Being ‘for the people’Is all the rage these days.But lip service always stuttersEventually:Posing with a hungry childBut only at arm’s length-Close enough for the photo-opFar enough to not get inconvenienced.But if you ever fancy real change, darling,It might cost youYour whole arm.
Read more "Arm’s length"
Freedom,As it turns out,Comes at a price.And justice cannotBe met peacefully.Righteousness remains unattainableWithout someone getting their hands dirty-The right kinds of paradoxWill always feel uncomfortable,A bitter drink with an aftertasteOf unadulterated nectar.What then, is this sanitized versionOf social progress that we areTrying to grasp at?Calls for ubuntu*By a diabolically individualistic society?An appeal for godlinessWithout God […]
Read more "The wrong kinds of paradox"Its not that our handsWeren’t scarred,Or our burdens notHeavyNor our path notRocky-Its that we foundReasons for joyAlong the way-Things we refusedTo neglectSmall sparksWe insisted on fanningInto flame.Joy came slowlyCautiouslyHaltingly,But it came.Not quite as expectedYet undeniably palpable.Some of the best joysCome slowLike a hard-earnedGiggle from an infantOr a long awaited betrothalFinally taking place.Joy came slowlyBut its […]
Read more "Slow Joy"Because no one wants to feel taken for granted. All the other stuff about how being grateful Is “smart” because it makes you feel better Or helps you see the world in a new light Should really be the secondary purpose of thanksgiving. Because, the essence of thanks Is seeing and acknowledging others For what […]
Read more "On why “thank you” matters"What does it say about a place if the toilets are not working?A working toilet is unremarkable:Except for quality assurance officials,No one should really notice.But it becomes unmistakable when it doesn’t work.Sure, no toilet is built to run for all timeAnd the maintenance budget can understandably be a little leanIn tough times,But a broken toilet […]
Read more "Working toilets"Progress is greater than ideals. Especially if those ideals are utopian and are backed by evidence That seems to only work well for people in quite favorable circumstances. The creatures of technology and innovation Have long out-run the real life experiences of many in this world. There is more research about the best possible ways […]
Read more "Progress >Ideals"Maybe they should keep us poor To keep us ‘humble’. Not too poor that we lack food to eat and rise up in desperation But poor enough to be grateful for our scraps And silent in our sufferings. Some of us choose to be meek Because the world could not handle our confidence And could […]
Read more "Humbled"Sometimes you wonder If the people on the prescribing side of red tape Realize how debilitating some of their rules and regulations actually are. To those that sit in board rooms and offices Making rules for the rest of us, It is important to remember that beyond the neatly written bullet points And well articulated […]
Read more "Underbelly"Is not always about the numbers, (or at least, not the numbers they tell you). You could have a system that serves ten people that is more clogged up Than one that serves a thousand. It has something to do with whether or not efficiency is prioritised by the right people in the system. Prioritising […]
Read more "Bottlenecking"Part of the beauty of the human body and any intelligent system Is its ability to adapt. To be able to have certain essential functions still running In non-ideal situations Your heart should still beat, even when you haven’t eaten for hours, Your lungs still take in air even when you are tired, And considering […]
Read more "Fragile Systems"
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