Busting the Misconception of Humanities being a Worthless Degree

With the ensuing debate of the Australian government asking its students to pay for their Humanities Degrees themselves as STEM Degrees are more job prone and hence, more likely to revive the economy.

The age old question of Humanities Degrees being Worthless or dubbed as Soft Degrees has reemerged. 

Why is it that people who have a Science Degree are treated as some extra-terrestrial animates with great superpowers whereas the people who have a Humanities background are dubbed as either dumb or vacuous.

I was personally on the receiving end of this whole debate. When I decided to opt for Humanities, while, I was fortunate to find the support of my family, there were some who out-rightly branded me as dull-witted who could not cope with the intricacies of Sciences.  

IMPORTANCE OF HUMANITIES SUBJECT:-

History- The general thought process ridicules this subject as nothing but a bunch of mistakes committed by someone. But, in all reality if one was to be unaware of how things were in the past and what's the reason for current situation one would be living in Dystopia.

(Would you not want to be aware why certain nations are friends and others share an aura of animosity, or, why certain borders are disputed.)

Geography-  Would you not want to be aware about the Structure of the Earth, The composition of the Planets and Seasonal winds, Seas, Mountains and other physical features. (Oh don't tell me you would want to visit and see the flat end of the Earth and maybe peek what's below.)

Economics- This is the subject that comes in handy in your daily life. How and why Governments formulate their policies and what impact it has on you. How your savings and expenditure determine your spending spree and most importantly the job market. (Now if you say you don't want to have a knowledge about how money works well maybe Barter System is the one for you.)

Political Science- As a civilised human if you follow laws and and abide by the Constitution would you not want to be aware of how those laws were formulated and what are the various features of the said law. (OK maybe you like the hooligan life where no laws prevail and you are a rowdy soul)

Psychology- This subject helps you in understanding why humans react the way they do, it helps humans to live in harmony as social beings. (Unless of-course you take Social distancing too seriously and do not want to interact with other people and would prefer to live in a cave)

Languages and Literature- The knowledge of these helps one in communicating with one another and helps us evolve and understand each other. There are several Languages spoken in the World and the understanding of these helps us in getting along and also not being isolated. Literature on the other hand, is the creative writing or composition in these Languages which helps us in understanding the socio-political and economic background in which the literary text has been written and we learn about new places and cultures through it. ( So if one wants to interact he needs to have a knowledge of Languages unless, he chooses to use pictograph as a means of communication) 

The importance of only a few Humanities subjects listed above show, how crucial the knowledge of each and every subject is. No wonder at schools no subject is branded derogatory to the other. But, why is it that general masses then dub the Humanities as being a study for dummers.  

We need to bust this misconception that has somehow crept inside the minds of people and treat each subject as a source of information necessary for life. Governments too, need to employ a different approach where they instead of preferring the Sciences ask students to study the stream (line of Education that allows the students to apply their learning in real life situations) of their choice.

Love

Pankhuri

PS.- I have only listed a few subjects of Humanities and their importance in real life scenarios, but feel free to mention other subjects and their importance in the comments sections below.

Also, please share which Stream did you opt for in your Higher Education- was it Humanities, Sciences, Commerce, Management or some other and did you have to go through peer or parental or societal pressure when you chose the subject of your liking.

 

 

 

Avengers- The Corona-Warriors Version

Avengers are a group of Super-Heroes that save the Earth from any and all forms of dangers, similarly, at the moment the Corona-Warriors are a team of Guardians that are protecting the Earth from the pandemic-COVID-19.

When the world was infested with "he who shall not be named", Humanity came together to assemble the mightiest and bravest of its champions together to fight the calamity- They were hence, to be known as The Corona-Warriors. They chiefly comprised of the Medical Staff (Doctors, Nurses), The Sanitation Workers, The Police and The Essential Service Providers.

Meanwhile, the Dark Lord too was enlarging his army (The Dark Forces). While the army comprised chiefly of loyalists, His army swelled with new entrants. Whenever, The Dark Lord or any of the members of the Dark Forces touched a person who was not in their army they were able to cast a spell and the person deviated and now, owed his allegiance to the Dark Lord. He too became a carrier and became a conscript soldier of the army.

Each Corona-Warrior or CW, as they liked to be called, had different responsibilities. While, the Medical Staff had to bring back the people who had deviated into their own group, The Sanitation Workers ensured that no new people joined the Dark Forces by washing the areas with the Serum that could curtail the Dark Forces for a while. The Police were given the power of Sticks, these sticks scared the people from deviating to the other side, as, these sticks were rock solid and once they were used by the Police on the bodies of deviants they were bound to be sore (in both ways). The Essential Service Providers had the task to maintain Social Distancing and for this they were to provide all items needed by the masses on their doorsteps and guarantee that the people did not aimlessly loiter in the streets and fall a prey to the Dark Forces. Thus the CW ensured to protect the planet and it's people from The Dark Lord. 

However, The Dark Lord was also very powerful, as no known weapon had been able to incur any major loss on him or his followers. The only way to defeat him was to not cross paths with him. Although, all had not lost hope and some Labbies (people who wore white coats and tried to invent new things- previously known as scientists) were trying to make a concoction to ward off the Dark Lord.

A glimpse of hope can be seen with the fact that the CW's have been able to defeat the Dark Lord from Aotearoa. If all goes well they might be able to defeat them fully and banish them from Earth.

With Hopes held high.

Love 

Pankhuri

Glossary of terms-

"he who shall not be named"- Corona virus

the Dark Lord- Corona virus

Serum- Sanitiser

weapon- vaccine

Labbies- scientists

concoction- vaccine

Aotearoa- New Zealand

Is Humanity Dead? An Animal cruelty issue.

According to Charles Darwin: Humans have evolved from Primates. Their were certain mutations which led to Humans evolving as the fittest living organism amongst all present at that time. But, are Humans worthy to be called the fittest and most sane beings to reside the Planet Earth? Well, the recent events, makes one think otherwise. 

Animal cruelty- an activity in which barbaric behaviour is done towards non-humans. It has several forms ranging from violence being meted out on animals to Wildlife Smuggling.

My recent post, shall talk about all forms of animal cruelty and also feature certain heart-breaking incidents from across the world. My aim is to raise awareness and bring people from all walks of life together to pressurise authorities to make stringent laws to curtail this inhumane behaviour.

While, we were all busy in our lives, a heart-rendering news came from Kerala, India. A hungry pregnant elephant was given explosives hidden in a fruit. This resulted in the death of the animal. Police and Wildlife authorities are said to be investigating the issue and are trying to bring the culprits to book.

Another incident that shook us all, came from Idaho, United States, where a women was seen incessantly boxing her pet dog. The person filming the video seemed to be enjoying the act and made no efforts to stop the women. This video brought about an outrage and the women was identified and hopefully punished. 

Its not just pets or tamed animals that are facing cruelty, even wildlife animals have to face the inhumane activities of Humans. Wildlife Smuggling being one of the greatest form of brutality. #Animals are smuggled for decorative purposes like-

Tiger for his skin,

Tortoise for their shells,

Leopard heads and Tiger heads as Trophy for bravery and hunting.

#Then, animals are smuggled for their medicinal value-

Tiger meat is used in traditional medicines,

Elephant skin is beneficial for stomach ailments,

Pangolin scales are used in certain medicines similarly like Rhinoceros horns,

the bile from the gall bladders of Bears are also of medicinal value.

#Then Animals are smuggled as their remains are a source of snob appeal-

Elephant tusks and teeth of tigers are used as a symbol of richness and this adds to the poaching of wildlife.

While there are several institutions that are present to preserve the rights of animals and provide them protection like PETA and WWF, we cannot disregard our fundamental duty as humans to protect this planet and its inhabitants. We should all realise the fact that humans alone cannot reside on this planet and that we need to be more proactive in our approach towards both Wildlife conservation and animal cruelty in any and every form.

PS- if you have any ideas on how this can be achieved please feel free to share in the comment section below.  

Love 

Pankhuri

Rape Culture- Boys will be Boys (really!)

While all news agencies are solely focusing on COVID 19 and news related to it. A major incident happened that though featured in the news, was not really discussed.

Bois Locker Room Incident-

Now what is the incident?

"Bois Locker Room", is an Instagram (social media) account comprising of school going boys in Delhi, India. The group came under the scanner when it was brought to light that, the participants of this group were sharing nudes and other obscene material of their fellow classmates (girls). They were also, making crude comments and talking of raping these girls.

My Take-

When you hear such an incident, your first thoughts are really, come again, am I hearing the right thing? But alas, this is the brutal reality we all have to live with.

India is a country where girls or kanyas are worshipped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga- the deity of strength and source of life on Earth (aadi-shakti). And still, incidences are these are found out frequently. 

According to many psychologists, the problem lies in the patriarchal mindset of people and the way they treat boys to be the flag bearers (descendants) of their family and their name and girls to be a burden which is best disposed off by marrying her. Boys enjoy significant freedom whereas, girls are subjected to live within the four walls of the house. This very upbringing strategy leaves a scar on the minds of youth and they unknowing carry forward this misogynistic attitude and regard womenfolk as degraded beings- 'The Second Sex.'

Certain boys also join groups like these to appear cool. They are either under peer pressure or they live under the mis-guided notion that if they are not a part of such a group, then, they are not cool and hence would be a loner. 

Tendencies to objectify women and treat them as a means of pleasure may have their roots in pornographic films. Now we all know, in the Lockdown, most of us have been spending hours on the internet (working from home) and when such an access was given to young boys they found recourse in porn sites. Porn-hub a leading porn site was found to have given unlimited access to their porn content to help people stay at home. This could be one of the reasons for such a behaviour. 

Even the Films, Television Series and shows online are a source of degrading women by explicitly using sexual innuendos and portraying women as a seductress, whose sole object is to woo her man and please him through her body. The profuse use of Item numbers that showcase women in a demeaning light too add to the list. 

I personally think, that the laxity in enforcing laws that prevent the repetition of sexual crimes too makes the offenders fearless of law and they, go about their business without any fear of being punished. Its often said that "Justice delayed is Justice denied". I agree that there are a lot of pending cases in the Judiciary and with limited number of Judges, the burden of work is major on each. But still it cannot be denied that if offenders were punished brutally and within a time frame then such cases would fall considerably.

Finally, the callous attitude of the masses too is a chief cause of the rise in cases like these. People usually resort to victim shaming and and also in a way eulogise boys by stating that Boys will be Boys and they are bound to do stuff like this.

In the end I would like to remind all that Manu (a mythological character) had stated that God resides there, where Women are respected and treated well. So it not in our scriptures to belittle women but in our own corrupt mindset.

Hope some sense shall prevail after some of you read this blog.

Love,

Pankhuri

Life of a Pet Dog- Sparkles

While most of us have pets, be they cats or dogs or other creatures like birds, what we do not realise is that, they too have a life of their own. This is a story of how Sparkles (a pet dog) goes about in his life, be cautious of the end because it may make you teary eyed.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were a newly married couple who had settled in their new house, after their wedding. At the house warming party that, they held for their close friends, they were surprised to receive a pet dog as a gift. Their happiness knew no bounds, as they welcomed their pet who was now officially their first child, with open arms. As, the dog brought with it smiles and a ray of happiness they named him Sparkles.

Sparkles, was just 2 months old. He really missed his mother, Julie but, he would rarely show it on his face. He was very playful and an attention seeker, he would not miss a chance to be the centre of attraction in the house.

Time passed by and after a year, the Wilkins were blessed with a baby boy, Samuel. Sparkles was delighted to meet his little hooman and play with him. Samuel and Sparkles were like two inseparable forces and they were always together. When Samuel had to go to school, Sparkles would accompany him to the bus-stop and when he returned Sparkles was always waiting by the bus-stop to receive Samuel. Their bond of friendship grew and Sparkles was never treated as an animal but as a family member. He felt blessed to have the companionship of such a loving family.

All was going well for the Wilkins, and Sparkles, well he was on cloud nine as he was the star of the Wilkin Family. Then COVID-19 spread across the world. Those were dark times, people were scared and also scarred for life. All form of information and mis-information were doing rounds on social media and nobody could decipher right from wrong.

At such a time, the Wilkins came across a piece of information which stated that Corona-Virus could spread from animals to humans and pets were considered to be the carriers of this deadly virus. The Wilkins had no idea whether this news was correct or not, but, they did want to take any chances. The Wilkins therefore, decided to shift Sparkles in the garage, he was not allowed to enter the house and all his toys and clothes were shifted to the garage. The garage was the apt place to shift Sparkles as due to the Lockdown, the Wilkins were unable to go out and they were working from home.

Sparkles who until now had been leading a stately life was distraught with the change of affairs. Samuel and Mr and Mrs Wilkins would hardly come to see him and he was spending time alone in the garage. He however, considered it to be a temporary affair and was hopeful to return to the Wilkins' house which he considered home.

But it seems, the good days of Sparkles had come to an end and he was to face a much harsher truth. As, the pandemic spread and took a toll on human lives, people became paranoid. The Wilkins were advised by friends and relatives alike, to maintain distance from Sparkles, as Samuel was small and thus, vulnerable to the disease.

Thus the ominous night came when in-spite of the Lockdown, the Wilkins came to the garage and made Sparkles enter the car. Sparkles thought that his woeful days were over and he was happy to be reunited with the Wilkins. The car started and Sparkles was  ecstatic. He would occasionally take his face out from the moving vehicles' window and try to lick the air.

After about an hour's drive, the car came to an abrupt stop and the Wilkins got out from the car. Sparkles was clueless about his whereabouts and also the darkness of the night was making him shiver in anxiety. He was made to come out of the car, Sparkles thought that, maybe the whole family was camping in this unknown location and was thus vigorously wagging his tail. Mr Wilkins opened the leash and instructed Sparkles to explore the area. Sparkles after living in the confinements of the garage welcomed the independence and began to run about.

It was at this time he was not able to notice that the Wilkins, had already entered their car and were going. He thought that, they had maybe, forgotten him and he began to bark. The car sped off and Sparkles was chasing the car but his speed was no match to the metal monster that the Wilkins were riding in. Sparkles was thus, left behind in the dark night alone in an unknown place.

All this chasing had landed Sparkles into a place where there were other stray dogs. Those stray dogs on seeing Sparkles, an unknown dog, felt threatened and began to chase him off their designated territory. Sparkles was very confused and was not able to proceed how his life had taken a 180 degree turn. He spent the night hiding from the stray dogs in a drain.

When morning came, along came hunger and Sparkles was forced to move out of the drain. As soon as, he came out the leader of the Stray dogs, Hector was looking down at him. Sparkles was ashamed to be judged but, at the moment he was not in the situation to pull off a fight and thus he tucked his tail between his legs, to show allegiance to Hector's leadership. Hector though tough, welcomed him in his gang and introduced him to his lieutenant Marks. Marks was not so welcoming and as soon as, he saw Sparkles he began to tease him about him being an abandoned dog. Mark laughed at the state in which Sparkles was and said that his fidelity was rewarded by the owners and he was set free.

Once Sparkles was inducted in the gang, he was instructed that he was no longer the Prince that he used to be. He would have to share his food and any other conquests with the gang equally and since he was the newest member, he was to be the lowest in the hierarchy of importance. Though, it was all new for Sparkles he still felt welcomed and was grateful to Hector and Marks for helping him to cope in this time of grief.

Sparkles would often remember the Wilkins and get nostalgic, but he had moved on in his life. The gang found that he was an excellent charmer and thus, he could easily persuade the passerby's and the local residents to give some food to the dogs. Sparkles through his ability was able to rise in ranks in the gang and was now no-longer the laughing stock of the gang.

In the end, Sparkles had realised that he had to fend for himself and that grieving would not land him anywhere. He was no longer the cuddly Sparkles that would wag his tail, when his master would return home, from work, but he had evolved into a dog that was able to live a life in this cruel world alone and without the support of others.

Thus, though Sparkles had lost his home and his hoomans, he had had gained the essential life lesson of being self-reliant and independent.

Love,
Pankhuri   

Social Distancing- a misnomer

In these times of Lock-down, while we are all practising self isolation, a word that can be heard most is Social Distancing. Government and Health workers are asking us to practice social distancing and remain aloof from large gatherings or public areas by staying quarantined at home.

Now, what is social distancing: While according to the government agencies it is avoiding crowed areas and maintaing a distance between humans. But is the term really appropriate or should it be physical distancing instead.

While the word physical distancing is clear from its name alone, authorities have to strive to educate the masses about the meaning of social distancing. Let's see what does the word Social mean: it means the need to find companionship and thereby the motive of living in communities.

Social life has its origins in evolution, when humans saw the need to be together to ward off danger and be projected as a group to enhance both efficiency and power of subsistence. Thus, it can be said that living in societies is deeply rooted inside us. Living together has its benefits like providing emotional support in times of distress and acting as a composite whole when faced with challenging situations.

In times like these, when humanity is coming together to fight the invisible enemy, we should be cautious of the words and messages we share and post, as one mistake shall lead to unwarranted results. Its no mystery that old people are the most vulnerable at this time. They are both, facing the danger of getting contaminated from the disease as well as they, are feeling emotionally left out, as they have been cut from being in contact with their loved ones.

At such a time, Social Media comes to the rescue of these elderly as it is through this medium they can easily connect and still remain aloof with the people they love. Thus, the word Social Distancing here would be rather misleading and also act as a form of mis-information.

Now, if we are to go back in history, we come across the practice of social discrimination in almost all the areas of the world. Like in India, in the past, the society was divided into social strata and while, the higher class people were allowed to maintain social contact with one another the lowest class faced discrimination. They, were not allowed to enter certain areas and also the people from higher class maintained a distance from them claiming them to be untouchables owing to the work they did, which involved cleaning and washing the human excreta of the higher strata people. In United States of America, while, the Whites deemed themselves to be superior they also dubbed the Blacks as their Slaves and bonded labourers. Thus, they too maintained a distance from these folks and were critical of being associated with them. Similarly, in France, the society was divided into three classes at the time of French Revolution and while, the highest class which comprised of the ruling lot were economically strong the lowest class or the masses suffered hardships.

Thus, we see that in history there is ample example of society being divided into several classes and strata and they in turn, maintaining a certain amount of disassociation with the other classes.

Therefore, I personally feel the usage of a term that was used in history to segregate the people according to their classes returning in modern day and that too at a time when all should stand united is uncalled for. Thus, I urge all my readers to use the term Physical Distancing instead of Social distancing.

Love
Pankhuri

Hail Corona Warriors- a poem

Doctors, Nurses and Policemen,
They are acting like Mother Hen,
protecting their chicks; from any harm,
and in turn, protecting the entire farm.

We are fighting against an enemy that is invisible,
but, that does not mean that it is invincible.
We just have to remain strong,
follow the given norms,
or, else the fight shall be prolonged.

Stay Safe and Work from home,
cause it is your safe haven, your own dome.
Practice Physical Distancing and Wash your Hands,
and COVID-19 is bound to leave our lands.

Love
Pankhuri