How to Stop Terrorism

 A reproduction of my old blog dated May 21, 2012

Q: What motivates terrorism?
A: Revenge and desperation.
Q: Who supports terrorism?
A: Grudge groups who have grievances against past injustices.
Q: How does terrorism differ from protest?
A: Protest is done by those who have hope; terrorism by those who have lost hope.
Q: How does terrorism grow?
A: By the production of more revenge seekers as a result of killing suspected terrorists.
Q: How can the growth of terrorists be contained?
A: By restraining those who kill suspected terrorists.
Q: Is it legal to kill suspected terrorists?
A: No. It is a mockery of law and justice even if it is endorsed by the president of a super power.
Q: What goes on in the mind of a terrorist?
A: He thinks that he is doing justice.
Q: What events triggered the current spate of terrorism?
A: Apparently atrocities against the people of Palestine and Kashmir.
Q: What prevented the UN from resolving these issues?
A: The vested interests of superpowers and the inability of the small men who ruled them to rise above parochial considerations and think in terms of universal good.
Q: Is NATO involved in terrorism or ideologically opposed to terrorism?
A: None. It is only trying to establish military bases in all countries of the world like it has in most countries of Western Europe, Far East and Middle East.
Q: Then why is NATO fighting a war on terror?
A: Because they think that outfits like Al-Qaida and Taliban have their own agenda of world domination which challenges theirs.
Q: How can the war of terror be stopped?
A: By a civilian overthrow of the military influence in governments.
Q: What if that is not possible?
A: Preaching universal non-violence at every forum, especially to children. The next generation may benefit from it.
Q: What is wrong with tribal areas of Pakistan?
A: It is a modern reincarnation of the Wild West where the Toyota Pick-up has replaced the horse.
Q: Can these tribal areas be made 21^st century compliant?
A: The Wild West changed with the introduction of gold quest, rail-road, industry, food and grocery chains etc. Something similar might wok here.

The Forgery of Israel

 

For many centuries Jews were a constant irritation to European Christians. If ever there was a hated nation, it was them. Allegations of abduction and cannibalization of Christian children were common in many parts of Europe, particularly Germany. Their atrocities on debtors were the topic of European literature and they made themselves intimidating by having gold implants in their teeth. But their greatest intimidation was their assumed and publicized claim that they were descendants of Abraham, the most respected Biblical character who is credited with introducing the concepts of day of judgment, heaven, and hell. Their extreme maltreatment at the hands of the Nazis was perhaps the culmination of that simmering hatred.

The European Christians found a way to get rid of them by accepting their claim on Palestinian lands as per a covenant done between God and Abraham mentioned in the Torah. The new state was called Israel after the term children of Israel mentioned in the Torah/Pentateuch/Old Testament. The term children of Israel signifies the members of the clan or tribe of Mr. Israel and their descendants

As to how the children of the real or mythical Mr. Israel became the descendants of Abraham is an interesting story which can be traced in the Old Testament. It turns out that it was an adopted name of Jacob the grandson of Abraham and the son of Issac. When one reads the following verses of the Book of Moses in King James version of the Holy Bible, it becomes apparent that the name-change and its occasions were inserted in the text that contained only the history of Jacob.  This forgery may have been done when the Torah was published in the Masoretic version. The pages of earlier authentic copies such as the codices of Sinaiticus and Aleppo that could expose this forgery have been destroyed in some way or the other.

Given below are the verses which mention Israel versus Jacob and anyone who has edited a manuscript should be able to recognize the act of forgery and its poor implementation in this text.

Genesis 32

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

27 And he said unto him, What is thy name ? And he said, Jacob.

28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel : for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name ? And he blessed him there.

30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God] : for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day ; because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Genesis 33

18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram ; and pitched his tent before the city.

19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.

20 And he erected there an altar,  and called it El-Elohe-Israel [God the God of Israel].

Genesis 34

7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it : and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter ; which thing

ought not to be done.

Genesis 35

9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob : thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name ; and he called his name Israel.

11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty : be fruitful and multiply : a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins ;

12 and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone : and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.

19 2And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave : that is the pillar of Rachel’s

grave unto this day.

21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

22. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine : and Israel heard it.

27 2And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years.

29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days : and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 36

31 And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

Genesis 37

1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren ; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives : and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age : and he made him a coat of many colors.

4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem ? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

Genesis 38

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

Genesis 42

1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another ?

2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt : get you down thither, and buy for us from thence ; that we may live, and not die.

3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren ; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came : for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them ; saying,

30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children : Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away : all these things are against me.

Genesis 43

6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother ?

7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive ? have ye another brother ? and we told him according to the tenor of these words : Could we

certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down ?

8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go ; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

9 I will be surety for him ; of my hand shalt thou require him : if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever :

10 for except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second

time.

11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this ; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and

myrrh, nuts and almonds :

12 and take double money in your hand ; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand ; peradventure it was an oversight.

Genesis 45

21 And the children of Israel did so : and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

Genesis 46

1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father : fear not to go down into Egypt ; for I will there make of thee a great nation.

4 I will go down with thee into Egypt ; and I will also surely bring thee up again : and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

5 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba : and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him :

7  sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons : Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six ;

27 and the sons of Joseph, which were borne him in Egypt, were two souls : all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen ; and they came into the land of Goshen.

29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him ; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

Genesis 47

27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen ; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years : so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred forty and seven years.

29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die : and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and

truly with me ; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt :

30 but I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.

Genesis 48

2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee : and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

4 and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people ; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

8 And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these ?

9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see.  And he brought them near unto him ; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face : and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.

12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.

14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly ; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh : and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die ; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

Genesis 49

2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob ; and hearken unto Israel your father.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce ; and their wrath, for it was cruel : I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel : and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them ; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Genesis 50

1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father : and the physicians embalmed Israel.

3 And forty days were fulfilled for him ; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed : and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

Note: If the Egyptians had so much respect and regard for Mr. Israel that they mourned his death for seventy days, then why hasn’t any archeologist found any relic related to him in the excavations in Egypt?

 

The Level Playing Field

 Much is being said about providing level playing field to various political parties in the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. 

The buldozer operators are acting on their own whims and prejudices, causing much distress to innocent, sincere and patriotic citizens.

The real issue is a poorly written constitution and the insolence of certain institutions that spare no opportunity of discrediting it. Insult is added to national injury by almost equal criminalization of political, civil, commercial and military entities where lust for laundered money rules Supreme.

The  Supreme Court  judges have extricated the appointment of CJ from politics by strictly following seniority for promotion and retiring routinely at fixed age.

The Army can benefit from following the same example,  rather than involving political wranglings.  The other option is to follow the parliamentary norm. Sack all starred generals every five years and recruit afresh on the basis of merit. The sacked ones should also be allowed to apply and compete in a well designed test of courage and integrity. The freshly appointed generals may then elect their Chief.

Thanks, Singaporeans

 I appreciate the recent surge in interest and pageviews from Singapore. I am expecting some comments from the able readers. It will encourage me, surely. 

Faith and Grammar

 

An ancient piece of text in any language written before the development of its grammar is always ambiguous and subject to multiple interpretations.

I asked  an AI chatbot about when the grammars of the languages in which most popular divine books are written were compiled. Here is the answer.

The grammar of the following languages was compiled at different times throughout history:

Greek: The grammar of the Greek language was compiled by ancient Greek scholars and grammarians starting from around the 4th century BCE. The most famous of these works is the "Art of Grammar" by Dionysius Thrax, which was written in the 2nd century BCE.

Latin: The grammar of the Latin language was also compiled by ancient Roman grammarians. One of the earliest Latin grammars is the "Ars grammatica" by Aelius Donatus, which was written in the 4th century CE. However, there were earlier works on Latin grammar as well.

Hebrew: The grammar of the Hebrew language was studied and compiled by Jewish scholars over centuries. One significant work on Hebrew grammar is the "Sefer Yetzirah," written in the early centuries CE. However, the most comprehensive and influential Hebrew grammar work is the "Kitāb al-ʼAyn" by Saadia Gaon, written in the 9th century CE.

Arabic: The grammar of the Arabic language was extensively studied and compiled by Arab linguists and scholars from the 8th century CE onwards. Some of the most notable works on Arabic grammar include "Al-Kitab" by Sibawayh, written in the 8th century CE, and "Al-Kitab fi al-Nahw" by Ibn Hisham, written in the 13th century CE.

End of Goodness

 Intelligence Report sent by an observer in a UFO circling the earth to its headquarters in Alpha Centauri.

Political situation in Pakistan has taken a bizarre turn. The country gives the impression if a huge concentration camp in which 230 million inmates are being tormented to break their will.  They failed to retake occupied Kashmir, instead became an occupied land in sympathy.

The army has embarked on a ruthless plan to restore its intimidation on public which seems to have tarnished significantly in the last few years due to the misdeeds of the last chief and the controversial appointment of the new one.

The failed assassination attempt on IK allegedly staged by the internal wing of an intelligence agency in collaboration with PMLN seems to have  alienated not only the public but also segments of the armed forces both active and retired. A number of retired and sacked military officers were openly advocating revolt against army chief and DG ISI.

It seems that there were numerous officers in army who honestly believed that the army should mind its own business and  stay away from the political quagmire. But unfortunately they ended up on the wrong side of the dominant segment that looked upon itself as the sovereign owner of the country.

Due to three decade long military dictatorships when they worked hand in glove there are strong links between the army hierarchy and civil beaurocracy including the police.  The army command is in a position to have any false case registered against any civilian in any part of the country including the remotest corners. When hundreds of false cases were registered against individual PTI leaders, although it could and maybe was done by the PDM coalition, many sober intellectuals were equally suspicious of both. The assassination of Arshad Sharif and abduction and torture of numerous journalists and PTI leaders by CTD was overly disturbing.

In his press conference DGISPR expressed pride that his men had succeeded in snaring PTI workers into military property  and obtaining video evidence against them that would be used in summary military trials. All the live broadcast videos showing PTI leaders screaming on loud hailers asking their people not to enter army property or take part in violence as well as those showing plainclothes men alighting services vehicles and merging with protesters have disappeared from the social media. The contempt with which he alluded to a political party and its leader clearly showed ill will. Medals would have been due if the ruse had been pulled off against an enemy.
At about the same time, two v-loggers reported about a meeting called by DGISI in which the owners of about a dozen TV news channels were indirectly threatened that even if the name of Imran Khan was mentioned on their channels their womenfolk could be kidnapped and their houses could be set on fire. There is no way to verify their veracity but the forbidden name has disappeared from all tv channels just as those v-loggers have disappeared from YouTube.
Imran Khan's campaign of public awareness of civil rights and the realisation by the masses of how they had been robbed and persecuted by a corrupt mafia of sorts had galvanised the nation. His inspirational slogan "We have shattered the idols of fear" echoed in all walks of life. Expectation arose that a virtuous revolution was about to take place without bloodshed.

It seems that the idea of a fearless public displeased the army top brass. If all the people became brave and ready to fight an invader, where would they stand? 

So it all started ..........

Quran on Fire

 Not very long ago when Serbians under the leadership of Radovan Karadzic were having fun and providing amusement to the rest of Europe by way of persecuting Muslims within their reach. Nearly three hundred and fifty thousand Bosnian Muslims were killed in most brutal and heinous exercise of hatred. That's were cut, women were raped, children were brutalised and large groups were put in concentration camps and starved to death.  The Serbs were out to break all records of the Nazis. When one of the commanders was asked why they were doing it, he replied,  "because they don't eat pork. "

Fanatic Christians harbour a deadly hatred of Muslims because they do not eat pork or drink wine or fornicate with siblings. They have the freedom to hate.
But they also believe in heaven and hell, and any any suggestion that they may end up in hell makes them mad. The Bible barons have cleverly edited their books to justify all above actions. The Quran is the only book that still defines sins and warns of eternal life in hell for the transgressors.
Think about a North European young man whose sister has given birth to his child, and he learms that according to Quran they are both destined for hell. He knows no way of repenting or reversing what happened. The only thing he can do is to insult, tear, kick and burn that book. And all his friends who might be in a similar position would cheer and applaud him.
But the story does not end there. If all Christians start believing in th Quran and living shariah-compliant life, serious economic problems would arise.  If all the pork and wine businesses close down, the western economy will collapse.  So it stands to reason that Western leaders and governments tacitly encourage anti-Islamic and anti-quranic stances in their countries.
There may still be many Hitlers and Karadzics hidden behind those noble faces.

Brief history of Pakistan

 After the death of Jinnah due to neglected medical attention, the murder of Liaquat, and the departure of British imperial military commanders, General Ayub staged a coup abrogating the 1956 constitution and ruled for a decade until he became very unpopular. In effect, he imposed an indigenous imperialism by the army.

 Before departing, he imposed martial law and handed power to General Yahya, who held general elections in which Mujib won 160 seats in East Pakistan against Bhuttos 80 in the west. Mujib was denied premiership, and insurgency erupted in East Pakistan, allowing India to invade. The small Pak military force there could not stand long, and after Bhutto, the then FM rejected UN brokered cease-fire, Pak forces surrendered, and Bangladesh was formed. 

Bhutto emerged as a shrewd socialist leader as PM of remaining Pakistan. He nationalised all industries and big businesses and introduced a new parliamentary constitution in 1973. He was deposd by General Zia-Ul-Haq after a rigged election and controversially hanged for murder after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal by a split judgment. There are accusations that judges were unduly pressureised or influenced in their decision.

Next came Nawaz with large-scale deregulation and privatisation of industries and businesses with allegations of historic corruption, who was ousted and nearly hanged by General Musharraf. Later, he was disqualified from political activity by a Supreme Court decree on grounds that some consider weak. 

Then came Imran, the best of them all, who managed the Covid emergency very well, started schemes for the welfare of the poor, and achieved a sustained economic growth rate of 6% which was the highest ever in the country's history. Most significantly, mega corruption cases against some of the most notorious politicians like Shahbaz and Zardari were all but established. At this juncture, he was cunningly dislodged by General Bajwa in April 2022, who managed to entice away all his allies to form an unbelievable coalition of all 13 opposition parties and coerced judicial interference in parliamentary matters. Imran came out in protest with a massive rally and bravely survived three bullet wounds sustained in a joint murder attempt of PDM and an alleged intelligence agency on the way.

 He is now being hounded by General Asim Munir, the new army chief in pursuance of some unexplained delusion. According to the army's account, May 9 was a virtual sequel to 9/11 in Pakistan in which according to the propaganda scenario women and children of PTI leaders and workers allegedly attacked sensitive military installations with weapons of mass destruction. The army was unable to defend itself and appeared to be completely routed alongside the federal and provicial governments. There was not an army soldier nor a policeman to be seen on the streets. They had all gone into hiding.

It appears that Pak Army regrouped and launched a counterattack on PTI tagged as the imaginary enemy. With a whole procession of professional turncoats ready to cooperate, a new political party seems to be emerging in addition to the existing coalition, which will support and bow before the revived sovereign army imperialism. 

The Oceans

 Millions of people bathe, fish, and sail in seawater every day. The vastness and majesty of the oceans is awesome. Whereas the gentle waves at the shore are so pleasant, the stormy seas are nerve-wracking.

But do we realise the biological significance of the vast and deep expance of saline water that covers three quarters of the earth's surface? Yes, it is a sanctuary for life. No bacteria or viruses can survive in the saline water of the oceans and seas. There are no epidemics in the seas and the wounds of the underwater dwellers remain aseptic and heal as soon as bleeding stops.

Even more interesting is the process by which oxygen is provided to the inhabitants of the oceans. The constant turbulence in the seawater not only causes mixing of air at the surface, but also helps to carry it to depths. And the waves are said to be generated by the motion of the moon around the earth. Remarkable engineering!

50 Years On

 

50 Years On

 I visited England in the early 1970s in quest of knowledge. In 2022, I was there again to meet some loved ones, revisit familiar places and recall the past to formulate some comparisons.

Lake district was my favorite retreat in summer, and I had paid several visits in the early seventies. So, I went to see how it looked and felt after half a century. Rothay bridge had changed. Safety railings had been built, but the architect had maintained the old roman stone character. There was a tremendous increase in foliage, thanks to greater awareness of environmental quality. The pictures below graphically depict the contrast between then and now, both for the man and the scene.

In Manchester, where I studied for my post graduate degree the grassy grounds between the buildings had disappeared and new buildings stood tall. The roads, particularly Wilmslow Road was so thoroughly marked for traffic regulation that it looked like a work of art.

Elsewhere the architects seemed to have forgotten how to draw a straight line. Even where straight lines existed, they were seldom parallel or at right angles. This trend is not unique to UK, it can be seen almost everywhere in the world, thanks to innovations in construction techniques and building materials.

The overall environment and public behavior seemed rather subdued, perhaps partly due to nearly two years of the Covid isolation and partly the five-decade aging of the observer.

The intellectual estrangement that I felt during the visit represents the cumulative change in social and moral values that have taken place in certain parts of the world over the past century.

20th century presented a unique era of defiance and unrealism. As I ponder over the past, many suppressed thoughts scream to be shown the light of the day. A few examples are given below for the benefit of the reader.

1. Relativity and accurate prediction of the illusions of a moving observer were theorized in the first decade of 20^th century. Despite the religious convictions of Einstein and his contemporaries (God does not play dice) virtuality began to replace absoluteness. If it was impossible to measure absolute velocity or error was inevitable in any observation, to solve any problem the most viable compromises have to be found. The socio-psychological impact of relativistic thinking has been devastating. The ideals of absolute goal or identified destination do not exist anymore. Comparative or competitive achievement has become the measure of success. Idealists and ideals are things of the past.

2. Cinema and sitting in a darkened room to peep into the realistic projection of private lives of storybook characters became the favorite pastime of many people around the world. Film Industry became an essential part of economy and produced some epic movies that gained universal approval. However, as time passed, more and more intimate scenes became acceptable, and the sense of privacy (or respect for privacy) which is the corner stone of civilization began to erode. The result is that today people seem to take nudity as a norm and are totally insensitive to public display of pornographic material or human indecency. Oddly enough, it is called tolerance and respect for personal freedom.

3. Airconditioning and the science of taking heat from a cooler place and dumping it in a hotter place is another gift of the last century. Although it seems like a negation of the laws of thermodynamics, no laws of physics are violated. Today, there are many people who live constantly in controlled environment whether in home, office, airport, shop, car, train, ship or plane. They only step out in the open when the weather is pleasant. They must be reminded of changing seasons. They have no idea how the vast majority of mankind in their hemisphere is feeling at any given moment. In religious terms they live in a manmade paradise and think of themselves as gods of Greek mythology or Torahic traditions.

4. Capitalism and the conspiracy to take money from the poor and give it to the rich became apparent only after the publication of Carl Marx’s famous book. With the ability of the kings to impose taxes at will curtailed by parliaments, the merchants took their revenge on Robinhood. Although statistical per capita income in developed countries is so high that everyone could live in luxury, the reality is far from it. Most of the wealth belongs to 10% richest and the average person lives from salary check to check, often worrying about the needs of himself and his family. Thanks to the welfare system in UK, I did not see any homeless or starved people on the streets as is the case in some states in USA.

6. The United Nations Organization that was formed soon after the Second World War to prevent future wars and to develop harmony among nations of the world has gradually become an international institution to authorize aggression. The actions and inactions of the UN Security council, clearly dominated by five veto wielding nations, have easily identifiable shades of racial, religious and socio-economic system discrimination.

7. Sex education or reinvention of the basic instinct of life by the naïve has resulted in erosion of difference between sex and masturbation. While I was there in the early 70s many strange things happened. Homosexuality was legalized. Homosexual societies were formed in universities. John Morris of The Sunday Times became Jan Morris by surgical operation. A man was acquitted of murder charge on the alibi by of his friend’s wife that he was with her at the time the murder was committed. Later, proof was found that he had committed the murder and he was indicted ---- sounding the death knell for feminine honor. Frontal nudity became acceptable on stage. This time when I was there, I didn’t find any husbands and wives, there were only civil partners, and to my consternation they could be any combination of two-legged living things.

8. Eradication of beauty to promote sale of cosmetics is the least noticed disaster of human history. Ladies first offered themselves as models to painters and gradually became canvas themselves. It is hard to find a city-woman who would look beautiful for a whole month without the help of a beautician or the consumption of a large quantity of cosmetics and use of many electromechanical tools and implements.

9. There has been a remarkable change in the role of press and journalism from seeking the facts and educating the public, to monitoring public opinion and soliciting readership for commercial purposes. The distinctions between news, propaganda and rumors have become extinct. Live television broadcasting has dramatically changed the spirit of sport. The quality and admirability of sport are measured by their entertainment value. The span of glory for an athlete depends on the whims of his sponsors and managers.

(Copy Right: Muhammad Nasim, mohnasim@gmail.com)