Omicron: The variant of concern

 

As long as there is wanton greed, absence of globalized and unified effort, the virus will spread and as it spreads the mutation rate increases and then we are presented with Omicron -variant of concern, and then it will spread, making the vaccine ineffective. We are in a loop of misery unless lessons are learned. The microorganism is insistent on us to face the basics. As long there is vaccine inequity we are in a predicament of entirely human making -the greed of few over other. Yes, earning money for years of efforts and investment need to be compensated (otherwise we are told some are not motivated enough) but how much do you want to earn? Unless ofcourse you are looking at virus as a long-term investment with assured returns through variants and so we are dependent on big pharmaceutical forever in a sinister cycle of exploitation and deaths. Never was merchant of death so suited. This is equally true for religions that has created vaccine reluctance, nurturing narration of fantasy and omnipotence in the image of gods, blessings, arrogance of pseudo science.  International community (as also organizations like UN, WTO, WHO so on -though making persistent efforts) has again failed us. And now we are at the mercy of apathy of authorities, greed of market and irresponsible ways of religions. Its going to get worse in poorer societies accentuated by climate led price rise (for instance flooding is spiking vegetable prices). It seems humans are mutating for self-destruction. Understanding the sentience of evolution this is troubling.       

The dead

 

When life abstracts into memory 

Does it still live?

Is it alive and excited for the day out?

Choosing the best dress and socks to match

Or does it need a reminder

Glint of sun against the sill

Or a whiff of fragrance in the crowded street

Warbler in the dense shade intonate each breath

To sync with every passing absences

To try the dead alive  

Secularism needs to be replaced with humanism

 

Any structure that nurtures systems that degrades humans is a constant threat to humanity. Secularism is an idea that was initiated with egalitarian intention of providing freedom to practice and propagate faith, that essentially regress into oppressive systems of religion. Religion isolates from reality into fantastical fictions that animated minds of people many centuries back. To put faith in these anachronistic systems (indeed ridiculous and juvenile if the harm is not this severe), that once assuaged the terrified ignorant souls with mounting uncertainties and threats, negates understandings and progress of last few decades hence severely degrades human capacity for critical thinking and connect to everchanging exciting reality. Religion seeks to trap and ossify mind into catacombs of dead thoughts and meaningless ways. It preys on human spiritual urges and natural fear of unknown. It extends solace and security but extracts heavy price on humanity. It is segregating and branding humans, increasing source of degradation, and is a major reason for strife among perfectly normal and decent humans with all their faculties alive being turned into snarling herds or tolerating actors devoid of basic sensibilities that defines humans. Faculties that developed critical thinking and ability to extrapolate data and facts into precious knowledge and understanding are being compromised. Verifiable evidences authenticated through science, rational inquiry and modern technologies are being questioned without any logic or even basic understanding of premise or skills of argumentation. It is as if everything is being reduced to a battle of binary. In primitive societies this battle is between religions while in more civilized societies religion pose itself as victim to reign in the herd.     

Religion creates individuals who pendulate between fate and entitlements. Beggar minds incapacitated to use their faculties they are led and deluded into fantastical narration and are easily exploited. The rise of fake news and easy acceptance of conspiracy theories points to herd's incapacity to handle reality. Evolved thoughts -democratic institutions being byproduct, cannot nurture such systems that seeks to convert humans into herds for the simple reason that herds are threat to democratic institutions, they constantly weaken egalitarian efforts and make democracy meaningless. Hard earned values of liberty and equality that defines humanity and nurtures individuals to their potential and possibilities is severely negated. Democratic values thrive with open mind, debates, discussions and interactions. Communication cannot happen when the other is not free and doesn’t matter when the other is incapacitated to use mental faculties hence cannot be equal. Communication happens and thoughts shared when people are free to express and think, assert their liberty and are placed in framework of equality. This breakdown of communication leads to prejudices, bigotry, and further spiraling of conspiracy theories among herds. This then severely impacts the functioning of democratic institutions and threatens the basic foundation of society.           

Religion has become an assault on humanity and contemporary sensibilities hence idea of secularism has become meaningless and oppressive. State cannot be a bystander when degrading system encroaches into vibrant spaces of humanity and attempts to create staid barren lands of god’s wishes, commands and swift repercussions for erring. Its pertinent to point out that all religions are not same though they all have the same pernicious potential to degrade into exploitable herds. Despite the strife the commonalities are more pronounced than the differences. Christianity has had devastating impact on humanity in the last few centuries through dark ages, colonial exploitations and racism -the pernicious slave system and apartheid. But reaction to Christianity gave space to reforming movements and renaissance, it gave space to modern developments as well as exploitations. Independent thinking and philosophies helped to consolidate and institutionalize ideas of liberty and freedom, democracy and modern values that help assert human rights. Connection to reality, hence observation skills, gave primacy to logical thinking and foundation of science through systematic studies. Though Christianity remains potently dehumanizing -in its varying degradation from gay rights to anti-abortion so on it has provided lots of space for protest and ridicule hence template to deal. The world though face serious threat from gun totting white supremacists as they encroach into institutions of powerful nation like USA. This is a live threat and has the potential to take the nation into civil war. Other religions have undergone reformation in varying degree but not to the extend of Christianity. Hinduism, though lacking a single rallying point and is dependent on outside to define and play victim, is a potent degradation that would shudder humanity to its core for its depravities. It has converted a vast population into fatalist herd who gnaw and brutalize each other. It has nurtured some extremely devious inbred people with highest estimation of themselves and entitlements hence infected with acute savior syndrome. Though caste cannibals have spread across the world their damage is limited by lack of spread and insular nature. Other religions like Jews, Buddhism, Shintoism, Sikhism etc. too are limited hence the degrading impact is confined. Not denying that where the numbers are more these have the same potential to degrade and dehumanize whether Hindus in India or Jews in Israel or Buddhists in Myanmar (though Buddhism negates god hence takes the sting out of degrading potential but the herds converted buddha into god and nurtured the degradation of religion). That brings us to Islam which carries all the horrors that religion as dehumanizing system presents, it’s being transported across with all its regressive ways intact without any questioning or scrutiny. The spread, reach and definite rallying point of miracle book and its pernicious references and interpretations makes it a live threat to every cherished ideas, enlightened thoughts and humanistic concerns. Religion is a threat to humanity and Islam represents the threat and immediacy since it is being mollycoddled as representation of minority and pushed in as beleaguered to a large part of the world. With its spread it has been persistently presenting problems to humanity, it is degrading democratic institutions, challenging human rights and undermining evolved thoughts. It is creating reactionary and regressive forces in other religions too -not that they need any provocation but yes an alibi to consolidate. Instead of pointing out the problem it is being presented as stand point for tolerance and lynchpin for adherence to democracy and freedom. Miseries cannot be delegated to common people since elite want to work out a narration to showcase themselves as benign meanwhile very much complicit in maintaining systems that bomb and exploit common people.

Its dehumanizing to identify humans through religion. It needs to be seen as personal choice and private matter. Secularism is a natural way to humanism hence ideas of secularism should have seen to it that state has no business to do with religion, and made every effort to negate it from public space as also stifle its effort to entrap common people. Ideally human beings were expected to evolve into these through increased understanding and thinking. Minority protection is an important component of civilized world and defining aspect of democracy but unfortunately, and frustratingly, it is usurped by religion and has redefined enlightened intent into its credulities. Minority ideas, the way these are held, expressed and understood needs protection. Ideas that majority find problematic but holds an evolved view to humanity needs protection and nurturing. Take for instance the issue of LGBTQ and understand how religion works to degrade while this minority idea holds that humans have choices that must be respected. Humanity thrives if these ideas are cherished. That is how minority needs to be defined. To tolerate anachronistic and violating religion is also numbing senses to protest against what is wrong and encroaching into humanity. To tolerate such violation on cherished values makes us less human hence must be resisted.

There are entrenched powers that have gained by keeping humans segregated and dehumanized into herds, these powerbrokers gain from status quo of degradation. They have manipulated egalitarian values into euphemism of transactions for short term gains. Devious elite section control narration (akin to Marxian controlling means of production), and in effect history of humanity is how these controls are expressed. As the societies moved from feudal to market to virtual the narrative control is where the power struggle is. These narrative controls are used to extract benefits and penalized those who stray. It is how deep state spreads its tentacles through democratic institutions, media and all expressions of power. Take for instance the monarchy patriotism narration that is controlled by deep state in Britain. Despite patently feudal and against democratic principles, hence humanity, these are pushed through control over narration. Protagonist changes and contexts vary but deep state’s control over the narration remains. It deals severely with any attempts to question the narration and distributes largesse generously for adhering to the same (for instance, the stampede for gandhian narrative benefits by worst kinds of people). They have consolidated narration for religion, defined religiophobia and explained minority protection that everyone is expected to adhere to despite glaring lacunas, untold misery to common people and severely degrading democratic institutions and cherished values. There is clearly an attempt to pander religion. Extolling religion is how benefits are accrued from deep state. Degraded societies are example where power, positions, literature, art…all extol religion for gain without critically examining nor any care or concern. This then give primacy to mediocrity and status quo exploitation hence nurture hypocrisy and apathy. Religion tarnishes the aesthetics of truth. It introduces ugliness of false absolutes.                     

Feudal cunning elite have been using religions to control people. Already reactionary forces accentuated by destabilizing climate concerns and pandemic are playing havoc. Humanity must assert that the system that is intolerant cannot be a reference to tolerance. It can only slide to bigotry and strife. Not having strife is not an achievement. To avoid strife is where the humanity compromises. It negates cherished values. In these virulent competing forces that segregates and drag hapless humans into medieval frames is where the possibilities of humanity is lost. Even the ever-limiting space that is left in religions for sane discourse is being bludgeoned by competing forces. They take human identities. They claim children, their innocence targeted. They occupy land. They claim regions as theirs. They infect even something as innocent as color, expression of art, language, food…so on. They seek to control our past, present and claim our future, its heart wrenching. Every space that is claimed by religion is a loss for humanity. With predatory claims of religion there is decreasing space for other narrations. There is no space for nuance or humanity. It is as if we are dragged into medieval setting and are made to glimpse and partake atrocious primitive ways despite having better understanding.

Religion cannot solve any of the crisis that humanity faces and is not part of any solution -it never was and it never will be, the framework is just incapable. If ever it is a compromise, a compromise over humanity, hence a violation. Meanwhile it causes daily nuisance and undermines the seriousness of the critical issues as also deflect it into superficial matters that humanity has least time for.  Isolated from reality herds are lost and become dead weight on human efforts. They will patronize and claim ‘god will save’, express love and community feeling in a redemptive effort. Yes, many become immune to deteriorating reality and are content with their blinkered ways and limited understanding. Studies show they live happily and longer. So do some crustaceans. To live as a human being needs effort, a capacity to be alive meanwhile painfully aware of absurdities, searing connection of senses to be present to the moment and the capacity and consciousness to decide what to attend. Religion negates this. There are however limits to which we can live the reality and express the same. Indeed, reality is expressing through our will to be free. Yes, one must assume Sisyphus to be happy. That seems to be the only way to align ephemeral with vastness of existence.  

 

Disappearance of Peng Shuai

 The disappearance of Peng Shuai is not an issue that should be confined to tennis, not even to sports, its a matter of grave concern for humanity. How can state be complicit in disappearance of high prolife sportsperson? People do get vanished from across the world (in impoverished sections of big cities like Delhi children go missing all the time), and the life of people concerned with environmental issues are seriously periled in recent times as greedy corporate unleash its power. State is complicit in disappearance of people who threaten their power and status quo of elite. If democratic institutions are strong and if people are vigilant then these become difficult or there is severe backlash that the state cannot afford. The problem becomes acute in totalitarian states as also countries with quasi democratic systems that is controlled by elite. Disappearance of Peng Shuai becomes a grave matter since China is now becoming a powerful nation that has potential to substantially decide the fate of humanity and therefore has a responsibility. Atleast countries like USA or European nation -despite their human right violations and exploitations, provides space for outrage and protests. Since people in China have no space for protests it becomes incumbent on people across the world to voice in. Chinese authorities should not be allowed to carry on as if this is normal. This is not normal. This cannot be normal. Yes people are being killed by authoritarian state but the impunity with which an internationally known sportsperson faces the same fate should not be allowed to go without a challenge. With high profile sportspersons and internationally known celebrities joining in this must be made an example. A recognizable face like Peng Shuai must be made a rallying point against impunity of state. Chinese authorities have lot to answer. 

International bodies must take action. All sporting links with China must be suspended with immediate effect. If Chinese authorities are complicit, and it is increasingly clear they are, then there is a case for even expelling China from UN and other affiliated bodies. This matter must be taken with all seriousness it deserves. 
     

Existential creativity

Beautiful disappearances

On the undulating fringe of colliding stars, galaxies and black holes

Hurling asteroids sow the atoms in the implausible ocean

To snatch miracle of starlit life from engulfing chaos

It congregates in misses and chances to evolve

Into complex breathing shapes and colours

I see

I notice

I experience and I witness

The disappearances

And scramble to save the memories of existence

Of the last flutter that gravity extracts

Last bloom that colour spreads

Lost fragrances that once swept the hills

Patterns of finale merge with each vagrant weather

Every loss ebbing my life in diminishing silence

My grief is not mine

It’s the grief of everything alive

It’s a sadness that stretches to eons

When elements conspired to create consciousness  

 

Sometime back I was reading “The Memory Police” by Yoko Ogawa, it’s an Orwellian dystopian world where things disappear and are enforced to be forgotten. It’s soon erased from memory. People don’t realize the loss and seem least bothered as things are back to ‘normal’. Each day something or other vanishes. The protagonist uses her writing as surreptitious means to preserve the memory -something that is resisted by draconian Memory Police. There is a riveting passage in the book where rose petals inundate the river as people stare in awe, indicating that roses have disappeared. A bystander remarks as he observes the river flooded with petals "This is the most beautiful disappearance ever". Next day there are no roses.  

Last month there was Biodiversity summit, as also IUCN report so on, pointing to species getting extinct at alarming rate as also numbers too are dwindling significantly. People don’t seem to be bothered, even during COP26 meet rarely was much importance given in media nor was it trending while juvenile entertainments kept herds here in India interested. Now, these news will disturb those who are close to nature -read about it, watch documentaries, experienced being in nature and know the sublime connections (as also those who have studied biodiversity and its importance) but for people staying in cities and towns with minimal interaction, contemplation or observation of nature -at the most utilitarian, this is another boring news -indeed in the infotainment market meant to keep the herds excited these don’t even qualify as news. Therefore it is important that to comprehend the enormity of loss one has to witness, experience and be connected. I recall almost two decades back we witnessed Siberian cranes in Rajasthan, there was so much excitement while we spent hours and days observing. Narrating these to people back in Delhi made me stand out as odd. Within a year or so Siberian cranes stopped migrating to the region. Imagine the loss we felt. Now imagine if these birds become extinct. Will anyone in Delhi be bothered? The reason why people need to experience being part of nature. This must begin quite early in life through education system, or else during holiday stays in resorts. Most resorts located next to forest or eco fragile regions are rarely interested in these (atleast when I started off as naturalist, indeed I had to create the position and explain. Now ofcourse things are changing). Otherwise issues like climate catastrophe or biodiversity loss will not resonate despite dire consequences. The greedy systems are working to make profit while failure of education is a failure to realize human potential and therefore incapable to comprehend reality. 

The other day I was reading Ben Okri (Nigerian writer), he writes "We have to ask unthinkable questions. We have to go right to the roots of what makes us such a devouring species, overly competitive, conquest-driven, hierarchical". "We have to find a new art and a new psychology to penetrate the apathy and the denial that are preventing us making the changes that are inevitable if our world is to survive. We need a new art to waken people both to the enormity of what is looming and the fact that we can still do something about it", and proposes "existential creativity, to serve the unavoidable truth of our times, and a visionary existentialism, to serve the future that we must bring about from the brink of our environmental catastrophe". "As a writer, it means everything I write should be directed to the immediate end of drawing attention to the dire position we are in as a species. It means that the writing must have no frills. It should speak only truth. In it, the truth must be also beauty. It calls for the highest economy. It means that everything I do must have a singular purpose".    

 

Chennai is facing the brunt of Climate breakdown

 For last few days Tamil Nadu is facing the onslaught of North-West monsoon. A combination of climate assault, faulty planning and greedy irresponsible ways has making of a disaster. One thought last major flood in Chennai (in 2015) would have cautioned but the herd controlling systems prevented it while the herds were too happy to be distracted with inanities. With majority of people poor impoverished and exploited tragedies are delegated fate. 

Climate vulnerable cities with dense population must get their act together to focus on climate adaptive mechanism. Sponge cities is one compelling alternative that must be taken seriously. Like, for instance, you can create huge stadium like structures with deep underground parking facilities which during summer act as recreational place while during flooding turns into water storage. Policy makers must take responsibility.  

TONIGHT CHENNAI IS SET TO FACE INTENSE RAIN. When there is no preparation one can only pray and wait for fate to unfold. 

 

Increasingly less reasons to be optimistic

 

The show

I have a dark room in my mind

that I enter on neglected days 

festooned with horrifying

cold, damp, and still

hanging in unending space and recurring time

I see passing processions of gaiety and grief

to emote an appropriate response

unaware of past or any clue of future. 

The trickster on the street

entertains an absent audience

his skinny body folds up

and he dance in deathly frenzy

for the moment

    to exist.        

Moonlight clouds 

I dread the passing clouds in the moonlight

It blanks the night into swaying spirit

The trees, the river and the restless crows

Enter the silence as if in a pact

Punctuated by rushing stars

Pulsating in heart beats

From light years to light years

        Swirling in churning space 

Incapable and incapacitated

 I read somewhere that as people age they become cynical and rigid. That may not be true. Over the years I have come across some wonderful vibrant elderly people, but these are not norms in an overwhelmingly bleak scenario degraded by systems. Indeed, I have come across more and more youngsters who are cynical and sarcastic, either as a reaction to systems or coopted by it -either way it really cannot be positive. With overwhelming omnipresence of technology -that opens up amazing possibilities, youngsters are also getting exposed to systemic oppressive values and manipulations at an early age. Having awareness and deeper understanding -that comes with exploring their senses to realities, and comprehending with their mind as also exposing to interesting thoughts and contemplations is how unique presence gets consolidated. Overwhelming and constant exposure to systems tends to destroy this uniqueness or very likely makes one reactive, and this has debilitating impact on young minds unless ofcourse they are protected and natural inquisitiveness nurtured. We live in the best of times, and its increasingly clear, in the horribly worsening time. Although humanity is having best of life’s possibilities anywhere experienced in human history, we are also seeing real time breakdown of life sustaining systems that were exploited to create this sense of wellbeing. We are passing the tipping point and real time collapse.  

So, with great expectations we are watching COP26 at Glasgow. And I must add I for one (like billions of people holed up in their little corners across the world working their existential problems and survival needs but still concerned, atleast for some hope, in an increasingly futile scene) is getting quite cynical. With the absence of major nations like China and Russia we aren’t sure how this climate commitment -if ever, going to work. Fragile egos of few is how our lives seems to be hinged on. Placed in primitive society like India I am quite aware of this frame but I was expecting something different at international scene when facing with overwhelming odds. To put their little lives aside and take responsibility. What emblemizes the tragedy of the times is leadership of the summit. Boris Johnson is the sickness of systems we have created (and by no small measure the fattened fluffs who contributed to the reactionary choices for common people meanwhile also the worst of nonwhites in the cabinet, as representation). I had overwhelming sense of anguish, and seethed in anger, when I watched the image of venerable David Attenborough (at the age of 95, active enthusiastic and concerned -a rare human being – a life well lived) was made to sit next to unmasked drowsing pile of a human. Then there are formalities of “excellencies” and what not as they speak to the audience while studiously avoiding each other. I am told there are discussions happening in the back drop. What is clear is that the system is not placing -indeed incapable, the best of humans to deal with what is essentially the most crucial occasion for survival of life.

There is a sense of dread. You really cannot blame when concerned youngsters are getting abusive. They may even get violent. It’s overwhelming odds they are facing, and decency is least of concern (reminds me of jostling to get into crowded dirty bus in Delhi every morning -you have a livelihood to work out, you got to survive). It’s about survival and all that they love.  In their limited frame of action, they tend to get reactionary. While on the internet chats there is another section who are fed by the systems and algorithm to be vile and bring out the worst in human being. Its getting difficult.

I am closing down.