Reflections from the Village Bard
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If you live like a frog in a well, you will have a very limited view of the world. Most poor people who live in small towns in isolation from the rest develop what is called the frog in the well syndrome that limits their ability to understand the greater world and how to…
There have always been tricksters and fraudulent people who took advantage of the gullible and greedy people but now they have become more sophisticated because they now use computers in call centers to scam people around the world. It has become a multibillion-dollar industry that shows no sign of abating. This looks at…
Djamila Boupacha is everyones hero because it takes great courage to fight for the freedom as she did for her country called Algeria and suffered the consequences. Here is a a very courageous girl who was so young but determined. I will tell you today about a very brave girl who was called Djamila…
Empathy is the opposite of apathy that helps people understand each other better. Without empathy, apathy takes over and creates the barrier between the people that can make people antisocial, selfish and narcissistic. Empathy for others is a virtue while apathy is a weakness many people suffer from. These two should not be confused.…
The manipulative media that push their own agenda , be it political or safeguarding the economic interest of their backers is everywhere but has come under scrutiny by the viewers everywhere who want the truth. So their dominance worldwide is being challenged now by more independent news channels and very dedicated and fearless reporters…
The changing times have a strong influence on the music that is produced reflecting the changes. We have come from the whining and tiring country music to boring love songs sung by old people of yesteryears to the current era of the great performing artists/singers like Madonna but that too is changing. This…
There are countries where the curse of dowry still prevails. This looks at the reasons and how this curse can be lifted so that all men and women can choose whom they wish to marry and bring about the fundamental changes in their patriarchal societies. Once I was in a village in the…
I painted Che as my first attempt to paint my heroes. I admired Che ever since I can remember as a teenager and followed his exploits first in Cuba and later in Bolivia where he was assassinated by the CIA. But over the years his stature as a legend kept growing and reached…
Mankind is plagued by the continuous human exploitation everywhere that does not seem to go away due to the money the unscrupulous people make so there is greater urgency to find ways to stop it and help those who are so exploited .The post focuses on this issue and how the NGOs…
Consequence of the earthquake in Haiti People continue to die needlessly when their old and dilapidated houses collapse on them all of a sudden but there is nothing sudden about it because such disasters can be prevented by evacuating people from unsafe dwellings before it happens. But people do not listen in…
Artist Ai Wei Wei who is persecuted in China Those of us who have the voice of conscience often do not realize its power to bring about meaningful changes in our communities, our government and our country. This voice of conscience often has a price one has to pay to be heard.Those who pay…
Humans have mistreated animals since a very long time and sadly it continues even today so they kill the beautiful animals in many parts of the world for their teeth, fur or skin. Torture of captive animals also continues but it has to stop now. As people become more aware of the right…
This topic deals with the serious issue of gender equality that I wrote about in Part one but many readers want to know more so I wrote Part two where I write about the historical, tribal, religious and cultural reasons why the inequality exists. Judging from the response of my readers, I am…
All dictators fall eventually and their infamous monuments to their own rule are pulled down by the avenging mobs to be replaced by their own heroes. This scrutinises the penchant for the people to erect monuments and their desire to demolish them when the time passes to a new era when people try to…
There is a great hunger in people who have suffered injustice because of their skin color, ethnicity, race or religion to seek justice. It is no longer a case of slavery of African Americans or mistreatment of the Native Australians or Native Americans. We now see them tearing down monuments representing oppression everywhere. People…
We see in many parts of the world the culture of guns that inevitably leads to violence . There are daily reports of massacres in public places or at home by some people who see gun violence the only way to make a point. When the violence in the streets become common then…
Honest governance anywhere needs serious electoral reforms that can make the election process transparent and weed out the corrupt people so that honest and poor but qualified people can get the chance to serve the country. Such reforms if implemented can serve the entire country and propel it toward development and prosperity. Democracy…
The quest for supremacy to gain territories and fortune using brute force was the practice not too long ago when it gave rise to brutal conquerors like Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and many others who are even romanticized and lionized in their own country today but the fact remains that such people were egocentric…
All over the world women face sexual harassment and have now started to come out to denounce those who have mistreated them with the hope that the culture of sexual depredation of women will stop and they will be treated fairly with respect and dignity. The root cause of sexual harassment in any…