Category: dehumanization

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Then they came for ME!

On By aconstanttlearnerIn benjamin-netanyahu, bullies, Compassion, Conscience, Control, Deception, dehumanization, Democracy, donald-trump, Ethics, exposure, False Prophets, Freedom, Greed, International Law, iran, Power, Rule of Law, Uncategorized, war-crimes, world-dominationLeave a comment

I am so angry today at the world at large but particularly angry with the people of the United States. Where are the millions of voices crying out with outrage and utter contempt for the actions conducted by their president who tramples on without any kind of impunity or accountability? Is America blind? Is America deaf? Where are America’s historically self-praised backbone and moral compass? Whatever happened to the constitutional principles of individual liberty and rule of law refined and polished by the hellish fires of a devastating civil war and hundreds of thousands of deaths? Can the American people truly go on about their daily lives every morning when they look in the mirror and see a human being who is allowing their elected representative to blatantly and unapologetically disregard centuries of lawmaking and law-abiding by countless nations which are trying desperately to preserve not individual but the world’s best interests? Teamwork has always made the dream work. When we are in it for ourselves and ourselves alone, we will invariably sell our souls to the highest bidder; we will throw the innocent to the lions, and we will turn a blind eye to the unthinkable: humanity turning on itself for the dominance, greed and comfort of a handful. America, you have become the very monster that you despise! A monster humanity can cope with, for as nations see it approaching, they can best equip themselves for battle and for victory. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, however, is a much harder evil to identify and eradicate.

Where are the marches on the streets of America against Trump and his minions’ infernal devastation and pulverisation of the very pillars that humanity has stood and built on for hundreds of years? If Trump & Co. can disregard and mock hard-won treaties amongst nations and laws established to preserve world peace and prevent tyranny, who is to say any leader in any other democratic country will not follow suit in the future? Trump is setting an incredibly precarious precedent in the word. It is one thing to have the likes of Putin start an illegal war and potentially bully his way through Eastern Europe. It is quite a different beast to witness the democratic leader of the most military able country in the world target nation after nation as a primal display of might and dominance. We left the violent ways of Neolithic tribes behind a long time ago or so I thought!

Where are the self-inflated and self-proclaimed INFLUENCERS (we careful what you wish for) of today? Are the younger generations so blinded by their own egos and pursuits that they cannot see they are missing a once in a lifetime opportunity to use their unique platforms as springboards to bring to account a bully whose actions are shaking to the core the very foundations of civilisation? Influencers, if you have such power over the youth of today, surely you have the tools to shape the world you wish to live in tomorrow. No point in mastering the art of skincare and weight training if you have no sustainable civilisation to thrive on. The time to denounce an evil and seek change is NOW!

I watch the news every day and I am in absolute disbelief at the lack of a public reaction by the thousands of influential public figures and celebrities in the USA. What good is it for a nation to be the most powerful nation in the world if such power is solely used to kill, maim and breed hatred; to turn us all against each other? Some power that is! That kind of power does not belong amid humanity but within the gates of hell. A man who can DEMAND a Nobel prize (did you ever hear of anything so arrogant and childish?) and in the same breath make up all kinds of hollow arguments to justify bombing and murdering thousands of people; blowing up into insignificance hundreds of children whose only fault is to aspire to an education that can provide them their rightful place in the world. Or are Americans more deserving of such rights and liberties than anyone else in the planet? And let’s please not forget what history has taught us repeatedly. This kind of drastic and apocalyptic actions which go unpunished have repercussions which will last for decades to come. Indeed, much of what is going on in Iran today was shaped by the actions taken by some Western countries such as the UK who in the early 1950s sought to control Iran’s oil supply. It is hypocritical and big-headed of certain world leaders to vilify certain nations’ attitudes when they are fully aware that history demonstrates their own countries’ leaders had a big hand in shaping what many of these countries are today. The human cost of this attack on Iran dismissed as collateral damage is blood-curling enough, but don’t even get me started on the environmental cost that Israel’s actions in the last week will bring for decades to come; targeting an oil storage facility in Tehran and in doing so ensuring that water supplies are compromised, not to mention the air that Iranians and their neighbours will breathe for generations. Dear world leaders who think you are so intelligent and mighty, it is blatantly clear you did not think this one through, for you are only shooting yourselves in the foot when you decide to poison the skies and water resources of the world. You self-centred fools! The likes of Trump and Putin may be long gone by the time their own flesh and blood will eventually suffer the consequences of their selfish and thoughtless actions but suffer them they will too.

Furthermore, is it possible this has nothing to do with righting a wrong and everything to do with economic interests such as controlling one of the richest oil nations in the world? Isn’t it a dead giveaway to see the leader of the most powerful nation siding with a deceiving master of genocide, Benjamin Netanyahu? But of course, Trump was intent on going all guns blazing (pardon the pun) and unchallenged from the get-go, and so he partnered with the one and only world leader who is mad enough, selfish and egotistical enough, as is he, to pursue a lethal campaign which is undoubtedly illegal and abhorrent to the rest of the democratic world. Wolves in sheep clothing, we see you!

I was watching Jesse Jackson’s memorial on the news two days ago. A number of very moving and insightful speeches were delivered. I particularly enjoyed the words of Reverend Al Sharpton who said the problem is not Trump but the inaction of Americans who know better than to go about their daily business when they know in their heart that the time to fight for the lofty principles their constitution stands on is NOW, not tomorrow when there will be more destruction and death; not tomorrow when we finally wake up from our slumber and comfort and have the guts to acknowledge that countries like Spain have shown in bundles the true courage needed to stand up to a Goliath, even when his might and power point to the fact that we only stand to lose. Military prowess and superiority do not come close to the power of nations that come united against immorality, illegality and frankly criminality. Has the world not just witnessed another Putin invading another land just because he can and he wants the world to fear and revere his power? Trump is already talking about targeting Cuba next. Hello, is anyone actually listening to his incessant verbal diarrhoea, promising one minute to bring peace to the world and not starting any more wars, and creating a magnitude 9 earthquake across the whole of the Middle East the next, turning neighbour against neighbour, and murdering innocent children and adults alike without even batting an eyelid?

I do not wish for a civil war in America but frankly, I simply cannot neither comprehend nor stomach the silence, submission, and shameful lack of action on the part of the good American people. We have had snippets of some individuals here and there standing up to Trump, but bearing in mind the gravity of the situation the world is in today and the war crimes carried out with impunity, one would hope the majority of America would be crying out in the streets ‘Enough is enough’ and doing everything in their power to stop this utter madness and this self-proclaimed saviour at its helm. American people, if you are crying out, we cannot hear you in the rest of the world. Please cry louder! One person’s actions can alter the fate of the world. History assures us so.

I leave you with one of my favourite poems by Pastor Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

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When our hearts become impenetrable

On By aconstanttlearnerIn Acceptance, Anxiety, Betrayal, Challenges, adversity, Character, Compassion, Corona Virus, Covid 19, Deception, dehumanization, Depression, Dignity, Disappointment, EGO, Empathy, Fear, friendship, Healing, Herd mentality, honesty, Human nature, humanity, humility, Integrity, introspection, Intuition, life, Loneliness, Loss, Love, Mental Health, Mob Mentality, Morals, Narcissism, Negativity, Pain, Philosophy, pride, purpose, Relationships, Selfishness, Social Media, Tribalism, twitter18 Comments

The last few weeks have been nothing short of a psychological study for me on twitter. I did not set out to do one, but psychology found me, swept me up in this whirlwind of human need, and I simply could not just watch it all happen and ignore it.

Throughout this whole process, I have screamed, I have ached and cried inconsolably. I have laughed, felt overjoyed, been loved and rejected all at once within the same day. I have despaired and felt waves of stormy anger and frustration engulf me whole. I have been reminded by well-intended friends that social media is a tricky and ferocious animal to handle; that none of it is real and nothing is what it seems, and yet, this advice came at the hands of those who breathe in social media the moment they wake up and do not stop to exhale its poisonous, dubious air until their head hits that pillow. Any advice is rendered ineffective if those giving it conduct themselves in a way that disproves their own wisdom. Of course Social Media is real; a parallel reality it may be, but a reality nevertheless. Its deceitful, pantomime-like and bordering on sinister dark corners, often remind me of a Venetian Carnival where people hide behind the most alluring and exquisite of masks to reinvent themselves and step beyond the boundaries of what they would never contemplate doing or saying in real life. The mask however does not alter the person behind it, not really. It may appear so for a while, but eventually one can truly see the gaze behind the glamour and the glitter; the cracks seeping out past traumas, deep hurts and weakening fears that though deeply hidden, betray our newly found identity & automatically exclude us from the romanticism and Utopian mirage of the Masquerade Ball.

There is much that remains a mystery to me about human behaviour, but I have been able to draw some conclusions from my interaction with a number of people on twitter. Most of all, I have been able to find truth as we often do, by simply stepping away and like a fly on a wall, watch it all unfold; letting individuals show their true character and betray their own perceived integrity when they thought no one was really paying any attention.

I have learnt that at an age when we have all the gadgets and the gizmos, when we can be on the other side of the world on the same day and social media dominates and dictates the lives of so very many, never has our need to feel included and loved been greater. There is an impossibly achy loneliness abounding in the secret chambers of the virtual world. Society, even pre-Covid, has been bleeding out and failing to live up to its definition, because the social element has been abducted from right under our feet and a poor substitute has made islands of each and everyone of us trying to find ourselves and each other. The most alarming element of this phenomenon is the fact that most of us have loving families around us and a network of friends or support of one kind or another and yet, we are the lost faces in a multitudinous crowd crying out for acknowledgement, begging to be heard and understood. There is a desperate need to matter at a time when circumstances have made us finally acknowledge that in the scale of things, between the now and the beyond, we truly matter very, very little, and so we gasp desperately trying to hold on to some sort of significance. The more we realise we are but a grain of sand on the beach, the more egotistical and self-centered we become; the more we veer towards mob mentality instead of accepting each person on their own merit and essence. And of course, the power of social media is boundless and so trends that dominate on the virtual world, irremediably feed into our daily lives, our homes, and ultimately our surroundings. Before we know it, we are turning our society into the most inhospitable place there ever was; an Eden made into a hell, and it is all of our own making.

I have also learnt that at a time when we have more resources than ever; when we are potentially more powerful than ever; we are the weakest beings we have ever been. We lack backbone and deeply rooted convictions. We would rather be a Judas than a Peter; we need to be all things to all people in order to find worth, instead of remembering that it is our uniqueness and not our tribal ancestry that defines us and sets us aside to pursue our own purpose; to make that small difference that no one else can make. We have become cowards that hide behind the group instead of standing on our own two feet when we see injustice, lies and witch-hunts. Our morality and creed blow whichever way the wind takes them. We are chameleons that change colour depending on who is watching. We take a side in an argument with our words but then our actions discredit the very point we have just made. We are in essence regressing to a herd mentality where the blind is leading the blind; where leadership stems from popularity as opposed to integrity tested in the furnace of adversity and going it alone.

I have learnt, and this is the one that has broken me the most, that there are individuals who are indeed beyond rescue. I had two uncles who committed suicide, but I have always believed that what led them to such an unthinkable tragic end was probably a lack of a supportive network or adverse circumstances. Well, I have encountered on twitter individuals who by their own admission are rotten apples, messed up and broken; they hurt others because they simply do not know how to be any other way; they carry deep scars from the past and open wounds that are beyond healing. They look up to people who are no longer around, and they live their lives through their eyes instead of their own. I have learnt that no matter how much light you see still shining within that person; no matter how clear you see the path that they need to follow, nothing will change until they make a decision themselves to break loose from their ghosts and their demons. I have learnt that being rejected by such individuals is not a reflection of my inability to be loved or accepted by them but rather their dismal failure to love, accept and forgive themselves.

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When sex is no longer sexy

On By aconstanttlearnerIn Attraction, Chemistry, consumerism, dehumanization, Dignity, EGO, Freedom, humanity, humility, Instinct, Kindred Spirits, Love, Morals, Relationships, Sex, Sexuality, Sexy, Soul Mates, Spirituality, Vanity18 Comments

I would sure like to have a crystal ball that gives me insight into people’s brains, into our dreams, my dreams. Wouldn’t it save us tons of money on doctors, therapists, and meds if we could understand earlier on in the journey who we are and what makes us tick?

What is it with recurrent dreams? What is the point of rehearsing in our head a chapter of our lives that will forever remain inconclusive no matter how many endings we dream to that old story? It is not like we can change its outcome by our subconscious playing out different scenarios on different nights. And yet, the brain regurgitates that same chain of events over and over. To what end? There has to be a point to so much time of our lives consumed by an alternate reality where things pan out differently to what actually took place; where we are offered a glimmer of hope that those chapters of our lives we resent, do not define us, because there is still a chance to act differently, to explore new choices.

My most recurrent dream is one where I enter into a sexually charged relationship with an ex-boyfriend with whom I never even held hands or kissed. We were extremely attracted to each other. That is what brought us together in the first place. The chemistry was tangible, but we were a couple of very shy and inexperienced youngsters, not ready to handle what would have unfolded, had we let our passions run free. Unfortunately, we lived in different cities during the winter, and so our only form of contact was the occasional meet up and frequent letters, which did not help matters. Eventually, our determination to make it work dimmed and what initially was countless promising sparks between us grew into dynamite threatening to explode with every exchange. Frustrated and heartbroken I broke it off in the end, because I could not bear him flirting with other girls in front of me in an attempt to ignite my desire so I would be the one to take that first step. He went on to meet another older more experienced woman who clearly initiated him into the wonders of sex within a loving committed relationship. Indeed, he married her and lived happily ever after or so I hear. I am not saying sex cannot be fantastic outside a relationship. I am just saying personally, I reach worthier heights when the connection is both spiritual and physical, when the souls as well as the bodies are harmoniously intertwined. Sex for the sake of sex is as exciting to me as drinking water when I am thirsty, frankly. We met up many years later and though we were both married with kids by then, one brief but intense interlocking of our eyes is all it took for me to know he wondered as much as I did what if we had both behaved differently. I deeply believe in spiritual connection and I am no clairvoyant, but I am pretty certain I appear in his dreams as often as he in mine.

That was back in the 80s when sex was still a ‘sacred thing’ a special ritual that happened between people who felt an inexplicable bond, an unstoppable urge to fuse into one; to be one and the same, if only for a few exceptional moments. These days, sex is all around us, is forced upon us; trading in sex has even become a widely accepted profession for so many. It is no longer a case of I resort to prostitution because I cannot make ends meet any other way, because I cannot sustain myself and those dependent on me any other way. Sex sells and it is easy to shop for it and make considerable money from it pretty effortlessly and quickly. Unfortunately though, it is not just pushed on to those who want to consume it or buy it, but forced on us wherever we look, wherever we are. This is particularly apparent in the entertainment industry and social media. It is not longer a question of personal choice but of forcefulness, of manipulating the herd into certain behavioural patterns and morals or lack of; normalizing even amongst our youngest what should be something special and wonderful in its uniqueness.

I missed the ‘sanctity’ that used to go hand in hand with the process of meeting someone and falling in love, or maybe just discovering each other emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Now it is all so void of any romance, any mystery, any longevity, in essence of any meaning. We trade partners like we change socks and values like trust, respect, humility, gentleness, kindness, honesty have all become dinosaurs too frightened to rear their heads in a world moving so fast, consuming it all so fast, even each other, that one wonders what humanity will do next to satisfy its ravenous appetite for indulgence and self satisfaction.

Is there anything sacred any more?

The ugly truth

On By aconstanttlearnerIn Betrayal, Character, consumerism, Deception, dehumanization, EGO, friendship, Greed, honesty, humanity, Integrity, ramblings, thoughts, introspection,, Thoughts, twitter7 Comments

This is not going to be my usual post deep in reflection but rather more of a diary entry where I get to vent out in my own safe ‘private’ space. Life is strange these days. We are in a kind of Covid limbo where we are neither in motion again nor stationary. What is that state? How does one acclimatise to an undefined existence where it is risky to get going but equally dangerous to stay put?

Work is picking up for us in the office which is great, but it just means that we are falling into the old patterns of our daily existence being driven by the frenzy of new orders. The daily walk which was so therapeutic and refreshing has now reverted back to a chore that needs to be gotten out of the way so that we can spend more time doing the real meaningless chores and be more (or rather less) productive at work.

Throughout the day I often go to twitter for a bit of respite. I encounter fantastic humour there, really interesting people too and I love how most feel they have the freedom to say what they are really thinking and not the measured responses that we often give face to face, because we feel we need to restrain ourselves or else we may come across as human. Perish the thought! Having said that, sometimes that very same veil which gives others a mask to hide behind, can be the sword that cuts both ways. If you are observant enough, if you are patient enough and look closely enough, you realise that whilst some can use that veil of anonymity to propel them into sincerity, there are others who abuse the freedom that such invisible curtain gives them and choose to give an impression of being who they are in order to gain your trust, use you and discard you afterwards.

I am a sucker for honesty and transparency. Deception on the other hand curdles my blood and turns me inside out. People who give compliments because they want something from you and as soon as they realise they are not getting it, forget you even exist, are for me subhuman, if I am honest. Trusting another human being is completely exhausting, but what really wears my soul down is when you believe someone has a genuine interest in who you are as a person only to discover soon after it was all an act. They don’t offer friendship to see what they can do for you but rather they understand friendship only in terms of what you can do for them. It is the new shopping trend. Do what you have to do, use whichever tactic you need to successfully shop for more followers or individuals you can use to satisfy your own needs. Be all things to all people and lose your soul and your heart in the process seems to be today’s new mantra. At what point did the notion of integrity become obsolete, unfashionable, unnecessary?

I used to believe in the kindness of strangers but I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with such prospect. We are so blinded by a culture of consumerism, we stop at nothing in our frenzy and greed, not even other human beings. We chew them, suck up the life out of them and we spit them back out when there’s nothing left for us! We change our alliances and whom we give favour to like we change clothes everyday. The dehumanization of the human species is not far ahead if you ask me.

What do you know? What was meant as a diary entry has turned into another heavy rant. Well, this is me, warts and all! Come back at your own peril.