Paisa Vasul (Satisfaction Guaranteed)

Over the past couple of years, I've been extremely fortunate to visit some of the best Zoo's in Asia. Each of these zoos have had so much to offer that I've enjoyed every moment of my visit; I've been awed and excited with each new discovery. However, every time I complete a visit to the zoo it leaves me feeling melancholic.

The zoos do a great job in trying to create an environment which is suitable for these animals, and birds. However, the one thing you can't help ignoring is the sadness displayed in some of the animals' eyes. Some of the saddest moments for me were to see massive birds like the Giant Eagles being caged with hardly any space to spread their wings and enjoy the pleasures of a good flight - the very reason of their existence. I don't even want to try and think what the leopard or Puma feels being caged just a few feet away from its meal(deer). The smell must be a torture for these magnificent beasts.

One might argue that these animals are put in the zoo for educational purposes and also for their protection from poachers and other dangers. However, observe the people who visit the zoos and you'll find them to be the most annoying factor in the whole experience.

Hundreds of people - singles, couples, families, etc. - come to the zoo with a singular mindset of seeing something grand. So, when they don't see the sad looking monkey doing some tricks or the Lion just lazing around, they start to get upset and do all sorts of things to get their money's worth.

During my visit to the Singapore Night Safari I saw a Caucasian father with his 7 or 8 year old daughter in front of me. The man stood next to the fence and tried to make the animal in the cage look towards him by making a "cluk cluck" type of sound. This was again a visitor trying to get his money's worth by making the animal stand in a posture that might give him the perfect shot. The ironic part was when his little girl asked him, very loudly in a tone that was equal parts annoyance and curiosity, "Why do you always do that?" The dad seemed extremely embarrassed at this question and beat a hasty retreat from the area...Needless to say, he had no answer.

The problem is the lack of RESPECT. Most people in their hearts don't respect or care for these animals. What they want is entertainment not education. Even after repeated requests and signs that tell people not to use the flash feature of their cameras, you'll see loads of ignorant people doing the same thing over and over again. Another big problem, is the noise. The amount of noise created by these visitors is not only annoying for the animals and birds but also for other visitors. It compels you to refer to it as "noise pollution." Children grow up imitating what they've seen their parents do for years and things never change for the better.

To enjoy nature, one must first respect it and then be patient enough to observe each of its nuances. If we do this, our visit and experience at the zoo can turn into something more significant and meaningful - an experience that doesn't end when you walk out the gates but one that continues in the form of the changes you make in your life to show your enjoyment and appreciation thorough conservation.

World in Crisis – who do we blame?

These past two years have been one of the worst economic times the world has seen, well, not really the world. I say that because most of the world, (about 80% lives on an avg of less than $10 a day), is poor. But these past two years have been terrible on the privileged sector of our planet, countries that call themselves “Developed,” - developed more in the art of exploitation than anything else.

Anyways, two years of economic downturn and the people and media have been out writing articles and ripping governments and financial institutions left, right and center. Well, don’t get me wrong, I’m not sympathizing with these scamming fiends, but I think there is more to it than just these people or institutions.

It’s easy to say, I can’t pay my mortgage for my beach side mansion because the government didn’t foresee this future. But it’s difficult to accept that you made a mistake by spending the money you didn’t have and not saving.

The “developed” world citizens have always been spending more than they make, leaving themselves in credit card, mortgage or other debts. Only if they had learned to live within their means, which they still haven’t, then this would never have happened.

The problem is not just these spending habits, but a deeper issue is the lack of acceptance. As soon as we are in trouble we look to push the blame onto someone else. But what about what you have done, do you ever reflect on that. That is a deeper issue which no government stimulus package will ever be able to resolve.

Even if we do manage to get ourselves out of this current economic problem, there is no saying it won’t happen again, unless people learn to live within their means.

The developed world spends and lives the way they do because they can and the developing or under-developed countries can’t because they can’t afford to. But switch the world’s economic powers and make the poorest countries the richest, and they too will lead a wasteful and prodigal life.

To live within your means and to spend only what you have is the only way that our world can survive and sustain itself, not only economically but in all aspects of life on our planet.

Super Powers - Sept. '09

The words individuality, freedom and knowledge are only abstract ideas that we choose to believe. The world we live in is governed by the greed of few individuals ( I call them gluttons) who control the way we think. Though freedom of speech is a highly marketed idea, it doesn’t really truly exist.



Everything that we see is well orchestrated by these gluttons. The media in which millions of people blindly believe is their key. Who we should mourn for, who we should hate, who we should proclaim as hero's, etc are all decided by the media and the way the idea is marketed in the modern age it’s almost impossible not to give in to it.

Our way of life is defined by these gluttons. They have managed to create a world where we cannot live the way we want, unless we plan to go back to living as cavemen - that too they wouldn’t allow. Oil companies are today’s evil empires but there is nothing new in what they do. Throughout human history one Evil Empire has given way to another. People we praise and proclaim as heroes were only cunning warriors who committed mass murders in the name of religion, god or some other bull shit notion.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH… The point I’m trying to showcase and I’m unable to is that Companies, Gluttons, SuperPower nations, etc. whatever name you know them by are power hungry. They don’t care for luxuries or money, their goal is power. In this lust for power they have no conscience. They are so powerful that an individual, a revolution or any other such minute scale act can never overthrow these powers.

It is futile!

All concepts of free world, green world, and all other such utopian concepts are bull shit and should never be taught to the next generation. As for those of us who see the way the world works, or at least think that we know a little of how the world works, we see a pattern which has lasted for as long as humans have survived – Kill – Conquer – Rule – Plot – Kill – Conquer – Rule.

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Johny