Aananda

For someone who prefers silence, and has a ‘it’ll sort itself out’ reaction to all things in life, I find it rather easy to seep into the background, and to sit down quiet as the world descends into chaos. Assuming the role of a passive observer in my own life, I didn’t mind not having opinions, or not standing up for myself. I did not mind leaving the revolution to others. In all honesty, I’ve never felt the need to explain myself to anyone either. Indifferent to how the world worked itself out, I found a way to make do with personal validation instead of standing up for what I represent. But passivity can be equally destructive. History is stained with women deemed hysterical every step of the way, and we’ve resorted to gain the quiet indifference of a man to ensure we fence ourselves from being called crazy, or hormonal. We’ve distanced us from our own sisters; apprehensive of being labelled one among them. And now, our voice’s go uncared for, and we’re still dependant on our bre...

It was only three days ago that we (my family) became victims of a cybercrime. Victims of a fraud customer-care number that left us confused, and blind to what was being done to us. It left us lesser not only in money, but also in faith. It was only three days ago that I was at once reminded that the people we live among are desperate, broken, and unjust. Looking back, there were so many glaring red flags during our call that day, and we naively ignored them. We’re an educated family and losing money because of a cybercrime is a reminder struck right across the face of what happens to those who unsuspectingly believe. And I’m not just talking about this one time. Every time you find yourself fooled; gutted by thoughts of your own ignorance, you start building walls around yourself. There is a sense of urgency. A glaring alarm telling you to get everything under control, and to never gamble like this again. As if the only way to get through life is by rigorously protecting yourself ev...

Parents aren't given the choice on how their kids end up being like. I mean, yes, their choice of mate affects the other set of DNA that influences their baby’s health and personality. But other than that, parents don’t really have a ‘choice’.   But, if given a choice, parents would choose so much. First off, they would definitely choose their kids out of Autism or ADHD. Although we do call them ‘specially abled’, If given a choice parents would rather their kids not have these ‘special abilities’ since it makes life difficult for their child. I might sound politically incorrect, but that’s just how it is.   If given a choice, they’d want their kid to be healthier and less prone to diseases. In the same way, if given a choice, they’d want their kids to be born intelligent, with good memory, with artistic traits, be good at math and linguistics … I mean, nurture can only take them a certain distance, right? Well, what if parents can actually make that choice? What if parent...