Can we ascertain the value of a human being?

On May 31st, CNN.IBNLIVE.COM covered a story about a dalit boy,Vinod, who was tied to a tree, humiliated,had his head shaved, beaten by a group of lawyers, irony of it all, "within the court premises".This spectacular degradation was done with much fanfare, surrounded by a jeering audience with a television camera to record this to posterity.Lawyers, who are supposed to be pillars of law and order,led this onslaught against humanity. In a world, where we have many organizations to protect the rights of animals etc, does a dalit value less than a beast?. when do we say " say when?".

for video of this heinous act, check the below link.

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/41757/debate-why-lawyers-break-all-laws.html

Now I know the unknowns of my knowns

OutSourcing- Creating a New Class of American Poor

This holiday week-end, instead of hitting the beaches, i went Air Conditioner shopping, as my old A.C'S decided to finally give up their lives and with the early swealtering heat, all I could think of was running to the nearest Lowe's to get A.C's. It seemed every one had the same idea and there seemed to be a mad dash to that section. Since it was mostly men who were shopping, they all seemed to know which one to pick. Unfortunately that was not the case with me!, My level of expertise in this field was to point the remote to the A.C and turn it on.

So I did the next best thing, I went looking for a store clerk to help me through this maze!. Lucky for me, I found a clerk soon, who was very helpful and advised me not to buy the whole store just to install my A.C, thanks to him, i did not end up buying useless pile of must haves, which i saw someone else pick up!

While, he was filing my delivery order status, I asked him how long he had been working in this store. At that time, it seemed like an harmless question to kill the time, while my order was being processed, polite chitchat you know! (the polite thing to do according to my mother), But I ended up hearing more than I bargained for. He told me, he just started a week ago, and how he used to be in customer service in a major telecommunications company, but after 10 years of working for them, he was let go, not due to his poor job performance, but the company's CEOS decided it is profitable to outsource his job!!!. I could see the man's pain and betrayal in his eyes, even then, all he could say was, how he was one of the lucky ones to find another job quickly and many of his colleagues were not so lucky. They still had to pay the bills, provide for their children all without a sustainable income!!.

All of a sudden, out sourcing was not just another by word we used in our coffee chats, it had very personal undertones. We hear of many major companies out sourcing all the customer service positions to third world countries, but no one thinks about the Americans who held these posts previously, what is to become of them?, sure some may find other positions, but what about others, whom it may not be a viable option?. What is to become of them?.For if our major companies act as Profiteers, then are we not in the rick of creating a new class of American Poor?.

Discernment

Give me the words, O Lord
To Praise Thee as befits Thee.
For Thou art Holy and Pure
But I am a sinner living in a sinful world
My thoughts art not Thy thoughts
And my ways art not Thy Ways


Give me an understanding mind, O Lord
To comprehend Thy Majesty and Timelessness
For I am but a transient being
Here today and gone tomorrow


Give me a discerning spirit, O Lord
To impress upon me Thy Omnipresence
I am not hid from Thee day or night
My Thoughts art but an open book to Thee.
Where forth will I go to get away from Thee?
For Thou art with me, in me and around me.

Beacon Of Hope

quote:

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

unquote

As the poet Emma Lazarus, so magically captured is the true essence of America. A nation built on the blood and sweat of the immigrant workers, who yearned for a place to call their own.Every paved street you step on, every leveled mountain you pass through carries many untold stories of the immigrants and today when our nation's leaders grapple with the issues on immigration, let us pause a moment to consider the stones that built this Nation. Though the process seems arduous, but i believe in the innate goodness of the American Public and human compassion will prevail for right before our very eyes stands the majestic lady with the burning torch, a beacon of hope to all who call these shores home.

New Beginnings

May all my beginnings be with You

As with this new page
Let my first words be about You.

You wove me together
In the secret place
of my mother’s womb.
I began with You
Before I was introduced to this world

My first memories
Are of stories told about You
While my mother nursed me.

As I toddled my way into childhood
You looked upon my antics
With benevolent adoring father’s eyes.

My struggle into adolescence
You strengthened me anew
With You taking on the persona
Of my confidante, my benefactor
My Best Friend.

With many a misstep and pitfalls
I have now stepped
Into the youth of my life
You reveal Yourself
Your true form.

You have always been,
Will Always be
More than I can comprehend.
You are all and more
You are my God.

A new chapter
A new nuance
In the relationship You have built with me.
Slowly revealing Yourself
For You know
I am but a mere mortal
Too abstract to discern
The Alpha and Omega of You.

Just a little while,
My youth will pass
And I will travel
The way of my forefathers
But one thing I am certain
You will be with me
Guiding me thro’ it all
May all my beginnings be with You.