ISLAMIC  STATES?

A short while ago, I watched a BBC documentary on Dubai. Dubai is the unbelievable height of opulence. As I was watching the movie, I was wondering if Dubai was an Islamic state. Will someone please enlighten me if Koran approves of such opulence? I have read that Aurengzeb, whatever his shortcomings were, lived a life of a poor man, as the tenets of Koran demanded. Omar Mullar, the leader of the Taliban which swore by the Koran, lived in a luxurious palace. How was he accepted as the leader of the Taliban?

How do Dubai and the oil-rich Arabic countries justify themselves as Islamic states?

I am ignorant. Please, someone enlighten me.

CONVERSATION ONE: BEING BADMOUTHED

I teach students of a wide range of age, of both sexes, drawing and painting.  One day, one of them asked me a question, after some hesitation, as it was not related to art.  I did not mind answering it.  I am reproducing the conversation below, not verbatim, but the essence of it. 

My Student: Sir, may I ask you a question?

I: You have already asked a question. You mean to ask me one more question?

MS: Yes.

I: Go ahead.

MS: If someone were to badmouth you, how would you react?

I: There are two ways one could be badmouthed, and for two reasons. Someone could badmouth me to my face. If the person did that out of ignorance or because of being misinformed, I would attempt to convincingly convey facts which should set things right. If they still would not, one could, with a reasonable degree of certainty, assume that the denigration was deliberate for other reasons. Then, whatever I might say would not be heard. In such a case I would quit. It is also pointless to retaliate in the same coin, because it will only lead to an escalation of the abrasive situation. It is a waste of time and energy. I need them to do a lot of things which await my attention.

Secondly, one could badmouth me indirectly. If a third person informed me of it, I again would attempt to set things right by feeding him or her with correct information, which he or she might use to confront the person who maligned me. If the maligner still persisted, I would advise the third person to quit.

If, however, there was some truth in the allegations, I would confess to it and correct myself.

All this would be possible, only if the ego were positive. A negative ego would only worsen the situation. A negative ego is a static image I have formed of myself.

MS: What is a negative ego? In other words what is a static image of the self?

I: Shall we continue the conversation tomorrow?

MS: Sure.

　

GOD IS A CONCEPT

GOD IS A CONCEPT

Man created god in his own image, from his imagination, out of a dire need to wage wars against his own demons and the demons of others.  God will live on until demons live, but only as a concept.  God will become a reality, if man makes a conscious effort to evolve into one, by thinking good thoughts and doing good deeds.  Good thoughts and deeds result in better life and happiness for more and more.  Those who benefit by such good thoughts and deeds will bless the benefactor and those good vibrations will infuse a spiritual power in him, akin to what happens to the image installed in the sanctum of a temple.  With increasing number of good thoughts and deeds, the demons will die increasingly.   There will be no need for Gods then, because there will be no demons to fight; also because every one of us will have become  God.  Aham Brahmasmi (I am God) in Sankskrit and Kadavul (God is within) in Tamil say the same thing.

A.V. Dhanushkodi

November 7, 2010

ECONOMIC INVASION OF CHINA

GIVE  IT  A  THOUGHT

Economic Invasion of China

Now that President Obama has vowed to stop outsourcing to China and India and curb China’s unfair trade practices, India will have to face China’s increased economic invasion, if it is not wary.  Where else will China dump its committed production, if not in India? India is already flooded with Chinese goods.  Step into any shop to buy ordinary things you use in daily life, scissors, blades, batteries, mosquito bats, calculators, the list is endless, they are all from China.  Once, I had a need to buy a pair of scisssors, and stepped into a store, with a firm resolution, only to buy Indian made scissors.  After saying “no” to the shop owner’s offer to sell a pair of scissors from China, I chose an Indian made pair.  Although it’s blades looked flimsy, it was able to cut  a scrap of newspaper, when I put it to test.  When I paid the price and brought it home, it would not cut anything else, except newspapers.  Most importantly, it would not cut even the thin plastic milk sachet, for which purpose I bought the article.

If what I think will happen, does happen, more and more Indian’s will be out of employment, as it happened in the U.S., unless every citizen of India takes a firm decision to buy only Indian made goods, however bad it might be.  The World Bank has warned that another bout of recession is round the corner, this time more serious that the first.  India escaped the first bout with just mild abrasions, due to its overwhelming population and the opportunities that exist for the       small-time manufacturers and traders. But this time, India will be seriously vulnerable to recession, with China stepping up its aggressive marketing in our country, consequent to the loss of a large chunk of the American market.  As some fear, China need not eye territories in India, for, what is a territory, if its riches can be exploited otherwise, by turning it into a lucrative market, without the responsibility of taking care of its people?  

A.V. Dhanushkodi

January 26, 2012