Fly butterfly.

The class teacher of my 8th grade class announced my name and asked me to step out of the door. Puzzled I walked out and was greeted by two familiar faces one of it was my six year’s old brother and the other person was Raju. Raju was a trusted employee at my aunt’s business who had befriended me as I stayed at my uncle’s place. Though most of the times friendly, he had a grim look on his face. As he stood next to the principle of my school uttering this sentence with a gulp,” We have to go to the hospital, your Father has asked for both of you” I looked at the principle and then at my brother, he did not look as confused though merely aware of the escalating suspense.

The reason as to why we were called at the hospital was because my father was suffering through liver cirrhosis. A disease which chronically affects the functioning of the liver, the causes can be numerous though the most common were Alcoholism or Hepatitis B or C or even an acute infection of jaundice which is still common in India. He was suffering since last six months and my mother had completely devoted all her resources towards his well-being. This was the sole reason why my brother and me stayed at my aunt’s place, as there was no adult at our house to look after us. As we headed towards the hospital we took a cab, the hospital was located about fifteen miles from my school which gave me plenty of time to think about this situation because the traffic in Mumbai is very painful. I looked at my brother who looked back and smiled, his assured smile was a momentary relief from my anxiety, which was building up ever since we left Thane; he looked happy because he got to skip school before recess which I don’t blame him for, because a part in me felt exactly the same. I tried to have a conversation with Raju who sat next to the driver. I couldn’t resist inquiring as to what was going on. All he could tell me that my father was asking about us and he really wished he could be around our company. I looked outside the window the strong cold monsoon breeze splashed my face like trying to wash away my anxiety.

Finally we reached the hospital the dark staircase and the silent corridors added to my negativity when we reached the ward where my father was treated I was greeted by all possible family members that I could remember. Finally I spotted my mother, who looked sad and exhausted yet, she managing to smile as she saw us. The dark circles around her eye were evidence of her inability to sleep during this family crisis. We both hugged her and then I tried to inquire as to why we had been called? She stared at me for a moment and then said in a dry raspy voice,” the doctors wanted you and your brother to have your last word with your father, he has about 30-40mins left of life” I stood there impassive not sure as to how I should react. This whole new concept of what life is became very real and harsh. I looked at my father who was semi-conscious and hallucinated from the drugs administered on him. We both stood next to his bed with utter dissonance. My father looked at us, failed to recognize me but did remember my little brother they hugged and I could hear my mother’s failed attempt to control her weep. I obviously don’t blame my father for his inability to recognize me. But it was quiet shocking to contemplate his state of mind, which was affected as a gross result of the disease. A man who always had a say in my affairs far beyond my cognitive abilities laid there stranded helplessly.

It has been more than a decade as I recollect this moment. Though my parents took a different approach to life later on, I rather found my self being hit hard by the reality we live in. Life is indeed as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. Our immaterial thoughts that have created a distinction among rest of the life on earth is ben our only source to understand the complex world we live in. But we have to acknowledge the fact that the thoughts (conscious) which makes us unique has been influenced by the same laws, which have worked on any life or inanimate objects in the universe. There is a lot to be known and it would be hypocrisy if I jump to any conclusions. But since the last four centuries of our recorded history there has been a plausible attempt to understand everything through reason and logic. I am not sure if it is the only option, but I can evidentially conclude that it has been a tool to liberate us in many aspects of uncertainty. Therefore I consider any believe based on no evidence or contrary evidence should be discouraged or at least challenged. I do not object to everyone’s right to think and openly express but I do issue a problem with anti-skepticism, which can be found in multiple form of worship i.e. religion, state, leader etc. which I consider it as rampant in our present times. It has been long enough that we put aside our irrationality so we could come out of the cocoon and make our attempt to fly.

Syria: stripping the power structure (part 2)

There can be no dispute that the recent anarchy in Syria had its initial links to the Arab spring (2010) which was successful in toppling dictatorial governments in Tunisia, Egypt (twice) , Libya, Yemen and is still active in Bahrain as well. This struggle of the people in Middle east indicates the interest of the people in governance in their country which also debunks most of the racist theory "experts" shown on conservative media in the U.S.  who claim they do not have the genetic ability for democracy. By now, it is very clear that the civil-war fought in Syria is not just limited to a brutal dictator and citizens of Syria it has emerged as a proxy war similar to most of the proxy wars fought post World war 2.

One of the prominent reasons for violence in postmodern era has been a clash of ideologies which are often violated by the adherents of the same idea often because of the incompleteness or hollowness in the understanding of the idea by the masses or the idea itself. If we try to understand the crisis in Syria through our lens of ideas chances are you would create a bias towards the other side. In my further attempt I am going to put forward the so-called ideas and how the ideas are voilated in to hypocrysy by the followers itself.

The tensions escalated in to the three year civil war when there were reports of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the form of chemical being used to kill large number of people. There were strong reactions from Western countries like the U.S.A, UK, Israel and most of the N.A.T.O member nations. While Russia, Iran and China kept mostly mum and were of the opinion of not interfering in to the sovereignty of Syria. The hypocrisy on both the sides is very eminent and one can often refer to history to break this cognitive dissonance caused by such a propaganda. If you objectively consider the claims made by President Obama backing for an intervention or the so-called systematic bombing it would be evident that he is only pursuing the polices of the previous administration called the Bush doctrine which called on preemptive attack on countries possessing reasonable threat to the American citizens. Though this is in clear violation of the United Nations security council it is illogical to consider Syria is in any way threat to the U.S and its people. It would be a suicidal idea for a dictator to even think of attempting an attack on the U.S who posses an armed force bigger than the next five nations financially as well as technologically. The second claim from the President is a claim based on morality. He claims the U.S has been the anchor of global security for past seven decades and therfore have to take a stand against crimes on humanity. lets dig deep in to that claim. When it comes to chemical warfare The U.S air force between the year 1961-1971 sprayed 20 million gallons of concentrated arsenic-based and dioxin-laden herbicides (Agent orange) on 6 million acres of crops and trees, besides using vast quantities of the "super tear gas" CS and a vast amount of napam and phosphorus bombs on south Vietnam. What has been more troubling is the recently unclassified documents is substantial evidence of the U.S secret services direct or indirect involvement in toppling democratically elected governments in Chile, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Iran, El Salvador and many more. The main accused have left paper trails which have lead to high officials from the President Nixon's, Carter, Regan and Bush 1 administrations. There have been claims and extradition request from the countries mentioned above who claim the U.S government of harboring perpetrator accused of inflicting crimes on humanities which the U.S.G continues to ignore. I think president Obama should focus on this type of American exceptionalism when it come to International laws thereby having a credible background to dictate the morality of the world.

As I said earlier most of the crisis in the middle east have a root of origin from the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Israeli settlement in the British Mandate Philistine is an illegal occupation by force which still persecutes the indigenous people. We all understand the horrors of Nazi persecution of the Jewish people which resulted in the gravest crimes against humanities in the 20th century. Any one who denies the Holocaust is indeed an illiterate in the subject of History and also lacks the empathy towards our collective understanding of human suffering. While there is no logical reason to determine as to why the land of Philistine was decided for the Jewish diaspora post World war 2 it all becomes clear when fundamental religious ideology is added to the whole picture. The major dissonance is if, the state of Israel is a democratic state governed by a secular constitution then why is the minority indigenous population being persecuted in such a way? and If not why does the U.S who claim to be a global anchor supporting democracy and freedom doesn't find this disturbing? the most ironic part is the political grouping of Israel who are the descendents of Holocaust victims being consciously ok with the bombing of Gaza with white phosphorus shells.

Perhaps the major crime against humanity has been greed and hatred which result in to violence.  And there has been no other empire to have impacted the globe in such a way, the way British empire has through its might in force. We can find the central racist ideas of imperialism which was prominent in  the literally works of the Victorian era like the "white man's burden" by Rudyard Kipling or "the heart of darkness" by Joseph Conrad where ideas of racial supremity was used as instruments in dehumanizing colonial subjects which in turn served useful to the propaganda of control and conquer. It is true that the losses incurred by the empire during the world war 2 ( which in turn resulted in to a  loss of colonial property) resulted in to its lesser influence in to the power structure of the world. Though it has been a humble ally of the U.S in the war on terror. It has also been an ally in providing chemical weapons to the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq (1st gulf-war) in corporation of the U.S and West Germany. If that doesn't fill your appetite for hypocrisy there have also been recent allegations of British companies involved in supplying the poisonous gas to the Al-Assad regime.

Syria: stripping the power structure (part 1)

Syrian Arab Republic, is a middle-eastern state in Asia bordering Lebanon to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the south west.People who view Syria mono-chromatically would be amused to know that Syria has been a center stage right in world politics right from the cradle of civilization from the Assyrians to the Ottoman empire to the post World war 1 french colonization. It has always played a leading role in shaping the events in this part of the world. The city of Damascus which is now the capital of the Assad regime is said to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.Hosting a multicultural and multi-ethnic background Syria has a long tradition of tolerant beliefs.

Like most major conflicts around the world our Syria is also infected with religious tensions.The root cause of the conflict here originated thousand years ago under the imperial advancement of the Ummad Dynasty which was Sunni in idolog ruled for almost 110 years later to be over thrown by the Abbasid dynasty which was Shia in origin. Apart from its religious inclination the Abbasid dynasty was know as the golden age of Islamic caliphate having applauding contribution in the field of arts science and politics. The same dynasty is also responsible for the preservation of Greek literature after the fall in Rome which resulted in to the dark ages of Europe. The Turkish rule was probably the most peaceful and prosperous time in the history of this nation. The further advancement and assimilation of new cultures is prominent in the field of art and architecture.
By the end of world war 1, The Ottoman Empire though victorious on its own battles found itself in the losing side of the war which escalated the dissolution of the empire which had began at the prelude of the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina being a former part of it and we know what happened over there as history. The latter annexation of the middle-east was agreed on mutual greed of the imperial forces of Great Britain and France. The major land mass of present day Syria was given to the French where as the remaining land of modern day Iraq, Palestine and Jordan were mandated to the British under the League of Nations which is a predecessor of the United Nations. The borders drawn on these lands were in-considerate of the ethnic background And a grotesque negligence of the historical perspective. The racist views of imperial champions like Sir. Winston Churchill, who was willing to try chemical weapons on the same people for their unwillingness to fight for the empire, is itself an irony towards present Western view of the region.
Critics of the Western imperialism are correct when they point on of the major cause of middle-eastern tension is the unresolved conflict of Israel and Palestine. Soon after the independence from the french, the political structure of Syria was in term-oil ,the newly introduce parliamentary system(a step before democracy.) failed to deliver during the Arab-Israel war in which Syria was involved.The impressive victory by Israel kick-started a series of coup d'etat in Syria which resulted in to failure of parliamentary system to deliver and gave a unhygienic impression of democracy. The mid 50s were a fertile ground for socialist and pan-Arabic movements in Syria. The crisis of Suez canal which was another form of aggression of the imperialistic powers of France,Britain and Israel gave rise to two new situation in Syria, 1- it opened doors for communist intervention in the face of USSR which was already fighting proxy war with the US. 2- it also gave rise to the merging of Syria and Egypt under the leadership of Gamal Abdel Nasser under the banner of United Arab Republic (UAR) in the year 1958. The merger was said to be fragile and had many opponents within the leftist movement. The members of the newly emerged Ba'ath party started a military committee under the leadership of members like Lieutenant-Colonel Muhammed Umran, Major Salah Jadid and Captian Hafez al-Assad. This group also came in charge after the secession of Syria from the UAR in the year 1961.