THE POLITICS OF OBEDIENCE: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude

Here’s an excerpt from the introduction by Murray Rothbard to Étienne de La Boétie’s Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (1576). It’s important for us to understand this because India is under “voluntary servitude” to the corrupt few, namely the politicians that Indians elect.

Continue reading “THE POLITICS OF OBEDIENCE: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude”

Tell the Truth and Run like Hell

Actually, have your best running shoes on when you start telling people what they don’t want to hear. What they generally don’t want to hear is anything that shows them up to be boobs. They don’t want to hear that they are being screwed over by the government. Add to that the fact that they are also very proud of being a “democracy.” Which makes it especially painful for them because if you tell them that their government is raping them, they don’t want to know it because it would mean that they are complicit in their own rape. How does the government manage it, you may ask. One word: media. Continue reading “Tell the Truth and Run like Hell”

Is it our Moral Responsibility to Save Drowning Children?

Most emphatically yes, if it is within your power to do so. A child accidentally falls into a river and you jump in without a second’s thought – assuming that you can swim – and save the child. But what if there are people who are thoughtlessly or even deliberately pushing children into the river. Should you continue to be fully engaged in saving the drowning children or must you at least tackle the problem where it originates, and go tie up the adults who are dropping children into the river? Continue reading “Is it our Moral Responsibility to Save Drowning Children?”

Manmohan Singh is a Despicably Dishonest Man

Dr Manmohan Singh -- Pitiable
“Give a man a reputation as an early riser, and he can sleep until noon.” Mark Twain’s pithy remark is illustrated most forcefully in the case of Mr Manmohan Singh and his integrity. In his case, give the man a reputation as an honest person, and he can rob the country blind with impunity. Continue reading “Manmohan Singh is a Despicably Dishonest Man”

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the Confucian Genius

Lee Kuan Yew
Mr Lee Kuan Yew
There are few leaders of the contemporary world that I admire more than former Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Actually, strike that. I admire Lee Kuan Yew more than any other living world leader. Continue reading “Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the Confucian Genius”

Everybody Draw a Buddha Day

The Buddha in California
The Buddha in California
The Buddha’s birthday is coming up soon. It is on the day of the full moon in May. This time around it is on 27th May. So let’s just all draw a Buddha. Since my drawing skills are somewhat primitive, I will go hi-tech. I post this picture — one that I had taken years ago in California. Now if someone would please start a Facebook page for “Everybody Draw a Buddha Day” — just to keep abreast of the competition here.

The End of Work: An Essay on the Dawning of the Post-work World

“The progress of civilization can be measured by how many people are available to not do any work. The trend has been that of an increasing number of (as well as a larger percentage of) people that don’t have to work. The lower the percentage of people in it that work, the better off the civilization.” Continue reading “The End of Work: An Essay on the Dawning of the Post-work World”

Expectations Matter

How society actually functions depends on how people expect it to function. Which means that if you could change expectations you could change society. Which requires will and wisdom. Continue reading “Expectations Matter”