Age, culture and friendship

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

So ten years, a whole decade had passed since we had last met. Our Life was not meant to be together, and our friendship is just a passing shadow, not real between us. We were surprised to discover each other, after all these years, and find we had some things, still in common between us. The times we have lived in the past few years, have seen a lot of change, in how we live, but we have also made deep friendships. There are people more engaged with their smart phone, and Apple world now, that they do not communicate very well, with humans around them. Meals have become a chore, and more patrons at restaurants are dissatisfied with their servings, as they spend too much time on their communication devices; and letting the presentation wilt, and the food becomes cold and insipid.
So I did not miss you, as life had me in its grip, but now it is different. We actually look up from our iPhones and talk to each other. The meetings of eyes, the sly smiles, the hearty laugh seem so strange, as who had heard of laughter; in the time, of cell phones? We have become slaves, of our devices, and we are more taken up in their care, rather than enjoying the time of life; given to each one of us. With each passing moment we lose a little, but instead with you around; I gain a lot. We are friends after all, and friendship, has its own songs. It has its own verse, language and when appropriate; music, from a common culture. We are so much alike, that I could be looking in a mirror of minds, a common consciousness of the universe; in, and around us. We speak and see as one, and all around us is in harmony, as love flows; where friendship lays, its foundation.
So over Thirty years of my life has passed with you besides me, and everything I am now, is because of you. We have made a life out of nothing, and the credit goes; mainly to you. It is as if, our times, are meant for improving. We make everything look so easy as circumstances and fortune made its own paths, around us. We had enough, as we had each other; and the children made it easier. Life is so busy, and we are so engrossed in living it; that time just passes, as if it’s a river. You and me sat and we watched the river of life flow from its banks, and raised our kids and made our friends. All of ours, has floated down the river of time, and yet we are still stronger, than before. This is a time and a place, that we can rightfully call our own. We have arrived in our place, and we have peace, as we are who we are; and there is no duplicity here.
As we grow older, we have to learn to be more forgiving, and also kinder; to those dear ones, who are around us. The fury and anger, of getting one’s own way, is no longer as strong, as one starts to mellow down. Life is no longer a war with others, for one’s survival, but a time for relaxation, and enjoyment. Play games, read books, enjoy card games, take long walks, be closer to nature as soon nature is going to be, closer to us than. we will ever want it to be. Enjoy the time on this earth, as it is a song, which our life sings in happiness. Will we be the choir? or will our words ring out? clear and loud, for all to hear? Will they stand and cheer for the way we lived, when we are no longer here?
Life is full of surprises, but the greatest surprise I discovered, is the one, I played on myself. When I was young, I had a future; and some, rosy dreams, and the whole world was at my feet. Time passed, in dreams of tomorrow; and the brave new world, and the brotherhood of men; where everyone is successful. In an Ayn Rand way giant industries grow around us and the world progresses and everyone is rich or at least living well. What I could have been, and what I have become; is a strange difference, of my perception and your reality. Sometimes it is me, and then it is the one I am becoming, so now I know, that I just am. It has become too hard, to be trying to change, as I have already become. As thirty years together, have not changed me, so also has life not made me bitter. Even a twisted Pretzel is nothing, compared to the round about ways; that my life turned and on so many different planes, that to feel the wholeness of this moment, is very uncanny. I sit, I meditate,Being Here, I am, yet it is strange to love another, more than oneself. We are all born, and we will all feel love and spread love and joy We should arrive bringing gifts of love and compassion, and reduce human hatred all around us, We will all pass on, leaving our shared culture, to our daughters, sons, family, friends and this universe.

Image: “Friendships in adulthood” JLS Media on flicker.

Powerful hailstorm devastates crops in central Georgia

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

I was reading that after floods in Tbilisi forced Zoo animals into the Streets, Georgia just can’t get a break from its natural disasters. Global warming is having a devastating effect on the country as who would have thought that a freak hailstorm, would be strong enough to deprive the citizens of foods and vegetables for the rest of the year. Hectares of crops in central Georgia have been demolished in last night’s severe thunderstorm, leaving farmers without a way to feed their families for the rest of the year.
Farmers have spent the past 12 months tending to their fruit and vegetable crops and were preparing to harvest the yield when the hailstorm struck, ruining about 80 percent of crops in several villages in Dusheti and Gori municipalities on May 29. Global warming is to blame as per some experts and it is causing strange weather patterns.

Meanwhile in India there are expectations of a good monsoon after two bad years and the rains have come down to meet the forecast in the districts and towns of Kerala and Karnataka. It should steadily increase and spread north and east across the Gangetic belt to the Himalayas. It will replenish the snow and Glaciers in the Greater Himalayas which will feed the rivers into South Asia and China. Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangla Desh should all benefit from a strong monsoon. The Indo Gangetic plain will flourish with the snowmelt and its streams and rivers will fill up and start to flow. 80% of the rain and snowmelt water is lost as it flows into the Bay of Bengal, or flows into the Arabian Sea to feed the Indian Ocean. The water harvesting is extremely poor and many dams, reservoirs and lakes need to be constructed to preserve the rain water.
Channels of construction crisscrossing the land with ample hydel renewable energy from the flowing waters is possible. The great buildout of the Himalayas is about to start. The greening of the hills will bring many beneficial aspects of Green development. The cheap energy and water will be put to good use to develop new smart cities, which will flourish in this modern heartlands. Perhaps the largest source of cheap and abundant labor is tied up in the disguised employment in India’s over half a million villages. This is where India dwells and this has been the center of its culture and civilization for millenniums. This is where I believe, the change will come for a morally correct, and social uplifting wave, for the better of humanity. Solar, Wind, Hydel, coal and nuclear energy are going to bring a sea change in the development of this ancient civilization and way of life.
Hardware and Software is coming to India as more and more engineers are educated and join the workforce. Millions of jobs need to be created and the State is not ready for the next stage, as hard decisions need to be made. Political transparency, ease of doing business and enforceable laws with quick justice, is unheard of in many of these countries. India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar have their own political problems in embracing a Developed world. The soft state economies are not able to grab their potential, as a lot of the feudal and caste systems continue to stop progress to a more democratic and equal society. Equality and the rule of law for all citizens and the right to economic independence, is the need of the hour, and not quasi military systems. Nobody is making the hard decisions that are required for economic growth and development. A stable inflation, low interest rates, transparency in governance are all actions that they must take, to allo,w long term growth to take place. There is enough demand from the growing young populations, which any improvements in the supply side, will help make a great thrust forward.
South Asia is almost 20 years behind China in economic growth as China has made great strides since 1990. The gulf between the two regions has widened and the trade between the nations has seen very slow growth. Open borders and trade as in a Euro Nation model would make for a new trading block in the world. We have America, Europe and China as the great super powers in economic growth. South Asia and Africa are currently struggling as developing economies. The Middle East is a disaster except for Turkey and Israel. Egypt with its find of a Natural gas bonanza, may expect some energy relief in the coming decades, and will hopefully start back on a democratic growth path. India is a key with potential to grow its own economy at a fast pace, to expand trade and provide skills in the region for its neighbors in Asia, Middle East and Africa.
If the Indian sub-continent can achieve growth of 7% or even low double digits GDP growth, for the coming decades, it will be a huge change for the region’s future. You will be able to see the growth of incomes from the current $ 3 per day, to the greatest emergence of the next middle class’ in the history, of our world. Hundreds of millions will be pushed from living on barely a dollar a day to a thousand times that. The exponential growth that is possible, given the potentials of the region; will also help Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and its neighboring Middle East to rebuild. Sub-continental skilled labor in the Middle East can help put them back into a developing economy, and growth in trade between energy surplus Arab States and India could transform the modernization of the region. The Qatari, Iraqi, Irani and the Saudis will be a welcome suppliers to Africa and South Asia’s growth, if they develop stable governments.
We are on the cusp of a 100 years of peace if the great powers can enforce a verifiable peace. There are many wars still raging across Africa and the Middle East which will be tough to stop. International cooperation and effort will be needed to restore peace and allow the refugees to return and help for them to rebuild like the Marshall plan. The great development of this millennium will only start when there is the rule of law, and human trafficking and warmongering, are no longer acceptable in modern societies. The Military\Industrial complex must be better used for human development.
Even half the billions currently spent on today’s wars when invested in human development, in the next decade will buy an expensive peace. Yet it will be a peace of honor and achievement for some of the neediest humans on our fellow Earth. There is much to look forward to, if we just implement the right steps for development and growth. Human development while not a divine right, is still glorious for us to achieve together. Let the Monsoon begin, for the young maidens on the swings, hanging from the blooming mango trees, to sway in the cool breeze; for play, undisturbed. They will sing songs of longings, that the rains fulfilled, and our earth will be at peace again!

Image By Sagredo – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:India_Geographic_Map.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5007327

Hope in America

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

The American economy continues to grow and it is still the biggest economy in the world, when I last checked. Reagan is the greatest president as per modern Republicans, then how come they do not appreciate the fact, that our Industrial output has almost doubled, since his presidency. We have faced the adversity of the Great Recession, and turned it into hope for the betterment of the world, through sheer dedicated efforts. I say that our political leadership despite all its faults is still strong and resilient, so some of the recent political incidents and sayings have left me perplexed.

We continue to add jobs every month and have been doing so for the past many years, and unemployment is down and employment continues to grow. Violent crime is down in New York City and across most of America and the rate has been declining for decades. I do not understand why Donald Trump started his campaign in New York by saying, “Our country is going to hell.”

There is a boom in Green energy and pollution continues to decline, as newer more efficient automobiles, plant and equipment continues to roll out. The new buildings, factories and homes are more energy efficient and our environmental footprint per capita is decreasing in America. Again I do not understand Trump’s comment that, “we’re becoming a third world country,”

Aids, Zika and other deadly viruses are being fought, and we are also leading the fight for eradicating other killing diseases across the world. We have increased research being done on diseases like Cancer, Cardio Vascular and Diabetes, as Americans are living longer than any time in our history. We are able to live more productive and longer lives, and come up with better medications and procedures every year.

The uninsured Health Care population is going down, and more care is being provided to more citizens than at any time in our history. This will lead to health care improvements and to a more productive population. So why does Ted Cruz feel that America “is near an abyss.”

Living standards are going up as mass production and mass consumption is at an all-time peak. The American consumer has never had more choices, in how we want to live, and what we want to consume. So I do not understand Bernie Sander’s comment that the economy has been “destroyed” except for the wealthy.

We are living longer and also having more productive lives. Longevity rates are continuing to rise even as living standards continue to improve. We have the strongest Military and are the undisputed leader of the free world. So why does Mr. Trump feel that America is “Losing all the time.”

Education rates continue to improve as there are more people graduating High School than before. As Obama said at a recent Howard University commencement speech that this is probably the most opportune time to be born Black in America, as there are more opportunities available to a Black graduates today, than ever before.

Equality is rising for the sexes and woman are getting more wages for similar work. Inequality for all races and sexual orientation is improving steadily and glass ceilings are continuing to break as minorities rise to top positions across Industries and organizations. It prompted Senator Lindsey Graham to run “because the world is falling apart,” and maybe he wasn’t talking about America.

On looking around me I am seeing an economically growing, stable and at peace America, able to take steps to improve the lives of its people. The doom Sayers are all around us and the drum roll of America’s decline is being yelled from every political bully pulpit that is available. It is being drummed into each one of us, that there is no opportunity left in this great land, and we have never had it so bad. Our future is bleak at best and horrible at worst. It is time to put up walls around us, and retreat from the world and go back to the drawing board, as nothing is working. The middle class is dying and the poor are growing poorer. Now is not a good time to be an American and even third world countries are happier than us, and on a better path.

On the other hand I find that we are innovating and bringing new technology to market and our corporations continue to bring social and economic change in logistics, social and consumer goods. Wealth is still continuing to grow at a great pace and more opportunities arise continuously, bringing in the brightest and best to our shores, to study and prosper. We still have the most mobile and productive workforce, and the best universities and research organizations in the world. We need leaders who will invest in our infrastructure and social fabric, to make tomorrow better than our past. Adversity should bring out the best in us and not despair and despondence, as that is who we are.

The disconnect in the 2016 elections is in sharp contrast to the optimistic view of ‘Hope’ that Bill Clinton or even Obama brought to us recently. The pendulum has swung so far that we cannot believe in our own success, but need to lean on clutches of bigotry, supremacy and hate to make us feel human. Complete dissatisfaction with our political status quo is raising its ugly head, as partisan political rhetoric goes down the wrong path. Never has the house been so divided as now, when we cannot even decide on the next Supreme court Justice for all of us. Suspicion and disbelief of fellow citizen’s across the aisle is rampant, and our motives questioned even for the best causes.

It is time for us to believe in ourselves again and in our common humanity. We are not the worst or the best but just ordinary humans, striving for a better life. We must welcome equality and opportunity, as only together can we find the best path forward. Slogans and political gimmickry that divides us, will not be tolerated. We have to let our candidates know that if they do not show their plans for a better America, and how they will achieve it in their first 100 days, we do not need them. We are a nation of doers and not slogan mongers, and we will march with the one who will lead from the front, to a better tomorrow. Show us your plans for a better America, and not all that can possibly go wrong. We know what is wrong and it is your empty hate mongering and divisive slogans, give us a leader and a visionary instead. God bless America, as our diversity in thought and action is what makes our future strong!

Manufacture or decline

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

America is on the edge of an abyss called Industry 4.0, where it can either take the leap to the next level of innovation and productivity, or forever fall down into a state of perpetual decline of its living standards. There are many factors that point to the eventual decline of the American civilization and some say it started with the dot com crash, and others point to the Great Recession after the housing and financial collapse. The export of manufacturing to China and other nations and the dependence of the American consumer on other nations, both for its goods and also for its deficits is disheartening. We are on a downward cycle that is slowly spiraling out of control with trillions in deficits. A nation of debtors cannot lead, and the divide between the rich and the rest is growing, and will lead to class conflict, and a permanent rendering of our social fabric.

The decline in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education is worrisome and so is the disappearing middle class. More people are dropping out of the working class, because of inability to earn a living wage, and the destitute and disabled are straining the state and city resources. Good paying jobs have gone the way of the dodo bird, and we might as well tighten our belts, and pray that social security and Medicare will last into our old age. The despair is reflected in the dysfunctional election primaries we just witnessed and the rise of health and mental issues across the land. Some have felt the Bern and talk about a social revolution. Others believe that Trump is the leader of high moral standing, who will lead us to the next Cultural Revolution.

Personally I believe that there are green shoots coming up and some of it is the resurgence of manufacturing in America. I believe in a coming Industrial Revolution that will transform America and the rest of the world. Everywhere I look I see the emergence of new innovation and technology. From the days when Ford offered its customers “any color they want, long as it is black” to the new F 150 trucks which can be configured a million different ways from the same assembly line. American manufacturing has come full circle with robotics, lasers, software, hardware advancements that were scarcely imagined just a few decades ago. The resurgence of the automotive sector where GM’s new cars are a marvel of efficiency and technology can scarcely be believed, from a corporation that Obama had to bail out just recently.

The never say die attitude of continuous innovation has brought cheap energy in abundance from the shale formations. Cheap gas has driven the largest coal producer Peabody bankrupt and gone a long way in the greening of America. We will soon be the cheapest producers of plastics, resins, steel, automobiles and planes in the world. Our labor is the most productive and if things continue with newer software and hardware convergence, the gap will only widen. There is no other silicon valley in the world and we still attract the brightest and the best. Even one of the oldest Dow Jone’s Company GE is reinventing itself, as an innovation driven, software optimized, 3D metal printing of complex jet nozzles, guzzler of latest technologies and manufacturing oomph. The green energy from renewal sources is just starting to take off at a massive scale, and this will provide impetus to the next new smart cities and rising living standards. Driverless cars, green cities, research universities, modern factories with better paying jobs in manufacturing will bring new life into the economy.

The information age is built on a foundation of cutting edge technology, and majority of its innovation, still comes from America. Social media and the new unicorns of how we interact with society and each other are still being built out in America, and the rest of the world is following. There are cheaper and more efficient ways to do things as proven by the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Uber and others who did not even exist just a short time ago. The billions in new wealth created by these corporations is based on the emergence of innovative software and increasingly complex hardware convergence. The new Masters of the universe are not the Wall Street tycoons exchanging bonds and corporate paper, but the likes of Page, Bezos, Jobs, Zuckerberg. Gates and Allison who create the next new thing.

Yes my faith in American manufacturing has been reborn and I believe this will be the greatest century of American creativity and innovation. We have the vision and aptitude for disruption, and the universities and research and development between government and private sector, which is the envy of the world. Those who rumor that America is not capable of producing anything but services and information, in the mistaken belief that we are just an overgrown agrarian economy, are not seeing the whole picture. The rust belt based on coal, steam and old manufacturing may be dead, but its successors are proving to be far stronger and more resilient. Nano technology, Genetic engineering, Bio Technology, Custom production to meet individual needs are here, and will only improve at a faster rate as energy costs continue to go down and productivity improves.

The crucible of human endeavor is all in the spirit of our people. Long as we allow this spirit to grow, there is no other nation that can best us from our desired goals. We will stake our fortunes and take the risks of making a better world, just as the founding fathers did against the greatest empire and won. There is no force that can hold us back if we stay true to our ideals and continue to strive for a more perfect union. Manufacturing powers can help us rebuild our Middle Class, with better paying jobs and a more equitable society. We can bring the prosperity to the rest of the world and lead in improving the living standards of humanity. With dedication and American ingenuity we can leap this abyss of our despair, of Malthusian predictions of our decline, and come out even stronger on the other side!

This May feeling

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

On waking up this morning I realized that May has rolled into my life again. I stretched and slowly came awake to a sense of Joy. as I know this special May feeling was starting to bubble up in me again. It is a feeling of hearing the birds singing and the flowers budding and the trees sprouting their leaves with the dogwoods and other trees blooming and nature all a blush with its fecundity. The song I hear is not a Hollywood or Bollywood number but a full throated celebration of life that enthusiastically says that yes love is in the air and we are in for the best times of our lives.
I reach across the empty bed as I realize I have slept late, and now I cannot hold my love close or say to her that this May will be different. We have become so tied up in the daily routine and care that we have forgotten that deep sense of belonging, that blessed us in our earlier years. This is May 1, 2016 I want to scream, and it is here only for us. Come with me and sing the songs of life again, and feel the joy of life coursing through our veins, and every single cell in our body is pulsating. with the force of the universe around us. This primordial feeling of when creation first started is still in us and we are the highest creation of its evolution.
So this May feeling is in me and I sweep my body and the aura of just being here and now is upon me. I feel the soft cotton of the sheets and the support of the pillow under my head. There is an awareness of the rise and fall of each moment as it enters my life and space and then departs and I now blend it with my May feeling. We make our life into what we want it to become and so let this feeling of joy spread. I let the vibrations go out from my body and mind, to all my loved ones so that they may feel it too. My fellow creatures reciprocate my vibrations and the universe and I are enclosed in this cocoon of reality that is only of this moment. We are one again.
So I decide to let these good vibrations go out to all of you. Please hear the birds sing, watch the flowers and trees bloom, the animals play with their young as May is a time of life. Let your bygones be bygone and start a new chapter. Love with all your might and bring happiness and joy wherever you go. Those small dreary actions that make up your daily chores will get done but remember that is not your life. Your life is to hear the angels sing in their clear voices a primordial song of love and faith. Let your heart soar this May to the heavens and spread some love around you. Unravel all those bonds of care and let lose the spirit that is truly you and is the source of all that is good in this universe. Love yourself first, so that you may learn to love the others around you.
This May feeling has me upbeat and I spring from my bed but my slippers are missing. I walk barefoot and know that this is a natural state, and I can live with it. Each step I take is taking to my goal and when I see her, I will ask her for the pleasure of sharing this May with me. I am sure she will look puzzled and think if I have lost it again, in my old age? This May feeling will engulf her I am sure, and we will open the windows and let the birds sing and the flowers bloom in our life again.

US kids behind in Science education

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

Our children are continuing to fall behind in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and currently the US is ranked 44^th in the world. The ranking has been on a steady slide downwards with no hope for improving. Other countries continue to improve their engagement in modern education, and help their students prosper, because of better policies and parent’s involvement. Paul Morgan of Penn State’s education department has done a focused study on the causes of this decline in America over the past decades, and come up with some startling findings. These are similar to the ground breaking work done by Fredrick Froebel (pictured above) over a century ago, who started Kindergartens and revolutionized children’s education, and was very influential in improving education in our world.

His research looked for the timelines when these declines happened, whether in High School, or 8^th Grade, or third grade, or started in Kinder Garden. It also looked at racial and economic backgrounds of the children, and any other social factors that may be causing the US children to be consistently falling behind in STEM studies. He found this is threatening the development of the knowledge based society, required for our future. Given all the modern gadgets available and tools of our information age, it seemed strange that our children are not gaining ground, on the rest of the world. I was intrigued by the contrary findings of his research, as I would have expected that our children would have the benefits of an internet age, and be able to develop basic math and language skills, more rapidly.

His core findings are that the knowledge gap starts in Kinder Garden itself and children just do not have the general knowledge and societal awareness, which form the foundation for a good education. It is the parents and society that is failing the children by not exposing them early to the needs of a modern educated society. Mathematics and science exposure early is not required but just an exposure to general knowledge where we broaden a child’s horizon to include a broader exposure to our world. The child has to be given the opportunity to expand his\her brain by exercising it in learning general and broad spheres of knowledge. Especially in minorities an effort needs to be made to help groom the children early, to have this broader exposure to education, as soon as they enter, or even before they enter Kinder Garden.

His research talks about a “leaky STEM pipeline” where low-income, minorities and women are allowed to set lower expectations, and hence not encouraged, to challenge themselves, towards loftier learning goals. The same individuals when encouraged and provided the right support, can excel at basic STEM education, and develop into scientists and engineers in later life. While about 20% of white children and similarly about 20% of upper-income children do not display aptitude for science and mathematics, it falls to 52% for low-income students and 63% for blacks by the time they reach 8^th grade. These low numbers are not acceptable if we really want these children to live an economically better life, in the knowledge based economy we are transitioning to.

The solution proposed is to encourage young children to become competent in English and mathematics at an early age. They should be guided to have more exposure to general knowledge in Kinder Garden and encouraged to broaden their horizons. Young brains must be encouraged to develop basic language and mathematical skills, along with physical and societal awareness. This foundation is to be built up to the third grade and if they are up to the grade level by then, it is highly probable that they will continue on that path, even when they are in the 8^th grade. Education policy has to change and parents, teachers and society all have to contribute to the child’s success. Then the children having built this foundation and with the right expectations, will become competent in STEM education in High School and College.

As Paul points out “It is never too late to help children grow to be successful.” By starting early we can make them more aware of the physical and natural world around them, even before they reach KG. To make a great society we have to start at the beginning, and invest far greater effort in the children who are our future. To shirk this responsibility on the basis of race, ethnic, gender or economic background will be the greatest blunder we can make as a society. Each child deserves the opportunity to be successful in later life, and while not everyone has a STEM aptitude, not to be even allowed the opportunity to improve oneself, is a moral sin. There is still time to invest in our future, and by an early change in education policy, make America the land of opportunity once again.

Artificial aristocracy is the greatest danger to modern times

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

We have a great respect for the founding fathers of America and Thomas Jefferson not only doubled the size of America with the Louisiana Purchase but also was a genius in many other areas. His intellectual capabilities were second to none and having fought tyranny and repression he left us great words of wisdom on the dangers of an artificial aristocracy. In the current US elections we have some candidates who fall into this danger zone.

“There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents… The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to prevent its ascendancy.” -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect, and author (13 Apr 1743-1826)

We have seen this in history time and again when leading scions of famous families come to lead nations and drive them to ruin. The misguided policies are often cheered by the populace without realizing the severe constraints they put on their own betterment. We have seen many examples where fame and wealth may give access to the corridors of power, but we have to remain ever vigilant against their corrupting influence. It is easy to be misled as all of us hunger for fame and wealth, or at the least identify internally with those who have fame and wealth. This can easily lead to misinterpretation of a person’s capabilities just because we often link wealth and fame to superior intellect and a sense of achievement.

I would include Mr. Donald Trump as a leading example of this artificial aristocracy in the current state of affairs. I seriously doubt his virtues and also question his talents towards public policy and ability to do serious government work. His statements have been mischievous and often cater to the lowest human aspirations of racial and moral superiority. I do not see any remedying qualities in his messages, or policies for the betterment of man. I see instead divisive policies, and cheap political gimmickry, to attract followers. For him to have risen so high so quickly is a testament to the gullibility of the innocent American public, who often accept people at face value.

It is only right for all of us to remove his ascendancy and seek out a better leader of the free world. After the second Bush years, who proved himself to be another example of an artificial aristocracy of modern time, we should have learnt our lessons well. We need leaders who will be ‘compassionate’ and not turn around on their own slogan and bomb the fifth largest army into oblivion and destabilize a whole region. We need builders and visionaries of the future and not aristocratic leaders fighting yesterday’s wars. Life is hard enough with global warming, species annihilation, energy, and health and economic challenges that we all face. We have to reach out to billions as fellow citizens of this mother earth. America should reach for the stars, and does not have to follow someone, who will build walls around us, and keep the world out.

Multiculturalism

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

It was in the time of the father of the current Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the 1970s and 1980s, that Multiculturalism as a concept for national development, was first adopted by a country. Canada became the leader and was later followed by Australia, as it moved away from the “White only Australia” policy, only after the Second World War. This is a new political reality where the public recognition of the importance of immigration and diversity, pushes against the forces of monoculturalism. Europe has been struggling with its adventures in Multiculturalism as its nation states evolved their own particular national and cultural homogeneity, after centuries of strife and war between the nation states. Now some like the Netherlands and Denmark are moving away from multiculturalism, as they regress to their core societies.
America was never intended to be multicultural as the founding fathers clearly laid out their preference for the new nation, “Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people — a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs…” The myth of America as a welcomer of immigrants of diversity, with the statue of Liberty holding high its torch high, evolved much later, as it was forced to move away from its WASP origins. The philosophy in America has been to make a homogenous society through its schools and common beliefs, national holidays and traditions. It has not been a multicultural policy although many looking in from outside have mistaken its policies, in moving towards the celebration of multiple cultures.In fact it has tried to make a new homogenous American society.
In India its 1652 indigenous languages and the variety of culture, music, cuisine and religious diversity have evolved over millennium, into a more or less homogenous society, with its own unique form of Multiculturalism. The celebration of multiple festivals and religious celebrations in India, stands out in a complete contrast to its major neighbors like China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangla Desh, Myanmar where the concept of a single culture nation state, seems paramount to their survival. As nation states evolve the cultural uniqueness of its people becomes a strength or weakness, as it can hold the nation back, or allows it to grow depending on its diversity and outlook. India’s strenght will be the diversity of its people as they retain their individual identities, and yet are able to work together to build, a greater nation state.
In my opinion it is the nations that can encourage diversity, which will prosper the most culturally and economically. The politics of inclusion brings out the best in people, as they work together to solve society’s problems. Each of us in our individualism and unique characteristics, bring strength of a greater whole, to any complex problem. The multiple thinking can allow people to tackle the age old problems, in a whole new way. It is not only compromise to a lesser solution, but a way to come up with a better solution, to solve the old problem. As we include people of all different ways of life, into our mainstream, and allow them to contribute to society as a whole, we will make a greater nation. We have to encourage each person of color, caste, race, sexual orientation, religion to participate in the rich tapestry of our society. Each one of us wants to have a better life, and as such will want to contribute, to a greater society. The tension of differences between us, can also help eventually increase, the harmony of potential solutions. Let us celebrate these political differences to make a greater human race.
To conclude we are all in this together and nature is a great multiplier of diversity and evolution as that is how survival works. If we can only allow this evolution to work in our favor, then we can all be successful and survive. If we do not, then we will only allow nature to overtake us, and send us into an evolutionary downward spiral. To become masters of our own destiny, we have to embrace everyone’s destiny, of all living creatures. Human beings are just a blip in the time space continuum, and we have a lot to learn from each other, to survive. In fact the more we interact with natures great variety, the more we will prosper. Diversity is our strength as the next great breakthrough for our survival will come from the outliers, and not the established norms. We have to move forward with multiculturalism as it is our only option.

My burning universe

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

Opening my inner eye leads to the firm conclusion that there is knowledge deep in each one of us, where the universe burns; in an eternal flame. We are blind to this sacred power that resides in our inner most cores, and gives us what we call life, as we are too worn down by the care of the trivial events, which surround us. It is only in moments when we awake to the great reality, that suddenly the opaque glass of Maya is shattered, and we come face to face with our own reality. It then become important for us to act on what is real, and let go of the illusion that is transitory.
I enter the burning universe and come alive as now the cosmic fire does not burn me, or the solar winds dry me, and I am the consciousness that was and will be. Primordial sound and light do not bother me, as I dance in their vibrations, and the waves are mine to ride. Time has no meaning suddenly, as it slows and eons are in my grasp, and as I unfold my grasp, eons are passing in moments. There is no joy or happiness in this moment, as it just is, and I am awake to a new sense of the extraordinary, that is here and now. I blink and worlds disappear and I blink again and they reappear, as if born again. Reincarnation is real, but just slightly different from what I had imagined, it to be. It is a flowing river of time and space, where the water is the same, but I cannot touch the same water, once it has passed.
I burn and am not consumed, for I am part of this universe where nothing is lost forever, and it is as if the more I burn, the more I live. So I let my inner eye close, and come back to my existence, and see that nothing has really changed. I am who I was and I remain who I will be. The visions of the burning universe remain in my mind’s eye, but I cannot explain them to anyone. I decide not to speak to anyone about it, lest they think I have a secret mission. I sleep and perchance will dream of the spectacle, that is all around us and yet we do not see it. I realize that the reality in sleep may be better, than the reality of being awake.We are creatures of consciousness, and I wrap myself in its layers, and am content; yet my inside burns, in the eternal flame. As i drift off I see my eternal flame fighting with the forces of dark matter and black holes, and know that tomorrow life will continue from here.

Democratic Choice

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Rajiv Kapoor

The demise of the middle class in the US and the rise of the 1% is the most disturbing trend of our age. The neoliberal takeover of the mainstream economic thought started with President Carter and continued with Reagan, Clinton, Bush and Obama. ‘The demise of welfare as we know it’, and the continued squeeze on social programs has pushed more people out of the lower middle class and the era of Franklin Roosevelt and Johnson is long gone. The top 1% share of income keeps rising and at over 22% it is nearing the highs of income inequality, reached just before the great depression. We are now at the edge of the abyss and the result of the next election may well decide our fate for the next age.
There is continued dissatisfaction amongst the youth, as this generation has only seen a congress at war with itself, and politicians not able to deliver on the promises they make, due to a divided house. The faith in democracy has eroded and participation in the process is fueled either by the extreme nationalistic dialog, portrayed by the likes of Cruz and mimicked by Trump on the Republican tea party right. The other side is the egalitarian socialism espoused by Sanders, who talks against income inequality, the need to reduce the risk from too big to fail financial institutions, universal health and free education. We as a society must decide which direction we want our future to go, as these are extreme choices; that we must face, to be true to ourselves.
The greatest gains in income and equality have historicaly been, when the system has been fair and not in favor of the wealthy elite and their protective power. It is only when leaders have stepped up and protected the poor, and made an even playing field, that the world has prospered and the middle class grown. This was borne out by the economic policies in the fifties and sixties in the US and I shudder to say the eighties and nineties in China when it becam glorious to be rich. The great prosperity was possible even when the top tax rate was near 90% under Eisenhower, and it is said that if Bernie’s policies are allowed to take root, we could have another great blossoming in America.
An analysis of his policies by one economist shows that median income could rise to 82,000 from less than 54,000 today while providing better education, healthcare and massive investment in infrastructure, by rebuilding this great nation. Poverty would be reduced dramatically to 6%, and the growth rate of GDP would grow at double the current projected rates to over 5% and the national budget would go from the current major deficits to major surpluses. If it sounds too good to be true then we just have to look back in history, when we had more enlightened leaders who cared. They were not elected by Super Pacs and the wealthy, but represented the ordinary people, who elected them. We cannot go to a National Right that demands it is more equal, but must proceed to a humanistic left that cares for true equality.
The age of the neoliberals is dying, and it is up to the youth and the poor to rise up and demand the new egalitarian socialism, which insists on more equality and growth. We need opportunity and the national wealth to be spent, on our infrastructure,education and health. The people need the economy to work for us and not for the ultra-wealthy and the capitalists alone. We live in a capitalistic society which has been usurped by power brokers, who no longer know how to grow the economy, and have encouraged grid lock, and politicians who will look the other way, while they pocket the rewards of our labor.
The vote in this election matters more than ever before, as either we will fall into the chasm of narrow parochial views, or rise on the waves of a shared prosperity. The choice is clear but the electorate is fooled by gerrymandering and deceptive advertising into a false sense of complacence. The revolution is here and nobody sees which way it will go, but all I can quote is, that ‘the times they are a changing’.

He who would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself. -Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (9 Feb 1737-1809)

@rajivtheauthor

The Peacock Throne Wars