What is lesser evil?

 

This is Amber Thurman based in USA. She died of sepsis as she was denied life saving abortion care. Many women have died, many face misery. Imagine having all the modern technology and means to save life but still they are not able to do anything as patient die. This is not about USA alone, though it is shocking since they deem themselves as 'developed', across the world vulnerable people/women face brutalities of religion (more than a decade back I recall writing about Savita Halappanavar in Ireland who died of sepsis under similar circumstance https://depalan.blogspot.com/2012/11/prolife-is-about-celebrating-life.html). Imagine the situation in poor societies where religion (Christianity in this case) creates horrible conditions of avoidable deaths and avoidable births. This is heinous and such medieval understanding has no space in civilized world.  

Pope Francis must answer. He is an influential figure and as the religious head cannot shirk responsibility. He is also responsible for these deaths and misery by nurturing this brutal crude ecosystem in the garb of religion. When critically scrutinized he is very much criminally liable. He must also explain what is lesser evil?    

Dystopian Eaarth

 

We have changed Earth in fundamental way. The physical feature of Earth is changing rapidly. The hospitable Earth that we know is gone. We are now on dangerous Eaarth -a dystopian reality.  We have warmed the planet, warm air holds more water vapor than cold, it rains harder and evaporate faster. With sea ice melting, the albedo, or reflectivity, of arctic changes as the mirror of white ice replaced by sun absorbing blue. Global temperature, heat wave, rainfall, landslides, forest fires…have increased dangerously. Thunderstorms, cyclones/hurricanes, lightning are more frequent and last longer. Methane chimneys are opening up rapidly heating the planet further. The great rainforests are dying. Plant yields and nutrition are falling, life giver phytoplankton are dying, species are vanishing, biomass reducing and resilience of biodiversity is falling. Oceans are acidifying, incapable to hold carbon nor sustain diverse life, coral reefs are barren. Bacteria, parasites, algae blooms flourish, water and mosquito borne diseases increase and spread. Extreme catastrophic events are leading post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and variety of phobias, and increased numbers of refugees. Add to it, warmer world is predicted to lead to more wars and discords over shared water, rivers and arable land, violent storms can even topple weak governments. The terrifying reality of end of cycle of growth that institutions are hinged on. We don’t know how to regrow rain forests, defreeze arctic, recreate ecosystems…

This is what this book eaarth: making a life on tough planet (by Bill McKibben) is dealing with, it was written almost 15years back -and that surely is life time back in fast changing world, but still is valuable. As we see climate catastrophes unfold on daily basis, and realtime vanishing of life nurturing planet, these books provide insights. As for me it really didn’t add much to the knowledge on these issues as I have kept abreast with unfolding reality and have read much of the literature and documentaries on climate catastrophe. Unlike 15years back it is criminal to be not aware of these critical matters. There are some mentions in the book that I found interesting, like for instance, this collateral of climate catastrophe in Mozambique presenting unseen unexpected complexities of changing world compounding problems for common people who really haven’t contributed anything to these disasters that is enveloping their life: “…record rains in Mozambique washed out huge quantities of land mines that were planted during brutal civil wars. People, escaping flood, swam into these fields and were killed. To make matter worse…thousands of dollars were spent to map the location of these minefields…some even washed up on local beaches around the lake. Farmers are terrified to plough their fields again because they don’t know what is under the silt”   

       

Contrived narration

 

Narrations are controlled. Powerful control narration that is deemed to be true and mainstreamed into herds through regulated influence, communication and entertainment. In the last few years these legacy instruments of control are seriously dented by social media and platforming of grassroot voices. Despite serious misuse there is a strong element of dissemination of democracy and diversity of views. As long as facts are nearer to the truth interpretations of vibrant divergent voices matter.

Migration is constant feature in nature, and so is with humans being an indelible part of nature. National borders are quite a new understanding and seems like a recent aberration in long history of free movement. Migration of people brings fresh ideas and energy into hospitable community. The reason why there is migration to certain regions of the world is an indication of better opportunity for enhancements which in turn reflects value systems nurtured that creates better societies and space for evolved ideas, thoughts and innovation. It is not an accident that recent progress of humanity is nurtured in certain parts of the world. Much of freedom that world experiences through ideas and technologies is largely due to regions of the world nurtured by vibrant thoughts and humanistic concerns. This is not to say that there aren’t any problems but these are idealized and percolates into populace. Evolved society provides space for development, that doesn’t mean it will be utilized for better by all. Most humans by their very nature seek security of community in its lowest commonest denominator of responsibility and intellect. It is only very few who consolidate and enhance progressive thoughts and scientific thinking. Waves of immigrants from West due to famine (Ireland) and prosecution (jews) found best possibilities in USA hence contributed to its amazing progress. Sometimes society progresses so fast, essentially with free speech and technology, that much of people are stuck in past. Despite technology driven globalization last few years have seen consolidation of nationalist feelings and rising insecurity among common people. Neoliberal value systems and catastrophic impact of climate will make matter worse.

Other as enemy is easy to construct. For charlatans dividing people on myths is to divert attention from realities of poverty, corruption and existential crisis. The other is always a construct around which prejudice and worst of fear are build. Fantastical narrations of juvenile religions creates myths of grand herd obfuscating history of barbarians. Herd carry these crude identities hence ease of the other. Skin color is oldest of the other that primitives associate degrading values to demean the other. And, in societies with large migrations this other is easy to spot and construct prejudices and myths of dire. It is not to say that the other is always benign needy or carry vibrant possibilities of difference and diversity. Examples of Europe, especially feudal-values-compromised-carrying-high-estimate-of-itself Britain, shows primitive other as immigrants can severely degrade society and incite regressive revivalism and xenophobia. It is therefore responsibility of society to decide what kind of people enter and assimilate into them as also the numbers so that herd demography shift doesn’t pose the worst and impact progressive values. As societies evolve it is but natural that fertility rate reduces (barbarians, insecure and egoistic irresponsible breed like pigs), as it is human population is significant cause of deteriorating conditions across the world, serious impact on nature and debilitating pressure on other species. Neoliberal market, religion driven charlatans and cunning politicians have eternal need for breeding populace. Advancement in technology must suffice the shortage of humans in advanced societies. Cheap labor cannot be an incentive for immigration since it stands on the foundation of the other as cheap -less valued, this degrades progressive values. Democracy, liberty and freedom are cherished ideas on which progress of humanity is hinged hence cannot be bartered. These are not religion based. These are humanistic evolved ideas through best minds over centuries.            

For the very reason allowing immigrants is not religion based compassion, nor a moral right. It is a reasoned decision by state weighing in conditions and situations. Devious forces may conspire but increasing human population is never good for society, nation or earth. Ideally richer society must evolve into compassion but it must be firmly hinged on realities of state as also awareness of forces working to misuse as also need for assimilating into progressive values. Pope Francis comparison of American presidential candidates is patently dangerous and irresponsible. There is no comparison here. He need to comprehend the serious situation. Migration happens because of unequal world. It is this inequality and brutality of state and non-state that must be focus. You cannot slate immigration to compassion and balance it with brutality of denying right for abortion (also, he needs to educate himself on the meaning of assassination, really disgusted, totally unbecoming). Further, this religion-based balderdash of human life being sacred exceptional must be dealt. Capital punishment must be appropriately used in rarest of rare circumstance and cannot be given away as evolved value system. It isn’t. It is an expression of religion (that centers human life) at the expense of victim and family who faced heinous crimes and limited resource of poor society that must provide for law abiding. This ofcourse doesn’t mean eye for an eye barbarian value of another religion extreme. Religion must face logical exigencies of modern world and learn to value individual liberty or face obsolesce as nuisance. Meanwhile Pope must urgently reconsider his stand on American election and unconditionally support progressive candidate.  

well done!

...easily the matured responsible one in the debate. Should win. 

(also need to understand that this is in restricted low frame of US domestic politics and national interest chicanery. One is appalled by statements on fracking, guns, NATO etc....Meanwhile do we also get to see similar transparency in election process from increasingly influential China?)

 

At the horizon

It is here

Earlier than you thought

When mind is peeled out of body

With its own eye

The refracted sight shifted in new light

Magnified in weight of years

You tenderly straighten the creases

Look at your body

In schizophrenic affection and detachment

And let it merge in the glow of setting sun  

Exceptionalism of stupidity

 

What was once considered embarrassment, an occasion to introspect and attempt to improve, is now seeking exceptionalism. We entered the age of stupidity. Stupid people, stupid occasions and happenings -a mischance now a norm, are watched and rewatched and connected to deeply satisfying meaning of existence of appalling. Stupidity was always present but in the sidelines deeply cognizant of its lack. With herd hunters mollycoddling herd of their special bearing presence and unique attribute as collective -that doesn’t pass any basic critically scrutiny, in a primitive society history becomes a hunting ground for obsessive narrative control. Myths and fiction replace the reality and is keenly worked to hold its say in the present and worked into bleak future. Stupidity demands no strain on the intellect and is easily swayed by glib and glitter. It helps nurture mediocrity and general ugliness all around. It thrives on quantity and is deeply suspicious of quality or anything that needs strain. Stupidity is in the comfort of laziness, easiness of dealing and confidence of assertion. It is incapable, and is no doubt incapacitated, to see beyond the veil of ignorance and self-righteous morality.              

With social media providing unbridled access stupidness, lacking any discernible skill or redeeming quality, is now a vehement choice. Being stupid is no longer an embarrassment when you are bombarded with everyday stupidity as choice that see immense gain. Attribute of self-conscious, an indelible aspect of human to be circumspect and try to create a better version, is seen as inhibition -a problem. Choosing crass and crude is an expression of self that consolidates into collective sedation and acceptance of ugliness and irresponsible. In the overwhelming presence of mediocrity and ugliness truth and beauty shrinks. An ugly public space -building, statue etc., a mediocre shoddy work, crude unruly uncouth people…all conspire against subtleties and evolved possibilities. This diminishes humanity and pushes into violence of all forms.   

With misinformation and disinformation, chaos and alienation, old world crumbling rapidly and technology intruding at breathtaking speed, the incapacity to accept complexities of meaning and absurd, the existential crave for certainty becomes urgent. Sedated unthinking mass is floating for anchor. Since responsible dealing with present needs incisive empathetic mind, and acceptance of ordinary lacking glitter or glamour or attention seeking, the insular primed in exceptionalism and grand myth of its collective becomes easy target for manipulators. Evil has logic and pattern hence can be dealt by analyzing and systematically negating. What when evil uses stupidity as its front? Stupidity by its very nature lacks logic or pattern, the crass excitable hops from one near catastrophe to new possible catastrophe. And with power to destroy world many times over we move from one precipice to another with baited breath while stupidity immune to immense urgent challenges celebrates its latest attention while the self-help industry and spiritual charlatans goad to enjoy the scene -live in the present, without any awareness or knowledge whatsoever, connect to pristine and pure stupidity!

Hello to the world

Will the molecules recall

What held it together

Eons ago

Glad, despair, occasions weave life

The child waves at passing train

Anticipating no reciprocity

He does know the burden

That axis the tilted world

His happiness shuffled a million times

Scrolled from the beginning to the end of it all

When atoms sought alliances

And sun called the curtain