History has mainly witnessed prostitution as an ill doing against women. Some have been forced into prostitution by men and some have been forced into prostitution by their families. In some countries today prostitution has become a profession or a means of income for livelihood in a legal nature. Though in most countries where prostitution is permitted a license is needed not all who engage in prostitution have a license. Certainly in Muslim countries prostitution is legal by no means but still cases of prostitution are unearthed even in Muslim countries. This act is certainly mere cruelty against women as most women who engage in this act would prefer another job which pays the same amount unless they are addicted to the act.
Let us bring to our minds some common images of a woman, “an innocent child”, “a sister” most loved by brothers, “a mother” most respected and loved by all men. Can we equate any of these images to a prostitute? Think deeply! Women are to be respected. They should be provided their rightful place in the family and society. Forcing them into acts such as prostitution is like forgetting that a woman brought us to this world. It’s certainly mere cruelty. Of course, there is nothing anybody can do if they decide to be prostitutes on their own without any force enforcing them.
However the big question is what do they do? There is certainly a difference between selling a product and selling all the raw materials or the whole capital. We find prostitutes carrying out the latter act mentioned in the previous sentence. A woman can certainly be very productive; they can achieve high in many fields using their intellectual and physical capacity. Thus they can keep their beauty and caring for their emotional attachments, to be used as they wish to serve and satisfy themselves without causing any harm to themselves psychologically or physically. So we see what prostitutes do.
A bigger question is.”Can a country itself be viewed as a prostitute?” Imagine a country as a human figure and the head as its brain. The body certainly follows the brain’s instructions whether forced by external sources or not. If a country sells its main assets , though we call it leasing for a long period, leaving no power with the country and the future generations to come to manage the main assets, it can hardly be less than prostitution.
There is plenty of scope for me to be wrong and at the same time to be right. However, at least I know that there are some people who think exactly like me in this context.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
What is wrong with Maldives and why am I concerned?
I sat down and searched a surprising topic “How to save a country from chaos?”. After searching I realized that the answers for this question cannot be there stated in point form or may not be there in any form.
Then I thought “Why am I thinking about this?” Certainly something is wrong either with me or my country. Certainly when we deeply think about our country we would know that the country is in chaos and that’s what has been bothering me. Plato in his book “The Republic” has mentioned the fact that every man who belongs to a community is always part of its politics. One cannot cut himself out of politics as at the end of the day he will be part of the politics as long as he belongs to the community.
Whatever it is we cannot just sit and wait for something to happen for it might be too late to save our country. I do not blame anyone in particular for the condition we are experiencing. I hold the whole Maldives and its dwellers responsible as the majority of the Maldives still remain ignorant of the condition and they are satisfied as long as they can feed themselves and their family. Further they are quite content if they can enjoy most luxuries. Some strive for fame and glory and those who are the recipients of it in this era are content as they feel totally invincible. Freedom is slaughtered in the name of freedom. Freedom is enjoyed by those with evil minds while the pious suffer .Justice at most times is ruled by the dark side. I do not blame the ‘apex’ no his guardians for the state of anarchy but if they can feel it besides fighting to win over their opponents they too can save the country and our race. The condition reminds me of the famous poem by W.B.Yeats which says:
TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
The poem speaks about a condition very similar to what our country is experiencing.
“The human race will have no respite from evils until those who are really philosophers acquire political power or until, through some divine dispensation, those who rule and have political authority in the cities become real philosophers” This statement by Plato , scares me when I compare it with the present condition of our country. How can I make the rulers think as philosophers who are really concerned about mankind rather than their own interests and party’s interests. I’ being a simple person with no power and support, can I do something to wake those close to ‘apex’ and the ‘apex’? It is certain that something has blinded them. Otherwise they wouldn’t be so blind not to see their own mother dying.
As there are no right magic portions to lift this curse , we either have to wait for Allah to take some steps or we have to start waking those who are fast asleep though they move around.
Quran tells us that the fate of people is linked to their values and their deeds. Good deeds bring peace and prosperity, and bad deeds bring decay and destruction; societies carve their destinies with their own hands.
Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change themselves [13/11]
Fazlur Rahman says:
"for the Quran the goal of man-in-society is to build an ethically-based order on the earth but that cultivation of taqwa or a true sense of responsibility is absolutely necessary for man-as-indiviual if such an order is to be built. The Quran repeatedly complains that man has not yet come up to this task.
When this 'sense of moral responsibility' is lost, it leads to vices which kill the society. These can take many different shapes; oppression and exploitation of the poor and subject classes; economic disparity and corruption.
My concern here is to wake people from their sleep where the dreams of unrealistic prosperity and glory have possessed them. It is not another Maldives we need now, we need a safe Maldives for our beloved dwellers, where people are safe from all evils that rule the minds of those at ‘apex’, their opponents and those who live as simple people like me in the society.
From the religious examples I have put forward also it is very clear that the problem most probably is with us. We have got to devote our selves truly to Allah and pray to take us to a safe harbor to live.
Some with a proper understanding of the situation and enough money are running away from the scene and saving themselves and their children at another corner of the world. But, is it a solution? Some think that government is the cause for all wrong and blame and scold the government. But, is it a solution? Every individual is responsible for the condition and very unfortunately a great percentage of Maldivians live as zombies now. Hence we cannot expect them to understand anything of this kind. Thus from a small population just a small percentage of people have to take the great responsibility of saving the country.
Then I thought “Why am I thinking about this?” Certainly something is wrong either with me or my country. Certainly when we deeply think about our country we would know that the country is in chaos and that’s what has been bothering me. Plato in his book “The Republic” has mentioned the fact that every man who belongs to a community is always part of its politics. One cannot cut himself out of politics as at the end of the day he will be part of the politics as long as he belongs to the community.
Whatever it is we cannot just sit and wait for something to happen for it might be too late to save our country. I do not blame anyone in particular for the condition we are experiencing. I hold the whole Maldives and its dwellers responsible as the majority of the Maldives still remain ignorant of the condition and they are satisfied as long as they can feed themselves and their family. Further they are quite content if they can enjoy most luxuries. Some strive for fame and glory and those who are the recipients of it in this era are content as they feel totally invincible. Freedom is slaughtered in the name of freedom. Freedom is enjoyed by those with evil minds while the pious suffer .Justice at most times is ruled by the dark side. I do not blame the ‘apex’ no his guardians for the state of anarchy but if they can feel it besides fighting to win over their opponents they too can save the country and our race. The condition reminds me of the famous poem by W.B.Yeats which says:
TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
The poem speaks about a condition very similar to what our country is experiencing.
“The human race will have no respite from evils until those who are really philosophers acquire political power or until, through some divine dispensation, those who rule and have political authority in the cities become real philosophers” This statement by Plato , scares me when I compare it with the present condition of our country. How can I make the rulers think as philosophers who are really concerned about mankind rather than their own interests and party’s interests. I’ being a simple person with no power and support, can I do something to wake those close to ‘apex’ and the ‘apex’? It is certain that something has blinded them. Otherwise they wouldn’t be so blind not to see their own mother dying.
As there are no right magic portions to lift this curse , we either have to wait for Allah to take some steps or we have to start waking those who are fast asleep though they move around.
Quran tells us that the fate of people is linked to their values and their deeds. Good deeds bring peace and prosperity, and bad deeds bring decay and destruction; societies carve their destinies with their own hands.
Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change themselves [13/11]
Fazlur Rahman says:
"for the Quran the goal of man-in-society is to build an ethically-based order on the earth but that cultivation of taqwa or a true sense of responsibility is absolutely necessary for man-as-indiviual if such an order is to be built. The Quran repeatedly complains that man has not yet come up to this task.
When this 'sense of moral responsibility' is lost, it leads to vices which kill the society. These can take many different shapes; oppression and exploitation of the poor and subject classes; economic disparity and corruption.
My concern here is to wake people from their sleep where the dreams of unrealistic prosperity and glory have possessed them. It is not another Maldives we need now, we need a safe Maldives for our beloved dwellers, where people are safe from all evils that rule the minds of those at ‘apex’, their opponents and those who live as simple people like me in the society.
From the religious examples I have put forward also it is very clear that the problem most probably is with us. We have got to devote our selves truly to Allah and pray to take us to a safe harbor to live.
Some with a proper understanding of the situation and enough money are running away from the scene and saving themselves and their children at another corner of the world. But, is it a solution? Some think that government is the cause for all wrong and blame and scold the government. But, is it a solution? Every individual is responsible for the condition and very unfortunately a great percentage of Maldivians live as zombies now. Hence we cannot expect them to understand anything of this kind. Thus from a small population just a small percentage of people have to take the great responsibility of saving the country.
Who is a Philosopher?
“…A philosopher… has…[a] structure of thought unified by a purpose for his own life and for mankind.” Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, p. 141
Philosophers are commonly called “thinkers,” but really, that is not an adequate definition of a philosopher. A philosopher seeks the underlying meaning of things; he wants to understand it and codify it into a system of thought. If he succeeds in this task, he often feels compelled to share his system with the world, even knowing it is likely futile. This is because he loves the world, despite the difficulty it has given him.(Philoscifi, 2006)
“You don’t need to get a PhD, to have taken any philosophy classes, or to have read a single philosophy book. Of course all these things can help you to sharpen your thinking and to avoid “reinventing the wheel,” but they do not in themselves make you more or less of a philosopher.”(Philoscifi, 2006)
It is stated in ‘Philoscifi’ that no two philosophers are exactly alike as some as comets: long lived and brilliant like Socrates; while others are streaking meteors like Nietzsche, consumed by their romanticism and brilliance.(Philoscifi, 2006)
Socrates stated that a philosopher neither sees nor hears the so-called unwritten laws of the city, that is, the mores and conventions that govern public life. The philosopher shows no respect for rank and inherited privilege and is unaware of anyone’s high or low birth. It also does not occur to the philosopher to join a political club or a private party. As Socrates concludes, the philosopher’s body alone dwells within the city’s walls. In thought, they are elsewhere.(Critchley, 2010)
According to Stanley, a philosopher is someone who constructs some kind of admirable general theory about a discipline - be it cultural criticism, history, literature, or politics.(Stanley, 2009)
Though different people have stated “what a philosopher is” is different ways, their opinions are hardly different. However, the view ancient philosopher had about philosophy might have changed to some extent with time.
As far as I can mention in clear terms “a philosopher thinks, mainly about what concerns himself and his environment which is not limited even within the boundaries of this universe, states his thoughts in a way certainly satisfies himself despite the consequences.” Philosophers are certainly targets of criticism as every individual does not make an effort to think beyond before stating his opinion.
References
Critchley, S. (2010). What Is a Philosopher? Retrieved 11/3/2020: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/what-is-a-philosopher/
Philoscifi. (2006). Who is a philosopher? Retrieved 11/3/2010: http://www.philoscifi.com/wisdom/on-philosophy/who-is-a-philosopher
Stanley, J. (2009). Who is a Philosopher? Retrieved 11/3/2010: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2009/05/who-is-a-philosopher-j-stanley.html
Philosophers are commonly called “thinkers,” but really, that is not an adequate definition of a philosopher. A philosopher seeks the underlying meaning of things; he wants to understand it and codify it into a system of thought. If he succeeds in this task, he often feels compelled to share his system with the world, even knowing it is likely futile. This is because he loves the world, despite the difficulty it has given him.(Philoscifi, 2006)
“You don’t need to get a PhD, to have taken any philosophy classes, or to have read a single philosophy book. Of course all these things can help you to sharpen your thinking and to avoid “reinventing the wheel,” but they do not in themselves make you more or less of a philosopher.”(Philoscifi, 2006)
It is stated in ‘Philoscifi’ that no two philosophers are exactly alike as some as comets: long lived and brilliant like Socrates; while others are streaking meteors like Nietzsche, consumed by their romanticism and brilliance.(Philoscifi, 2006)
Socrates stated that a philosopher neither sees nor hears the so-called unwritten laws of the city, that is, the mores and conventions that govern public life. The philosopher shows no respect for rank and inherited privilege and is unaware of anyone’s high or low birth. It also does not occur to the philosopher to join a political club or a private party. As Socrates concludes, the philosopher’s body alone dwells within the city’s walls. In thought, they are elsewhere.(Critchley, 2010)
According to Stanley, a philosopher is someone who constructs some kind of admirable general theory about a discipline - be it cultural criticism, history, literature, or politics.(Stanley, 2009)
Though different people have stated “what a philosopher is” is different ways, their opinions are hardly different. However, the view ancient philosopher had about philosophy might have changed to some extent with time.
As far as I can mention in clear terms “a philosopher thinks, mainly about what concerns himself and his environment which is not limited even within the boundaries of this universe, states his thoughts in a way certainly satisfies himself despite the consequences.” Philosophers are certainly targets of criticism as every individual does not make an effort to think beyond before stating his opinion.
References
Critchley, S. (2010). What Is a Philosopher? Retrieved 11/3/2020: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/what-is-a-philosopher/
Philoscifi. (2006). Who is a philosopher? Retrieved 11/3/2010: http://www.philoscifi.com/wisdom/on-philosophy/who-is-a-philosopher
Stanley, J. (2009). Who is a Philosopher? Retrieved 11/3/2010: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2009/05/who-is-a-philosopher-j-stanley.html
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