My mother used to tell me a story about two kingdoms when I was a child. The kingdoms were good neighbours and existed peacefully for a long time amidst beautiful and flourishing flora and fauna. But one day, one of the kings planned to attack the other. He attacked, won, and swiftly killed the captured
It’s Deadly to be Trans in America
Ten black transwomen were killed in the first six months of 2019. Compared to nine fatalities in Afghanistan, it’s now more deadly to be black and trans in America than a US soldier fighting in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The death toll reflects a 17% overall spike in reported hate crimes from 2017 to 2018. Seven
The First and Last Story
The whole of recorded history, the whole of recorded human achievement, appears to be one which is intrinsically linked with conflict. Even the beauty and glory of Nature hides the forces of destruction and survival. Civilisation itself is the result of conflict. The tribes of yore are now the superpowers of today. Any other time
This Is Not A Game
La haine attire la haine, hate attracts hate in English, is a saying spoken in the 1995 French movie La haine. The movie put a magnifying glass to the Parisian lower cost housing projects, the French government’s over policing of the neighbourhood and the resulting chaos from the poverty and crime that sprung up due
The World Is A Story
The action of conflict among humans is like a spill of petrol into a flaming fire when humanity refuses to look at the world as a story where individuals with their opinions, and beliefs are characters. The world is an excellent book, written by God: the earth is the setting; human beings are the characters;
The Dynamics of Hate
The mind, body, and soul are three important components of the human being. These three amazing features enable the human to perform some of the most amazing things. The mind, when filled with the right energy, has a way of passing along positive energies to the body which in turn energizes the soul, making it
Not happily ever after?
Not Happily Ever After? There is an incredible magnetism to make the goal of a person’s life revolve around happiness. The pursuit of happiness. I think it stems from our inclination towards comfort. Who doesn’t want to be comfortable? Who doesn’t want to feel good? How cozy it sounds to find our nice little niche
What’s In A Name?
Foucault tells me that it isn’t “necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning.” Admittedly, it’s a statement that sounds both wise and aspirational; but what if the goal isn’t to become someone else? What if we
Give That Horse A Rest
The phrase, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses” commonly attributed to car manufacturer and industrialist Henry Ford is a perfect example of how we bind ourselves to our ideas. On August 29th 2011, the Harvard Business Review published an article written by Patrick Vlaskovits questioning whether this
Social Media: How it provided the voiceless with a voice
Historically, women have been a powerless group and today this social marginalisation still exists. Yet over time, we have seen the power of the establishment of social media, providing a platform of exchange for those discriminated against to share their experiences with the rest of the world – giving a voice to the voiceless. Suddenly
Love overshadows everything
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”- Martin Luther King. We can witness hatred in simple games like Cricket and Football. People would be furious during India versus Pakistan, England versus Australia matches, and Manchester United versus Barcelona. It’s just a game,
Our Multiple Identities
We humans possess multiple and changing identities. Our identities are only temporarily fixed within certain contexts; if we should take up one identity it may remain dominant for a certain length of time. But our identities are fluid and constantly shifting as we interact with other people and environments throughout our lives. I see these
Not Just A Four-Letter Word
Human beings and the emotions they feel and express are inherently complex. And not only that, the world is a sphere dominated by randomness and unpredictability. It is tempting to think of hate attracting hate. Because if hate did congregate in this fashion it would be, in many ways, easier to deal with. I certainly
‘Become someone else that you were not in the beginning.’ – Foucault.
There is only one thing human beings never cease to pursue: evolution. What made me learn to walk, I believe, was the desire inside me. I know without doubt that as a nestling baby on the breast I desired to walk like everyone else. I began the challenge by crawling. It was a great feat
We Are Not The Sum Of Our Past
There were two things my father always told me, “When you were born did anyone ever tell you that life was going to be fair?” And, “I only married your mother to give you a name.” My mother’s two favorite confessions to me were, “You ruined my life being born,” and, “I only kept you
On My Way To Make It In Life
The beginning of human existence is the childhood, where it is incapable for a person to know where he would, in the long run, end up. As a baby, he or she would be expected to adhere to the rules of the parent, before going to be a toddler. As a toddler, the formative years
Deep Within The Scars
One of our greatest distinction as mankind is our ability to extract information from the past and project it into the future. For this reason, we often think, write and narrate about our past experiences. As part of our narratives, we have a different version of stories that oft unveil the ruined coexistence amongst ourselves.
Over-Humility
Modesty is a virtue… but is too much of it a bad thing? In our country and many others, I believe society has inbred within us the heinous quality of over-humility, which can have detrimental impacts for people who practice it. Albert Einstein once told society that: ‘I have no special talent. I am just
The Fastest Horse
Technology is the constant race for speed. Faster, smaller are the key words in today’s society. Where we once bred biology to carry out the necessary functions of life, now technology has surpassed everything in its ability to provide for the human race. Where once we had horses, now we have cars. But how far
The Method of Hate
This essay interprets the concept of hate attracting hate as a method. This doctrine suggests that negativity breeds negativity. While it may be true that hate does often attract hate, we must remain tolerant enough to understand that this will not always be the case. Only the bigoted will assume that only one path is