Author: S K Ditta
To be consumed, yet not be burnt – the gentle illumination
It is that image that has always appealed to me. Yes, it brings back to mind the burning bush, the one Moses saw, and from there, his life changed. This is not about Moses though. This is about the bush. An angel is said to have descended upon the bush, manifesting the Almighty God himself. …
Looking at life the wrong way, no long
By the mind one understands. By an excess of the same mind, one misunderstands. How does one escape the tendency to be unsteadied by the extreme of a habit? For as is one’s occupation, so one becomes proficient. The great discovery since the developments of the sciences has been the tendency toward the mind, even…
Existence – Poems by Christopher Venerus
Existence is about life. Existence is the spiritual journey of a man who is traveling through time. It is experiencing one’s own existence in the larger reality of history and of anticipated visions for the future. Existence is sensing the poetry. Existence is about being a boy, growing up to be a man. He discusses…
When the creative meet the unrewarding world of social networking – a basis from Bertrand Russell
A [creative] boy will toil up hill with a toboggan for the sake of the few brief moments of bliss during the descent; no one has to urge him to be industrious, and however he may puff and pant he is still happy. But if instead of the immediate reward you promised him an old-age pension at…
The culture of self in societies that appear connected
A true community is not just about being geographically close to someone or part of the same social web network. It’s about feeling connected and responsible for what happens. Humanity is our ultimate community, and everyone plays a crucial role. ~ Yehuda Berg It is a particular trait among thinkers and of their thinking to…
Comparing the messages of Solomon and Jesus regarding generations and longevity
The contemplations over our life affect how we live. In such thoughts, there are the concerns over generations existing together, what legacy one builds and leaves the latter, and the temporariness of all we have and build. Such contemplation is good. Wise men have done so. They have left their words for us to reflect upon. …
Writing – pen to paper or fingers to keyboard – tradition over modernity
These days, everyone is a writer. That is what technology has done. From the person who composes a short text message and garnishes it with the perfect emojis, to the one who prepares the agenda for an important board meeting, to the one writing in her own journal, everyone is writing. Whether there is some…
Bipolar disorder – the inner conflicts arising from trying to reconcile the Old and New Testament writings
Bipolar disorder has become the accepted name given to the manifest inner conflicts of disturbed individuals. While there are questions and concerns over the diagnosis of bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) itself, there are special considerations that arise as a person’s beliefs are considered. The source of those beliefs also invariably comes into question. Aside from…
How the diagnosis of bipolar disorder keeps a person psychologically trapped?
If you have had even a minimal contact with books on psychology and psychiatry, it is impossible that you have not heard of bipolar disorder. It was previously known by a more sinister name, manic-depressive illness. The words, bipolar disorder, evoke a vivid imagery; manic-depressive illness is even more evocative! The idea of a person…
Analysis and problem-solving don’t bring real happiness
Happiness is such a basic human desire. It also is one of the foremost pursuits of mankind. Whether we are those who consciously pursue happiness or believe it to be like the light that shines through upon us through the clouds when the time for it has come, we all know the good sensation happiness…
Can real happiness be found through objectivity?
It would be difficult to place an exact event or time when a person experiences happiness for the first time. One would very much hope, it was during the days of infancy, even before the faculties of reason had started to develop. And so, by this way of referencing, happiness or the experiencing of it…
Creating a defense mechanism by assigning all ideas to the intellect
The intellect can seem like a safe realm to keep and examine ideas. However, if human interactions remain at that level, something is soon realized to be missing. Our response to suffering, ability to empathize and connect also are affected. In the age of social networking, what can we practically do to rise above it?
How to compete without being enemies?
It seems the most common of tendencies, and almost instinctive for us to compare ourselves with another. We are competing in appearances, in words, in wealth, education, nation, or some other reason that human society has developed to put a division in the family. Our comparisons produce envy and jealousy, but also the aspiring to…
Does social networking encourage jumping to conclusions?
What is Jumping to conclusions? Jumping to conclusions (officially the jumping conclusion bias, often abbreviated as JTC, and also referred to as the inference-observation confusion[1]) is a psychological term referring to a communication obstacle where one “judge[s] or decide[s] something without having all the facts; to reach unwarranted conclusions”.[2][3] In other words, “when I fail to distinguish between what I…
What is one to do when confronted by stories of evil?
I understand that so many of us would like to find a place of security and comfort, away from all the evil done in our world today. And who are the doers of great evil? Not the wild animals or some predatory birds; it is the people who live right among us, people who look and…
Admiration is only natural to feel
There is so much worthy of admiration in our world. There always was, but we did not have the chance to know the existence of such places and creatures. And now we are in a time when, if we choose to, we can find an endless supply of examples of Godly and of human creativity. There…
Constructive use of social networking data through transparency
Transparency has taken on a new meaning in our day. It is not only limited to what a person reveals online, but also how the revealed information is collected, inter-connected, and used to derive conclusions regarding that person. The ones doing all this work also need to show transparency, thereby revealing their motives and intentions…
The Guardian’s Cambridge Analytica & Facebook data story
The algorithm used in the Facebook data breach trawled through personal data for information on sexual orientation, race, gender – and even intelligence and childhood trauma Source: How Cambridge Analytica turned Facebook ‘likes’ into a lucrative political tool | Technology | The Guardian Public data has become a means of dispassionately looking at humanity for…
Light over fear
Fear is one of the worst enemies of man. Just from where one learns to fear and be afraid of the unknown is hard to say. It is true, to stay with the unknown produces a sense of dissatisfaction within the human mind. Man wants to know. Once the unknown turns into something known, the…
The flow of spiritual waters to heal the human soul
To heal, mankind must become cleansed. Though we desire it, this is not in our power to accomplish. Not by the will of man, but by the will of God such a thing can be done. Eden Restored 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of…
Iran bans use of US dollar in trade — RT Business News
Tehran has announced that purchase orders by merchants that are based on US currency would no longer be allowed to go through import procedures. Source: Iran bans use of US dollar in trade — RT Business News The deliberate shift away from the PetroDollar affects US’ role in the global economy. What the US can…
Does scrolling content on a fixed screen create the mindset of a fleeting existence?
It has now become the habit of billions around the world – young and old – to get an understanding of all things through scrolling content. While the screen remains fixed in place at all times and even disappears from consciousness, unless one looks away, there is a hypnotizing of the mind. Information is flowing…
The conflicts and infighting of humans will end
To look upon the conflicts of mankind is an experience of great dismay. Yes, there are those who have firmly come to the conclusion that to be in a state of perpetual conflict and infighting is human destiny. For we seem to have evolved from the lower state of existence through our struggles, developed into…
Why mentors and teachers are especially needed to counter extremism?
Mentors and teachers are a special gift to human society. These cannot simply be understood to be professions or titles, or some kind of a degree that is earned from an institution. Rather, these are linked to the personal qualities and concerns of the individual. Even more so, it is connected with how a person…
The exclusive focus on physical things will create an imbalance
There has been a noticeable insistence on physical things in recent times. It has been very deliberate, systematic, and evident of great intelligence. Who are its proponents is not the most important thing. One could, of course, examine the sayings of modern, atheist thinkers like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. Listening to such intelligent men…
Finding belief in moderateness in the nuclear age
Nuclear technology is not bad in itself. We have understood the sun and the stars, and in a way, have harnessed the same power to a lesser extent. We have controlled fission, and are yet to understand ways to control fusion for peaceful purposes. The insistence on using solar energy to fulfill the requirements for electricity…
Why is moderation the answer to extremism? (A principle for peace.)
To be moderate in thought is the way to peace. Even in the great accomplishment of lasting worth, we seek moderation to be the desired state of human existence. In one of the posts some time back, some thought was put into considering the growth of extremism and the possibility of some remedy. Extremism is…
Why our predictions must move away from utter doom to continuity?
The idea of terminal decline is pulling the power of prediction like a black hole pulls light into it. This phenomenon is not new. It has happened again and again throughout history. It has also had its reasons. It is sufficient to say that people desire achievement and progress. However, when the price, the sacrifices,…
Can today’s leaders improve our future by making more positive predictions?
Predictions are humanly impossible and are equally common. Yes, as rare as they should be, they, in fact, form a part of everyday speech. Whenever someone says, I will do this and I will do that, we are in a sense indulging in a prediction. It is our certainty about life itself and our ability…
