“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith”?

Pope Francis delivered an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi address to pray for the end of the coronavirus. Full message at the link.

— Read on www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/27/read-pope-francis-urbi-et-orbi-address-coronavirus-and-jesus-calming-storm

Message from the Dalai Lama, some excepts below and full message at the link.

“No matter how difficult the situation may be, we should employ science and human ingenuity with determination and courage to overcome the problems that confront us. Faced with threats to our health and well-being, it is natural to feel anxiety and fear. Nevertheless, I take great solace in the following wise advice to examine the problems before us: If there is something to be done—do it, without any need to worry; if there’s nothing to be done, worrying about it further will not help.”

https://m.facebook.com/notes/dalai-lama/a-special-message-from-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama/10157088144217322/

Such a time as this, the time of coronavirus, is a time for action

“The corona virus panic is dumb,” Elon Musk says.

About 80 per cent of the people infected with coronavirus will experience just cold-like fever and they will recover on their own, said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) director-general Balram Bhargava on Sunday.

The covid scare is overrated in my opinion, but it is helping to make a reset on our collective ethos and lots of questions about leadership, religions, nations, control versus sharing are coming up.

Personally, I am not advocating irresponsible actions like indiscreet mingling.

“If I get corona, I get corona,” a shirtless Sluder told Reuters. “At the end of the day, I’m not going to let it stop me from partying. … We’ve been waiting for Miami spring break for a while.”

This is dumb. This is called moronavirus.

“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

https://www.bible.com/116/heb.5.8.nlt

As the nations are going into a lockdown, everyone has the responsibility to obey the rules and be respectful.

We are now in a reality show where everyone is acting the part of a zombie. It is hilarious to watch some video clips on #covidiots.

We should keep social distancing and keep ourself safe and strong by doing simple things that everyone can do.

When anyone says ‘stay safe and take care,’ this is what it means. Do simple things we can do to boost immune system.

Eat well, stay hydrated, sleep well, exercise moderately, avoid stress, nurture relations, pet a dog, talk to loved ones, whatever it takes.

Congrats on Anish’s message. I like most of the points about surrender and pray, but I like the part that says everyone has to boldly act the most.

Interestingly our pastor (Mark Hughes), gave a message today titled ‘for a time as this’ taking the story of Ruth as a parable. It is an interesting perspective I haven’t heard before. Have you?

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?””

‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

https://www.bible.com/116/est.4.14.nlt

Have you seen the story of Esther as a parable? That is an interesting perspective, isn’t it? Consider the actors – the king as God, Vashti as Israel, Esther as the church, Mordecai as Jesus, Haman as Satan. Even Mordecai goes in triumph on a horse like Jesus did on a horse!The king lets Esther ask upto half the kingdom, likewise God offers the kingdom to the church.

Everyone has a role like Esther had. We need to step up. Each one of us may have a duty to step up and do some special thing. It may be helping others, showing generosity, finding a scientific solution for vaccine, producing medical supplies, keeping up the supply chains, maintenance of essential services, ministering to people, etc. 

First things first. For reliable news and info, one go-to site is the google one. An important ‘don’t’ is not to trust and act on WhatsApp or Facebook group messages.

Do you agree?

Global Social Mobility Index 2020 | World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has created a new index to measure social mobility, providing a much-needed assessment of the current state of social mobility worldwide.
— Read on http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-social-mobility-index-2020-why-economies-benefit-from-fixing-inequality/

Thanks for all the personal wishes. Will try to reach out personally.

Here’s a call to action. Like to share my availability for projects involving business solutions to poverty globally.

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Paul Polak World Economic Forum Gene Sperling Ten Thousand Villages Canada Ten Thousand Villages US Spark – a service of the Canadian CED Network CESO|SACO International Justice Mission Quality Circle Forum of India HQ Association of Healthcare Providers – AHPI (India)

“Globalization and technology are frequently blamed for this (poverty), but as the report highlights, there are a plethora of reasons – not least of which is poor policy-making – and it is the responsibility of a range of stakeholders to redress these.”

Yes, we can accomplish more impact for less, without the usual supply side economics.

Ten Thousand Villages Canada announced closing of their brick and mortar stores, but I believe there is a modern way.

‘If there is a will…” I am interested in projects that require real impact – to lead or to audit – and recommend improvements for maximum impact that costs less.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

http://linkedin.com/in/abrahamalex

#lean #continuousimprovement #transformation #povertyreduction #poverty #economicdignity #economicempowerment #developmentaleconomics #inequality #socialmobility

Happy, grateful, responsible new year 2020

I am grateful for all the past and the hope for even greater future. May we all enjoy 2020 and many more years with purposeful, high-quality, responsible lives in our shared home, this beautiful Blue World!

I have the moral belief that the life of the individual only has value insofar as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful.

May us be a blessing to others. Personally I am open to paid consulting as well as volunteering to increase capacities and improve lives anywhere.

Wanted – Religious Secularism and Enlightenment – for Islam & Hinduism

www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/opinion/islam-religion.html

“That is why it reminds me of the beginnings of the Enlightenment, when Europeans, having seen the horrors of religious wars and persecution, developed the idea of political secularism, while also championing reason, freedom of thought, equality and tolerance.” Mustafa Akyol writing in New York Times.

Christianity embraced secularism in the West over time because people eschewed its failed political hegemony. The same is happening in Islam now with the failure of ISIS, Muslim Brotherhood and governments in Sudan and Iraq.

Hinduism is largely secularized already contrary to what many believe. Although India is perceived as 80% Hindu, it is, in my opinion, a minority ‘Hindu’ country in the sense of religious practices.

Most educated ‘Hindus’ are secular in the sense they don’t spread hate and respect all people equally. This is also the lingering influence of once prominent Buddhism and Jainism.

We need more secularization of all religions in order to get rid of hate and segregation from public life.

This is the author’s personal opinion.

Merry Christmas when we decide to fight ignorance and want and be like Scrooge ourselves!

You never thought I would advise someone to be like Scrooge, did you?

Well, Scrooge is better than most of us in terms of the repentance he went through and the changes he makes instantly to his life. And that is a good thing. We usually don’t notice that part of Scrooge.

Charles Dickens’s Christmas story has been a staple of Christmas time reading and celebrations ever since it was published in mid 19th century until recently. Not any more, which is a bad thing.

Dickens identifies two scourges of humanity and root causes of all evil – ignorance and want. What invariably follows from world systems of capitalism, feudalism, communism, theocracy and so on is cruelty. Dickens has clearly painted the picture of cruelty.

What we fail to notice is the unwitting participants like Scrooge himself! The rich and famous do indulge in unwitting cruelty like Krugman says in this New York Times OpEd. I don’t think the Republicans are cruel by intent. It is their ignorance that makes them so. It can happen to anybody.

I think the best Christmas message is to embrace Scrooge’s attitude of learning and change.

Will we fight ignorance and want wherever we can, particularly to ourselves?

www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/opinion/ebenezer-scrooge-trump.html

Why Modi has a better argument?

www.cbc.ca/news/india-citizenship-law-protests-1.5397915

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/world/asia/india-protests-citizenship-muslims.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

All things considered, the BJP and Modi seem to be speaking to the psyche of the nation. This may look like a non-secular or opportunistic position, but it is not.

India was divided along religious lines and those who remained need to be treated with equal rights, not those who returned after many decades.

It is not just about persecution, it is more about religious secularism. If it were about only persecution, Ahmadis and Rohinjyas would be taken in, but it is not. The neighboring Muslim countries that carved out Indian land for themselves should take them back and treat them well.

The neighboring Muslim countries have made it apparent that they would persecute non-Muslims, and those who flee for that reason are in a different class and can find secularism only in India.

The Left parties and Indian National Congress do have some useful progressive views, but not in this case.

The other out-of-the-box option will be for the neighboring Muslim countries to return the land and the people. This may be the argument in favour of returning POK (Pak Occupied Kashmir).

In other words, this bill is not just India’s internal matter, it is an international matter requiring collaborative solutions.

This is purely the author’s personal opinion.

Thomsons for Christmas

Thomson’s Bakery was founded in 1962 during Christmas.

“1962 December is the year Dad and Mum started . It’s been 57 years since then. Thanks to all for your well wishes . God Willing trying to continue the legacy but don’t know for how long. God bless and Merry Christmas to all!” One of the sons says!

Since going away from birthplace of Vallamkulam around the Second World War, C.I. Thomas, finally started his most successful business, Thomas & Sons, Thomsons for short, in time for Christmas of 1962. The Thomsons plum cakes have been famous in Bangalore mostly during Christmas seasons all these 57 years.

Thomsons cakes have been a proud annual Christmas tradition of Chathoth family, much like the reading of Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) and the Festival of Nine Lessons of the King’s College, Cambridge. With some missing years, I remember it from the 1970’s.

While wishing all Chathoth family members a Merry Christmas, it is also time to celebrate the memories and traditions of Thomsons.

Congratulations to the family members who are continuing the business today.