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'Take 'God' out of the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and Muslims, and infuse it with secularism, and a just-peace becomes more achievable.' Of course, one of the biggest problem with 'stock responses', is that, in due course of time, the persons or people, the countries or nations using them as perpetual refrain.   Do become the servants, the slaves of the 'stock phrases' they have taken on to legitimise their cause/s. Irrespective of whether those causes are just or unjust.  Like automatons or robots, they stop thinking for themselves and rely on saying what they have been indoctrinated or programmes into saying.  Like the Abrahamic 'God' and his proverbial 'word', the 'stock responses and phrases.  Phrases and responses such as, This land is ours", "this land has been given to us by our 'God'", do take on the form of physicality, of concreteness, of tang

My dear mother has a very intimate relationship with her apartment and its contents.  So much so that she tries to know and monitor everything in her home. She ties and stores things and professes to be able to tell what has been untied and moved or taken by others.  She complains of not being able to find things she has put into specific places. With the inference being that "they have moved or taken them" from where she left or placed them.  Who is being accused by the inferences of my dear mother? 'Who' is somewhere where I do do not want to go.   As I cannot yet fathom out the seemingly illogical functioning of my dear mother's logic, during her too frequent visits to this place of her torment. She continues to be 'tormented' by her belief that persons known, and probably unknown' to her are coming into her apartment at nights and interfering with her belongings.  To be continued!

'Acts of injustices, like acts of justice, can become enshrined in fine words, but such words are not capable of changing the legitimacy or lack of legitimacy of the acts which they are intended to exalt or debase.' Some time ago, I heard, on a discussion about the abiding strategy which Israel's government and politicians have been instructed to adhere to consistently.  Essential, they are told to repeat the same propaganda supporting the State of Israel, continuously, including the same repetitions about "Hamas being a terrorist organisation and wanting to kill all Israelis."  That  "Iran is a terrorist regime that wanting to destroy the State of Israel." That "Israel is the only democratic state in the Middle East, etc, etc." Yes, even when confronted with the deadly reality of the State of Israel murdering over a hundred Palestinians and injuring thousands of other.   In it brutal campaign against the demonstra

'What we recall of our experiences of the past, tends to be a factor of how they impacted on our senses at the time, the strength of our continuing attachment to those experiences.   And the extent to which we have succeeded in assimilating them into our subsequent experiences and move on with our lives.' Whether we are the primary instigator of the event or situation giving rise to feelings of shame, or we are impacted by it because of our association with the person/s deemed responsible for it.  Does little, if anything, to ease our discomfort. The believers, in 'God', imagine that he is able to read their thoughts and intentions, probably just as a young child might imagine that their parents can read their minds and know what they are thinking or about to do.  And so it seems that, in our heightened states of vulnerability and stress, we can become hostages to thinking that our souls, the causes of our distress or discomfort is transpa

'If people can clearly see the  we ,  our,  in a new or proposed project, then then are more likely to work to realise it, than if all they can see is the,  your,  or  them '! It is said that one cannot made an egg omelette without breaking the eggs with which to make it.  With the same logic and wisdom, the Chinese people and government cannot become the new world's No.1 economic power without 'breaking the traditional Chinese economic, political, social and cultural model.'  And infuse and invigorate it with the necessary aspects of the external world and countries which it aspires to draw into and make integral parts of its vision.  Or the new constellation of nations forming the new 'Chines-inspired world.  If China's leaders have aspirations for acquiring 'raw power', including military power, such as that which the Americans have had for many decades.  They it can and will pursue the goal of becoming the domina

Both are and/or have been at great risk of failing to show sufficient respect for the people and countries they are moving into. Of selfishly pursuing their own goals, at whatever cost to others on whom their enterprises impact. And so it is, that, in seeking to gain world economic dominance, and all that is associated with it, the Chinese must also, of necessity, become politically and socially dominant as well.  The challenge for the Chines government and state is this: 'How can a command economy, based on a blend or ideology which combines Chinese socialism and private capitalism.  Become politically dominant and widely legitimised in a world which is given to 'democratic-liberalism'?  How does it, as has been required of 'western capitalism', clothed its ideals and objectives in  a more human and humane doctrine and practice?  How does the 'New China' eschew the excesses of the failed 'Stalinist ideological models'

Her exposure to the 'demons' inhabiting her mind and her thoughts, which she projects outward.   And which are then reflected back onto prism of her consciousness as 'real' and assumes, for her, a 'state of reality', which she responds to as such, reality, and expects others to do the same. And so, as my dear mother, with all sincerity disclosed her most recent apparition, that of the inside of her apartment being bathed in light, which, after her investigating it, then recedes.  I find myself contemplating on, what next, where, when and/or how will this deterioration ends? I cannot say things are generally improving, consistently, because no sooner do I find myself inhabiting what I perceived as a state of 'motherly calmness' by my dear mother.  Than I am jolted by a renewed call for help from her. It is probably not surprising, considering that her apartment has become probably both a home, a place of safety or refuge.   At

'What we recall of our experiences of the past, tends to be a factor of how they impacted on our senses at the time, the strength of our continuing attachment to those experiences.   And the extent to which we have succeeded in assimilating them into our subsequent experiences and move on with our lives.' On arriving home, they entered their the house with an air of sombreness; a kind of grief washing over and through them. This eerie, poignant feeling and atmosphere had also saturated the house.  Yes, it was the case that Kazaliwa had not been home for going on 11 months since he was remanded in custody, something which had created uncertainty but had also been time to allow hope to foster.  Now there was the brutal realization of knowing how long he would be away from his family for. It would not be as long as it seemed to them, before Kazaliwa would be making contact with his family to inform them about what he needed, and about arrangements for the

'Although in times of national disasters nations will empathise and come together to offer help, people are not normally motivated by strong principles of altruism, as much as they are by their own selfish desires.' If the Chinese state, government and greedy capitalist entrepreneurs and investors have and/or show no respect for Chinese citizens, it is is more unlikely that they are going to do so in respect of the citizens of other nations.  Especially those who do not look like Chinese. When they go to other countries and set about setting up businesses. Whether it is part of the 'Silk Road' project or not.  There is a lot of resentment towards Chinese setting up businesses in other countries, as local people oppose these operations.  Arguing that the Chinese are given preferential treatment and incentives, and that the do not employ sufficient local people.  That the Chinese do not treat them fairly and as equals. The Chinese state a

Most of them, such as being murdered, being impacted by conflicts and wars, having our loved ones being harmed by others, having our possessions taken forcefully from us, arising from the actions of our own species.  And then there are the fears of placed in harms way by wild animals, tsunamis, famine, droughts, tornadoes wild fires and storms. And so it seems to me, that, the greatest of the fears that have power over us humans, is not really the 'fear of 'God', as 'God' has no independent power over us humans.  Rather, the fears having the greatest power over us are those which are invested in our fellow humans. It is humans who are able to cause us most pain and suffering, through our actions and our failure to act wisely.  and which we are more prone to label as superstitions.  Even though some of them should probably carry more weight, more credibility than, say, the belief in 'God' and that 'God' punishes and/or re