Tragic

 

How can one not feel sad when reading about the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and the terrorist attack at Kabul Airport causing more than 170 deaths and 200 wounded including 17 US servicemen. About 300 thousand Afghans face retaliation for working for the US government and thousands have jammed the airport waiting to be airlifted out of danger. 

In another report groups of Afghan women dressed in black hijab were seen demanding equal rights in the streets. They fear the repeat of the brutal Taliban rule two decades ago which forbid women from working and attending school and allowing them to leave home only in the presence of a male relative.

Although the Taliban has promised a more moderate regime and allowing women to take an active role in society "within the framework of Islam" civilians have serious doubt as those lower in commands have been going house to house to round up anti Taliban netizens and looking for girls above 15 for marriage. A foreign journalist who managed to escape told of the fear that gripped the Afghan women.

It is indeed heart wrenching to consider how these women who have fought and gained some semblance of freedom over the last 2 decades lost it overnight. Imagine an Afghan baby girl born 2 decades ago received education and now a young lady with hopes of forging a career. How will she be able to live like a tribal woman confined inside her home with her fate determined by the males around her. It is like reverting back to the dark ages after being brought up during the renaissance. What a nightmare!

Curious as to the beliefs behind the Taliban's low regard for women, I found these statements in the web,

"the face of a woman is a source of corruption"

"women should not wear high heeled shoes as no man should hear a woman's footsteps lest it excite him"

From what I gathered, generally cross gender contact has to be kept at a minimum because women are found to be too distracting for men!

This reminds me of the story of a king who ordered that all roads in his kingdom be paved with leather so that it was comfortable to walk on rough surfaces.  An advisor offered a better solution in a pair of good shoes. It saved the lives of many cattle.

That was just a story with a happy ending but the reality is Afghan women face the risk of disappearance and being forgotten. Some Afghan women have expressed that death is a better alternative than life under the Taliban with one lady comparing it to "living inside a black hole of hopelessness".

Tragic!

"Wrath springs from thwarted desires"

 

At Steve Job's memorial service guests were given his last gift, a book entitled "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Yogananda, a book about self realization and one which he re-read many times in his lifetime. Curious I begin to read it slowly. Other than the main theme about finding who you are, there are among its pages many snippets of wisdom and useful insights into life. 

On page 160 Yogananda recounted how he once left his guru abruptly for awhile without seeking permission and leaving his duties unattended. When he returned he asked his guru why he was not angry with him at all. Sri Yukteswar's, the guru replied "Wrath springs only from thwarted desires. I do not expect anything from others, so their actions cannot be in opposition to wishes of mine. I would not use you for my own ends: I am happy only in your own happiness."

How true! "Thwarted desires" and unmet expectations give rise to anger and frustrations that mar relationships. Often human interaction is about using another to meet our own needs including the need to be loved and other subtle psychological or emotional needs. 

Results from a study has shown that among couples, those who don't expect sacrifices from their partners tend to feel more appreciation and are more satisfied with their relationship. 

I think if we can be less attached to self wishes and desires we will save a lot of reasons to be disappointed and angry with others we are engaging with.

Review on consumerism

 

For more than a year and a half I have not visited the salons for facial spa/therapy and body massage. I have only visited the hairdresser thrice. This is to limit exposure to close contact services during this Covid pandemic. I can manage my hair quite well, colouring and trimming using a rear mirror. I am not sure however whether my face has more wrinkles or sags a bit more though. Also I have run down the stock of face/body creams usually purchased when the therapists did their cold selling. I have hardly gone to the malls for fashion shopping although I did purchase online just a few pieces of light clothing to help tolerate the extreme hot weather.

I must say I have saved considerable amount of money and also realise much was spent unnecessarily under normal times. I begin to think that the bosses of salons like Jean Yip derived their wealth from our stupidity, follow the crowd mentality as well as our attachment to routine. Honestly I can't understand why I pay so much for hair treatment that doesn't seem to produce much results. The need to wear mask during this pandemic has also dispensed with lipsticks and other cosmetics. I may even find it troublesome to revert to old ways of grooming once all restrictions are lifted and life goes back to normal. Will I even consider not visiting the grooming salons? Looking at a bigger picture however I may still resume all these activities to do my part to spin the economy. I think of my therapists and hair dressers and I have to continue to support them. Will I resume shopping? I don't know because buying unnecessary consumer products is a sheer waste of natural resources and pollutes the earth.

I have always wondered about how the world can grow its economy without higher consumer spending. Given that employment is based on economic growth how can we keep everyone employed while at the same time reduce consumption. 

"Perhaps the question is less whether the economy can survive the death of consumerism, but whether the economic system we have now is one we're willing to sacrifice the planet for'"  as one green society pointed out.

It has always been thought that economic growth is the only way to lift global population out of poverty. Yet we have now witnessed vast inequality and huge income gaps even in countries with high economic growth over the decades.

There is now a "degrowth" movement which believes there is an alternative to the consumer economy. The following are their goals:

(1) Reduce the environmental impact of human activity; (2) Redistribute income and wealth both within and between countries; (3) Promote the transition from a materialistic to a convivial and participatory society..

For this to succeed there needs to be a paradigm shift from values of a consumer economy to one that refocus on intrinsic human values. 

 

Rumination upon reading IPCC report

 The past week has been incredibly hot and humid over here in Singapore. Even without going out and doing almost nothing, pearls of sweat roll down your face and body. You tell yourself 'this place is unlivable".

Then the IPCC report is out. 'Cities like Singapore could face punishing heatwaves, floods" the headlines screamed in our ST. As it is Singapore is experiencing warming higher than the global average because of the urban island effect. Experts opined that temperatures above 35C would be very uncomfortable because of the high humidity. According to one expert by the year 2045, there will be days in Singapore when the thermometer will hit  45C which will increase the days when it is not possible to work in the open. Who will lay our roads and construct our buildings then? Of more concern also is the rising water level and flooding. It really sounds like doomsday is inevitable doesn't it? 

Of course the 2 full page report on climate change is followed by depressing news of Covid impacting lives around the world. Hence it is unsurprising that a reader will feel resigned and start ruminating philosophically, like what I am thinking now.  

Every great civilisation/empire/dynasty in history faced its downfall. Such is the impermanence of things. Yet you think of the effort, pain, achievement and pride of the pioneers in each of these institutions and their endeavour to sustain or prolong their greatness. Inevitably all collapsed because conditions changed, some of which could have been controlled but much were uncontrollable. So too this great city state that tops the list in terms of safety, security, good governance and more. Yet because it lacks a hinterland it faces threats of being wiped out by nature in time to come. So the long term plan is probably to elevate as much as feasible or to relocate to purchased land on higher grounds.

In another irony, Singapore together with Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong once called the 4 rising Asian tigers are all facing a 'demographic time bomb' being ranked among the world's last 5 in terms of fertility rate. How then can a country be termed great or successful if its people do not even think it worthwhile to bring a newborn into it. Alas, this is the unanticipated consequence of economic success, unforeseen by the great pioneer leaders; or perhaps it is all part of the destiny cycle.