Rant & Reason

I've uncovered a pet peeve and I'm coming at anyone who waves it in front of my face. Not because of my personal ego, but because it's about the personal ego of those people who have been scarring children since when man officially turned stupid. And here I fire.  Some values are celebrated across the spectrums of religion and society, and one of them is spanking children i.e. giving them a good thrashing. Apparently, it's the only way that children will learn and they will become disciplined adults, rant back some uncles, aunties and (surprisingly) some young people too. Now sit back and watch me tear apart this nonsense that has seeped so deep into our thinking that it's normal.  "It's the only way they'll obey", say some of these other strange people, "and you'll know when you have one." Let's consider obedience. It's another of those values that have been accepted across the spectrums. Everybody wants someone to obey the

Greta Thunberg has been getting more than a fair share of flak for putting herself out there—more than most in quantity. Let's leave aside the patronization she gets for being just a kid, having a "mental disorder" or any other right-wing narrative. Those arguments don't deserve any credit. They're just toeing the line because the people who scream them are just dissonant with how the views in their head don't line up with what their eyes actually see in the world. Sadly enough, that how most people pick up and perceive with their views these days. Moving on. Most people, the opposing inspiration of whom are worth a ear, are irritated with her tone, but don't disagree with her message. Some say that she has said nothing new, nor she offered new and better solutions. Why can't she be a Boyan Slat or Sharon Barak ? They, and others like them, have designed actual solutions and did R&D about the problem. Actually, there's a perfectly good r

Digital is all the rage. It's handy and quick. Anything that used to require actual physical presence or on the spot gauging of emotions now can do without it. Unfortunately, what an overdose of digital really ends up meaning is disconnect, as opposed what it's supposed to mean which staying connected all the time. Suddenly, we don't need to be experts or hold well-considered opinions. We can just Google them. We don't have to check up on people. We can just find out about them from a profile. We don't have to seek the actual company of those who are our tribe. We just tag strangers by what they think and say, and box them so we can either bash them for their view or join them with it. We don't need to truly engage anymore. While the picture may seem grim, it really isn't. In this digitally disempowered age, we also show our cracks when our erstwhile connected, human traits shine through. This can't be anymore obvious than our immediate rage at "h

Marriage is one of society's oldest traditions. It's the bedrock, goal, focus and obsession of many societies around the world—the Golden Ticket, even if to where is in question. Even the communities that are liberal about it have their share of tears when someone they know is, and has been, of age for a long time and yet unmarried. The latest addition to it is - love! As much as we'd like to fool ourselves otherwise, love played has a very new role in marriage. Its mostly winning competitors have been *status elevation maintenance, property, honour, security and protection (usually of women), family and childbirth, generational extension, and stability & support. But what's love really got to do with it? Love probably worked its way in because if you're going to get married anyway, you may as well like who you're with, and then take it another level. If you don't, the other factors will make you—living-in, with and alongside another p