He-Man and the Masters of Morals
0Tuesday, October 23, 2012 by Sanket Chaukiyal
As a species, humans have a lot to be proud
of; we have built great cities, crossed the oceans, soared through the skies and
ascended into the heavens. With the beginning of each new generation there is
an evolution in its technology, culture and society. It is a welcome change but
all is not well. Sadly, as we advance in our civilisation we regress in moral
character. A lot has changed negatively and we have turned a blind eye to it.
Gone are the days where one would think twice before uttering an unacceptable
"bad" word (not counting accepted teenage slang) or consider it the
greatest of sins to talk back at his parents or teachers. Most friendships are
treated as an artificial relationship which is to be maintained only for gain.
We do not think twice before harming others for our profit. Violence suddenly
becomes "cool". Crime is at an all-time high because people have lost
the little voice in their heads that says "do the right thing". Where
has the innocence of humanity gone?
Where did we go wrong?
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| He-Man |
The answer to it does not lie in blaming
the changing culture or society values but merely looking at our childhood and
recognising what has changed. It is often too difficult for parents to spend a
lot of time with their children due to a lot of work load and hence, the idiot
box becomes the part time nanny. The innocent minds of children can be easily
influenced and they are on the constant lookout for an adult role model to
imitate which is mostly their parents with whom they spend most of their time.
However in this day and age, the role model is who and what they see on the
television.
The content on television now has
drastically changed from what we had in our childhood. The issue is not the
abundance of abusive language or violence on TV but the lack of moral lessons
in them. Cartoons are not what they were back in the good old days where they
provided good entertainment as well as a valuable life lesson. Taking the
example of He-Man (the original one), it was a cartoon which provided a good
dose of entertainment as well as a meaningful life lesson from He-Man towards the end of
the show, which we were all too happy to listen to because it came from our
hero. The best part was that these lessons/advices were based on what happened in
the cartoon and hence it was an advice with an example. A few of these
lessons/advices were:-
- There are no shortcuts in life.
- Have courage to do the right thing.
- Don't accept money food or toys from strangers and never go away with them. Terrible things have happened to those kids who did(so just walk away).
- Brains are better than brawns.
- Think of your own safety because people wont be there to keep you safe always(crossing guards, traffic police).
- Drugs don’t make your problems go away. They just create more.
- Courage means saying no to something you know is wrong. Courage means having principles and sticking to them.
- Sometimes there may be a problem that may be too big for you to handle, there are people out there that care about you. Tell them about your problems and they will help you.
- Television is not the only way to be entertained. There is reading too and there are good books at the library.[Regarding this last point. I bet no television show would tell their audience to go read instead of watch television. Now this is what I call doing the right thing.]
Alas, the golden age of entertainment with
character did not last long. Principles and values took a back seat to profit
and eventually led to entertainment without morals. As a result, people lost
out on the healthy dosage of principles at their childhood and led to failed
judgements between right and wrong in the future. There is no need of
entertainment with morals for adults who are mature enough to think for
themselves but the delicate minds of children need the conditioning to make
them better people as adults. With the demise of He-Man and the likes, the
angel on the shoulder was soon to follow.
Category alternative theory, children and television, He-Man, moral regression, television effects
Late Ballistics: India tests Agni 5
0Monday, May 28, 2012 by Sanket Chaukiyal
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| Image Courtesy: Wikipedia |
India recently tested the Agni V "range of 5000 kms" and joined the elite club of ICBM nations. This is a great accomplishment not just because of the technological achievement but also due to the fact that it was achieved under a technology transfer embargo due to nuclear weapons testing in the past. The embargo however benefited the country in the form of self-reliance in the defence industry. This is a moment of great pride for any patriot but to truly understand the significance of any achievement, all the facts whether good or bad must be examined.
If it were not for the embargoes, India would have
achieved the status of an ICBM nation much earlier which would have saved it
from a lot of territorial aggression from China. However, it is not too late as
the ICBM certainly gives India a better foothold against China which is the
dominant regional superpower. The ICBM will enable India to strike important
targets deep within China.
Where there is a sword
there is always a shield; Missile shields together with satellite tracking
system make a potent defence against ICBMs thereby nullifying their advantage
up to an extent "an advantage if a missile shield is located at a
potential target, which is highly probable". Therefore the only option is to make our own defence strong, to pick up
a shield of our own.
India needs to invest heavily in a missile defence
shield of its own considering that it lies in a very volatile region of Asia
"surrounded by Pakistan, China and Bangladesh".
India needs to boost its information network by
investing in developing indigenous spy satellites as critical information can
mean the difference between victory and defeat. Already India has
started taking a step in the right direction by investing in Multiple
Independent Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) which could be the solution to the
"missile defence shield" issue. To put it simply, MIRVs are basically many missiles
inside one which can effectively enable the targeting of multiple targets while
also minimising the effect of a missile shield which will be unable
to target all the missiles.
What one can look forward to is the development of the
Agni VI which will have a range of 10,000 Kms.
(PS: My conscience wants me to put one line in on its
behalf "Do we need more weapons or more food?")
Category Agni, ICBM, India, Missile, Super Power
What If? : Religion
2Friday, April 13, 2012 by Sanket Chaukiyal
“What if?” is a series of articles that will
explore alternative theories for explaining existing ideologies.
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| Image Source: Godisthere |
I am someone who thinks blind faith is
illogical but that hasn't stopped me from questioning my thoughts time and
again, always trying to see things from the other points of view and at times
also seeing things from the point of view of a neutral observer without any
prejudice. From plain rejection to tolerance to indifference, my thoughts about
religion have traversed all these dimensions to now arrive to what I perceive
at this time and moment as the most logical explanation.
We don’t give our children books of Basic
Science 101 when they are little; we give them The Book of Fairy Tales. It
doesn’t mean that we want to deprive them of knowledge or intelligence, it just
means that want to do something more important for them that is required in
their age. We want to charge up their imagination and explore its very depths
because in the end, it is that very imagination that will determine where they
end up in life. It is what fires up their determination and zest for life.
We know and understand that there is a right
time for everything and therefore know when to start scientific education for a
child.
Now I had not thought of this before but it
suddenly struck me one morning when making tea for myself. What if?
Perhaps religion has a logical basis of its
formation across all societies. Maybe there is a reason that religion exists
for sentient beings.
What is it that defines what is right or
wrong for a being who is self aware and to whom the instinct of
take-only-what-you-need is second nature to the wants of a life created by the
fruits of their intelligence?
A lion in the wild kills for need and not for
greed so there is no question of moral here; on the other hand we as humans
live beyond our needs and sometimes to the extent of causing harm to others
around us.
Just as we got self awareness and
intelligence to evolve ourselves, we needed something compliment our instinct
to handle the increased awareness. We needed morals, we needed ethics. It is
said that as a person gains more knowledge, his respect for life increases and
so does tolerance and understanding. But what does he/she do at the infancy of
the quest for knowledge when there is a lack of education to bind an honourable
existence into life.
The need of religion was felt to guide humans to live up to their gift of intelligence, to be worthy of it. Just as children need parents to guide them at the infancy of their age, adults need religion to guide them at the infancy of their knowledge.
Just as children emulate the behaviour of their parents, adults emulate the behaviour of god; a righteous, selfless, kind and compassionate being to whom the meaning of happiness is bringing joy to others. It does not matter how many qualities adults emulate as long as even one of these is followed, the social purpose of the gift of intelligence is achieved.
As adults climb the ladder of knowledge, some of them leave religion behind as they do not need it anymore to teach them to be a socially productive creature, their understanding that develops with the higher level of knowledge serves that purpose now.
However, a lot of them accept religion as a way of life till the very end as they choose it over knowledge as a conduit to achieving enlightenment.
Formation of religion at the infancy of knowledge in any civilisation is inevitable.
As long as the social purpose of intelligence is achieved the path does not matter, whether it is scientific atheism, religion or spirituality.
Category alternative theory, atheism, religion, science and religion, what if?
Rise Of The Indian Tiger
0Monday, November 28, 2011 by Sanket Chaukiyal
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| Image Source: OpenCage |
In order to justify India’s
inclusion or exclusion from the United Nations Security Council, we must first
understand the significance of the United Nations Security Council.
“The
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the principal organs of the
United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and
security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the
establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international
sanctions, and the authorization of military action. Its powers are exercised
through United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
-WIKIPEDIA
As we can see, the UNSC is the body of the UN which
deals with peace and security. Members of the UNSC can wield a lot of influence
over world events and also gain significance as a strong world power. However,
to be a member of the UNSC, a country must fulfill certain important criteria
like being a strong soft & hard power, representing a large population,
being a democracy, not breaking international laws, etc.
ECONOMIC STRENGTH
India is today one of world's fastest growing
economies. According to International Monetary Fund data, India ranks tenth in
the world in terms of the size of the nominal GDP which stands at $1.53
trillion and the fourth largest in terms of purchasing power parity which
stands at $4.06 trillion. Likely to become the world’s fastest growing economy
by 2012, India’s average GDP growth stood at 8.4 per cent from 2004-2010 and
hence has the potential to become the world’s third largest economy by 2030. India’s
foreign reserves are the 7th largest in the world standing at
$310billlion.
Hence, on the basis of its economic strength, India
has a strong reason to be in the UNSC permanent members list, as such a fast
growing economy has potential to influence world events and there is in a position
to make decisions.
MILITARY STRENGTH
India is one of the few countries that possess nuclear
weapons, which are the ultimate deterrent. Without a doubt, military might is a
factor which enables a nation to keep the balance of peace in the world and
India knows this and has built a strong defense system. After the People’s
Liberation Army and the US Armed Forces, the Indian Armed Forces boats of the
third largest active force with around 1.32 million soldiers in the active army
and a reserve force of around 2.14 million ( a 2006 statistic). The Indian
Armed forces are undergoing rapid modernization and expansion and plans are
afoot to have an active military space program. Indian is also under process of
developing an indigenous missile shield program.
Most importantly, India is a responsible nuclear power
and has adhered to non proliferation as a part of its principle and not by
force which shows great character and responsibility of a nation which posses
such destructive power.
LARGEST
DEMOCRACY & POPULATION.
Second
largest population according to the latest census (17% Indians in world population).
India is the most populated democracy in the world. It is a multi party
republic with six national parties and 40 regional parties.
India is a great example to
the world on how democracy can be implemented across such a vast and populated
nation with such diversity of religion, culture and ethnicity. India can help
the third world countries in implementing democracy and bringing up the
condition of the citizens.
Therefore,
it is illogical to exclude a country which constitutes a major portion of the
world’s population and is also the world’s largest democracy from a seat in the
UNSC.
CONCLUSION
India has more than proven
itself in the spheres of economy, military might, non-proliferation,
technology, leadership, democracy, responsibility, etc. It is time that the UNSC
expanded the permanent members and reflected the changing world power scenario
where newer players are becoming stronger and will soon result in a new multi-polar
world order. India undoubtedly deserves a seat in the UNSC and this sentiment
is echoed by other friendly countries. The age of the Indian Tiger has arrived.
Category Global Organisations, India, Super Power, United Nations Security Council (UNSC), UNSC member India
Band Of Brothers
0
RELEVANCE OF NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM) TODAY
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| Image Courtesy: freewebs.com/abdolrashidi |
SHORT
INTRODUCTION TO NAM
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| NAM Countries Image Courtesy: Wikipedia |
The
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a group of non-aligned countries (reality is
different). It was formed in 1962 in Belgrade as an attempt to keep away from
the power blocks of the cold war, namely the NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Where an
adherence to any one of them meant an unconditional military, political and
economic support to the power blocks no matter what the conflict. It also meant
limiting oneself to trade mostly within a power block and alienation from the
other block.
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| NATO Vs Warsaw Pact Image Courtesy: Wikipedia |
However, there were more reasons
to the formation of this unique block. The other reasons were more relevant to
the formation of the NAM. They were based on mutual concerns. Some of those were:
- The need for self development with the assistance from both the power blocks.
- Formulation of national and international policy without the influence of the power blocks.
- Keeping out of the cold war and therefore avoiding confrontation in which there was no involvement at all.
- Preserving peace in the world as the more countries join the power blocks, the wider the range of confrontation possibilities becomes.
- Economic developments of self as most of the NAM countries were third world countries that were extremely poor.
- After being subject to colonialism, imperialism, neo-colonialism, racism, occupation and foreign aggression, the NAM countries emerged as countries who did not wish to see this happen to themselves or others and hence adopted moral (idealistic) policies which were different than those of the power blocks.
- They wanted the world body (UN) to have the sole power in resolving the issues.
OTHER
FACTS
·
The movement had 120 members and 17 observer
countries.
·
NAM was the brainchild of Yugoslavia's
President, Josip Broz Tito, India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru,
Egypt's second President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ghana's first president Kwame
Nkrumah, and Indonesia's first President, Sukarno.
·
Represents 55% of the world’s population.
·
Second largest organization after UN.
IS
NAM RELEVANT?
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| Image Courtesy: Wikipedia |
Mostly
no, NAM is not relevant in today’s post- cold war world where the world has grown
more liberalised and the geo political dimensions of the world have changed to
a great extent where even the third world countries are shaping world politics
and economy. It is no more a world which is dominated or run by the developed
countries. Now, the developing economies of the world are set to become the
superpowers of the world but with soft power and hard power (eg: China and
India). Small countries now have more influence on world politics (eg:
Pakistan).
Looking back at history of
the NAM, the main reason for its formation was to thwart the cold war, but
since the cold war has ended, the relevance of NAM has also gone down. The objectives
of the NAM at that point of time are not relevant anymore. The world has
shifted towards realism and so the ideals of NAM which were heavily bent
towards Non-Alignment are not relevant.
The importance of NAM has
slowly decreased due to lack of enthusiasm shown by members, irregular
meetings, alignments and mostly a foundation built on ancient non-relevant
ideologies.
There are constant conflicts
between its members and this continues to happen as the NAM has no enforcing
powers.
NAM members are trying to reform the
organization by focussing on a different set of ideologies, namely
developmental ideologies like economy, development, poverty, war, etc. Although
these new ideas are laudable they are a bit too late as another form of
geo-politics has emerged which has become powerful and is more relevant to the
multi-polar dynamics of this century. This new form of Geo-Politics is known as
Regionalism.
WHAT IS REGIONALISM?
Regionalism
is where a group of nations come together and form an alliance which is based
mostly on economic cooperation rather than military cooperation. These groups
of countries have common interests and may be geographically close or have the
same purpose. The world has now realised one fundamental truth that is Darwin’s
theory of “Survival of the fittest”.
There is no one out to be benevolent out of genuineness. Everyone has an agenda
and is in the race to achieve economic prosperity and if one is left out then
they will be trampled upon by others. So what does one do against this? Form
alliance with like minded nations or those that have similar goals, in short, “Strength in Unity”. By coming together,
countries can cooperate amongst themselves and increase their trade, fight
against unfair policies of developed nations, represent the interests of the
developing countries at world bodies, further diffuse power in this world
thereby establishing multi-polarity.
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| Image Courtesy: NASA |
Some
regional organizations:-
·
SAARC
·
BRICS
·
Sanghai Cooperation
Organisation
·
IBSA
·
Mekong Ganga Cooperation
BRICS
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| Image Courtesy: Wikipedia |
·
Stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa.
·
BRICS is a political organization of leading
emerging markets.
·
BRICS is a powerful alignment of countries
who have similar economic interests and have grouped together to resist
policies against them by international bodies, countries which could affect
their development.
·
BRICS also plays a big part in safeguarding
the interests of developing nations and representing them on a world forum
·
BRIC countries are developing very rapidly
and by 2050 their combined economies could eclipse the combined economies of
the current richest countries of the world. These five countries, combined,
currently account for more than a quarter of the world's land area and more
than 40% of the world's population.
Hence
it is easily seen why a Regional Organization like BRICS is more relevant than NAM in today’s world order.
PRACTICAL
ASPECT (Non-relevance of NAM)
1. It
is not practical for multiple organizations to exist which have the same
purpose and comprise of almost the same members.
2. A
country can only be a member of only as many organization as it can handle at a
time while looking at its own internal affairs. It is not possible for a
country to devote time to multiple organizations.
3. The
less organizations the better as power would be further dissolved.
4. Different
policies of different organizations might interfere with other.
5. Forming
an alliance ensures that your interests are protected.
6. Staying
with the countries in the NAM can also mean your own isolation from the world
as certain countries go against the world interests (eg: IRAN). So, India by
not supporting Iran’s nuclear weaponization has opened up benefits for its own
self like trade, weapons, etc.
7. Alliance
means “survival of the fittest”. Every country wants to go ahead, the only way
this is possible is with like minded countries.
8. The
world order is more based on “soft power” than “hard power” and so it makes
sense to have economic alliances and hence regionalism makes more sense than
Non-Alignment.
CONCLUSION
The world is full of
alignments in one way or the other. It is not possible to exist without
alignment if one wants to progress and protect interests. The world order is
such that it has become a mix of power distributed between developed and
developing nations and every nation is trying to come out at the top while the
ones at the top are trying to hold onto power. It makes sense to have strong
friends with like minds and interests. It makes more practical sense to
strengthen regional organizations which have more realistic ideals.
NAM has proved its
usefulness when it was most required but now it is not as relevant as it was
before. NAM is therefore not relevant in the current global geo political
scenario.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Category BRICS, Global Organisations, NATO, Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Regionalism, Warsaw Pact
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