Intelligent Innocence

 Can there be such a thing as Intelligent Innocence? I am proposing a new concept. Maybe it will catch on, maybe it won't. But 99 percent of product launches fail, so no harm in trying.

Mostly, intelligent people come across as chaalu (Hindi word for cunning, or not straight) in real life. But many scientists, one hears, have been what my term would define, innocent and intelligent. Maybe naive too, but I prefer the word innocent.

There is an added charm when a person is smart but not trying to take advantage of others-particularly the less smart. The opposite can be seen abundantly in life-politics being a prime example, but not the only one. It happens in all fields, to some degree.

Anyway, having proposed it, I will rest a while.. and see if it goes viral.

Global Events- A Citizen's View

As a global citizen, one keeps listening to and viewing news stories about various things happening all over. That the media allocate their time disproportionately to different corners of the world would be an understatement. But still, the conclusions that can be drawn from all these half-baked and distorted stories are somewhat disturbing, portending of worse things in key areas.

The urge to go to war is not abating. Whoever is right or wrong is not the point. Ukraine/rebels, Iraq/rebels, Pakistan/rebels, or Israel/Gaza residents, all may be right in their own way. The point is, do you need to kill innocents to prove it? If not talks, is there no dharma-yudh (gentlemen's war, for want of a better translation) possible without innocents being drawn into it?

All the well-meaning parties that spend time on TV debates, can't they do some positive social work that may transform some potential rapists in the society, or potential criminals, or even actual ones? I have yet to hear of too many such stories in any media, including social, that have been organised by a political party of any hue.

Why is there undue coverage of yatras (pilgrimages) to various places? Is it not an individual's choice if he/she wants to embark on one, without the state getting unduly involved?

Is the world going to be a better place if USA/Russia/China/India or any one country is supreme? Is there any evidence at all that Romans or Greeks or Mongols were better than the rest at this? What can make the world a better place- health, water, easy travel to understand other people, cultures, decrease in pollution, access to livelihood, seem to be taking a back-seat to hyped expensive products, that we are expected to consume in higher numbers in pursuit of happiness defined by someone else. And usually, the hype works.