Author: tonitsa70

Are we as a society becoming less empathetic?

There isn’t a more beautiful saying than, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind”. Unfortunately, this is exactly the quality that’s been missing among the people of planet earth. Empathy, kindness and the like are some of the virtues these days that are hard to find among the GenZ. This generation claims and professes to be wise, but in reality their self-proclaimed superior intellect is ineffectual if it is not coupled with a heart of warmth and kindness. We as a society are failing ourselves and the ones around us by being hardhearted, stubborn and tremendously hate-filled. Empathy is virtually non-existent. It has become a rare commodity.

Empathy also is akin to bravery. But unfortunately, our society has increasingly become self centred so much so that if someone is being attacked, filming that in their smartphones comes first in the priority list rather than intervening and stopping the violence. It beats me how people can record such videos without actually stepping in to rescue the person or the victim attacked.

Humanity is disappearing slowly and a casual skimming of social media comments on posts will reveal the present state of society at large. Vitriolic hate just because they are of a different religion, caste or creed or whatever can be seen on facebook, Instagram and on YouTube.

Comments that are loaded with hate and poison are typed by keyboard warriors who probably have nothing to do in life and hence keep evangelising evil. Ubiquitously, there is war, terrorism and all other vice of the like in the world.  The earth is replete with people who have empathy as the least in their hierarchy.

Only the good Lord has to take away our hearts of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. Or else, we are headed towards a very difficult path.

http://www.tonitsaunfiltered.com

UNPOPULAR OPINION: IPL IS NOT REAL CRICKET

The Indian Premier League(IPL) has a huge fan following all over the world. The tournament has been going on successfully in terms of high viewership and a feverish following right from its inception in 2008. In terms of revenue, the league has surpassed the likes of English Premier League, indicating its incredible prosperity. The 2 month long IPL is watched religiously every year. All of these being said, the IPL unfortunately isn’t real cricket. It is entertainment in the guise of cricket. Sport must be distinct from entertainment retaining its uniqueness. But we are not seeing that in IPL, which has welcomed entertainment into it’s setup. The IPL’s foundation, which is the auction per se is rooted in a wrong thought process. Let me explain. Players like Robin Uthappa have already criticized this system of players going under the hammer. It promotes ‘cattle market’ culture that doesn’t give the value a sportsman deserves. The price tag on a particular player also creates immense pressure on the player.

Also, why should money be spent like water like this in a country where 20 crore people go to bed every night without food? Shouldn’t this fact make us all uncomfortable? Some players play well for the IPL more than for their respective nations because they will never get that money even in their wildest dreams when they play for their country.

Next, the presence of cheerleaders. Why do we need them in the first place? Cricket has always been a gentleman’s game, and will remain so. IPL is ruining it with such cheap entertainment. Thirdly, the brand of cricket being played. There are people who say that the batsmen in the IPL play fearless cricket. They praise such type of cricket. As MS Dhoni would say, batting is not about hitting every ball for a maximum, it is about playing tactically by pacing your innings, running one’s and two’s. But we are in the day and age of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi where there is no respect for the bowler. I’m not criticizing the boy, but I’m sorry this is not how cricket should be played. Yes, T20 cricket is designed in a way that it be advantageous for the batsmen, but not like this. It is a rarity these days to see teams not score 200 runs in their 20-over quota.

Lastly, why does not even half of the money being used here in this league, not used for the development of other sports in India? India shines only in a handful of sports like Cricket in the global stage. It’s pitiful showing in every Olympics is a testament to it. India’s performance would be boosted if money is spent on other sports too. But it is always the IPL that takes the center stage. And it is not even real cricket. And that’s a shame. Its high time the organizers do some soul searching.

Overcoming Fear with Faith: A Biblical perspective

The Lord Jesus and one of his prominent disciples, Peter.

FEAR NOT
What is fear? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it “as an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger” . Firstly, I will lay down some of the characteristics of fear, and then I will proceed forward to combating it and taking it head on. Fear is a crippling emotion. It is quite possibly the most negative emotion one can experience. The person who has fear can’t think well and his functionality gets paralyzed. Fear clouds our judgment, it brings us heaviness and debilitates our rationality. There are many forms and types of fear termed as phobias where people fear different things ranging from the common fear of heights to a quite unusual fear of being out of mobile contact.

Fear, for sure is terrible, but not all fear is bad. A reverential fear towards God, a healthy fear before an important exam are some examples of good anxiety. The enemy uses fear to his advantage. He attacks our mind with negative thoughts, fearful speculations and endless doubts. But know that though those thoughts look like they are permanent, they are one hundred percent temporary and they fade away soon. The Lord Jesus Christ encourages us to not feel intimidated by anything. He says, “Which of you can add an hour to his life by worrying ?”( Matthew 6:27). Worry is worship to the devil. We are called to worship the LORD alone and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. By being fearful, anxious and worrying over things we can’t control, we inadvertently lose our ability to worship God in spirit and in truth. We ought to fear God only, and not worry or fear about anything or anyone else. We human beings fear something or the other. We feel threatened by one thing or the other. This is where our God and man are different. God cannot feel fear. Nor can He feel intimidated, for He is El- Shaddai(All-Powerful). The Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ was revealed in flesh in the earth and though He was fully human, there isn’t one instance recorded in the Holy Bible where He felt fear. He was totally fearless.

Yes, my beloved, God is beyond fear and that’s the reason only he can help us. God is love. His perfect love drives out fear ( 1 John 4:18).

Fear is indeed ubiquitous among humans, but the good news is we don’t have to continually live in fear. There is redemption and hope. Fear indeed can be defeated, pinned down and won over. Yes, the antidote to fear is faith. And that kind of faith is found in the Living Word of the Living God. We need to speak faith, speak life, speak God’s word, and His Unstoppable Power will do the rest. The Holy Bible emboldens us not to fear 366 times, which is exactly the number of days in a year inclusive of the leap year. God says in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.

The Holy Bible is replete with examples of God helping fearful people come out of their fears and anxieties. Gideon was fearful, God delivered Him; Peter walked on water, but suddenly fear gushed into his heart and God delivered him; Mary was afraid when she saw the angel Gabriel and the angel said “Fear not”; The same with Daniel and Zechariah who were also visited by angels and they both were given the same words, “Fear not”. Yes, though these two words appear redundant in the Holy Bible, they carry such weight and power and God reiterates and reinforces us that He is in full control. Nothing escapes His notice. Yes, my beloved, God reminds us and encourages us to live with freedom without fear. We ought to fill our minds with the Word of God and put on the armor of God and boldly resist the devil. If we resist him, he will flee and no fear is necessary.

Finally, I would like to conclude with a powerful verse which adds more impetus to the topic we are discussing. It consummates and encapsulates the entire topic. That is,” For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self- control(2 Timothy 1:7)”. So, let us bear in mind this verse and always acknowledge this fact and rely on God knowing that with Him on our side, nothing can shake us. Shalom.

A SONNET ON THE LEAGUE OF VEXATION

A SONNET ON THE LEAGUE OF COMPROMISE:

Like people bereft of common sense,

Masses tune in with faces that are tense.

Wasting their time, squandering their sleep,

Some matches finish soon, whilst some are taken deep.

Some athletes compromise integrity for money,

While our Indian cricket fans trade their health for this baloney.

While the league per se wasn’t evil since inception,

It has become so due to over commercialization.

Monopoly of cricket especially the flourish,

Of this opulent league has left other sports with nothing to nourish.

Our Olympic medal tally is proof enough,

That we don’t invest in other sports enough.

From what should have just been a relaxation,

The Indian Premier League has become a vexation.

Combatting Fake News: Understanding the Online Misinformation Crisis

“Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet, just because there is a picture with a quote next to it”- Anonymous.

This quote encapsulates what I would like to share with you through this write up. The Internet is a treasure house of knowledge, and a repository of information. But it can also give out false information and misinform the masses. Yes, if there is one problem that internet users face almost ubiquitously, then it must be the fake news. It refuses to go away and takes center stage in day to day news consumption. Fake news has also, in a way, become something that has many political undertones. But by definition, it would be something like this: Fake news is false or misleading information deliberately fabricated and spread—often via social media—to deceive, influence public opinion, generate revenue, or cause harm. People of all ages are vulnerable to this online malady. Sensational clickbait headlines cunningly engineered to deceive, like “Breaking News: Obama refuses to leave the White House after election!”, or “Donald Trump just called the European nations as parasites”, are some of the examples.. The worrying potential of fake news to spread like wild fire is an issue plaguing every nation in the world. As the saying goes, a little knowledge in this case, truly is, a dangerous thing. Half knowledge or Partial knowledge is still ignorance. The attention span of people on the internet is quite small, so they don’t take the time to check whether any given information is true. Even once trusted news agencies like the British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC), because of their bias against Trump have consistently peddled fake information about him. After that they have apologized on more than one occasion, when Trump threatened to sue them.

Vigilance needs to practiced. Regular fact checks must be done from reputed fact-checkers. Most of the ‘journalists’ these days don’t just report the news. In fact, many of them instead of reporting it, choose to add their prejudiced opinions along with it. They fabricate stories, and subtly twist the narrative. Some ‘journalists’ are people masquerading as these noble servants. Since these journalists have compromised their integrity, it is imperative that we do the homework, investigate, research and then arrive at a conclusion. No journalist is to be trusted these days, although a few genuine ones still do exist. But most of them have become deceivers or partisan hacks. As unfortunate as it sounds, we have become too accustomed to fake news, that we are unable to discern between fact and fiction. The rise of AI has done us no good in combating fake news, but rather emboldened it, catapulting it to a whole new level. After the advent of AI, sometimes it has almost become impossible figuring out what is true and what is false. This menace is already serious and needs to be nipped in the bud. Before it gets out of control, these anti-social elements, trolls and enemies of freedom must be held accountable. It’s time that someone steps in. I do not know who, but some organization(not the UN definitely) that has earned the good will and trust of people all over the world should do something to stop this menace from spreading!

Or if that doesn’t happen, people must mobilize using smartphones and hold demonstrations against newspaper organisations, media houses, media stations, and create a revolution hitherto unseen. It is not the time to dismiss these things in a complacent manner, but it is the time to hold any media outlet that lies or peddles false information accountable. That accountability will cause them to report real news as it is let us hope.

Why India Needs a New Political Direction Now

Both of India’s major political parties have let their people down-big time. The whole world is watching tensions flare between Iran and Israel. It has become almost a full-fledged war now. Many Indians’ livelihood has become a question mark. But, this hasn’t stopped the BJP and the INC from slinging mud at each other, playing petty politics. Modi, who appears as a courageous leader outside has shown weakness by cowering to the Trump administration. The United States has announced that they have decided to ‘allow’ India to buy Russian oil for a short time. If this is not an international embarrassment, then I can’t say what is! He has compromised India’s sovereignty to a level where a foreign power is dictating our foreign policy. Modi’s foreign policy or should I say his ‘hugplomacy’ has failed to attract takers with none of the prominent countries supporting India after Pahalgam. What’s worse, Trump has said more than 80 times on record that he intervened and stopped a potential Indo-Pak Nuclear War. Then again, the Indian PM Modi hasn’t had the gumption to refute that claim. After several months, now as well the BJP has betrayed India by not providing its citizens a clear pathway of survival in the gas crisis after Iran’s closure of Strait of Hormuz.

Sensing incompetent leadership, the Congress, like a predator that pounces on its prey, tried to hound the Modi Administration. But this is nothing more than pathetic appeasement politics. Where was Rahul Gandhi when Christians in India were attacked during Christmas time? A more interesting matter is Sonia Gandhi writing an article urging Modi to raise the issue of the killing of Khamenei in the Parliament? Where was she when the Christians were and are still being persecuted on a daily basis in this great country? Sonia Gandhi hardly gives her voice to any social issues battering India. She has been silent on the farmers issue, her party’s self-implosion, to name a few. Rahul Gandhi is busy touring the world wasting his time meeting individuals like Ilhan Ohmar in the US. But suddenly, as the elections are near, the mother-son duo have woken up. The hypocrisy is as clear as the day.

It is time that this generation of voters bruises the ego and complacency of these two parties and vote for an alternative 3rd party. That leader or the party isn’t visible as of yet, but we hope that in the not too distant future, it will become a reality.

Analyzing the Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Trump vs Iran

US President Trump has threatened Iran after Iran's closure of the strait of Hormuz

We are living in turbulent times. And the constant negative news coming from the journalistic fraternity is a testament to it. The most recent development is US President Donald Trump attempting to straighten out Iran in the strait of Hormuz crisis. Iran’s new Supreme leader has vowed to not let a single drop of oil cross the strait. This has led to cataclysmic consequences of gas shortage across the globe. Trump obviously wasn’t too pleased with Iran’s decision prompting him to warn Iran severely via social media. The international community is divided over who is right in this matter. Many ‘journalists’ have lost their integrity. They have tried to sway public opinion to what they believe is right rather than the truth. Most of the media superficially showed Trump in the bad light while ignoring what is happening behind the scenes. Even after his resounding electoral wins, the media hasn’t learned, but has consistently tried to misrepresent him to the general public.

They are now saying that America and Israel are the engineers of the strait of Hormuz crisis. They dare not write the truth about the ground reality of Iran’s stubborn refusal to let the oil pass through the strait. It is important to know that the oil doesn’t belong to Iran. It has never been Iran’s as a matter of fact. Iran has illegally blocked international waters violating the UNCLOS(United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea). Article 38 of the UNCLOS states that, “All ships and aircraft enjoy the right of transit passage, which shall not be impeded”. Being ignorant of this, many have risen to question the US’ offensive stance against a belligerent Iran. They willfully ignore the larger picture.

Iran’s government despises America along with Israel with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” daily. They have enabled proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah to attack Israel and harm her most important ally, America. These are valid reasons as to why America must not ignore such a violent regime. Therefore, Trump took timely action of wiping out their supreme leader for their notorious deeds, starting recently from October the 7th, 2023. While I would be the first person to welcome dialogue and debate of different perspectives, the left’s reasoning has dwindled to a horribly low level. News organizations around the world may try to alter the truth as if America is the aggressor and suggest that Iran has always been a good boy, but that is not the case. The strait of Hormuz must be opened soon for the greater good of the international community. Iran can’t withhold the world’s commodity as if its their own.

#israel #politics #iran #middleeast #news

The Power of Simplicity in Writing

“Simplicity is the glory of expression”- Walt Whitman.

Simplicity in writing should be the ultimate goal of any writer. Overloading sentences with complicated, misplaced vocabulary places a burden too heavy to carry on the reader. The average reader has a low attention span according to research. The writer therefore must be aware of it and then embark on his writing journey. Most readers don’t take the time to refer to unfamiliar words in a dictionary. That is the reason why any person who is into writing must use simple and understandable words.

Redundancy in any content is unnecessary, and the reader will lose interest in that content soon. This is why I feel simplicity in diction should be the mantra for any writer. Knowing the heartbeat of the audience is very essential. The blog or article must not be boring for the audience, but must be truly engaging with simplicity written all over it. In the profession of writing, political correctness can bring about harmful consequences. Mindfully using a complicated word instead of a simple word is one of the greatest sins a writer can commit. Being direct and concise is the secret to winning over the reader.

Many fear that using simple diction throughout their content would give the impression that they are a petty writer. But the reality is actually the opposite. My strong conviction has always been that there is no better vehicle other than simplicity to transport our ideas to everyone equally successfully. Clutter is a malady. Simplicity is its antidote. So simplify, simplify, simplify.

4 LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS:

The Lord Jesus and one of his prominent disciples, Peter.


• When one of Jesus’ most loyal disciples, Peter, denied knowing him three times in public shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus didn’t take offense like many would have. He knew Peter’s heart, so rather than taking offense immediately he waited till the right moment came.
• Jesus instead sets out to restore him. Peter, strengthened by Jesus’ confidence in him, affirms his love for Jesus thrice(the same amount of times he denied him). Jesus would have obviously been hurt, because Peter was one of the closest disciples he had during his sojourn on earth. But Jesus, not being an impulsive leader, calmly talks it out with Peter and brings about a productive result.
• Jesus showed love and mercy. Many leaders believe that leadership often involves being hardline, and he didn’t look for opportunities to be high-handed, indulging in abuse of power. Jesus showed that true leaders don’t abandon people after one failure, but invest in their recovery. Because of Christ’s trust in Peter, Peter eventually died for his Lord proving his loyalty till his last breath.
• Jesus led, but didn’t coerce. That is also the mark of a genuinely admirable leader.

It’s sometimes staggering to think that someone who lived on the earth more than 2000 years ago could give us leadership lessons now and be relevant even today. But that’s how awesome a leader Jesus was.