“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”
— Abigail Van Buren
Found on http://karishma.me/.
Good one.
Saturday 26 March 2011
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Moment of wildlife
A couple of years ago, in the village from the hills (we are in a plain area, so the hills are quite a thing to have a village on here), which village I have a like-hate chemistry with, in one of the rare quiet-landscape-moments, we went up on one of the smaller hills to make a phone call.
We passed the thorny plants, the winding savage plants, and we sat down on the shorter grass. Out of the bushes a small dear appeared. As I was sitting down it approached me. I froze, because it seemed so unreal. Later I thought that the baby dear must have been confused by my position and my maroon clothes.
It stopped right near me, and for a moment we all looked like statues. Then I reached out with my hand, while trying to decide if I wanted to pet it or not.
A high pitched scream scared us humans wit the same scare the dear was probably experiencing. Suddenly realizing I am not what it thought, it was screaming and in a few seconds it disappeared behind some other bushes.
I am glad I did not touch it after all, and it all remained a weird fantastic moment to later talk about. Its world and our world were parallel and they should have remained so.
No sightseeing (to many semi stray dogs), no wild nature pictures (just our yard), no grandparents' village feeling, but a few moments like these in a couple of years make the like part in the mixed feelings I have about this place.
We passed the thorny plants, the winding savage plants, and we sat down on the shorter grass. Out of the bushes a small dear appeared. As I was sitting down it approached me. I froze, because it seemed so unreal. Later I thought that the baby dear must have been confused by my position and my maroon clothes.
It stopped right near me, and for a moment we all looked like statues. Then I reached out with my hand, while trying to decide if I wanted to pet it or not.
A high pitched scream scared us humans wit the same scare the dear was probably experiencing. Suddenly realizing I am not what it thought, it was screaming and in a few seconds it disappeared behind some other bushes.
I am glad I did not touch it after all, and it all remained a weird fantastic moment to later talk about. Its world and our world were parallel and they should have remained so.
No sightseeing (to many semi stray dogs), no wild nature pictures (just our yard), no grandparents' village feeling, but a few moments like these in a couple of years make the like part in the mixed feelings I have about this place.
Tuesday 15 March 2011
People
The news coverage of the Japan events is barely there.
This constitutes an information in itself: the situation is so hugely desperate that the entire fragile network of wires and waves and technology that the humans were counting on is gone. No live transmissions with reporters picking their words in front of the blazing fire, in a way that would assure the rating goes up. No editorials that mean something, that reflect the events in a journalistic way. Not as far as I read.
Just the horrifying unexpected event. A shattered country and nation. An empty question inside: Why?
And the feeling that we have been watching so many high budget movies about natural disasters that our psychic is used to terrible images and is numb when confronted with reality. The adrenaline sometimes rushes at a new update as it would in a crucial scene from an action flick.
But this isn't a movie. Sadly. This is happening for real.
And it poses a lot of questions about humans. Was this absolutely natural? Why couldn't it be anticipated, with all the technological progress? Why is one of the most advanced countries without resources in self-defense against natural disasters?
Have the humans chosen to forget about what may happen when such things occur and had agreed to drain the money only into banks and pockets and business?
When the calamity strikes money or stocks cannot replace food, power sources, heat, medical supplies, or even a safe piece of land that's not shaking or being swept by huge waves.
Where are the "fortunes" of people? ONU talks about a potential famine in the not so near future and about eating insects, an entire country is breaking down, the food is bad and the agriculture soars. Food and clothing, price-wise, are like dinosaurs from another era compared with technological gadgets: a camera costs less than a couple of days' food, sometimes even less that a good winter jacket.
Where is the research meant to help, really help people? To make our lives better, our understanding wider, our existence wiser? To find solutions out of the box?
I find it sad to think it is a project on a napkin in the pockets of some individuals with money, who crunch numbers and don't find it worthy to spend in this direction.
Who probably see just numbers in Japan, also...Numbers instead of people.
This constitutes an information in itself: the situation is so hugely desperate that the entire fragile network of wires and waves and technology that the humans were counting on is gone. No live transmissions with reporters picking their words in front of the blazing fire, in a way that would assure the rating goes up. No editorials that mean something, that reflect the events in a journalistic way. Not as far as I read.
Just the horrifying unexpected event. A shattered country and nation. An empty question inside: Why?
And the feeling that we have been watching so many high budget movies about natural disasters that our psychic is used to terrible images and is numb when confronted with reality. The adrenaline sometimes rushes at a new update as it would in a crucial scene from an action flick.
But this isn't a movie. Sadly. This is happening for real.
And it poses a lot of questions about humans. Was this absolutely natural? Why couldn't it be anticipated, with all the technological progress? Why is one of the most advanced countries without resources in self-defense against natural disasters?
Have the humans chosen to forget about what may happen when such things occur and had agreed to drain the money only into banks and pockets and business?
When the calamity strikes money or stocks cannot replace food, power sources, heat, medical supplies, or even a safe piece of land that's not shaking or being swept by huge waves.
Where are the "fortunes" of people? ONU talks about a potential famine in the not so near future and about eating insects, an entire country is breaking down, the food is bad and the agriculture soars. Food and clothing, price-wise, are like dinosaurs from another era compared with technological gadgets: a camera costs less than a couple of days' food, sometimes even less that a good winter jacket.
Where is the research meant to help, really help people? To make our lives better, our understanding wider, our existence wiser? To find solutions out of the box?
I find it sad to think it is a project on a napkin in the pockets of some individuals with money, who crunch numbers and don't find it worthy to spend in this direction.
Who probably see just numbers in Japan, also...Numbers instead of people.
Tuesday 8 March 2011
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