The politician inside all of us

Slowly it is starting to dawn on me as to how politicized some inter-personal/social relationships actually are. By that I mean to say, it becomes obvious that over a period of time, that the actions (note: watch what they do, not what they say - no matter how charitable the sentiments) of any one person or persons are consistent with following an agenda which, like some classic textbook exposition of game theory, results in either a positive or negative outcome for either player. Like the dodo, in the desi universe it would appear that the affirmative win-win situation is well and truly extinct.

Unfortunately, life being what it is - about making choices, making decisions - means that invariably each one of us may run into opinions (usually vocally intransigent) which run counter to our proposed actions. Those who walk into this with their eyes closed, remaining in their comfort zone and unwilling to stand their ground are likely to remain a chamcha/serf to others for the rest of their lives. Conversely, the initial pain of conflict may prove to be a cathartic liberating experience for those who stand by their decisions. In this sense, I often think back to a quote attributed to Cato who wrote "Some men are better served by their bitter-tongued enemies than by their sweet-smiling friends; because the former often tell the truth; the latter, never."

I wish you all well in your political careers.... :)

Labour exploitation

Last night whilst channel surfing I caught the beginning of a documentary 'El Contrato' on TVO about Mexican migrant farm workers who work in Leamington, Ontario. It was a bit of an eye opener watching their lives, away from their families 8 months of the year, working 7 days a week at mimimal wages and abused/exploited on a daily basis by the farm owners and supervisors.

http://www.justicia4migrantworkers.org

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Candle in the dark

There is something powerfully mesmerizing in seeing an image of a solitary burning candle in the dark. It stands for hope where despair abounds, knowledge in a sea of ignorance, and the courage to believe in one's convictions...

Of books, bookshelves and creaking hardwood floors....

At lunchtime today I was browsing in one of favourite bookshops, 'Nicholas Hoare', located on Front Street in downtown Toronto. Despite its location, step through it's doors and you feel you're in an oasis of serene calmness complete with a quaint wooden decor reminiscent of an old English library, with scholarly looking assistants on call. I've spent an occasional rainy afternoon in there just wandering....however it was sunny today - so no such excuses....

It has an interesting and varied collection of books not readily found in the larger bookstores, with many works imported from the UK. Today I couldn't decide what I wanted so I just browsed and flitted from the History section to Biographies to Popular Science, ending up reading a few lines from a book about flags of the world. Next time I'm there though, I might buy Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'.....the title and the cover intrigue me and he appears to write in a dreamy, surreal style.