A couple of days ago, something happened which really made me think. In the short space of a taxi ride, my entire perspective on my life and the world changed completely. Let me explain. Where I'm living right now, it's common knowledge that you just don't make conversation with taxi drivers. It sounds terrible, but you don't because the majority of the time, they're quite frightening. Sanity isn't really a word you would associate with them, and I suppose that has alot to do with the fact that they work long hours for practically nothing. They've been forced to come to a country where they know no one and communicate in languages most of them have never learnt. As well as that, half the time they have no formal training and whether or not they are in possession of a real drivers license is questionable. Not a particularly safe mode of transport, but you get used to it. Needless to say, you learn to ignore them. God, just saying that makes me realise how horrible that sounds, but it's the truth. They're a burden you learn to bear. Their erratic driving, their bad manners, it's all something you have to put up with; and the easiest way to do that is to get into the car, tell them where you want to go and pay them at the end.
The other day I got into a taxi, told him where I was going, and then proceeded to nearly have a heart attack when he turned around and in perfect english began to speak to me. I mean, perfect english. I ignored him, gave him one word answers, and kept looking out the window because I didnt know what else to do! Never before had I come across a taxi driver in the UAE that had the ability to speak more than a few mandatory english words. Soon enough my curiousity got the better of me, and I wanted, no, needed, to know who this guy was. So I asked him, and I am so glad that I did.
He told me he was from Afghanistan, and the reason that he knew English so well was because he had taken a 6 month course to learn it. He had been at university in Afghanistan studying engineering when troubles started and the Taliban began bombing. In the middle of his first year at university he was forced to leave. The university closed down, and he had no other way to continue his education. When he was 25 he married, and now has 3 sons. He's 33 years old and a couple of years ago he came here to work as a taxi driver, because even if he got office work in Afghanistan, he would be earning no more than 200 dirhams a month. (That's about 50 dollars). At the moment, he's earning 600 dirhams a month (150 dollars). 600 dirhams! 600 dirhams a month for the abuse he has to put up with. I can easily spend 600 dirhams in a few minutes, and there he is earning that for a months hard work. He said it was a horrible job. To be a taxi driver in a country that considers them no better than an animal, when he was initially hoping to become an engineer. God, my heart went out to him. I told him to go to Europe. Why come here, why come to a country that doesn't have a minimum wage for foreigners? Go to Europe, they have minimum wages there. Get refugee status, do something! But he told me he can't get refugee status now because there is now technically an effective government in Afghanistan. He supposedly has nothing to flee from, except perhaps poverty. I gave him some money when I left, but I wish I had given him more.
Do you want to know the crazy thing? When I was leaving he turned to me and wished ME luck in my life. He wished me happiness, a good marriage and luck in whatever I do. ME who has more chances than he could ever dream of. Wished me luck when he's the one who needs luck the most. How cruel is this world. I should be down on my knees thanking God for the opportunities I've been given. I wished him luck, but what good will that do? He's still going to be driving that taxi, earning nothing, and dreaming about the time in the distant future when he'll be able to go back to Afghanistan and see the sons he spoke to me so dearly about. Luck has nothing, and everything, to do with it.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Final Nail In The Coffin
That's it now. One of the final nails in the coffin has been hammered in. The bait was thrown and eagerly consumed by the masses. There is a certain government in this world joyfully rubbing their hands together under their star spangled banner, and saying "I told you so!". For with yesterdays actions in Syria the Arab world has succeeded in ensuring that much of Europe will now turn their backs on them and march towards the West.
The torching of the Danish and Norweigian embassies in Damascus is just what alot of people could have hoped for. The calculated reluctance of the Danish editor to apologise has spurred on what can only now escalate. Perhaps they wanted to see how far they could go before something like this happened. How can people act logically when such an enormous amount of emotion is involved? Emotion that has been simmering beneath the surface over the years, and has finally reached boiling point. Someone once described Arabs as having unparralled strength and conviction when acting alone, but much weakness when acting together. Nothing can be gained from such violence, because there are others who have been quietly and secretly calculating events that would lead to these reactions. In showing our defiance, we are playing right into their hands.
Oh, but we cannot see the wood for the trees.
The torching of the Danish and Norweigian embassies in Damascus is just what alot of people could have hoped for. The calculated reluctance of the Danish editor to apologise has spurred on what can only now escalate. Perhaps they wanted to see how far they could go before something like this happened. How can people act logically when such an enormous amount of emotion is involved? Emotion that has been simmering beneath the surface over the years, and has finally reached boiling point. Someone once described Arabs as having unparralled strength and conviction when acting alone, but much weakness when acting together. Nothing can be gained from such violence, because there are others who have been quietly and secretly calculating events that would lead to these reactions. In showing our defiance, we are playing right into their hands.
Oh, but we cannot see the wood for the trees.
The Power Within
As hard as it may be sometimes, I still have faith in the goodness of the human race in general. Or maybe I'm just being overly idealistc and naive. It probably would be more accurate to say that I believe in the goodness of most people. There are, as all of you know, some people that are just plain evil. Although, what is evil? Surely those people believe they have valid reasons to do as they do. It's all a matter of perspective really. Good and Evil exist because we allow them to exist if you know what I mean. By saying that something is evil, we are simulatneously defining what is good. To say something is tall means that we are acknowledging that some things are short. I could go on, but I won't because by this time most people will have flicked to another blog!
I believe that we can change the world with our actions. I believe that we can change the world with our thoughts, because our thoughts will influence our actions. I believe that we have no idea as to the sheer vastness of our mind and our abilities. I believe that we have the ability to do more than we could ever dream we could do. I also believe that this fact has been consistently covered over by our media and our governments, because they know what we seem to have not realised yet...that we have immense power within us. True there are some who are content not to question the world; Who are content to accept things as they are presented to us; Who are content to achieve what they have been conditioned into thinking is the only thing that we can strive to achieve in today's world.
There's more to life than money and prestige. We work hard to get these things, but we fail to realise that we have the power to do much more. We have the power to cause huge changes in this world; the power to mould the world into what we want it to be. Perhaps we should choose to blame ourselves for today's problems, instead of trying to shift the blame to whatever race, religion or person we, by our actions, have pinpointed as the scapegoat. Perhaps we want the world to be the way it is. Perhaps we want war, perhaps we want to "live at the height of our abilities" (as someone recently accredited war with making possible). Perhaps we should stop questioning others, and start questioning ourselves. After all, you cannot deny that we have chosen to sit back and not do anything to stop the injustices in our world. To choose to do nothing in the face of injustice, is just as bad as being the cause of the injustice itself.
I believe that we can change the world with our actions. I believe that we can change the world with our thoughts, because our thoughts will influence our actions. I believe that we have no idea as to the sheer vastness of our mind and our abilities. I believe that we have the ability to do more than we could ever dream we could do. I also believe that this fact has been consistently covered over by our media and our governments, because they know what we seem to have not realised yet...that we have immense power within us. True there are some who are content not to question the world; Who are content to accept things as they are presented to us; Who are content to achieve what they have been conditioned into thinking is the only thing that we can strive to achieve in today's world.
There's more to life than money and prestige. We work hard to get these things, but we fail to realise that we have the power to do much more. We have the power to cause huge changes in this world; the power to mould the world into what we want it to be. Perhaps we should choose to blame ourselves for today's problems, instead of trying to shift the blame to whatever race, religion or person we, by our actions, have pinpointed as the scapegoat. Perhaps we want the world to be the way it is. Perhaps we want war, perhaps we want to "live at the height of our abilities" (as someone recently accredited war with making possible). Perhaps we should stop questioning others, and start questioning ourselves. After all, you cannot deny that we have chosen to sit back and not do anything to stop the injustices in our world. To choose to do nothing in the face of injustice, is just as bad as being the cause of the injustice itself.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
A Talk With Love
I've been trying to decide whether or not to post more poetry. Today I decided I would. Here's one I wrote about a month ago. I made a conscious effort with this one to change the rhyming sequence to abc abc . By the way, thank you to everyone who commented and emailed me about the last one I put up, and in doing so encouraged me to put more up!
A Talk With Love
Love, I long to count you among my friends
Yet you are oblivious to my charms.
Feigning ignorance of my sighs and smiles
You show no sign of making amends.
Will you never again rest in my arms?
It may be true, yet I shall wait the whiles.
A Talk With Love
Love, I long to count you among my friends
Yet you are oblivious to my charms.
Feigning ignorance of my sighs and smiles
You show no sign of making amends.
Will you never again rest in my arms?
It may be true, yet I shall wait the whiles.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Knock That Corporate Ladder Down
I'm sick and tired of managers who waste my time telling me things I already know and acting like they know everything all of the time! What is it with delegation? Yesterday I was asked to go over a contract. My boss sent it on to me with the email correspondence attached. I am not joking when I tell you that the task had been delegated EIGHT times until it finally reached me, the lowest rung of the ladder, and I got stuck with it. Not only that, but it was so minimal. 30 minute job at the most, although for most of those who delegated it downwards, I wouldn't be suprised if it would have taken them a couple of hours. Seriously, incompetence annoys me, talking for no reason when business has to be done annoys me, and most of all, it annoys me when credit is not received where credit is due. I just finished a huge report for my boss, for which I had to do a crazy amount of research; Crawling the net, trudging through books, and do you know what happened after I sent him the report (which can I add came to the same conclusion that I had initially told him when he first gave me the problem!) ? He sent on the conclusions from it to HIS boss, signing HIS name at the bottom. His boss then no doubt sent those conclusions to his boss like he was the one who did all the work! Crazy isnt it? This corporate ladder is so overrated. And when you've got to sit through 20 minutes of stupid talk "explaining" things that anyone with half a brain would already know, by someone that isnt even your boss but wants to exploit your intelligence for his own gain, you start wishing that someone would just knock that ladder down.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Are We Boycotting the Right Products?
I'm just wondering why the Arab world is so quick to boycott Danish products, and yet has not yet made any serious effort to effectively boycott Israeli goods. Has the so-called state of Israel never offended Islam and Muslims?? I agree with taking a stand for what you believe in, whatever side that may be, however I think that we should question why we find it so easy to stand up to Denmark and so hard to stand up to "Israel". Why not visit www.bigcampaign.org/boycott.html and have a look at the amount of things you use on a daily basis that are linked to the "country" that has been the cause of such death, destruction and irreparable damage.
Paranoia
God the world is paranoid. The world is paranoid, and I get paranoid as a result. When people start thinking that everyone is out to get them, it's only a matter of time before everyone will start thinking that people in general are out to get them. Let me give you an example; When you go to the store, pay for something and get change back...do you check the change expecting there to be too much or too little? There's something to think about, and something to watch out for when you begin to realise that this media-driven, greedy, money-hungry world we live in is beginning to turn us all against each other. Encouraging us all to become so self-obsessed that we fail to see things other than from our own point of view. When the world we live in takes a step back from reality and becomes based entirely on the workings of the ficitional lives that society has created for us, we begin to lose whatever grip we once had on that closely governed ideal of sanity.
Paranoia is the vine that winds tighter the more I struggle to be free.
Paranoia is the vine that winds tighter the more I struggle to be free.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Working for Pittance
So here I am back at work again, another day another dollar. Or in my case, another day another unknown fraction of a dollar. You'd think I'd have sorted out my salary before I started working wouldn't you? Yes, I realise that would have been the logical thing to do. But as most people who know me also know, logical doesn't always cut it with me. Plus its only temporary and it's all about the experience..or so I'm told. I wonder how long I can surf the net and write my blog before anyone realises I'm not doing work yet?
White Socked Ankles
Why why why do some men still insist on wearing trousers that leave little to the imagination in the sock department?? That's right, socks! Listen, it was cool when Michael Jackson did it, and even then its coolness was questionable, but unless its 1987 or you're doing the moonwalk the reason for it is beyond me! Sure your trousers don't drag on the ground and get dirty, but surely its possible to achieve that aim without cutting the legs off at your ankles?! In my quest for an answer I asked resident 'I'm so cool I don't need fashion and that makes me fashionable' expert Mark Flavin : "Maybe they think they have sexy ankles and are trying to draw attention to them???###!!
thats my theory, anything else would be just stupid....."
And I agree. Anything else would just be stupid. If a man discovered that he did have sexy ankles, then I suppose he would want to show them off, seeing as most men most certainly DO NOT have ANYTHING that could remotely be referred to as sexy ankles...but if he didnt? If he realised that his ankles were actually quite normal, then what could possibly encourage him to do such a rash and crazy thing?? Maybe it's to show off his socks? Which if he was wearing socks that his 2 year old knit and embroidered for him then I would understand. Such socks would be unbelievably special socks and would be socks that he would want to show off. But WHITE socks? White socks are...white socks!! WHITE SOCKS!! you dont show white socks off! Unless you were showing off the whitness of them, which in the case of a Persil ad I could understand. Anything else would just be stupid.
And yet, why, as I sit here typing this, do I have an unobstructed view of white-sock-clad ankles poking out from under a desk? Why, why, why??
thats my theory, anything else would be just stupid....."
And I agree. Anything else would just be stupid. If a man discovered that he did have sexy ankles, then I suppose he would want to show them off, seeing as most men most certainly DO NOT have ANYTHING that could remotely be referred to as sexy ankles...but if he didnt? If he realised that his ankles were actually quite normal, then what could possibly encourage him to do such a rash and crazy thing?? Maybe it's to show off his socks? Which if he was wearing socks that his 2 year old knit and embroidered for him then I would understand. Such socks would be unbelievably special socks and would be socks that he would want to show off. But WHITE socks? White socks are...white socks!! WHITE SOCKS!! you dont show white socks off! Unless you were showing off the whitness of them, which in the case of a Persil ad I could understand. Anything else would just be stupid.
And yet, why, as I sit here typing this, do I have an unobstructed view of white-sock-clad ankles poking out from under a desk? Why, why, why??
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Fafblog and Other Notes
Haven't posted in ages, but really it's because I just havent felt like there's anything that I can post about. Topics are pretty limited seeing as I decided that it would be great if I told EVERYONE I KNEW about this blog! 6 year old cousin, hey! no problem! 95 year old aunt! even better! come on in and read my posts! ok well maybe I'm exaggerating, as I have neither a 6 year old cousin nor a 95 year old aunt, but you get the picture! Needless to say, I think of brilliant things to write about and then realise that it probably isnt worth it after all the censoring. Seriously though, its wonderful having so many of my friends and family logging on to check this out, so thank you and I will try and post everyday from now on.
On another note, I started work today. Just temporary, nothing major. I havent sold my soul yet. Still though, its depressing thinking that I'll be working hard to further someone elses ideals; working for someone elses gain. Doing all I can to make sure that legally these people can get away with their capitalistic, earth-destroying actions and in the process slowing losing all creativity I possess. Quite depressing really, but like I say its only temporary and although I hate to admit it, I actually enjoy it to an extent. Well, it probably would be fairer to say that I enjoy the social aspect of it, and I suppose the fact that I'm a useful member of society again. Although, I do believe that society needs the poems I'm writing, the songs I'm singing, the paintings I'm painting. A few of you commented on the poem I have up here; thanks alot! However, the reasons I haven't posted anymore are firstly because I've entered my best ones in a competition and one of the prerequisites was that they be unpublished, and secondly, well we go back to the whole censoring issue I was talking about. Maybe an anonymous blog?? It's a thought...
Came across this FANTASTIC blog today! I've included it in my list of links on the sidebar of my blog, and now that I've figured out how to change the links, I'll be doing it alot more. Its called Fafblog and to me it's genius. Utter genius, pure and simple. Definately not going to be to everyones taste, but I'd recommend you check it out anyhow. The "interviews" they have are hilarious! If you do nothing else I tell you, do this: Read Fafblog!
On another note, I started work today. Just temporary, nothing major. I havent sold my soul yet. Still though, its depressing thinking that I'll be working hard to further someone elses ideals; working for someone elses gain. Doing all I can to make sure that legally these people can get away with their capitalistic, earth-destroying actions and in the process slowing losing all creativity I possess. Quite depressing really, but like I say its only temporary and although I hate to admit it, I actually enjoy it to an extent. Well, it probably would be fairer to say that I enjoy the social aspect of it, and I suppose the fact that I'm a useful member of society again. Although, I do believe that society needs the poems I'm writing, the songs I'm singing, the paintings I'm painting. A few of you commented on the poem I have up here; thanks alot! However, the reasons I haven't posted anymore are firstly because I've entered my best ones in a competition and one of the prerequisites was that they be unpublished, and secondly, well we go back to the whole censoring issue I was talking about. Maybe an anonymous blog?? It's a thought...
Came across this FANTASTIC blog today! I've included it in my list of links on the sidebar of my blog, and now that I've figured out how to change the links, I'll be doing it alot more. Its called Fafblog and to me it's genius. Utter genius, pure and simple. Definately not going to be to everyones taste, but I'd recommend you check it out anyhow. The "interviews" they have are hilarious! If you do nothing else I tell you, do this: Read Fafblog!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Meat-Free
I'm a vegetarian, have been for just over six years now, and the longer I spend being one, the more I know that I will never be able to eat meat again. Now, even the thought sickens me, and I don't know if it's because my body has reached the stage where it physically would be unable to handle the meat, or because mentally I would be unable to accept the fact that I would be eating the flesh of a once living thing. I'm not trying to "convert" anyone. It's a personal choice, and a choice that I made for myself. Right and Wrong are subjective concepts. What's right to one person is wrong to another. I have no problem with people who choose to eat meat, and I would even prepare meat for someone if I had to. No, what I have a problem with is the fact that for most people who eat meat, the slab of flesh on the plate is completely disassociated with the animal it came from. It's "beef", not "cow"; "pork" not "pig"; "mutton" not "sheep"; and so on. For the majority of people, eating meat would be an entirely different matter had they to kill the animal themselves. Look the sheep in the eye while they slit its throat. Watch it suffer in agony as the blood drained out of its body. Strip its still warm body of its skin, and pull the flesh from its bones. No, I think that if most people had to do this, they would choose to go without the meat they currently believe they have a right to devour so greedily. Instead, the dirty work is left to the confines of the slaughter house where machines systematically murder animal after animal. Perhaps I should have used a different word. Is it murder when it's an inanimate object doing the killing? More importantly, is it considered murder when it's a "lowly" animal being killed? Replacing the animal with a human, could the operator of the machine be considered guilty of the murder? Yes, legally I believe he could.
What of the circle of life? The food chain? Don't animals kill each other in the wild for survival? True, yet do these animals have the need to use implements to kill? Does a lion use a gun or a knife when killing a zebra? No. He kills using his own strength, using the tools nature gave him; that is, his teeth and his claws. I wonder how far we would get if we had to kill using our bare hands? Perhaps a rat. Maybe a rabbit if we were lucky. I know, our superior mind and our natural dexterity meant that we were able to design tools to aid us blah blah blah. It's a neverending circle this debate, it really is, and I'm pretty sick of it at this stage. I've heard it a million times. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and mine is that every living thing is sacred. We are no more entitled to take away a persons life than entitled to take away the life of an innocent animal. I suppose what put this into my mind is that I just got home and on the way home my friends brother told us about the sheep they killed last weekend while camping in the desert. Yes, a group of guys decided to kill a sheep to eat it. Pretty normal stuff really, alot of people regularly kill to eat. Anyhow, the knife they used wasn't sharp enough and from what I could gather (I was trying to block out the conversation) it took a long time to finally kill the poor animal. Can you imagine the pain and suffering she went through? The torture, the agony. The madness until finally death eased the pain. I wonder if she was all eaten, or was most of her left to rot after they had taken their fill? I wonder alot of things, but most of all I wonder why we as a race find it so strange to think that someone could choose to live a life that did not advocate the killing and eating of animals.
What of the circle of life? The food chain? Don't animals kill each other in the wild for survival? True, yet do these animals have the need to use implements to kill? Does a lion use a gun or a knife when killing a zebra? No. He kills using his own strength, using the tools nature gave him; that is, his teeth and his claws. I wonder how far we would get if we had to kill using our bare hands? Perhaps a rat. Maybe a rabbit if we were lucky. I know, our superior mind and our natural dexterity meant that we were able to design tools to aid us blah blah blah. It's a neverending circle this debate, it really is, and I'm pretty sick of it at this stage. I've heard it a million times. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and mine is that every living thing is sacred. We are no more entitled to take away a persons life than entitled to take away the life of an innocent animal. I suppose what put this into my mind is that I just got home and on the way home my friends brother told us about the sheep they killed last weekend while camping in the desert. Yes, a group of guys decided to kill a sheep to eat it. Pretty normal stuff really, alot of people regularly kill to eat. Anyhow, the knife they used wasn't sharp enough and from what I could gather (I was trying to block out the conversation) it took a long time to finally kill the poor animal. Can you imagine the pain and suffering she went through? The torture, the agony. The madness until finally death eased the pain. I wonder if she was all eaten, or was most of her left to rot after they had taken their fill? I wonder alot of things, but most of all I wonder why we as a race find it so strange to think that someone could choose to live a life that did not advocate the killing and eating of animals.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Enlightened
Recently I met up with a friend that I hadn't seen in close to two years. It had been a long time, and yet she was pretty much the same as last time we saw each other. It's always nice meeting people that you went to school with. Seeing what they're doing with their lives now, catching up, and if we're going to be honest here, secretly comparing your life to theirs. I know! I can't believe I'm actually admitting this, but if you really think about it, when you meet someone from your past there's always this tiny teeny weeny absolutely miniscule little part of you that's racking up the points on either side! An innocent coffee turns into a fully fledged mental game of football. Or actually more like Gaelic football, if anyone's familiar with that, because the balls just keep flying! Point after point after point after point. Occasionally a goal, which throws the whole thing off balance! A little scuffle, a bit of (mental) name calling , the referee (read: waiter) has to step in...its an aggressive game and you walk away exhausted, you really do! Women can be cruel. I know that because I am one.
It really is something that you can't help. Especially if you're a woman it seems. Habits are hard to break and if you knew someone from school, no matter how old you get you will always revert back to the age you were when you first met each other. Old fears will come creeping back, old feelings will rush back to you, and more importantly, old rivalry will still exist. It's usually only for a few minutes though, just long enough to give your heart a bit of a work out. Afterwards you put your high school self to the side, and get to know the person for who he or she really is. You realise that maybe there was never anything special about him or her, or perhaps you're left wondering why you never made more time for this person, this witty, interesting individual who most people overlooked. It's an enlightening experience.
And I have to say, I've been enlightened.
It really is something that you can't help. Especially if you're a woman it seems. Habits are hard to break and if you knew someone from school, no matter how old you get you will always revert back to the age you were when you first met each other. Old fears will come creeping back, old feelings will rush back to you, and more importantly, old rivalry will still exist. It's usually only for a few minutes though, just long enough to give your heart a bit of a work out. Afterwards you put your high school self to the side, and get to know the person for who he or she really is. You realise that maybe there was never anything special about him or her, or perhaps you're left wondering why you never made more time for this person, this witty, interesting individual who most people overlooked. It's an enlightening experience.
And I have to say, I've been enlightened.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Got 'Da Cork Blues
Just wanted to say how much I miss all my friends in Cork! Daryl just started a petition to get me back to Cork, isn't that hilarious! And such a thing that Daryl would do. Seriously, what they say about the friends you make in university being friends for life...that's so true. So I just wanted to give a big shout out to everyone that I miss...you all know who you are! Looking forward to seeing you all again! xx
oh and the craic is far mightier in Cork!
oh and the craic is far mightier in Cork!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Politeful Ignorance
I was getting my nails done at my usual place the other day, and as I was drying tham it struck me that we, as a race, are getting very close to perfecting the art of, what I have termed, Politeful Ignorance.
You know what I'm talking about. You're in an elevator and someone gets on. Immediately he or she moves to the opposite end of the lift and you both spend the rest of the ride staring at the flashing floor numbers. Politeful Ignorance. Or let's say there are ten people on that elevator. You're all squashed together, sardines in a tin style; The person next to you is so close you can hear him breathing in your ear; It's a stressful situation! The tension in the air could be cut with a kinfe because, let's be honest here, it's alot harder to practice politeful ignorance when you're pretty sure you can accurately guess what the guy next to you had for breakfast! Still though, you persevere, and all ten of you somehow manage to angle your heads in such a way that you can all safely stare at the flashing floor numbers and pretend that noone else exists. Politeful Ignorance.
So there I was, my hands and feet stuck into these dryers they have along the walls, pretty much immobile for twenty minutes at least, and do you think I said a word to the girls on either side of me (who I must add also had their hands and feet stuck into the wall) ? Not a word! Not even a hello! I know, it's terrible isn't it? There we were, three women in search of the perfectly manicured nail, making the rational adult decision to pretend we didn't notice each other. So 'engrossed in the latest going-ons of "Fashion TV" we didn't notice somone sit beside us'. So intent on 'positioning our fingers and toes in such a way as to get the optimal blast of hot air' that we didnt notice someone else next to us doing exactly the same thing. Politeful Ignorance.
It's a funny world isn't it when you feel that others would be happier to be ignored. Granted half the time most people would be happier just left alone. I know that sometimes I just don't want to talk to anyone, that sometimes it physically pains me to have to make small talk, although luckily I seem to have been born with the ability to talk about the most trivial things for long periods of time with complete strangers! I think that's why cab drivers love me. I can talk about the traffic, the weather, and the state of the roads almost as much as them!
Today's society does not encourage people to interact face-to-face. Most of the time there's some medium the conversation must flow through. A telephone, a text message, the internet, television, the foggy smoke of a nightclub, a mirror. How many times have you gone to the hairdressers and had a conversation with your stylist through the mirror? He may have been standing next to you but for some reason if felt more comfortable if you both looked at each other in the mirror and talked.
I ask the question, Have we spent so long interacting with the "absent person" that we've forgotten how to deal with the real thing?
You know what I'm talking about. You're in an elevator and someone gets on. Immediately he or she moves to the opposite end of the lift and you both spend the rest of the ride staring at the flashing floor numbers. Politeful Ignorance. Or let's say there are ten people on that elevator. You're all squashed together, sardines in a tin style; The person next to you is so close you can hear him breathing in your ear; It's a stressful situation! The tension in the air could be cut with a kinfe because, let's be honest here, it's alot harder to practice politeful ignorance when you're pretty sure you can accurately guess what the guy next to you had for breakfast! Still though, you persevere, and all ten of you somehow manage to angle your heads in such a way that you can all safely stare at the flashing floor numbers and pretend that noone else exists. Politeful Ignorance.
So there I was, my hands and feet stuck into these dryers they have along the walls, pretty much immobile for twenty minutes at least, and do you think I said a word to the girls on either side of me (who I must add also had their hands and feet stuck into the wall) ? Not a word! Not even a hello! I know, it's terrible isn't it? There we were, three women in search of the perfectly manicured nail, making the rational adult decision to pretend we didn't notice each other. So 'engrossed in the latest going-ons of "Fashion TV" we didn't notice somone sit beside us'. So intent on 'positioning our fingers and toes in such a way as to get the optimal blast of hot air' that we didnt notice someone else next to us doing exactly the same thing. Politeful Ignorance.
It's a funny world isn't it when you feel that others would be happier to be ignored. Granted half the time most people would be happier just left alone. I know that sometimes I just don't want to talk to anyone, that sometimes it physically pains me to have to make small talk, although luckily I seem to have been born with the ability to talk about the most trivial things for long periods of time with complete strangers! I think that's why cab drivers love me. I can talk about the traffic, the weather, and the state of the roads almost as much as them!
Today's society does not encourage people to interact face-to-face. Most of the time there's some medium the conversation must flow through. A telephone, a text message, the internet, television, the foggy smoke of a nightclub, a mirror. How many times have you gone to the hairdressers and had a conversation with your stylist through the mirror? He may have been standing next to you but for some reason if felt more comfortable if you both looked at each other in the mirror and talked.
I ask the question, Have we spent so long interacting with the "absent person" that we've forgotten how to deal with the real thing?
Saturday, January 21, 2006
The Nuclear Power Pecking Order
NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Probably to be the eventual cause of the worlds end some day. I hate violence and, more so, I hate the fact that some countries have the ability to wipe out the entire world with just the pushing of a few buttons. Noone should have that power. Just as I stongly believe that noone should feel justified in taking away innocent lives, I also believe that noone should be in possession of such immense power. However, nuclear power exists and there is nothing that can be done now to rid the world of it. I am well aware of the arguments in favour of nuclear power, but I also realise that with great power comes the capacity for great evil.
My question for you is, why is it that the United States seems to have most of the say when it comes to deciding which countries have the "right" to own and control nuclear weapons? Personally, I believe no country should have access to such weaponery, but I do understand that with technological advancement comes the the advancement of weapons. Today, the nuclear bomb is the perhaps the single greatest weapon one could hope to have. If it ended up in the wrong hands, it could mean the end of the world as we know it. Since it is inevitable that countries will develop nuclear programmes, care must be taken that unstable and volatile countries be prevented from such development. I understand all of this, and yet,
WHY IS ISRAEL ALLOWED TO BE IN POSSESSION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS?
Although Israel has never admitted a nuclear capability, defence analysts have concluded that Israel has the most extensive and sophisticated nuclear arsenal outside of the major powers.
Let's be realistic, would you really believe that this illegal state, this modern example of classic colonialisation, would you really believe that Israel would refrain from getting in on the action? With something like, 2.5 BILLION dollars (forgive me if I'm a little off mark, I'm recalling from memory) allocated out of the the US Budget 2006 to Israel in "foreign aid", can we really be so naive as to assume that most of this money will not go into developing weapons? After Israel was illegally founded in 1948, talented physicists were flown in from Europe to begin work on a nuclear program. As it was surrounded by Arab countries which were hostile to its existence (Gee, I wonder Why!!??) it was decided that nuclear technology had to be developed as the ultimate deterrent.
So here we have the (so-called) state of Israel in possession of nuclear arms, with all the world accepting it, and then there are other countries worldwide, for example Iran, getting into major trouble for trying to achieve what Israel so easily did in 1948. That is, beginning a nuclear program. IS ISRAEL SO MUCH LESS OF A THREAT??
Has Israel never committed atrocious, monstrous acts of violence?
Has Israel never killed innocent civilians for a land which does not even rightfully belong to the Israelis?
The fact that the land does not belong to them seems to have been overlooked by most of the world. An air of acceptance of the inevitable hangs about the world. "We cannot get Israeli's out of there, so we should just forget the injustice of it all!" Unfortunately, realistically it is improbable that Israelis will ever get out of Palestine. However, such circumstances make us question just who is running the world anyhow? America?
Unfortuntely, the truth is that the US is indeed pulling the strings all over the world today. The only superpower left is holding strong and doing its darn all to ensure that it will not be vacating this prestigious position anytime soon. And why should it want to? Surely if you held so much power that the rest of the world did not even have the courage to stand up to you while you commited illegal international acts, well surely you would not want to give it up either.
Where is the courage in the world???? Why can't potential superpowers of the world snap back to reality and realise that it IS possible to stand up to America. We managed just fine before America was discovered and we can live without them now.
The problem that exists is that the world has become irreversibly dependant on this ficticious world we have created for ourselves - the world of consumerism and materialism. Greed rules the planet, and blinds our eyes to the injustices it leads to. Just as Ireland's famine was the result of the greed of others, with all wheat and grain being shipped out to England leaving Ireland's people dying of starvation, most of the worlds starving could be saved if economics and greed did not play a part.
Shock-Horror that we should allow the price of goods to fall by shipping the surplus to starving people all over the world. No, we should destroy this food that would save peoples lives. It seems that as long as actions do not harm the West, then they are not classified as bad.
Get your act together and get your priorities right. Now is not the time for hatred and violence. Let us put our differences aside and realise that not everyone can be the same. We must unite to fight the evil that surges through our world. Greed can only be overcome when we realise that in our haste to have the most, we have lost the one thing that can save this world from its impending destruction - empathy. For it is only when we understand that we can accept.
My question for you is, why is it that the United States seems to have most of the say when it comes to deciding which countries have the "right" to own and control nuclear weapons? Personally, I believe no country should have access to such weaponery, but I do understand that with technological advancement comes the the advancement of weapons. Today, the nuclear bomb is the perhaps the single greatest weapon one could hope to have. If it ended up in the wrong hands, it could mean the end of the world as we know it. Since it is inevitable that countries will develop nuclear programmes, care must be taken that unstable and volatile countries be prevented from such development. I understand all of this, and yet,
WHY IS ISRAEL ALLOWED TO BE IN POSSESSION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS?
Although Israel has never admitted a nuclear capability, defence analysts have concluded that Israel has the most extensive and sophisticated nuclear arsenal outside of the major powers.
Let's be realistic, would you really believe that this illegal state, this modern example of classic colonialisation, would you really believe that Israel would refrain from getting in on the action? With something like, 2.5 BILLION dollars (forgive me if I'm a little off mark, I'm recalling from memory) allocated out of the the US Budget 2006 to Israel in "foreign aid", can we really be so naive as to assume that most of this money will not go into developing weapons? After Israel was illegally founded in 1948, talented physicists were flown in from Europe to begin work on a nuclear program. As it was surrounded by Arab countries which were hostile to its existence (Gee, I wonder Why!!??) it was decided that nuclear technology had to be developed as the ultimate deterrent.
So here we have the (so-called) state of Israel in possession of nuclear arms, with all the world accepting it, and then there are other countries worldwide, for example Iran, getting into major trouble for trying to achieve what Israel so easily did in 1948. That is, beginning a nuclear program. IS ISRAEL SO MUCH LESS OF A THREAT??
Has Israel never committed atrocious, monstrous acts of violence?
Has Israel never killed innocent civilians for a land which does not even rightfully belong to the Israelis?
The fact that the land does not belong to them seems to have been overlooked by most of the world. An air of acceptance of the inevitable hangs about the world. "We cannot get Israeli's out of there, so we should just forget the injustice of it all!" Unfortunately, realistically it is improbable that Israelis will ever get out of Palestine. However, such circumstances make us question just who is running the world anyhow? America?
Unfortuntely, the truth is that the US is indeed pulling the strings all over the world today. The only superpower left is holding strong and doing its darn all to ensure that it will not be vacating this prestigious position anytime soon. And why should it want to? Surely if you held so much power that the rest of the world did not even have the courage to stand up to you while you commited illegal international acts, well surely you would not want to give it up either.
Where is the courage in the world???? Why can't potential superpowers of the world snap back to reality and realise that it IS possible to stand up to America. We managed just fine before America was discovered and we can live without them now.
The problem that exists is that the world has become irreversibly dependant on this ficticious world we have created for ourselves - the world of consumerism and materialism. Greed rules the planet, and blinds our eyes to the injustices it leads to. Just as Ireland's famine was the result of the greed of others, with all wheat and grain being shipped out to England leaving Ireland's people dying of starvation, most of the worlds starving could be saved if economics and greed did not play a part.
Shock-Horror that we should allow the price of goods to fall by shipping the surplus to starving people all over the world. No, we should destroy this food that would save peoples lives. It seems that as long as actions do not harm the West, then they are not classified as bad.
Get your act together and get your priorities right. Now is not the time for hatred and violence. Let us put our differences aside and realise that not everyone can be the same. We must unite to fight the evil that surges through our world. Greed can only be overcome when we realise that in our haste to have the most, we have lost the one thing that can save this world from its impending destruction - empathy. For it is only when we understand that we can accept.
Stillness
Freedom exists within the lie that is democracy and the media,
Like the prize at the end of a long, hard race, it is always in the future and out of reach.
How can we say we know what freedom is when we cannot say how the wetness of the depths of the oceans feels on our lips?
How the air presses hard against our temples at the top most peak on the highest mountain of our earth.
What enables us to know who and what is free?
Is the tribal man who lives for and with nature, concerned only with the work he must do for the good of the community and oblivious to time bar the placing of the sun,
Is he less free than the modern man whose life is constantly pressured by the omniprescent ticking of the passing seconds?
Should freedom be measured by possessions,
Should it be measured by fulfilment of desires,
Should it be measured by ones position in artificially created societies?
Before one can even attempt to be free, one must sit contentedly within ones skin.
Feel the beating of ones heart,
Hear the faint murmurings within ones ears, the whispers of secrets of long ago.
Freedom will not come with awards, will not be attained through riches.
Freedom can be reached through stillness.
Stillness will hear the teachings of the trees, and Stillness will know the calling of the seas.
Stillness will bring you freedom in your heart.
Like the prize at the end of a long, hard race, it is always in the future and out of reach.
How can we say we know what freedom is when we cannot say how the wetness of the depths of the oceans feels on our lips?
How the air presses hard against our temples at the top most peak on the highest mountain of our earth.
What enables us to know who and what is free?
Is the tribal man who lives for and with nature, concerned only with the work he must do for the good of the community and oblivious to time bar the placing of the sun,
Is he less free than the modern man whose life is constantly pressured by the omniprescent ticking of the passing seconds?
Should freedom be measured by possessions,
Should it be measured by fulfilment of desires,
Should it be measured by ones position in artificially created societies?
Before one can even attempt to be free, one must sit contentedly within ones skin.
Feel the beating of ones heart,
Hear the faint murmurings within ones ears, the whispers of secrets of long ago.
Freedom will not come with awards, will not be attained through riches.
Freedom can be reached through stillness.
Stillness will hear the teachings of the trees, and Stillness will know the calling of the seas.
Stillness will bring you freedom in your heart.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Gossip
You know what I absolutely hate?? Gossip. Yet for so many people it's a standard form of communication. "Oh you know what I heard today?", "Did you hear who cheated on her boyfriend?", "So-and-so told me, that so-and-so told her that her brothers best friends wife said that so-and-so broke up with his girlfriend for a rabbit! Can you believe it?" NO! I cant believe it. In fact, I find it very hard to believe any of what you just said! I dont want to believe it. In fact, I choose NOT to believe it and to give that person, of whom you feel you have a god-given right to talk so freely about, the benefit of the doubt. To me, it's a disgusting, useless habit and I try my hardest to steer clear of it. But God knows it's hard to stay away from! Everywhere I turn someones talking about someone else.
I have one friend, who shall remain nameless, that is the biggest gossip I have ever met. She just loves to talk, and usually her talk is focused around the private details of someone else's life. The thing is, I know that there's no malicious intent involved. She really doesnt set out to ruin some innocent girls reputation, yet most of the time I'm afraid that's what she ends up doing. She just doesnt realise the impact of her words. She doesnt realise that half the time, she's employing a hell of a lot of double standards, and criticising someone else for things that she herself feels justified to do.
WHO CARES about everyone elses private life??!! Don't you have enough to think about just worrying about your own? Life is short, you've got to live each day as it comes, and a lot of the time many people dont take full advantage of what life has to offer for fear of what other people might say. You wouldnt like it if people jumped to conclusions about your life, so why jump to conclusions about someone elses? Sure it can be fun when you hear a piece of really juicy news. But is it really worth it? I wouldnt want people to talk about me, so I dont talk about other people. It's as simple as that. So if you want people to worry about your relationships and what exactly it is that you do every night when the lights go down, then by all means go ahead and worry about what goes on in their lives too.
Point is, I have a life to live, and interestingly enough it doesnt involve wasting my time talking about the problems of people I hardly know.
I have one friend, who shall remain nameless, that is the biggest gossip I have ever met. She just loves to talk, and usually her talk is focused around the private details of someone else's life. The thing is, I know that there's no malicious intent involved. She really doesnt set out to ruin some innocent girls reputation, yet most of the time I'm afraid that's what she ends up doing. She just doesnt realise the impact of her words. She doesnt realise that half the time, she's employing a hell of a lot of double standards, and criticising someone else for things that she herself feels justified to do.
WHO CARES about everyone elses private life??!! Don't you have enough to think about just worrying about your own? Life is short, you've got to live each day as it comes, and a lot of the time many people dont take full advantage of what life has to offer for fear of what other people might say. You wouldnt like it if people jumped to conclusions about your life, so why jump to conclusions about someone elses? Sure it can be fun when you hear a piece of really juicy news. But is it really worth it? I wouldnt want people to talk about me, so I dont talk about other people. It's as simple as that. So if you want people to worry about your relationships and what exactly it is that you do every night when the lights go down, then by all means go ahead and worry about what goes on in their lives too.
Point is, I have a life to live, and interestingly enough it doesnt involve wasting my time talking about the problems of people I hardly know.
Self-Absorbed Population
I was walking around the mall the other day when I saw someone wearing a t-shirt with the words "There's only one ME" imprinted on it. I had to laugh because, it seems to me that that t-shirt pretty adequately summed up the current self-absorbed mentality of the majority of the world's population. Of course there's only one "ME"! But that's because of the subjectivity of the word. One can only describe oneself as "Me"; to each there is but one person they can refer to as "Me", that is, themselves. "You"'s however, are plentiful. In fact, eveyone is a "You" to all except himself.
When you percieve something to be rare, you instinctively attach a higher value to it. In today's society, especially among the more affluent, there seems to be a continuous fear of producing individuals who, god forbid, should not think the world centers around them! Children are encouraged to grow up believing that they are unique, special and ENTITLED to only the best in life. Don't get me wrong, every child is precious and most certainly should be reared in a loving, supporting family where he or she is encouraged to be all that he can be. However, in line with what we discussed earlier, a lot of children grow up these days believing themselves to be a rare commodity, and believing that this "ME" is more important than all of the "YOU"'s put together. Herein lies our problem, I believe.
If society insists on continuously producing individuals who truly believe that the world owes them something merely for being this unique, one-of-a-kind person, then we will end up with a population who act only for their own maximum benefit without a thought for others. This, I fear, is already the case. It is important to feed your child's self-esteem, but do not do so to a point where 'empathy' ceases to be a part of his vocabulary.
The sooner we realise that the difference between "Me" and "You" is merely a matter of perception, the sooner we may be able to fix some of the ever-growing problems of our society. Let us stop for a moment and think of all the "You"'s out there, because after all, "I" am a "You" to everyone else.
When you percieve something to be rare, you instinctively attach a higher value to it. In today's society, especially among the more affluent, there seems to be a continuous fear of producing individuals who, god forbid, should not think the world centers around them! Children are encouraged to grow up believing that they are unique, special and ENTITLED to only the best in life. Don't get me wrong, every child is precious and most certainly should be reared in a loving, supporting family where he or she is encouraged to be all that he can be. However, in line with what we discussed earlier, a lot of children grow up these days believing themselves to be a rare commodity, and believing that this "ME" is more important than all of the "YOU"'s put together. Herein lies our problem, I believe.
If society insists on continuously producing individuals who truly believe that the world owes them something merely for being this unique, one-of-a-kind person, then we will end up with a population who act only for their own maximum benefit without a thought for others. This, I fear, is already the case. It is important to feed your child's self-esteem, but do not do so to a point where 'empathy' ceases to be a part of his vocabulary.
The sooner we realise that the difference between "Me" and "You" is merely a matter of perception, the sooner we may be able to fix some of the ever-growing problems of our society. Let us stop for a moment and think of all the "You"'s out there, because after all, "I" am a "You" to everyone else.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Fleeting Friendships
I came across this quote the other day: "to the world you are one person, but to one person you are the world", and i gotta tell ya, it really got to me. It made me realise that I spend too much time worrying about being on people's good side, too much time socialising with people who probably when it all comes down to it, couldnt care less about me. And honestly, I dont spend enough time with the people who love me, who really care about me. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but you've got to admit that if in your lifetime you can count out a handful of real friends, i mean someone who would do anything to help you, who genuinely cares about what happens to you, who would risk humiliation, risk being an outcast, just to stand by your side, well if you can count out a handful of those friends then you're so way beyond lucky its crazy.
The point is, you're going to come across alot of people throughout your life. Some will be friends, some will not, some will be interesting, some will be boring as hell, but the heart of the matter is that these people will come and go. Sure it's great knowing them, but most people arent meant to be in your life forever. It took me a long time to accept this, and I dont know if I fully have yet, but you cant spend your life being mad over lost friendships. It was great while it lasted, and you should count yourself lucky to have known that person, no matter how it ended. Remember the good times, keep the memories, but know that just as people come into your life at a certain time and for a certain reason, they must leave it too.
You're lucky if you have someone who really c ares for you, and you'd be a fool to take them for granted and waste your time looking for greener pastures so to speak. There are over 6 billion people in the world, and they all cant like you. So save your precious time for those who do.
The point is, you're going to come across alot of people throughout your life. Some will be friends, some will not, some will be interesting, some will be boring as hell, but the heart of the matter is that these people will come and go. Sure it's great knowing them, but most people arent meant to be in your life forever. It took me a long time to accept this, and I dont know if I fully have yet, but you cant spend your life being mad over lost friendships. It was great while it lasted, and you should count yourself lucky to have known that person, no matter how it ended. Remember the good times, keep the memories, but know that just as people come into your life at a certain time and for a certain reason, they must leave it too.
You're lucky if you have someone who really c ares for you, and you'd be a fool to take them for granted and waste your time looking for greener pastures so to speak. There are over 6 billion people in the world, and they all cant like you. So save your precious time for those who do.
Majority-Rule Principle
The majority-rule principle seems to apply in societal as well as business circumstances since it is apparent that most people are happy and willing to go along with the majority of the population. Oh yes, there does exist the odd minority that is brave enough to stand up and voice a different opinion. But the problem is that most of the majority has closed their minds to the possibility of other valid opinions and views. Yes, our world has been struck by the majority-rule principle.
What the majority votes must be obeyed. Yet, who encompasses the majority of this world? Surely population figures should be the determinant. However, those who rule the world as a pre-requisite must be educated. This rules out the majority of our world's people. In reality, those who have political power and money are the ones who are running our world. Qualification is not an issue. Simply, Power Rules. Today, the United States has, in ways not always legal, succeeded in ensuring that it remains the sole superpower of the world. Americans and their values have become the norm, especially when television and the internet ensure that these values and norms remain a permanent fixture in the homes of most of the world.
To digress, the almost global acceptance of the illegal state of Israel and its people has been almost completely as a result of the attitude towards them displayed in the American media. That is, the attitude displayed by this majority power of the world towards Israel has set down the norm against which all nations attitude towards Israel will be judged. Actions diverging from the norm will be condemned, regardless of whether the norm is in fact the correct standard to apply in terms of humanity, legality and so on.
But what may I ask is the perception of Muslims and Arabs displayed in the American media? Entertainment shows almost never involve Arab or Muslim characters. While media bosses thoroughly ensure that a representative of most ethinic and religious minorities appear on all current TV shows, they seem to forget that Arabs and Muslims do exist and in fact form a large part of American society. The only exposure given to them is on the news when America and, due to satellite television, consequently the world, are exposed to images of evil Arab terrorists and fanatical Muslims. The news flashes pictures of riots and civil unease, of angry Arabs screaming a language most do not understand - no doubt lamenting the implementation of another one of the United States cruel foreign policies and the fact that the laments will fall on deaf ears. With little or no evidence to the contrary, Americans and the world come to believe that with Arabs and Muslims only comes trouble. The different accounts of the characteristics of Arab people coming from someone whose only contact with the Middle East comes through the television on the one hand, and someone who spent time living among and befriending Arabs on the other hand, are unbelievably different. In a sense, the opinion given on Arabs and Muslims in the Western media is extremely unfair. It's a case of bad publicity, and in the case of world politics, bad publicity is not better than no publicity.
Let us stop blaming a religion and a race of people for the worlds current problems. Instead, let us examine the events that led to our current situation and let us realise that the norm is not always correct. And finally, if we must blame someone, then let us blame ourselves. For we have accepted this norm as legitimate and have not bothered to come to our own conclusions. It is time we stood up to the norm, because as Ghandi once said: "Even if you are in a minority of one, the truth is still the truth."
What the majority votes must be obeyed. Yet, who encompasses the majority of this world? Surely population figures should be the determinant. However, those who rule the world as a pre-requisite must be educated. This rules out the majority of our world's people. In reality, those who have political power and money are the ones who are running our world. Qualification is not an issue. Simply, Power Rules. Today, the United States has, in ways not always legal, succeeded in ensuring that it remains the sole superpower of the world. Americans and their values have become the norm, especially when television and the internet ensure that these values and norms remain a permanent fixture in the homes of most of the world.
To digress, the almost global acceptance of the illegal state of Israel and its people has been almost completely as a result of the attitude towards them displayed in the American media. That is, the attitude displayed by this majority power of the world towards Israel has set down the norm against which all nations attitude towards Israel will be judged. Actions diverging from the norm will be condemned, regardless of whether the norm is in fact the correct standard to apply in terms of humanity, legality and so on.
But what may I ask is the perception of Muslims and Arabs displayed in the American media? Entertainment shows almost never involve Arab or Muslim characters. While media bosses thoroughly ensure that a representative of most ethinic and religious minorities appear on all current TV shows, they seem to forget that Arabs and Muslims do exist and in fact form a large part of American society. The only exposure given to them is on the news when America and, due to satellite television, consequently the world, are exposed to images of evil Arab terrorists and fanatical Muslims. The news flashes pictures of riots and civil unease, of angry Arabs screaming a language most do not understand - no doubt lamenting the implementation of another one of the United States cruel foreign policies and the fact that the laments will fall on deaf ears. With little or no evidence to the contrary, Americans and the world come to believe that with Arabs and Muslims only comes trouble. The different accounts of the characteristics of Arab people coming from someone whose only contact with the Middle East comes through the television on the one hand, and someone who spent time living among and befriending Arabs on the other hand, are unbelievably different. In a sense, the opinion given on Arabs and Muslims in the Western media is extremely unfair. It's a case of bad publicity, and in the case of world politics, bad publicity is not better than no publicity.
Let us stop blaming a religion and a race of people for the worlds current problems. Instead, let us examine the events that led to our current situation and let us realise that the norm is not always correct. And finally, if we must blame someone, then let us blame ourselves. For we have accepted this norm as legitimate and have not bothered to come to our own conclusions. It is time we stood up to the norm, because as Ghandi once said: "Even if you are in a minority of one, the truth is still the truth."
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