www.owohrod.com.

If the extreme Islamists such as Isis and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar have their way, the world would return to an undifferentiated darkness, with human advancement being wiped out. It would be a form of 'Pol Potisation' of humanity . How very tragic that scores of Pakistanis should have been murder and many more injured by the terrorist attack which targeted a hospital in Quetta, in the province of Baluchistan? It has been reported that the attack was carried out by a splinter group of the 'Pakistani Taliban', the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. This psychopatic group of murders, it seems, want to establish, I gathered, an Islamic Caliphate in the world. Natural allies of IS and other extremist Islamist groups busily destroying Iraq and Syria, in their concerted campaign bring back the Dark Ages to humanity. And so, it seems to me, that, this massacre in Quetta, should be condemned no less than the massacres in France, Britain, America, Turkey, et al. They should all be seen

If I worry about my death, does that mean that I fear death? Well, probably, but I would need to clarify that, as it varies from time to time. Many people will say they do not fear death, and many of them will most probably be being truthful. Take, for example, if you are a fearless, reckless and/or sociopathic jihadist, it might well be the case that it is life, living, which you fear, and not death. People who appreciate and enjoy living are, understandably, not in any hurry, or are they eager to depart the world. Which is not really the same as saying they fear doing or having to do so, which is the destiny of us all. Indeed, it is most surprising that this relative absence of fear of death, is not only a characteristic of the jihadists, but also of us more tranquil of humans. The jihadist might not be afraid of death, because he is motivated by the induced and self-deceptive promise of paradise and its abundance. Whereas those amongst us who are ‘creationists

Pondering whether to take the 'orthodox' or a different approach to dealing with the situaiton? Being 'positive' is fine, but what if there are 'negatives' involved, should we deny, ignore or pretend that they are not there? At face value, it does seem a good idea that people should encourage us to 'be positive' and 'be optimistic and hopeful', when we are feeling down; feeling under the weather; or are seriously ill. They/we mean well and are trying our best to offer reassurance and comfort at a time when the person/s who are the focus of our sympathy and empathy is struggling. Unless one is a sadist, probably very few of us get any benefit from seeing people suffering; especially those to whom we are very close. But what happens when the person or persons we are trying to support or comfort, finds it difficult to take and act on the advise that they should try to remain positive, hopeful and/or optimistic? After all, I can imagi

This is a one minute video of life on the Canal, with no music added to it. Take a look and see what you make of it, before the added music version. Enjoy, if you are so inclined.

The paradox of the migrant, thought more complex, probably, than that of an indigenous people, is in many ways, not really different from them. The migrant moving from his/her country of origin is certainly confronted with some stark and profound realities. These might include the language of the host country being different from theirs, the ethnic origins of the host inhabitants being different, the religious and cultural customs and traditions being different, and the migrant feeling as if he/she is in a completely different world from the one they have left or had to flee from.  The profound difference is likely to be experienced more acutely by those migrants coming from the more rural and patriarchal areas of their country of origin Thus is the migrant confronted with a very steep learning curve, which requires them to make radical or profound changes to their worldviews. Something, as we probably all know, which might not be welcome or easy achieved, but which h

It is probably understandable that us humans should have this tendency to begin our interaction with the outside world with the, me, or I, and then branch out to include the us, or we, which is inclusive of the 'them.' This tendency can either causes us to marginalise the significance of what we do, such as our action, or to over-estimate or magnifies our perspectives. Thus we might keep the tap running while we take water in our hands and wash our faces or mouths, and disregard both the financial and environmental wastage. Or, conversely, we might tend to think that our need, our pain, our aspirations are greater and more important than those of very poor people in very poor countries trying to fight nature in order to get through another day. Take the issue of the water wastage, which is something not only people in rich countries do, as, especially children, do have a tendency to splash water wherever they find it, not thinking of the scarcity or cost

This is a short video of my perspective of the Setting of the Ever Rising Sun, as a given moment and time during August 2016. Do take a look and see if it offers you anything of contemplative beauty or transcendent tranquility. Enjoy, if you are inclined to do so.