zQRY88WEjpKnFSzqPhY0BxZ__TSfrJ_beX7ZQGmVbc2mzpMcadX0D4TLH5przetgCVSMgYvUwag67wquidV1Ix0IJh1c-oUAMqR6ZL_99QdzQ7nt6qm3ulJk5q/s904/CH2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="904" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHcUc5oJM49MRK3CpPgfkKshMVVPysx98xiM2F-gL0aPIRp7-3aU2RNS2azh0DX2S87zQRY88WEjpKnFSzqPhY0BxZ__TSfrJ_beX7ZQGmVbc2mzpMcadX0D4TLH5przetgCVSMgYvUwag67wquidV1Ix0IJh1c-oUAMqR6ZL_99QdzQ7nt6qm3ulJk5q/w640-h446/CH2.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">However, a life that is lived well emerges from four aspects: core, consistency, cost, and community. Character stems from the “inner form” or core of a person. A core that is constant, revealing a person’s character best through consistent actions rather than a single statement or random act. As Nietzsche said, “a long obedience in the same direction.” The core can only come from a transformed heart. Consistent core-character is usually formed and best revealed in the crucible of testing, and thus, it comes at a cost.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 14.666667px;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1wqhD7BxQ0DpR5uYOp4H9IMn54jjsDoHFXP7ZF3Ona9mhUJgsRmA1MfSNJLvl_ZG7pkg5QStQKg3o-iNlJXj7li4DYykUcueBZnHi0wYh1PDOXfTR7arKJXz5reohlyN3fQdvRgtl045yNfmTDEqUqfOKMCz-1BUowsCgYBVZ4rSIEMo_R4Uqhzsll0S/s904/CCCC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="904" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1wqhD7BxQ0DpR5uYOp4H9IMn54jjsDoHFXP7ZF3Ona9mhUJgsRmA1MfSNJLvl_ZG7pkg5QStQKg3o-iNlJXj7li4DYykUcueBZnHi0wYh1PDOXfTR7arKJXz5reohlyN3fQdvRgtl045yNfmTDEqUqfOKMCz-1BUowsCgYBVZ4rSIEMo_R4Uqhzsll0S/w640-h242/CCCC.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But then we need communities that discuss this, communities that keep us on track! Not just boomers, but cross-generational communities that inspire one another</span><span style="color: #c7cbd3; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">to believe that character counts!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj871ZY2X0_yPi2J8B9_Mefbx86aDexumE68Xs5CEc3liCJETd5to5ZYZPdnZgzYG_bq9OcImfnOJYCObojpIkjtbVF5YuJedcbIqXnKQSYeM6d_LDt93uRY5clVhwQtUixqz7-K7CP3CwekV-xCORx0fQcdoo7A-m_YbcnbFPE0nqtODajjUuGjrju6sWt/s904/CH1.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14.666667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="904" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj871ZY2X0_yPi2J8B9_Mefbx86aDexumE68Xs5CEc3liCJETd5to5ZYZPdnZgzYG_bq9OcImfnOJYCObojpIkjtbVF5YuJedcbIqXnKQSYeM6d_LDt93uRY5clVhwQtUixqz7-K7CP3CwekV-xCORx0fQcdoo7A-m_YbcnbFPE0nqtODajjUuGjrju6sWt/w640-h240/CH1.png" width="640" /></a> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;">When No One Sees, THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER IN AN AGE OF IMAGE, Copyright © 1992, 2000 by The Trinity Forum. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-6359606728988027892023-10-26T08:54:00.000+05:302023-10-26T08:54:00.647+05:30Am I a "webaholic"?<p></p>Am I a web-aholic? See below some data from a global cohort. <br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaWdJRnpzmM0BdsUGP7CxlsgN7acxnFdGZx7H4itpqj7iCvhzqbfLhU9bAZcrlpi5JTZofO40VIcXhQ3ihhJmho9aTbUBymByTUA77s3gtjn_SLlSB15xwSMTuq0i94isQX1nEghOJ7lyp8r4QhABmi6Crj-23qDsx0WEjNn5AweDMoxavXrz65sjlufy/s1334/IMG_5434.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaWdJRnpzmM0BdsUGP7CxlsgN7acxnFdGZx7H4itpqj7iCvhzqbfLhU9bAZcrlpi5JTZofO40VIcXhQ3ihhJmho9aTbUBymByTUA77s3gtjn_SLlSB15xwSMTuq0i94isQX1nEghOJ7lyp8r4QhABmi6Crj-23qDsx0WEjNn5AweDMoxavXrz65sjlufy/w640-h360/IMG_5434.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjiaIq4qMiq-7dRETAEC_SPecCJrY3RR6gQ40pIeEQfFG6qgOC1m0XNaP4E0wwrXSljpF0W3yMEcUeJ3sw2IF-9AZZgvitt9u0x-KzMDgjljimr0BRLmn14G5Up8_JWtbTL4GXbPtVHzU8SE5qjVnq8B2FVQk62lVJC6zLa27Ks8aV1wwWMKKfnd0MGjh/s1331/IMG_5435.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1331" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjiaIq4qMiq-7dRETAEC_SPecCJrY3RR6gQ40pIeEQfFG6qgOC1m0XNaP4E0wwrXSljpF0W3yMEcUeJ3sw2IF-9AZZgvitt9u0x-KzMDgjljimr0BRLmn14G5Up8_JWtbTL4GXbPtVHzU8SE5qjVnq8B2FVQk62lVJC6zLa27Ks8aV1wwWMKKfnd0MGjh/w640-h312/IMG_5435.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYg15oMTlu_NOH3ZbHI04RdRUif7U6uiNWi8cnqMcdlEVzDdfSO9LbpGmQfrpKdLwIXTnuUuncyhr6bJyMMl14LG8KyT3JkaTYxKaeMT5XxT5UMupd7G8LSHb_stlnVgdAjITUD9AyYDkFszW7rDGJRDp64MC8-3eeWruQRJJTINLB4xmZ6YLp81qNZo6e/s1331/IMG_5437.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1331" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYg15oMTlu_NOH3ZbHI04RdRUif7U6uiNWi8cnqMcdlEVzDdfSO9LbpGmQfrpKdLwIXTnuUuncyhr6bJyMMl14LG8KyT3JkaTYxKaeMT5XxT5UMupd7G8LSHb_stlnVgdAjITUD9AyYDkFszW7rDGJRDp64MC8-3eeWruQRJJTINLB4xmZ6YLp81qNZo6e/w640-h310/IMG_5437.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63JcB8VYaIfEkqGv6_2mN5wrJZ8XKOK82CsjreTa_S7gTmMAt-OhcaNvB1h3O3S43dnmNmlWGlCyX2aSWW7F3bFJE7EySJtS_XI5fDVtNY7Vy_6nTRSaD-LQ12YAkBJj7dirPomWyTPYqhfqbmin3mPj4MflSfMKUKx54vgCn72WFJwL9WoP03sMBH05q/s1331/IMG_5436.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="1331" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63JcB8VYaIfEkqGv6_2mN5wrJZ8XKOK82CsjreTa_S7gTmMAt-OhcaNvB1h3O3S43dnmNmlWGlCyX2aSWW7F3bFJE7EySJtS_XI5fDVtNY7Vy_6nTRSaD-LQ12YAkBJj7dirPomWyTPYqhfqbmin3mPj4MflSfMKUKx54vgCn72WFJwL9WoP03sMBH05q/w640-h306/IMG_5436.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The modified CAGE questionnaire (<a href="https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/cage-questionnaire-assessment">https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/cage-questionnaire-assessment</a>)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(28, 40, 56); color: #1c2838; font-family: Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">C – Cutting Down</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A – Annoyance by Criticism</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">G – Guilty Feeling</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">E – Eye-openers</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHvWYUUpE6qxUo3HVfxciAYExtRnAozbQvHv4kzsswogTY3K72XmE-fRbCmrUqS_VMu-dvQXJ302_CFgK3in7etBARs_fqhyus_Dn3y9ZdqqAeFBY3zm5zSHHlpVX5Z2bGoCm4oNAgQA4-MXJNcYbaOwhmzBJcy5MTvcxVRAji8QcOh0qj6SIDv4jtS2C/s1331/IMG_5438.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1331" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHvWYUUpE6qxUo3HVfxciAYExtRnAozbQvHv4kzsswogTY3K72XmE-fRbCmrUqS_VMu-dvQXJ302_CFgK3in7etBARs_fqhyus_Dn3y9ZdqqAeFBY3zm5zSHHlpVX5Z2bGoCm4oNAgQA4-MXJNcYbaOwhmzBJcy5MTvcxVRAji8QcOh0qj6SIDv4jtS2C/w640-h310/IMG_5438.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6uZZF94iitRX2XxWf9xQF4xZuaeTWxry-WXOvivHcjDv9LGCjviYZSczPobF2B8ifSfk525w4cOw0F8HvhLDl4WBRlf1t5DyrX9ufPTsFNi0abHsLl-NWZKgus7QgmKh4gxr_HGMEWaj1hACUA1uLp9Mtk5K-9htcKIHKWBy6HtXIkk14Igy1MxtRsnh/s1331/IMG_5439.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1331" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6uZZF94iitRX2XxWf9xQF4xZuaeTWxry-WXOvivHcjDv9LGCjviYZSczPobF2B8ifSfk525w4cOw0F8HvhLDl4WBRlf1t5DyrX9ufPTsFNi0abHsLl-NWZKgus7QgmKh4gxr_HGMEWaj1hACUA1uLp9Mtk5K-9htcKIHKWBy6HtXIkk14Igy1MxtRsnh/w640-h314/IMG_5439.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Has time on gadgets become so accepted that this does not bother others?<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNWInBIzDuEHD5Oa4baukk1qg5c0awVc9ZitOPouyxtfWgbClk9KNDg6AdHK9CW0AKG7R8JW1R4FxUmuJbxZQrWrJEoC5iOniQOf7t-Rf2L3jOJt7BdxyC2d8m50K1ebFDd0mvZSzxnclAo__iWbiVeQ5KkAHWOlcjCQ7zix9llMSP22A2bJVZSOUJNZi/s1331/IMG_5440.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="1331" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNWInBIzDuEHD5Oa4baukk1qg5c0awVc9ZitOPouyxtfWgbClk9KNDg6AdHK9CW0AKG7R8JW1R4FxUmuJbxZQrWrJEoC5iOniQOf7t-Rf2L3jOJt7BdxyC2d8m50K1ebFDd0mvZSzxnclAo__iWbiVeQ5KkAHWOlcjCQ7zix9llMSP22A2bJVZSOUJNZi/w640-h310/IMG_5440.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWnxmLJS7JRBDPoSCfB7lx6hfVkVADq0TvMOyhIk3Nt0rDCMXCK5FFyvs6n2C09mvFJ95i8V8cTGMSDyu3MaZlBbQmFs0wu44ga3WsNACZf5R2-8IC0quuMnB1wUy-RtM-hQ3wscCC17sjrMcI-DkL7rPafjTyay1OXROkyzZSAMgCLi2vTXQPMTfHgla/s1331/IMG_5441.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1331" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWnxmLJS7JRBDPoSCfB7lx6hfVkVADq0TvMOyhIk3Nt0rDCMXCK5FFyvs6n2C09mvFJ95i8V8cTGMSDyu3MaZlBbQmFs0wu44ga3WsNACZf5R2-8IC0quuMnB1wUy-RtM-hQ3wscCC17sjrMcI-DkL7rPafjTyay1OXROkyzZSAMgCLi2vTXQPMTfHgla/w640-h310/IMG_5441.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8J9eftJztQUs7onVj1fKI7Eb8_sVB_gDmUU9hEtr8I1_udkhM3Sv-jIiSvamz8yYEXWr1XqnZr05DGVkizpgb8bYhdJof9lnszzgahT7PbSFB5Zeejo9C-GI-4-QbzXXrJIUkHRUuYxVAjnpVHQv_o1oUtjAPHJLUjpiZThfffR3QcOv9hBXl0j0cN4yv/s1200/3F911D3B-FAEE-4DA6-BFF7-E77C13A63854.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8J9eftJztQUs7onVj1fKI7Eb8_sVB_gDmUU9hEtr8I1_udkhM3Sv-jIiSvamz8yYEXWr1XqnZr05DGVkizpgb8bYhdJof9lnszzgahT7PbSFB5Zeejo9C-GI-4-QbzXXrJIUkHRUuYxVAjnpVHQv_o1oUtjAPHJLUjpiZThfffR3QcOv9hBXl0j0cN4yv/w640-h640/3F911D3B-FAEE-4DA6-BFF7-E77C13A63854.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibD_1EaIZ3lDerbcT01pcUJ742CpKYWwu1s9fOGKC1yBMnLqnjRY0pmlbbMqj6lkwItSGbM83041AEDHbRAhRCcSzmWUTaPsQgQAVNHIfTrsFtykqChKTCCSVB4atoU_FKYkZtTHRHGfTckO9svAWnYJDsU4ZoJnGKQ6Ur5yOJZG5ynO8ZMOtLyFyLeEkn/s1200/5E52E306-D2EC-40DD-85CC-66101253247C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibD_1EaIZ3lDerbcT01pcUJ742CpKYWwu1s9fOGKC1yBMnLqnjRY0pmlbbMqj6lkwItSGbM83041AEDHbRAhRCcSzmWUTaPsQgQAVNHIfTrsFtykqChKTCCSVB4atoU_FKYkZtTHRHGfTckO9svAWnYJDsU4ZoJnGKQ6Ur5yOJZG5ynO8ZMOtLyFyLeEkn/w640-h640/5E52E306-D2EC-40DD-85CC-66101253247C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Watch out this space for more dis-aggregated data - are Baby boomers more addicted than Gen Z? </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-15663200611351617262023-10-18T09:35:00.004+05:302023-10-18T09:56:53.457+05:30Community our nation needs...<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCFrGBygOiBF1oTm5kEbYJUejyx4M0IQ2lSoAkdPDA_1hFb_pIv1HyNU56lH1aKhOpgu2HuYqvh8yFUY6ToYeZKhcCrveNSMKkqAnMcoi577QKjHJ7dzTd6RqguydzL5vIdFkqnEIbxzjxPjn2FVLUvB-etvqNwV394mp3yFWHNNymQItftd76SKzoS_Z/s640/IMG_5359.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCFrGBygOiBF1oTm5kEbYJUejyx4M0IQ2lSoAkdPDA_1hFb_pIv1HyNU56lH1aKhOpgu2HuYqvh8yFUY6ToYeZKhcCrveNSMKkqAnMcoi577QKjHJ7dzTd6RqguydzL5vIdFkqnEIbxzjxPjn2FVLUvB-etvqNwV394mp3yFWHNNymQItftd76SKzoS_Z/w200-h200/IMG_5359.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>It was early 70s. A batch of young boys grew up together over 6 years. A complex group of young boys who soon are together to be young men. People from various religion, life backgrounds, thought processes and desires and plan. Differences aside we grew together agreeing to disagree but agreeably. Moving away from each other in 1976, to pursue their dreams for life. The batch of 76. </span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5);"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">47 years down the line, the batch still the remains the batch of 76. We have grown in girth and BMIs. More knowledgeable and probably wise too. Many have made it well in life. Some may not feel that about themselves but have contributed much to the society. </span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28OZp6aFbNOOdqmBLsRylxbLtdaWb5c6LzJaC9zH-Q9touDp_PPykPWlDFfRTXzXM3FrNwwQjkq3UruvfMPA7KODNZ4TsfWWWb-jbG1s0NfPWRZ9ATgWBc2dv1rRlzh_kiB-OXaXR-yzjLG7OgVhrv5AFRancO_v0jeyydXQHkeK0AVttRV5vwZpluPqa/s3840/D13F5356-6591-4958-AD39-A364A8388309.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2160" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28OZp6aFbNOOdqmBLsRylxbLtdaWb5c6LzJaC9zH-Q9touDp_PPykPWlDFfRTXzXM3FrNwwQjkq3UruvfMPA7KODNZ4TsfWWWb-jbG1s0NfPWRZ9ATgWBc2dv1rRlzh_kiB-OXaXR-yzjLG7OgVhrv5AFRancO_v0jeyydXQHkeK0AVttRV5vwZpluPqa/w113-h200/D13F5356-6591-4958-AD39-A364A8388309.jpeg" width="113" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We remain the batch of 76, with many differences between us. Some frantically political, some apolitical, some deeply religious, others agnostic, some retired and enjoying retired like others still busy in their business of life. Some need spirits to keep the machines running, others prefer a spiritless life. Some with BP’s (Literally) others sweet in their blood, some ignoring the reality of ageing! Some crazy to try acrophobic activities, some more not willing to risk.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But for me joining the recent get togethers was an eye opener. We remain the same, batch of 76, with all our differences. Some might say we are all Mallus. Yes, we are, but some KMs, others NRMs yet others NRIMs, who look at life differently, but still one community. I was left with a few learnings as I joined this group, though a bit late in life. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFAki9X3-8sFAun0KBSUsqG5a4Ypk3vWxjjW0XmJi-uItyh-LXF3gCQGymZM0pyRZxQzcUQgy29vko8W9gDPyIMr1ewAEStDDV9fx6rHQ3xuxn94lIHxGt8k8zwQw1YUL3Ytmj6c1TjGHmUoLiJ951AnQm_qJFD8qH4oJwV7tSX6qiLCWBDEFQpb4SoS4/s1024/bd85194c-103b-4eb0-9b7f-a9fe16017288.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFAki9X3-8sFAun0KBSUsqG5a4Ypk3vWxjjW0XmJi-uItyh-LXF3gCQGymZM0pyRZxQzcUQgy29vko8W9gDPyIMr1ewAEStDDV9fx6rHQ3xuxn94lIHxGt8k8zwQw1YUL3Ytmj6c1TjGHmUoLiJ951AnQm_qJFD8qH4oJwV7tSX6qiLCWBDEFQpb4SoS4/w276-h207/bd85194c-103b-4eb0-9b7f-a9fe16017288.jpeg" width="276" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">One - A sense of Community. In a context where we are being divided by nation, political allegiances, religion, caste, tribe, a community that does not consider differences as things to hold on to but commonality to be celebrated. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two - Community that is content. Many of us content in the little or more we have, either because as some of us see - God gave it, or as others see - fate directed us or we made it ourselves. But still content. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA5IZYDntGPIdEDkak1d5z8X0X23Vjy8ED-xFeo5L6tjB7GuuPNlA3xRYu02nzTLgWSqdsWXOIdJZ2Xid5FFr5nmjX6z_k62HYrJReMLOFsG5YK9JgS5zShm-knut_KHbZhLC0c6ow-wpvsqlDRfOBwea8947PqEw81zmJT2xW432HihNv7z2NVQzdOcN/s1599/b2a00a66-4130-4450-ab96-c8d8a45c1cc6.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1599" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA5IZYDntGPIdEDkak1d5z8X0X23Vjy8ED-xFeo5L6tjB7GuuPNlA3xRYu02nzTLgWSqdsWXOIdJZ2Xid5FFr5nmjX6z_k62HYrJReMLOFsG5YK9JgS5zShm-knut_KHbZhLC0c6ow-wpvsqlDRfOBwea8947PqEw81zmJT2xW432HihNv7z2NVQzdOcN/s320/b2a00a66-4130-4450-ab96-c8d8a45c1cc6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></span></p><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three - Discontented community - There was a sense of discontentment too, with things happening around us. Some passionate about making a difference, others concerned equally. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5);"><br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">Four - A community driven by some basic foundational character and values. In a world that is losing its character and values, a community of people who live and role model lives of character. (A bit crazy too, to try things which some of us have never done in the past!)</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p></p><p></p></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">Five - A sense of compassion - trying in our own small ways to help those not fortunate as us. Meeting our teachers and expressing gratitude for their contribution. Willing to see beyond our little and complex lives at the needs of others. Contributing to the school, and many others needs in our nation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">And not complaining much too! How did this happen? What made the difference? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK2ECBfg6GfOdCOGNmT7kNrHs1yBybST-oYiH9b1cd6Tcf9ZkqwxCcZBoDOxd-dm9yQSImS_LAzzy9xnip6uymq4FDVoTPQ0uvFgZoJy45z3_XBoelMHDH-Ofd1hbriQH8ImH6DEL9E0-QLQZ0NXjCQn5MxSE67Q77AssTV5TPSrECDxROECTAo9mRu81/s778/8a3f7d53-4e4b-4afb-8345-17882a97d8f3.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="626" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK2ECBfg6GfOdCOGNmT7kNrHs1yBybST-oYiH9b1cd6Tcf9ZkqwxCcZBoDOxd-dm9yQSImS_LAzzy9xnip6uymq4FDVoTPQ0uvFgZoJy45z3_XBoelMHDH-Ofd1hbriQH8ImH6DEL9E0-QLQZ0NXjCQn5MxSE67Q77AssTV5TPSrECDxROECTAo9mRu81/w161-h200/8a3f7d53-4e4b-4afb-8345-17882a97d8f3.jpeg" width="161" /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> </span></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit;">This was made possible by a few worthwhile leaders who keep us moving ahead, people who are discontent with context and who stimulate us with their passion. Of course, not to forget the good food and “spirits” and fellowship that nourish our bodies and heart.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is this not what our nation needs too, such communities when our nation is going through deep divisions based on caste and religion? Leaders who will facilitate and grow communities that agree to disagree agreeably but celebrate the commonness of humanity? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How good it is when brothers (and sisters) live in unity....</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjesHwKOZ6_7pUHTBWyFQGcW0ROlqxbjE-zhrWZPnkwaso7McCJqp2IsGFZzYKm7xAX5xHHfZgvHiEbSDkw4_h7FK63GGk4mrm2djdEi_RxTANalq8KHESWQGA4Ks669ZYJ-kaP0HJlOn6B2DCrxE9YMisDsZc0588m3RUUMUAaHqm6GCRWAVSWqEjETL/s1280/0a6013fb-c509-44c9-9ead-f2913156c839.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1280" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjesHwKOZ6_7pUHTBWyFQGcW0ROlqxbjE-zhrWZPnkwaso7McCJqp2IsGFZzYKm7xAX5xHHfZgvHiEbSDkw4_h7FK63GGk4mrm2djdEi_RxTANalq8KHESWQGA4Ks669ZYJ-kaP0HJlOn6B2DCrxE9YMisDsZc0588m3RUUMUAaHqm6GCRWAVSWqEjETL/w640-h344/0a6013fb-c509-44c9-9ead-f2913156c839.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75i4kFCnP2VPe1wUitJtemAgm-z5po2wDUpBoNHTeiOxkMbQ63PHaia3BlIJ34KynmFhXTJNCFLrNx9aEq0PuVtDG9aS-2qHvH0Kg4ODlXIFoXI7ocTCGYlOh9U_9M2VmNnFh9dIaM0eET6lsRhpElr3q2HJTv4rGWlLXEkL6WO0SnhqLcVMh5lBu2pA5/s1024/PHOTO-2023-10-18-09-37-58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75i4kFCnP2VPe1wUitJtemAgm-z5po2wDUpBoNHTeiOxkMbQ63PHaia3BlIJ34KynmFhXTJNCFLrNx9aEq0PuVtDG9aS-2qHvH0Kg4ODlXIFoXI7ocTCGYlOh9U_9M2VmNnFh9dIaM0eET6lsRhpElr3q2HJTv4rGWlLXEkL6WO0SnhqLcVMh5lBu2pA5/w640-h480/PHOTO-2023-10-18-09-37-58.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p></div>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577543100161913384.post-69529671448447020632023-10-16T18:05:00.002+05:302023-10-16T18:31:59.517+05:30Abstract conversations <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">In my home state, there is a morning ritual in every house. Open the obituary page and see who has passed on the previous day. This page is specific for each region of the state and updated each day. During my younger days, this covered only half a page. Now it goes over into almost two pages. I am not sure if this is an indication of increasing morality rates since this state has the highest life expectancy or that more people are using these services. A friend reminded me - this whole state is an old age home.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kOkmDbnON1bECLTViSCUzuLAfcKsM2POlmmhUb8K6oApsSYzpoUp_D_VOb-Zhk0k9cxAXSmKQs1D0VEvIkAExojD9XSfj2XBYG9qaZuA87IvuzMWCw6O4AFlo7pyPpMROiNIOnGXQIThm7w-DIMNetK5W4gcKj4D3cXrSzG6bYI7X-7VrxL95lKjzi_x/s3682/IMG_5310.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3682" data-original-width="2472" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kOkmDbnON1bECLTViSCUzuLAfcKsM2POlmmhUb8K6oApsSYzpoUp_D_VOb-Zhk0k9cxAXSmKQs1D0VEvIkAExojD9XSfj2XBYG9qaZuA87IvuzMWCw6O4AFlo7pyPpMROiNIOnGXQIThm7w-DIMNetK5W4gcKj4D3cXrSzG6bYI7X-7VrxL95lKjzi_x/w134-h200/IMG_5310.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I was talking to a 98 year old uncle who is physically and mentally very stable. His only regret is that he can’t read this page due to decreasing eye sight.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span></div></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This brought a realisation. In such connected communities reminders of death and mortality are always there if you open up news papers. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN6jK3mJiTQcigYgYOqdWDzZjsZ6W9Zl5HX5VKhOKxXrYCQqc63WFmX7HNiUQOhuf2HHrZ3fTkvrswi2TwB_C244eYHE3wxxIetUOceEuu_VXLLgIG-Lqc9gITEltm-RSDTQJ6kjFq-lJ2yqTfhiL5m4sko5BkdyC6LXmJtMBWBTGn-LoNUyw2xu-WgdI/s2249/IMG_5311.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2070" data-original-width="2249" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN6jK3mJiTQcigYgYOqdWDzZjsZ6W9Zl5HX5VKhOKxXrYCQqc63WFmX7HNiUQOhuf2HHrZ3fTkvrswi2TwB_C244eYHE3wxxIetUOceEuu_VXLLgIG-Lqc9gITEltm-RSDTQJ6kjFq-lJ2yqTfhiL5m4sko5BkdyC6LXmJtMBWBTGn-LoNUyw2xu-WgdI/w200-h184/IMG_5311.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I was reminded of a book written by L S Dugdale published during covid season on “the lost art of dying”.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDF7D2ZaUY9PxBFkGw4O4VTDTe9R_xGnPnIDWLyLP8xfs1GOq44KxC2V7wr_-ppiJQ4qUSF2uV2sGjq-h0vcbhe-CxYBS8yhPXfPyoqBX7-zRe3iQIGySsTksa0lxkM03jGgTT550v3cxAdDyP5DazZwMaJ0RiSm19DK06seWcg5yucQ3d0R-_fx25c9QP/s754/IMG_5315.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="505" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDF7D2ZaUY9PxBFkGw4O4VTDTe9R_xGnPnIDWLyLP8xfs1GOq44KxC2V7wr_-ppiJQ4qUSF2uV2sGjq-h0vcbhe-CxYBS8yhPXfPyoqBX7-zRe3iQIGySsTksa0lxkM03jGgTT550v3cxAdDyP5DazZwMaJ0RiSm19DK06seWcg5yucQ3d0R-_fx25c9QP/w134-h200/IMG_5315.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">She talks about how our culture has overly medicalized death and how dying is often institutional and sterile, prolonged by unnecessary resuscitations and other intrusive interventions. She says we are not going gently into that good night—our reliance on modern medicine can actually prolong suffering and strip us of our dignity. And challenges us that our lives do not have to end this way.</p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">She wrote how Centuries ago, in the wake of the Black Plague, a text was published offering advice to help the living prepare for a good death. Written during the late Middle Ages, ars moriendi—The Art of Dying—made clear that to die well, one first had to live well and described what practices best help us prepare. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Inspired by its holistic approach to the final stage we must all one day face, she draws from this forgotten work, combining its wisdom with the knowledge she has gleaned from her long medical career. She gives much insight and thoughtful guidance that will change our perceptions.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Some suggestions she gives include ways to recover our sense of finitude, confronting our fears, accepting how our bodies age, developing meaningful rituals, and involving our communities in end-of-life care. One key aspect of these are reminders of mortality.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">But mortality is something we would like to ignore and not talk about because it raises discomforting and disorienting questions for most of us. Or talk about in abstract. 3000+ deaths in the Israel Palestine region, 5000+ in Ukraine and Russia, a few 100s in Manipur and the many who die in our own nation not after a well lived life but of unseen and unforeseen events are just data and numbers for me.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">But to live a life of wisdom and number our days well, these reminders are key. And non abstract conversations on the finitude of life. But recognise that we move from one finitude to another beginning…</span></p>Santhosh's Ramblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16036884129486748322noreply@blogger.com0