Here is something I came across on Facebook and thought that there was a lesson to be learnt for everyone. When you're lost, conflicted between what to do and not to do, here is something that may make your path a bit clearer..

***
If others' thoughts disturb (prompting you to react). Be calm. Keep quiet for a while... maybe an hour, maybe a day, before reacting. Its amazing that you will not be able to react. Then you will realise that those thoughts helped you in realising your own weaknesses. 

Here is the story as told by Osho:

Gurdjieff remembers that when his grandfather was dying. He was only nine years old and his grandfather called to him. 

He loved the boy very much and he told the boy, "I don't have much to give to you, but departing from the world I would like to give you something. I can only give you one piece of advice that has helped me; it was given to me by my father, and he was also dying when he gave it to me. I am dying. You are too young, you may not be able to understand it right now, but remember, a day will come when you will understand. Whenever you find yourself capable of following my advice, follow it, and you will never be in misery. You can avoid the hell of life."

And what was the advice? 

He said to Gurdjieff, "Remember one thing: if you want to do any bad thing, postpone it for tomorrow; and if you want to do something good, do it immediately -- because postponement is a way of not doing. And bad has not to be done, and good has to be done. For example," the old man said, "if somebody insults you and you feel angry, enraged, tell him that you will come after twenty-four hours and answer him."

Gurdjieff remembers, "That advice transformed my whole life. Although I was too young, only nine years old, I tried it just out of curiosity. Some boy would insult me or would hurt me or would say something nasty, and I would remember my old dying grandfather and I would tell the boy, 'I will have to wait; I have promised an old man. After twenty-four hours I will answer you.'

"And it always happened," Gurdjieff remembers, "that either I would come to conclude that he was right, that whatsoever he had said LOOKED nasty but it was true about me.... He was saying, 'You are a thief,' and that is true, I am a thief. He was saying, 'You are insincere,' and that is true -- I am insincere." So he would go and thank the boy: "You pointed out something true about me. You brought up a true facet of my being which was not clear to me. You made me more conscious about myself. I am immensely grateful."

Or, after twenty-four hours' thinking, he would come to conclude that, "That man or that boy is absolutely wrong. It has nothing to do with me." Then there is no point in answer-ing; he would not go back to the boy. If something is utterly wrong, why become enraged? This is a big world, millions of people are there; you cannot go answering everybody, otherwise your whole life will be wasted. And there is no need either.

This is half of the story. 

If you can postpone the bad for tomorrow you will be able to do the good immediately. 

And you will never repent -- because if you do bad immediately, you will repent tomorrow; if you do good today you will never repent, there is no question of repentance. 

This is a simple secret of transforming the hell that you live in into a lotus paradise. 

***

Source: Unknown, found on Facebook.

This image had popped up a few times in my newsfeed and every time it's made me stop and think, "WTH".

Tallia Castellano, a thirteen year old famous for her viral youtube tutorial videos on make up and reviews has become the new CoverGirl following her battle against cancer. Having been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 7, Tallia has undergone chemotherapy three times thus far. Her honorary CoverGirl status is a testament of empowerment and hope to all those out there who are fighting cancer.

Yes yes rainbows and unicorns.

Not quite.

There is something here that really bothers me. One, that CoverGirl products have been known to be cancer-causing, two, that by glamorizing cancer they are subliminally justifying the existence of cancer, and three, that by putting a pretty face on cancer "fighters", they are neglecting the other side; the suffering, the pain, the anger. 

This all comes down to my perspective of the Pink Ribbons Campaign. Cancer has become a commodity upon which society has acknowledged its value and have thus begun capitalizing on it. This, in my opinion, is inherently wrong. To benefit or more specifically, to profit from the illness of others is wrong in my book and that is the basis of my argument. Let your perspective differ as it may, but here is where I stand.

The language used in these cancer campaigns, "fighting", "battling", or "conquering" are all words of war. We are not combatting a foreign enemy here. Cancer cells are a part of us, they are abnormal cells that grow within the human body as a result of an acidic environment. Studies have shown that alkaline environments kill cancer cells yet these studies have gone under the radar, quite conveniently. 

More and more money is being divulged into research that is looking for a cure to something that we don't fully comprehend. 

It is simple. Just think about it.. does that make any sense?

Before listening to all the mumbo jumbo, the threaded sentences of eloquent words and phrases that seem so scholarly that you take them at face value. NO. 

Think about what they are saying.

The truth is simple. And it simply doesn't make sense. To me, at least.

Ford, Estee Lauder, Avon, CoverGirl, all these companies hold annual fundraiser to "fight cancer". But how can you fight something you don't completely understand? How can you fight something you don't know? 

Is it not hypocrisy to "fight" a disease that you are causing in the first place?

My last poem, 
"They wanna 'fix' things because they broke them. 
They wanna raise money for a cause because they caused it."

That is what I'm trying to say here.

Think about it... 
They sell you a product that causes cancer. 
And then take your money to find a way to cure it. 
And you want to support a company that is doing so much 'good' 
so you go back to them and buy more products 
that are more likely to give you cancer
and they hold more fundraisers
to which you give more  money
to find a cure to a problem
that you paid them to cause.
Think about it.

Putting a pretty picture to a disease is not right. 

But for those who have gone through it, you are survivors. I have nothing but unconditional love for you.

Open your eyes to realize the real lies that are being propagated by society. 

Putting a pretty face on cancer doesn't cure it.
Education does. Finding and limiting the causes for cancer does. Money towards prevention does.
And most importantly, educate yourself. 

Don't take anything at face value.

They only wanna bring you down because they know you're above them. 
They wanna 'fix' things because they broke them. 
They wanna raise money for a cause because they caused it. 
They restrict women because they know that a woman's potential will outweigh their own. 
They reconcile their mistakes by shoving it down our throats in the name of goodwill. 

This world is a messed up place. 
But wherever there is evil. It is met with good.

And it is the good that will prevail. 
In the face of misery, deceit and lies;
It is the good that will conquer. 
In the midst of war;
it is love that takes over. 
In the midst of anger and hatred;
a smile conquers.

Good doesn't wear a mask, it doesn't manifest as clearly as bad. 
But it does. And it is felt.

This is a poem I write after tonight.

This is a poem I write from the heart.

This is a poem I write out of inspiration.

This is a poem.

**Remember that there is a higher power at work who is always watching (if "Remember Allah Constantly" doesn't resonate with you).

Water. Eau. Thanni.

Every language has a word for it, for we all acknowledge its value. 

A single water molecule is made up of one oxygen bonded to two hydrogens. Yes, yes, H2O, we know we know.

Perhaps what you didn't know is that H2O is arguably the only substance that we encounter in our everyday lives in all its phases: solid, liquid, and vapour state. 

Another fun fact, solid H2O is less dense than liquid water. Now, many of you may take this for granted but if you stop for one minute to think about it.. it's quite fascinating, for there aren't many substances out there that float when solid on top of its liquid counterpart. 

Water exhibits a number of odd properties that we have taken for granted. 

***
I spent all morning studying for my Hydrology exam. 

"Hydrology?", snarked my roommate in disbelief. "Is that an actual subject?" she asked.

"YES! The study of water in the environment" I answered.

"It sounds like one of those subjects you just make up", she replied.

And quite frankly, it kind of does sound like that. And the study of water? WHO would want to study that? 

And to be honest, that was my mentality going into my first class. But the more you learn, the more you realize the importance of water. You realize that the world is all connected through the vast convoluted networks of water and how they keep the planet alive.

***

After an intense study session of hydrology, I marched into my IDSB04 (International Health Policy Analysis course--which I love, as I'm sure you know by now). The oh-so-wonderful Professor Sicchia spent the first half of the lecture explaining the next assignment and the latter half with a movie on privatization of water. 

Blue Gold.

A suitable title, I thought.

The movie portrays the effects of privatization of water. For those who are unfamiliar with business jargon, privatization refers to the process through which a common good is owned and operated by a private company or corporation who exercise rights over that resource, generally for profit seeking purposes. 

A particular testimonial really tugged at my heart. In a rural village in Africa where water is privatized, a bottle of water costs more than a bottle of coke (by almost double). Interestingly enough, the water Dasani is owned by Coca-Cola. 

In this village, most villagers don't use the pumps as it is too costly. They return to fetch water from streams and lakes that are bursting with cholera and other infectious water-borne diseases. One day, a shack of a family caught fire and there was no water to put it out.

The woman said they could not afford to put out the fire. 

Wow. 

Contextualize yourself. You live in a rural village where all the resources you need are within a few days march. You are the sole breadwinner for your family of five. You are overworked and underpaid. Every cent you make goes towards building your home and feeding your family. One morning, you go to work as usual. 
And your house catches fire.

The neighbours and your family watch as it burns to the ground, your whole life's worth of hard work and savings is going up in flames. And you cannot stop it because neither you nor your neighbours have the money to stop it.

This tugged at my heart. Very tightly.

There are a number of different players here. One, the fact that water is too costly to put it out. Two, the lack of infrastructure provided by the government (whose rightful duty it is to do so) to provide access to water. Three, the lack of social security nets (insurance and welfare) to help cope with the disaster. And the list goes on.

What can be done? What is there to do? Who should be held responsible?

The companies often cut a deal with the governments in obtaining the rights to these resources often to the profit of the corrupt government officials. Insodoing, these companies hijack the water and ship them elsewhere to be sold in the market. 

This carries with it a number of ramifications for both the environment and in turn, for us, the humans.

The testimonial ends with, "These water projects are taking away our humaneness".


***

This movie brings forth a number of different questions.

1. Is it right to privatize a natural resource?

2. Should the companies be held accountable to mitigate the negative effects of displacing and unsustainable use of the water?

3. Is it right to deny the right of water to those who cannot afford it (once it is commoditized)?

4. Who is regulating all of this?

5. What part do we have to play in this? (Which, inevitably, we all have a responsibility towards either directly or indirectly)

I will answer all of these as part of my analysis of the movie and the situation but before I do, I'd like to bring up a point that often goes overlooked.

***

The human body is made up of about 50-65% water. The human brain consists of about 75% and blood about 92% (3rd link on a google search).

And according to my last google search, the global population is roughly 6.97 billion. 

In addition,
Out of all the water on the planet, which is roughly 1.4x10^18 m3 or 1,400,000,000,000,000,000 m3 of water on the planet, only 2.78% of it is fresh water (the water we can use) (stats courtesy of Hydrology textbook). 

***

A woman's livelihood was destroyed in the name of making an extra penny by a multinational corporation. Water, a natural resource, has been confined and exported for profit. Water, whose value is incomparable to that of gold is valuable to us because it sustains us. Restricting access to such a resource for profit is unright, unfair, and outright inhumane. 

Water is all around us. But not every drop of the ocean can be drunk. It is a scarcity. However, in our last few million years of existence, we've learned to live sustainably within our means. 

The Earth is powerful. It has a powerful way of taking care of us. Of feeding us. Even with the 2.78%, it has sustained us.

We rely on water for our survival. Why? Because we are water. An intricate system of vast networks with tiny little H2O molecules pumping through our veins, keeping our bones together, housing all that knowledge and wisdom in our brains. We are water. 

And conflicts over water is a reflection of what's going on on the inside.

***
So, why are there a few people with a lot of money who think they can make even more money by taking what is rightfully the property of every human being on the planet?

Because other people in the government want to make more money.

And why do they want to make more money?

Because they are unhappy.

Why are they unhappy?

Because there is a void.

A void that needs to be filled.

A void that is being widened by the things they throw in it, hoping it will go away.

Ego. Pride. Jealousy.

These are the root causes for why people do what they did.

The cure?

What is the one cure that will fix this problem? That will remediate? That will render equality to every human being? That will give every one the right to safe, drinking water? 

The answer is love.

Love for our dear planet. Love for our fellow co-habitants. Love for our families.

And most importantly, love for ourselves.

I can go on and on about how meditation and looking deep within is the answer. Which I believe it is. But the truth is, the only reason why these people with alot of money want even more money is because they are unhappy. And the repercussions of that are felt by everyone, especially the most marginalized of society.

Why should the world have to pay for the unhappiness and voids in the hearts of the loneliest of lonely?

Because the world is governed by people like that.

The world needs a change. The people with the power must learn to love their people, to love their families and to love themselves.

We need love.

Love is the answer. And it is the strongest weapon with which we will fight for a better world.

Love.

Yes, yes, we've all heard those pessimists on Facebook rant on and on about how 'liking' or 'sharing' posts on political and social issues can't really make a difference. 

How sharing Amanda Todd's youtube video will not stop bullying from taking place and that 'liking' a page of an NGO doesn't mean you're involved with them.

I am here to say that I beg to differ.

If you have me on Facebook, which you probably do, your newsfeed is inevitably inundated with all the things i post, repost, share and like. Some become overwhelmed, others are inspired, and some message me and tell me that its outright annoying. Regardless, I will keep going what I'm doing because I truly believe that 'liking a picture' and sharing political/social/inequality/feminist/etc posts will make a difference.

How?

Tres bonne question, mes amis!

Awareness. 

THAT is how it makes a difference. You raise awareness about particular issues, news, and perspectives. A lot of what I post has either inspired me, motivated or uplifted me, or has made me stop in my tracks and made me think twice about an issue I thought I knew inside out. I hope to share with you those critical experiences that shape our perspectives and allow us to expand them and entertain them, to challenge them and brighten them. 

To be able to entertain a thought without accepting it (in the famous words of Aristotle).

And so there you have it my fellow co-habitants.

So Like and Share away to your heart's content. And remember, the greatest potential is found within the smallest gestures.

Peace and love. And study hard, I know it's midterm time!

Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me. No more.

Ahaha.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I was taking a mental break and decided to take a look at my old website. I came across numerous things that uplifted my spirit but one that I'd like to share with you is this one:

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' 
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'   
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'
Nikka - age 6

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'   Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.'
Karen - age 7 (what an image)

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6


'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Lauren - age 8

What does love mean to you? 

Think about it.

Now, go out and live out the rest of today with love!

<3

Source: http://www.ebrew.com/Jess/inspirational/what_does_love_mean.htm

One of my favourites! This video almost always gets me all choked up.. yeah.. i'm a mushy freak like that.
Anyhew, this video/song has the power to uplift your state of being and never fails to do so with me. So.. enjoy!

I recently re-read my Business isn't Personal post and realized that I failed to correctly convey the essence of capitalism and the driving force behind business. According to dictionary.com, business describes a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce or service for profit-seeking purposes. 

Uh huh. Profit. That's it. There's the dirty word.

It's profit.

The ultimate goal of a business is to make a profit.

But if these businesses seek to provide the people with a service or commodity, which priority then takes a backseat? Profits or people?

In most cases, the well-being of individuals is put aside in the ultimate quest of making that extra buck. And this is true, despite the harshness that may be exuded in this remark. Evidence of this is all around us. Just take a look.

Wal-Mart. The next dirty word. They have failed to provide equity in their workforce, where women still make less than men, potential for promotion is slim to none, and in some places, they fire their employees whom return to work for them (free of charge) as part of a government initiative to keep the unemployed busy while they seek alternative career paths. 

Despicable.

Yes.

But, let's be honest. Being a student, I do not have the luxury of choosing where I shop due to financial and transportation constraints. 

Another example, and one that we've all personally dealt with. Those suspicious frivolous charges that show up on your Cell phone bill, and when you call to inquire about how you procured them, their explanations are ridiculous and they end up pretty much telling you to pay the goddamn bill or that your line will be cut. 

People vs. Profits

Ultimately, businesses in general do not put the people at the forefront of their agendas. 

Morals and values are crushed along the way to make that extra penny. 

And then, what?

When you've lined your pockets, what do you with it?

It's been shown that the highest earning population in the USA gave the smallest percentage of their annual income to charity. 

I recognize the multitude of businesses and companies that are equitable and put humanity on the forefront.

But the ultimate question I want to pose is, is the structure of a profit-generating mechanism in and of itself conducive to feeding our humanity or destroying it altogether?