For the opinions of like-minded people
Elections are the bedrock of democracy. This statement is supposed to give comfort to billions of people around the world, who believe in the system of government which has been in place for many hundreds of years. Yet, if you look at governments around the world, you will find that the systems which have been put in place to ‘elect’ the Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chancellors of this world, are very flawed.
The counterpart to the worldwide movement named #MeToo, is my version of a movement, which is not countering the #metoo movement, but asking questions about relationships between male and female.
Throughout history, men have been the pursuers, the charmers, the chasers of women. Whole industries have made countless billions over centuries due to this basic fact. So now we have world where men are now on their guard when it comes to physical, and visual contact, and verbal interaction, with the opposite sex.
I came across this interesting article in the wake of the Nice attack.
There is a lot which can be said on this subject. Leaders of the free world(whatever that means),the greatest nation in the world, Leaders of democracy. These are some of the self-awarded accolades which Americans have given to themselves, but we have to separate the nation from the people in this instance.
A tribute to the late great Muhammad Ali,
by way of a poem.
The Greatest.
He beat the rest
Then he beat the best.
Then at his peak
They tried to make him weak.
Newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, blogs, the internet. All of these things are sources of news. We have never had so much choice as to where we receive our news from.
With the emergence several decades ago, of media corporations, who own many outlets of news, we have become more and more subject to the views of the people who own these organisations.
The world (probably except for the US) has been gripped by a crisis, the like of which has not been experienced for many years, regarding refugees.
The situation as we know has emanated from the ongoing war in Syria, which seems to have no clear end in sight. Millions of Syrian refugees have fled the country amid the fighting and are seeking sanctuary in the European Union. Read more
The rise of religious fanaticism.
Religion has long been a word which stirs emotions, triggers debate, arouses passion, and also instills suspicion and fear. The worship of a higher being of which generally there is no concrete evidence, has shaped societies and cultures for thousands of years. One of the religions at the centre of the debate is Islam. This religion, looks to Allah as its supreme being, and has rules which must be followed.
We are al
ways hearing, reading about, and watching, financial news regarding various countries going bankrupt or overspending, and borrowing money from the world bank /IMF. To briefly explain. Countries are run just like any business. They make money by raising taxes, selling goods and services (tourism for example) to other countries. They use the money they receive to provide services for the citizens of the country. That was the simplified version .Like some businesses, countries can spend more than they receive in income. So in this event, they borrow.
Having lived in Asia for a number years, there is one aspect, which is particular to Asia, which I still have a hard time getting to grips with. Coming from the West (Europe), I and many like myself have been taught to be honest, and direct. To make ones voice heard when need be. But this behaviour is in direct contrast with most Asian countries where, the act of keeping ones mouth shut, or not voicing ones real opinions, is preferable to voicing them. There is also the culture of not being seen as ‘wrong’ to avoid embarrassment at any cost. Even at the cost of ‘loss of position'(this translates to, ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’.)