EAST MEETS WEST - Where I stand - Do you agree?
An Interview by Rohit Bhardwaj
The full interview https://lnkd.in/gPQxpra
My answers to Rohit
- What do you feel is the meaning of life?
LIFE IS A GIFT – a Gift from God, if you believe in God – to be treasured and to be lived to the full, but you have to reach up to claim it. Find a niche where you are needed and find your due reward. When you look for your niche it is a very big mistake to imagine that the needs of others are the same as your own. That is Egocentricity! Stupidity! Find time for others and gain some real satisfactions. Go on to enjoy the fruits of your labours. Music, Theatre, the Arts, Family & Friendships, the Countryside, Travel. There’s Plenty to enjoy.
- How do you cope with a nasty world?
REMAIN OPTIMISTIC even in difficult times. Don’t let others put you off. Don’t live in a dream-world of “wouldn’t it be nice if " ... doomed to perpetual disappointment.
- Tell me about Death of a Nightingale.
“DEATH OF A NIGHTINGALE” is a staged play, a website, www.deathofanightingale.com and a Book. Today’s Heresy, Tomorrow’s Orthodoxy? A matryoshka doll.
MY PROTEST against the lunacy of homogenising children with a “one size fits all policy” in education especially educating children with special educational needs – my protest against political and business lobbies when they hijack the system – my protest against the steamroller of state bureaucracy – my protest against the charade of democratic process.
MY ASSERTION that “we are equal only sometimes, unequal most times and different always” – that Fair Play promotes excellence – essentially unequal, whereas Equality tolerates mediocrity, essentially a waste – my assertion that too often we allow the unaccountable to defend the indefensible and my assertion that invariably policy makers never allow for human fallibility in their plans, the hopes of the few for ever dash the hopes of the many. Marxists please note.
“Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever cut.” Kant.
- What do you make of social media?
The PENCIL is mightier than the sword, SHARPEN IT. “Do not wait till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” William Butler Yeats.
- How do you keep young while getting older?
KEEP LEARNING – know the difference between a rut and a groove – Arrive where you started “And know the place for the first time.” ( T S Elliot – Four Quartets)
- What message would you like to send round the world?
RESPECT IS A TWO-WAY STREET. You cannot respect those who do not respect you. You should respect those who do.
The Alexandria Declaration January 2002
“In the name of God who is Almighty, Merciful and Compassionate, we, who have gathered as religious leaders from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, pray for true peace in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and declare our commitment to ending the violence and bloodshed that denies the right of life and dignity.
According to our faith traditions, killing innocent in the name of God is a desecration of His Holy Name, and defames religion in the world. The violence in the Holy Land is an evil which must be opposed by all people of good faith. We seek to live together as neighbours respecting the integrity of each other’s historical and religious inheritance. We call upon all to oppose incitement, hatred and misrepresentation of the other.
Please copy the link to your friends and colleagues https://lnkd.in/gPQxpra
?