My Christmas was a day well
spent. I was at the mall 3 pm onwards with a friend who is here for a week long
holiday. We also went for a screening of Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol which
literally blew me away. The evening was going pretty well until the moment I
had this sudden realization that I was stuck between two couples. This has
happened for a second time this year. I try avoiding such situations because it
makes me uncomfortable but tonight I was seated like the Berlin wall. Now that I am back in the comfort of my room, I want to
write about two new found discoveries about myself.
I don’t watch much television, infact the only time I do is when an interesting EPL clash or Chelsea game or, in recent times, when Bigg Boss is on. The person to be blamed for dragging me into the latter addiction is Star. She would update me on all the happenings and pretty soon curiosity got the better of me and I was hooked. After almost two months of religiously following the show, I have confirmation that I am into voyeurism. All of us are actually. Have you accepted this about yourself?
The second discovery is more of an interest. Reading through my blog you must know about the various phases I have been through, from Buddhist philosophy, globalisation, culture, to suicide etc. The latest addition to this list would be nuclear weapons and related news. As mentioned before, had I not prepared for the UPSC I would have been oblivious to the details regarding countries working religiously towards attaining the status of a so-called 'weapon state’. I find the whole concept so complex. Everyone is a suspect even though we have all this diplomatic make-up on the outside. A good example of the same would be the cables released through WikiLeaks this year. Earlier this evening, when I sat through the movie, I was in awe of the missile launch scene. I swear I did not even blink. We know the scale of devastation caused by the atomic bombings in Japan during the Second World War. Why then are we still craving for such power? I think it is a good thing that India’s foreign policy has a ‘No first strike’ rule. But at the same time we are constantly improving our nuclear technology for both civilian and military use. The irony seems appalling that these weapon states should hold Iran or any other nation's nuclear efforts in contempt. Who is to decide that we are the good guys and they are the bad ones? Are we basing this on just a single leadership? Religion? Culture? Orientalism, of sorts? Here is what President Truman had to say about his decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945,
"I realize the tragic significance of the atomic bomb... It is an awful responsibility which has come to us... We thank God that it has come to us, instead of to our enemies; and we pray that He may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes."
I don’t watch much television, infact the only time I do is when an interesting EPL clash or Chelsea game or, in recent times, when Bigg Boss is on. The person to be blamed for dragging me into the latter addiction is Star. She would update me on all the happenings and pretty soon curiosity got the better of me and I was hooked. After almost two months of religiously following the show, I have confirmation that I am into voyeurism. All of us are actually. Have you accepted this about yourself?
The second discovery is more of an interest. Reading through my blog you must know about the various phases I have been through, from Buddhist philosophy, globalisation, culture, to suicide etc. The latest addition to this list would be nuclear weapons and related news. As mentioned before, had I not prepared for the UPSC I would have been oblivious to the details regarding countries working religiously towards attaining the status of a so-called 'weapon state’. I find the whole concept so complex. Everyone is a suspect even though we have all this diplomatic make-up on the outside. A good example of the same would be the cables released through WikiLeaks this year. Earlier this evening, when I sat through the movie, I was in awe of the missile launch scene. I swear I did not even blink. We know the scale of devastation caused by the atomic bombings in Japan during the Second World War. Why then are we still craving for such power? I think it is a good thing that India’s foreign policy has a ‘No first strike’ rule. But at the same time we are constantly improving our nuclear technology for both civilian and military use. The irony seems appalling that these weapon states should hold Iran or any other nation's nuclear efforts in contempt. Who is to decide that we are the good guys and they are the bad ones? Are we basing this on just a single leadership? Religion? Culture? Orientalism, of sorts? Here is what President Truman had to say about his decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945,
"I realize the tragic significance of the atomic bomb... It is an awful responsibility which has come to us... We thank God that it has come to us, instead of to our enemies; and we pray that He may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes."
I disagree with every word in the above quote. If god had his way, he would erase uranium and plutonium from the face of this planet, but we would still manage to find an alternative, isn't it? I seriously need to read a lot more if I am to gain further insight. For now I am going to put a stop to this post. I guess this is enough pondering for the night. Good night good people!
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