tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92159844400484944852015-01-26T03:31:05.564-08:00The Freestyle Thinker BlogComments from a freestyle thinker on almost everything under the sun. No Rights Reserved At All.Dijo Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603692128082291544noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9215984440048494485.post-16459911966476833222015-01-26T03:31:00.001-08:002015-01-26T03:31:05.577-08:00Why I Never Celebrate Christmas? It's Out Of Shame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> It's been almost an year since the last time I posted some stuff on Google Blogger. It was not that life was uneventful. In fact, it was the exact opposite. I had no time to take some time off from my life and focus on this blog. Well, I am sure that the last year was interesting for you, my readers as well. Many of you might have celebrated Christmas lavishly with great pomp and show. The only thing that I did associated with Christmas was to visit an orphanage run by Mother Teresa's Missionaries Of Charity. Apart from that, there was absolutely nothing.<br /><br /> The way I see it, Christmas is a day when every person who calls himself a follower of Jesus should hang his head down in shame. It is a day when every Christian ought to be ashamed of himself. Right now, you must be thinking of stoning me to death for blasphemy like those Talibanis and the swines from Islamic State do. Well, please do read the rest of this blog before you start fuming.<br /><br /> Two thousand years ago, a heavily pregnant poor woman and her husband were knocking on every door they saw. The only thing they wanted was a place to give birth to their child. But to no avail. There were turned away by every single person they asked for help. In the end, the woman was forced to give birth to her child in a stable.<br /><br /> You have understood by now about whom I am talking. The woman is none other than Mary and the child is the person revered by 1.5 billion Christians all over the globe as their Savior.<br /><br /> There were no Christians on the day Jesus was born. That is not a problem. But today, the number of Christians comes in billions. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. The Vatican is the richest religious entity on the planet. But even after all this, there are still children who have to take birth on the streets. Poor women, who have no means to afford a hospital, are forced to deliver their children on the streets.<br /><br /> Since their Lord had to suffer the same ignominy, whose duty is it to ensure that no other innocent child suffers the same? Even after all these years, if something like this still happens, are not the Christians to be blamed? The Catholic dioceses in India own so many hospitals. If a bishop issues a diktat instructing all hospitals in his diocese to perform child deliveries for free, irrespective of the financial situation of the woman, who will oppose the bishop? Will our world not be a much better place if every single child gets a decent birth, something that even a God could not get for himself?<br /><br /> The day every child gets the right to a decent birth, I will celebrate Christmas. Till then, my head is hung in shame.<br /><br /> Mahatma Gandhi had rightly said,"If Jesus came down to earth today, he would disown many things being done in His name".</div>Dijo Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603692128082291544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9215984440048494485.post-37976064719893975662014-02-07T22:28:00.000-08:002014-02-07T22:28:21.480-08:00A Monster Called The Catholic Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /> The Catholic Church is even worse than the Indian National Congress in terms of taking moral responsibility for its mistakes. Now, the Church is just a group of thugs & goons backed by an army of predator priests who always go unpunished for virtually every crime they commit which range from sexually abusing innocent children to charges of corruption against them. And why does the Church oppose abortion even in cases of rape? Will the Church provide the financial back-up to raise the child?<br /> Take the case of a 9 year old in Brazil who was raped by her stepfather, impregnating her. Considering the situation to be very dangerous for the girl, her doctors perform an abortion to save her life. Result? The girl’s life was saved but she and her doctors were immediately excommunicated from the Church.<br /> Let us assume that the abortion was never performed and the girl gave birth to a child whose father also happens to be her mother’s stepfather!!! Just imagine the mental agony of a 9-year old mother who happens to be a mother because her stepfather vented his lust on her. Do this so called people of God have an answer to this question? Will a 9 year old girl ever be able to love her child as a mother is expected to?<br /> Whenever the issue of abortion is taken up by international agencies, the Vatican accuses them of infringing upon its religious freedom? Really? Does ruining lives get a legal nod just because a predator organization calls it a part of its religion? Well in that case, every crime on Earth would go unpunished because after perpetrating a crime, the criminal just has to establish that he was performing a religious act!!!<br /> 15 years ago, the average age of a priest in Europe happened to be 45 years but today, it is 63. This statistic points out to the low level of trust which people across the globe have in the Catholic Church. Donations are now touching new lows with every passing year and everybody knows about the falling church attendance. I myself have not been inside a church in the last three years. Reason? I do not want to be a part of a monster that revels in the sufferings of the helpless. I really thought that Pope Francis [since he spoke openly about some of the crises rocking the Church] would do something to change things. But an year has passed since his taking over the Church and he has done nothing to change things. I agree that he speaks well but what difference does it make unless it impacts the lives of the victims of the Church’s crimes? But then, he is atleast better than that fraud Benedict XVI. Old Ben did not even have the courage to speak!!!<br /> When he put forward a new philosophy, Jesus hoped that the world would be a better place, with violence and hatred making way for love and peace. Instead, an organization that was founded on his principles is responsible for some of the major wars witnessed in human history. Mahatma Gandhi was right in saying that ‘If Jesus came back to the Earth someday, he would disown many things being done in his name’.<br /></div>Dijo Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603692128082291544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9215984440048494485.post-46632828257652485032013-11-09T22:55:00.002-08:002013-11-09T22:55:33.856-08:00Obsession for Perfection (Part 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since our childhood, we were told that India (Here, I am referring to the India of the medieval times which included almost all of South Asia) is a great country. But, when the reasons for its greatness were explained, we were told mostly of the times when India was called the Golden Bird, of Nalanda & Texila, of our trade during the medieval times, the exemplary architecture, our achievements in mathematics & science etc.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree that the aforesaid factors put us on the world map in those times but what about the present? In a list released by The Guardian of the best 200 global universities in 2012, not a single South Asian university figured. So, how can we ignore the present and take pride in the past? How does it make us great?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The things happening around us may not be the best things that we might have imagined for ourselves and the country. But, regardless of our wishes and hopes, they are happening. But it does not mean that we have to put up with them. So, how to find out what exactly is wrong with us?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When anyone raises such questions, everybody’s favourite punching bag is the Bad Politician. If you are of the same opinion, I agree with you but not completely. The Bad Politician cannot be solely blamed for everything because they rise from among us. Behind every politician, there are hundreds of thousands of people supporting him/her. I believe that there is a deficit in our own set of moral values.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very often, people are heard complaining that we do not have honest & efficient leaders anymore. But my question is, ‘How else will it be?’ In the past, we always voted for people or parties that endorsed a certain religion or caste. Honest and meritorious people were always shooed away just because they put performance above petty politics.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a child, I was always told that Western traditions & practices were inferior to that of ours. But it is only in countries like the US where you see a man from a very humble background become the president of his country and call the shots. It is only in the US where you see a 19 year old teen start a dotcom company and make it the largest social networking site of the world. It was possible because they had the freedom to think, innovate and act. Unlike South Asians, they did not have to constantly look behind their shoulders to make sure that the so called ‘elders’ are not unhappy about their free-thinking & innovations.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the most prestigious prizes given for innovation & original thinking is the Nobel Prize. If you look at its distribution, this difference becomes clear. In chemistry, out of a total of 152 prizes, 54 went to the US, 27 to Germany and 25 to the UK. In physics, out of a total of 182 prizes, 79 went to the US, 23 to Germany and 21 to the UK. In medicine, out of 186, 89 went to the US, 24 to the UK and 15 to Germany. Whereas on the other hand, equally powerful economies like Japan and China come nowhere near to this Western troika. Why?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you think about the cultural differences, it becomes clear. In Asia, a culture of compliance is inherent everywhere. Questioning existing wisdom of the ‘elders’ is looked upon as a grave crime. Innovation, by definition, is to question the existing way of things. In this part of the world, very few possess that kind of courage and those who do, are persecuted to the maximum.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(to be continued)</div></div>Dijo Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603692128082291544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9215984440048494485.post-32178677020848305242013-11-09T08:20:00.001-08:002013-11-09T08:20:08.971-08:00Obsession for Perfection (Part 1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not Plato. In fact I’m not anywhere near that great philosopher. But just like him, I too get a good feeling imagining how everything would have been very different if people, things and policies were perfect. Perfection is something that is reflected in the efficiency of every executed action, every drawn plan and the infallibility of every spoken word. If you are reading this blog from anywhere in South Asia or have ever been to this part of the world, you must have, by now, guessed where I’m leading you to.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our trains and buses are never on time. Our public functions are almost always started behind the scheduled time. Our public personalities [most of whom derive their name and fame from their forefathers], rarely have the good-habit of being punctual. Our schools and universities [barring a microscopic minority] give everything to their students except a good education that will stand them in good stead in life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never been to Europe or America. In fact, I have never travelled outside my home-country India for that matter. But from what I have read about those socially developed and technologically advanced regions, they seem to be very efficient at everything they attempt to do. The attempts include the stuff we too do like running trains and buses, being on time on every occasion etc. But the only difference between us and them is that they do it in near perfection. I remember reading somewhere that in Japan, the sum of the duration of lateness of all trains of that country do not exceed 30 seconds. Compare that to the Indian Railways. I honestly cannot remember a single time when a train arrived on time. The exams to select Indian Railway personnel are so tough that only the ‘best of the best’ among the candidates make it through. So the million dollar question that comes to everyone’s mind is, ‘What the hell is wrong with us?’. Where the Americans, Europeans and even our fellow Asians, the Japanese succeeded, we too can and we should succeed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> (to be continued)</div></div>Dijo Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603692128082291544noreply@blogger.com0