The words of Mr. Hugo, “He who opens a school door, closes a prison…” are fitly spoken in any culture or time-period of history. What convincing proof is there that this is true? Education opens the door of the mind which travels the hallway of possibility exploring the rooms of ideas. The reason this value
The Wrong End Of The Ring: The Insidious Issue of Marital Status Discrimination
The world stomps on single people, not only socio-culturally, but also in law, finance, and business. The U.S. federal code alone has over 1,000 laws that privilege married people over unmarried people. In a 2013 Atlantic article, my colleague and I calculated that this institutionalised “singlism” costs the average unmarried American at least one million
Education – our most powerful weapon
‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,’ said Nelson Mandela. It is true and everyone should have this weapon, as education is a right – a basic, fundamental, human right. Education is no longer a privilege for the prosperous families with great reputations, like it used to be
Lady on edge
I was contemplating why this was happening, why it had to be me! I was confused. I couldn’t stop the abysmal thoughts whirling around in my head…I was too weak. My eyes scanned the fog that blanketed the lake district mountains and then down to where light mist clung over the valleys like a limpet
It’s A Two Way Thing
If you have ever known someone who it is just impossible to have a proper conversation with, then you will relate to the quote by Stephen R Covey: “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.” When I first read this I thought how well such a
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
Justice means “respecting the rights of individuals” and the opposite of that is oppression. Human beings have the greatest oppression against themselves, for as long as they do not know themselves they do not understand the power they have. The interstellar space and the silence between musical notes is a vacuum. We can only sense material
The massive exodus of Africans; A shame to our continent
At Least a Million Sub-Saharan Africans Moved to Europe Since 2010,Sub-Saharan migration to the United States also keeps growing. Statistics from the World Bank, show that the main cause of that African mass migration is poverty. A literal move for greener pastures. That exodus is a Calvary for most of those dream chasers; they risk
“Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” –Stephen R. Covey
What has really the world come with nowadays? Everywhere endless arguments, with nil outcome. Why is it happening? Ever wondered? Let’s create some hypothesis. Maybe because of the stunted or rigid attitude of beings toward each other or maybe the word “no acceptance” has hurdled the sense of understanding, what others try to convey. Communication
The Texas Rangers Bank Fraud Scam and the Dark Side of Listening
Last week, my eighty-year-old mother returned from an errand to find a message on her answering machine. The message was from a representative of the Texas Rangers. In the course of investigating a bank fraud case, the caller said, the Rangers had discovered that my mother’s bank accounts had been compromised. The caller left a
The Importance of Listening
“Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R Covey The answer is yes, most people. Often people listen to what a person is starting to convey to them, they recognise the subject, they start to ponder upon their own opinion regarding the subject of which
Fulfilment from Within
In the words of French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre , “If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company”. It is presumable that the “company” to which he refers to are thoughts and emotions, as well as the purpose a person may serve to others and themselves. He makes the argument that the
Crime and the Logic of Social Organisation
It is believed that the 19th century French poet, novelist and dramatist, Victor Hugo (1802-1885), once opined: “he who opens a school door, closes a prison”. In his well-known text, Les misérables[1], Hugo also wrote that to “destroy the cavern [of] Ignorance” is to “destroy the lair [of] Crime”[2]. Considered together, these statements carry three
The World We Know
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” – Martin Luther King Jr. is a statement which is true, for each of us is a part of the whole spirit of humanity. When one part is injured in some way, some of the synergy (the energy of the entire group) is lost and damaged, making
The Art of Listening
The art of listening is a practice which is an essential aspect of the communication process. I agree that most people listen with the intent of replying rather than understanding. It is of great importance to appreciate the true skill, patience and depth of knowledge that a good listener employs in order to make the
Home or the Sea
“you have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land” Home by Warsan Shire In makeshift camps on the French shores of the English Channel; in tents huddled under bridges in central Paris; in portacabin camps in the windswept valleys of northern Greece – scorching
Life Inside and Outside of the School Business
“He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” This quote is by the famous French novelist Victor Hugo . The meaning of this quote does not infer in a literal sense of opening a school door and closing a prison. It is interpreted in a figurative manner as how a person can be given
The safer waters
“You have to understand that no one puts their children on a boat unless the water is safer than the land”. These words were spoken by none other than Warsan Shire, a gifted poet and writer whose works mainly touch on the issues of refugees, immigration and war. Literally, the meaning is quite clear. No
Parents or Gods?
I have always believed that parents are superheroes, and if I thought oppositely I be will accused of disbelieving. So in a way, parents are Gods. Warsan Shire said: “you have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” This stanza can hold many
Love for your own voice
One thing which has always fascinated me is the human mind and more specifically, the way it functions in social situations. To me as humans, no matter how kind, we are all a little bit selfish (obviously some of us are far more selfish than others), however despite how kind or modest we appear, we
Born to be independent and free
Every single person on this Earth was born with a “free will”, and while there are certain places or situations where one’s own free will can be oppressed or restricted in some way, that does not mean that the oppressed individual’s free will is completely eradicated- only repressed. Everyone is born into this world and