TAKING  THINGS  FOR  GRANTED  [ 2]                 Most of the cultures around the world have been patriarchal. In them, men have  enjoyed position of power and status. Somehow women have not been given equal respect,  even within one's own family. Mothers or wives are often taken for granted. Father is  worshipped  as  a breadwinner. But the amount of work that a mother or wife does in the  house is hardly  appreciated.  She works longer hours. She bears  the primary responsibility  of raising children, cooking meals, feeding  the family, cleaning dishes and washing clothes.                                      ...

                                                        TAKING  THINGS  FOR  GRANTED    [ 1 ]                 Human beings are so ungrateful to previous generations that whatever was invented or created by them, they soon begin to take for granted. There are many examples. Let us start with radio. That we can instantly hear somebody's voice, delivered from hundreds or thousands of miles away, was a matter of amazement. But very soon, humans became so used to it that it became a matter taken for granted. We forget to appreciate for how many hours sharp minds must have endeavored to make that invention. Same is true of all great achievements of science and technology, e.g., automobiles, aeroplanes, television, calculators, computers, internet and now robots and artificial intelligence. ...

                                                I forgot to cite the source for my last post. Here it is:                                 [ Book "The anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt ]

                                                                                                ANXIOUS  GENERATION                 Reward-seeking parts of the brain mature earlier. The frontal cortex - essential for self control, delay of gratification and resistance to temptation - is not up to the full capacity until the mid-20s. Pre-teens are particularly vulnerable. As they begin puberty, they are often socially insecure and easily swayed by peer pressure.                The generation born after 1995 is popularly known as generation Z. Generation Z teens got sucked into spending many hours of each day scrolling thru the shiny happy posts of friends,  ...

                                            STUCK IN THE PLACE WHERE YOU ARE BORN                 The notion that people should be able to choose their own communities - instead of  being  stuck wherever they happen to be born - is America's most profound contribution to  the world. Many of  our country's most glaring injustices result from the ways in which this  freedom has been denied to  those who need it most. America is a nation of migrants. At the  end of 19th century roughly 1/3 of all  Americans changed addresses each year. On average  migrants have always grown more prosperous  than those who have stayed in one place.  Mobility has been the great engine of American prosperity.  But for the last 50 years, the  engine of American opportunity has been grinding to a ha...

                                                                  MAULANA  AZAD                Maulana Azad was one of the political leaders  who played a prominent role in India's struggle  for independence from the British rule. He was born in a Muslim family which was imbued with deep  religious beliefs. But as he grew older, he could not reconcile himself with the prevailing customs and  beliefs of his family. He decided to adopt the pen name of "Azad" to indicate his freedom from his  inherited beliefs. He was in favor of studying modern science.                Azad followed Gandhiji after he appeared on the Indian screen. He joined the Congress party which adopted Gandhiji's idea of civil disobedience in the fi...

                                                            MOURNING                 Every adult human being goes thru an experience of loss of a loved one.  A period of mourning follows. Some of us try to cut short this period by escaping into  addiction, religious ritualism or a travelling spree. But this is not the best way to deal with the loss. We have to bear with the process of mourning. First thing to do is to stay in the same place with  courage and tolerate the pain and sadness of our loss. We have to digest all emotions of grieving. Recall all details of the event, again and again, without stopping tears. What is likely to follow is  some peaceful reckoning with reality and regaining positivity and motivation for life. 

                                              POVERTY   AND  GOVERNMENT  POLICY                        1)      Unfortunately countries which are relatively poor spend lower fraction                                of  their gdp    behind social welfare,  compared to  richer  countries.                                           2)    Giving free money to the poor, contrary to widely held belief, does not                           make them lazy or work less. This has been shown in empirical re...

                                                2024  USA   ELECTION           This November our presidental election is critical. One candidate is a person who is  unpredictable, authoritarian, of flawed character and non-inclusive. The other one at least  is  predictable and faithful to US constitution. Choice is clear. We should vote to preserve  our democracy and associated freedoms and rule of law. Do not neglect to vote this  November.