Apple and the tree part 2

I received this as an email from my son requesting me to excuse him from his religious education class.

Religious education is extremely boring, all we ever do is sit around listening to our really boring teacher talk about how god created the world and about the whole bible (last term we went through the whole old testament bible and this term we are doing the new testament) in her funny accent (no offence to her).

Why I don’t believe in god:

If god were real, then why would there be sin on this planet? why would he “let us” do what we want? If he was real then why would he not prove it by coming down to earth and showing himself instead of letting millions of people die due to what they believe in? What is the point of creating us when we are going to die one way or the other? If god or Jesus were actually real (or any of the gods) then why not prove it instead of leaving it to an old book that we don’t even know who actually wrote? And why did “Jesus” only come down to earth about a gazillion years ago? why cant he just show himself and let all the people see that he actually exists instead of letting people kill each other because one of them doesn’t believe in him.

What I would do in my time instead of religious education:

I would go learn about something that we know actually exists in this world either on the computer or from a book or I would get on with my school work or any catch up work that i have not done. Instead of wasting time listening to someone go on about something that we don’t even know exists, i could learn about something that would actually help me get on with life and actually gain some knowledge about real life issues.

Mom, Please excuse me from Religious education because of these reasons.

signed

Ps: I love you 🙂

Forced adoptions

I was reading this article today and remembered something and thought I would write about it.

I am an anti abortionist ( except rape/mother’s health clause ).
I worked as an intern in a Catholic hospital in Bangalore.
There is a general ward where we admitted women with placenta previa or other complications to monitor them. Every now and then there would be a young girl, in her last trimester, admitted bypassing the normal procedures of visiting the OPD and going for the scans etc.

The nuns were very secretive. The patient had been forewarned not to talk to anyone, including the Doctors. Everything was hushed.
The girl was taken care of by the nuns, food was free and no hopital charges. She gives birth and leaves the hospital..alone..sans her baby.
And one more feather added in the indian hat for saving the life of an unborn child.
So I thought..
But I also knew the truth..

Unmarried teenage pregnancy+ social stigma=kind hearted catholic nuns + a place to stay = new born health ‘unwanted’ baby =money from international adoption = happy international families + even happier nuns with money.
The only loser in the equation was the mother of the child. I have often wondered if she was given any choice at all? ( I know for sure that, she wasn’t even allowed to look at her child after the delivery, to prevent any attachment to the baby)

12:54

That is the time on my clock.

My youngest is sleeping next to me.
She laughs ( really) in her sleep. it has often puzzled me to watch her laugh in her sleep. My mother used to say, children smile in their sleep when they see angels and I wonder what my child is seeing that is making her laugh !!

I am tempted to get up and turn off the fan in Yaya’s room. It is 7 degrees outside! but the thought that I am turning out to be like my mother prevents me..

I am sure my son must have dozed off while reading his book and I really should get up and remove his spectacles..

I know the fire must have died out in the fireplace and perhaps I should get up and add another piece of wood.
Somewhere in the distance I can hear a bike..i think it is the same rider who rides past my house each night.
I often wonder what job he does that he comes home at mid night. I also wonder how come I never hear him going to work..

I am reading “the space between us” by Thrity Umrigar..
She has written..the secret of loneliness, how to live with it, how to wrap it around your body and still be able to make beautiful, colourful things..
I am lonely
and I am tired of making beautiful, colourful things..

Idiot

That is me
Is it any wonder that I am forever in this trap??
If only I could stop caring and be like everyone else..
My problem is, I put myself in other people’s shoes all the time.
If I am late, I call my family and let them know, so they won’t worry, cause I have known how it feels to wait.
Even when I am tired, I make sure everyone is fed, cause I have known what is hunger.
I care.
I always put everyone else before me and myself last.
I know my life will be a lot better, if I can just be a little selfish and start putting the ‘me’ first.
But I just can’t
And I know
I am an idiot.

I have never met you.
Yet you are the proof that one doesn’t need to meet face to face to have a beautiful friendship.
I don’t call you
I don’t write to you
Yet, it is true that I know you will be there when I need someone.
You are my best friend
And I want to wish you
a life filled with joy, peace, happiness and good health
Happy Birthday Nilu

One child, two child…

This is my take on why a child should have a sibling!!

Before I begin, I must say, I have two sisters in the same geographic region and I haven’t seen either of them for over a year. Another sister regularly visits Australia and I haven’t seen her for almost 7 years.
So then why do I say children need siblings?
Siblings teach you the most important lesson in life..they teach you to accept that “life is not fair”
Once you learn that simple lesson, you then figure out the ways and means to work around the system. Cousins and friends don’t teach you that lesson in a similar way, because at the end of the day, they go to their own home and you can’t relate to them the way you relate to a brother or sister.
Siblings teach you to share.
Every child needs to learn to live as part of a cohesive unit called family and sharing is an intrinsic part of the cohesive unit. You may not want to share your room, but if the family has four kids and three bedrooms, you will end up sharing. Which also teach you to respect hierarchy..is, the older ones get priority and you wait for them to go to University, so you can take the room, cupboard etc!!
Siblings teach you to fight.
You will learn that, only the strongest and the smartest survive. So you fight for what ever that you think needs to be fought. You don’t give up, cause if you do, the next strong person will get whatever you were hoping to get. Fighting with an equal partner in the unit called family makes you understand that there will always be a winner ( and a loser!)
Every child needs to understand what it feels to lose a game/or whatever. That creates your character. How not to be a sore loser!

Siblings teach you to use second hand stuff..Having a sibling makes a child understand that you are not entitled to everything and it is ok to use the textbook your sister used 7 years ago, even though everyone in your class has a brand new text book.. You learn to give importance to what actually matters..having a text book( however old) is more important that not having one.

Siblings makes you watch a TV program you really didn’t want to see. Again, it makes you accept that you may have missed that important episode in Buniyad, but it was your sister’s turn to hold the remote control and if she wanted to watch an NBA basketball game, you will just have to agree to it. It teaches you that life is not about missing a TV program..there is much more to life than Buniyad.

Siblings teach you how it feels to betrayed when they snitch on you and get you in to big trouble at home or at school. It is better that every child learn that lesson at home, cause when it happens outside your home..you will be able to cope with it.

But having said all that, I have had a lot of good times with my sisters. We shared the good times and the bad times, we shared the laughter and tears..
I don’t deny that my sisters made me a cynic, but deep in my heart I know if I need help, all I need is to call my sisters and they will be there.. even though we never see eye to eye and never will..But that is what siblings are for..they will be there when you need them