Beauty and the Beast

 This is about the futility of war, mostly. The thought hits you hard when you see any war begin- India-Pakistan, U.S. -Afghanistan, or Russia-Ukraine. Or the latest, Hamas-Israel. What does it achieve? Is it worth it?

I am not saying that self-defence is necessarily bad. But can it also be limited to defending without going too far? If we end up killing a large number of people and losing a large number too, what exactly is the gain from it?

There is so much productive work we can all be engaged in, and a lifetime is not enough to do it in. If not work, then at least one can enjoy the nature, man-made attractions and all the rest, without becoming destructive. There is so much beauty around to enjoy.

Just a thought for all the brainwashed armies around the world that have to go out and kill or get killed. Yes, they are doing their job. But what a job! To please an egomaniac or a megalomaniac in most cases.

Delhi Government and Governance

What is governance? The Delhi governance imbroglio inspired this one.

Defence is a part of it, and so is law and order.

Apart from these, it should ideally be, at least in a democracy, people who serve the citizens. Citizen services include transportation, housing, health, water, drainage, education and so on. How to provide these in a fair and just manner is what the government needs to decide- and implement.
It does not include showing undue favours, transferring officials every few months, or wasting time on activities detrimental to providing services to citizens.

Democratic governments can do a lot of damage by not doing any of the things they need to do. Also by doling out free goodies to sections of people (or all the people) forever. That kills motivation to work for a living. The poor and helpless deserve help but usually don't get it.

Also, by wasting time in controlling the private sector without a good reason. Rules can be framed transparently, and independent regulators with professionals left to regulate various sectors.

The challenges are vast, and sometimes technology can help. Applications for a passport, ration card, driver's license (barring the test itself), registration of land, and many more can easily be made online with scanned documents and verification within a time-bound manner ( a service guarantee?) by officials concerned. If not, it should be deemed correct. Responsibility must shift to the officials for proving anyone wrong. This would improve governance manifold.