Have we started celebrating certain iconic days more as a ritual? What do you think about this issue? Sometimes I do get this frustrating feel. Let me exemplify how and why.
Let us look at the international human rights day, for example. It was in 1948, after the horrors of the Second World War, that this concept gained a credence on December 10. It was a great gesture then, and continues to be relevant, in fact, still more, even today!
Yes, there would be wow-wow (no, I do not mean bow-wow. I respect and love dogs too much to even try such an anomaly!) conversations and speeches glorifying the day. How is the practice though?
Often it appears as if human beings are back to the flock or cabal mentality. Any crime, major or minor, is always looked at from the microscope of the clan mentality. If the person belongs to your coterie, even a murder can be justified.
If the person does not belong to any group/gang, even God would ten times think before siding with him/her. However honest/genuine the victim and/or his/her case may be, he/she would surely be isolated. Interest groups would coalesce as per convenience. Half-truths would pile on. Some past events would be raked up, most often, out of context.
Blame any which way the person with whom you disagree. You can trample the truth(s). Who cares about the future agendas thus subtly set? How does it matter how the future is forever thus tarnished so long as the mafia gets what it right now wants!?!
No wonder, there ARE homo erectus (how to call them human beings? Animals are more principled and honest and helpful. They follow the ethical axioms more, and better!) who deny that the holocaust ever happened, or worse still, justify it and work towards its renewal in many a subtle ways!
Pratima@When you lie through the teeth for immediate gains, later on, even dentures will not help chew the realities that you thus engineered!
Quote of the day: "Be your own master, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mor(t)al creature," stated Marcus Aurelius.
Word of the day: coterie A coterie is a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.
Let us learn grammar: This concern with articles is going to last for quite some time. Today let us look at a few examples to understand their relevance. SURE, some communication does happen. Is it adequate though?
1)He has passed few tests last month. Let us not right now look at the horribly wrong use of tenses nor the semantics. Let us just concentrate on the use of articles. This statement, as it stands, would mean that the person it refers to must be a total dumbo. "Few" means almost nil, while " a few" means some. So if you want to lick up the person and his coterie, you must say " a few tests". Let us look at a few more examples.
2) "She has a few friends, but few enemies." Has to be Mother Teresa! The statement means no enemies and some friends. Try saying/writing "few friends", it would mean the realities today! Friends disappear, and enemies, open/secret, crawl out of not only the woodwork, but out of everywhere!
3) He reads few books. The statement would confirm that the person is most probably a social media addict. If he/she has to be some kind of a bibliophile, it has to be "a few" books.
4) The last example: Akshay Khanna acted in few films. This would mean, he never acted. "in a few films" would mean he was choosy about the roles he essayed.
In other words, even for communication, basic grammar has to be OKAY! When the AI takes over, it is communication that may save us. Hence this teeny-weeny attempt!
No comments:
Post a Comment