Gauri Nawathe is Utterly insignificant, a complete waste of matter.
The Universe does not register your existence in any way. Your life or death does not, and will not have any significance whatsoever, but take heart... you are not alone…
That’s what a personality test on Facebook called me… Utterly insignificant… Hmm…
I guess we need to be reminded of this from time to time, so that we stop taking ourselves seriously and remember that there are much more important things in the world…
Friday, December 14, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monkeys and Traditions
A thought-provoking story I recently read:
An anthropologist was doing research on some monkeys in a zoo. The monkeys were kept in a cage. A bunch of bananas were hung to the ceiling and a ladder was placed next to it. Every time a monkey tried to climb up and eat the bananas, the anthropologist would shower cold water on him. After a while, the monkeys ceased trying to reach up to the bananas. Even when someone did try, he was promptly beaten up and pulled down by the other monkeys. Cold water showers were no longer needed to dissuade them.
A few days later, the anthropologist removed a monkey from the cage and sent in a new simian. This new resident, unaware of ‘the rule’, would try to climb the ladder. The other monkeys would beat him up until ‘the rule’ was clear to him. Some days later, the anthropologist introduced a new monkey into the cage after removing one from the original group. This new monkey too would be beaten until he submitted to ‘the rule’.
Eventually, the anthropologist replaced all the monkeys from the original group. But ‘the rule’ prevailed. The new monkeys had never experienced the cold showers; they were just imitating the others. And thus, a tradition was passed on and followed even though the monkeys had not a clue why…
(Isn’t it time we stopped acting like the monkeys? After all, we are in a much more advanced stage of evolution. Or are we?)
An anthropologist was doing research on some monkeys in a zoo. The monkeys were kept in a cage. A bunch of bananas were hung to the ceiling and a ladder was placed next to it. Every time a monkey tried to climb up and eat the bananas, the anthropologist would shower cold water on him. After a while, the monkeys ceased trying to reach up to the bananas. Even when someone did try, he was promptly beaten up and pulled down by the other monkeys. Cold water showers were no longer needed to dissuade them.
A few days later, the anthropologist removed a monkey from the cage and sent in a new simian. This new resident, unaware of ‘the rule’, would try to climb the ladder. The other monkeys would beat him up until ‘the rule’ was clear to him. Some days later, the anthropologist introduced a new monkey into the cage after removing one from the original group. This new monkey too would be beaten until he submitted to ‘the rule’.
Eventually, the anthropologist replaced all the monkeys from the original group. But ‘the rule’ prevailed. The new monkeys had never experienced the cold showers; they were just imitating the others. And thus, a tradition was passed on and followed even though the monkeys had not a clue why…
(Isn’t it time we stopped acting like the monkeys? After all, we are in a much more advanced stage of evolution. Or are we?)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Cultural Relativism and Human Rights
Cultural relativism is defined as ‘understanding another culture in its own terms sympathetically enough so that the culture appears a coherent and meaningful design for living.’ Note the use of the word “sympathetic”.
Cultural relativism encourages us to understand another culture with an open mind free of any prejudices. It makes us realise that there are more than one ways of living because culture is basically a way of life. It prevents us from jumping to conclusions on what is right and what is wrong.
Sometime ago, I listened to a programme on Radio France where they were discussing women’s rights in the North African countries with predominantly Muslim populations (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria). Eventually, the issue of polygamy came up. The speakers immediately voiced their outrage over this practice. But one of them (a woman) explained that women in these countries are only happy to welcome the second or the third wife because it helps to ease the burden of household chores and farm work.
So the point I’m trying to make here is that what might seem wrong to me, might work well for someone else.
But can cultural relativism justify horrible “cultural” practices like female circumcision, honour killings, stoning an adulterer to death, etc.? Think of the British teacher who was arrested in Sudan for allowing her students to name the class teddy-bear ‘Mohammed’. Unlike others and without doubt because she was a foreigner, she was lucky to have received a full pardon. I firmly believe that anything that violates human rights should be condemned.
I do not recall the exact details of the case but a Spanish judge acquitted a man for beating his wife because (the judge said) it was quite a common thing to do among his kind of people (his culture). This is nothing but patronising behaviour; if one of us does it, it’s condemnable but if one of them does it, it’s ok, because it’s their culture!
Protection of human rights should be our main concern, rather than avoiding hurting somebody’s cultural (or religious) sensibilities.
Cultural relativism encourages us to understand another culture with an open mind free of any prejudices. It makes us realise that there are more than one ways of living because culture is basically a way of life. It prevents us from jumping to conclusions on what is right and what is wrong.
Sometime ago, I listened to a programme on Radio France where they were discussing women’s rights in the North African countries with predominantly Muslim populations (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria). Eventually, the issue of polygamy came up. The speakers immediately voiced their outrage over this practice. But one of them (a woman) explained that women in these countries are only happy to welcome the second or the third wife because it helps to ease the burden of household chores and farm work.
So the point I’m trying to make here is that what might seem wrong to me, might work well for someone else.
But can cultural relativism justify horrible “cultural” practices like female circumcision, honour killings, stoning an adulterer to death, etc.? Think of the British teacher who was arrested in Sudan for allowing her students to name the class teddy-bear ‘Mohammed’. Unlike others and without doubt because she was a foreigner, she was lucky to have received a full pardon. I firmly believe that anything that violates human rights should be condemned.
I do not recall the exact details of the case but a Spanish judge acquitted a man for beating his wife because (the judge said) it was quite a common thing to do among his kind of people (his culture). This is nothing but patronising behaviour; if one of us does it, it’s condemnable but if one of them does it, it’s ok, because it’s their culture!
Protection of human rights should be our main concern, rather than avoiding hurting somebody’s cultural (or religious) sensibilities.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Dream Diary
Last night I dreamt of a snowfall. It started with little wisps of snow and then turned into a shower. It looked so pretty against the grey skies. Thankfully I was dressed for the occasion. I ran out into the snowfall, my hands stretched out to catch the snow. And I distinctly remember that it all happened in slow motion. A result of watching too many movies, I guess!
I also dreamt of beating the hell out of a man. I’d never seen the man before and I don’t even remember why I beat him. Wonder what this dream means… Does it mean that I feel threatened by them? Or is it the other way around? Or is there too much aggression bottled up in me?
I also dreamt of beating the hell out of a man. I’d never seen the man before and I don’t even remember why I beat him. Wonder what this dream means… Does it mean that I feel threatened by them? Or is it the other way around? Or is there too much aggression bottled up in me?
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