The Human Zoo by Desmond Morris

The Human Zoo is an explication of the concept of the city as a concrete jungle. In this book the author analyses issues pertaining to the people living in dense urban communities. He underlines the sameness of animal and human behviour under captivity. The zoo becomes a metaphor for urban life Living in a jungle is more rewarding for animals as for animal-men or men in a natural state of innocence. But just as living in a zoo under subjective conditions is depressive for animals, similarly for human beings who live in a human zoo, not a concrete jungle,  living in the human zoo of cities has its hazards.

Morris is depressingly near the truth when he says that our craze for progress has unleashed powerful urges which is a part of our biological inheritance and this has made the human zoo possible which promises food and shelter and other amenities of life. But the price that humans have to pay in terms of loss of selfhood and visions of loneliness has to be taken care of.

Among some of the problems he addresses are the invention of weapons of destruction that kill at a distance, the creation of specialized class of killers,frustrated status aggression within the groups. Loss of social identity, and the exploitation of the urge to aid friends under attack.

 I n the end he pleads for tolerance and developing strategies that  encourage stimulating heterogeneity.

dynasty: What I Like About My Daughter-in-law.

dynasty: What I Like About My Daughter-in-law.: A daughter-in -law is more than a daughter. She is bound to you by ties of marriage as well as by the law. Now the law sounds to us a bit ...

What I Like About My Daughter-in-law.

A daughter-in -law is more than a daughter. She is bound to you by ties of marriage as well as by the law. Now the law sounds to us  a bit intimidating. It culls up images of the court room and witness stand, lawyers and liers, a judge and a holy book. No wonder a woman feels a sense of grave forboding when she is  preparing herself to either don the bridal garb or inversely, using her search engine to pounce upon the most eligible of maidens for her dear son. Both ways the" -in law" tag has to be worn.

My daughter-in-law made it her primary duty to toss of the tag as soon as she entered the threshold of my life. The veil was off, the long skirts flung aside, the slow walk became a purposeful stride, and the soft whispering voice which is supposed to be the pride of a bride ,was supplanted by a cheery bright tone, a chattering that left me dumb for some seconds.

Apprehensions of how to pull along with a daughter-in -law,  who would perhaps be crooking an evil eye beneath her veil, whispering complaints along with sweet nothings to her husband who she would forget was my son too, and taking him away from a mother's empty arms forever, vanished in the onslaught of new emotions.

The next day saw us both putting up our feet on the divan seat and enjoying tea with noisy slurps. The tea was good though not the type I generally drank, but it was kind of O.K with me. She insisted I redo my hair and drove me down to her favourite parlour for a shampoo and dye, and facials and all the works.

I was like totally at her mercy, but I found myself enjoying it first a little , then whole heartedly.

The secret to a happy life with your mother-in-laws, dear about-to-wed-girls, is grab your mother-in-law by the waiste and pamper her for all she is worth.

Her long years of sacrifice and hard work will be amply rewarded.

dynasty: How to Make the Most of a Sunday

dynasty: How to Make the Most of a Sunday: Holidays are always welcome. But they seem to end even before they have begun.This is why we keep on planning what we would do on a coming ...

How to Make the Most of a Sunday

Holidays are always welcome. But they seem to end even before they have begun.This is why we keep on planning what we would do on a coming Sunday. To make the most of a Sunday, plan well in advance, From Monday the planning should begin. As you are in the office, cleverly avoid being detected by the boss's stooges, when you shuffle from table to table to inquire about the craziest bar or night club where you can take a few friends for a night out. This will take some time, for there will be so many to choose from and so many pieces of advice from your team mates that you will be in a fix as to choose the right one.
 On Tuesday morning you say to yourself , "Today I'll finalise the place," and off you go whistling to the office only to find the office attendent smirking on your face and a load of files needing your Immediate Attention . You sit down to plod through them but you cannot help looking at the calendar in front of you, Red  Sunday staring at you. So you get for a glass of water and saunter off pretending exhaustion after a day's work. After taking Tom the new office executive into confidence, you finally decide on say Night Dreams as the name appears suggestive.
 On Wednesday and Thursday you are left biting your lips at the office because of nervousness at the oncoming great event of your life. Friday is spent in booking a table at the chosen place while Saturday finds you on the phone callingup friends who you would  like to accompany you. Saturday evening you realise that you have forgotten an important aspect of your Sunday Soiree---Money, and you find all the banks closed.
Sunday at home again, calling up friends to say yo are sorry.

dynasty: How We Should React to Mystics Today

dynasty: How We Should React to Mystics Today: Mystics are supposed to be close to God and have direct knowledge of spiritualism than most of us do. Being religious means knowing and act...

How We Should React to Mystics Today

Mystics are supposed to be close to God and have direct knowledge of spiritualism than most of us do. Being religious means knowing and acting right as per the instructions of the church or the scriptures. This may appear too boring and repetitive at times as most truths lose their relevance and substantiality after a period of time. But mystic experiences add a quality of freshness to our perception of the world and create ground for new illuminations and visionary directions to change the state of things we are rotting in. Consider for example, the revelations of St. Joan of Arc. Were they not intended to stop political apathy and save France from English domination? St Joan's claim that she had been directed by the voice of God to venture upon a task that needed extreme courage and determination, and Indomitable Faith to pursue the Lord's authorial voice to the last, were found to be true at last and therfore she was anointed. But during her lifetime she faced the ridicule of the Church and was burnt on the stake to appease political and ecclesiastical interests.
Mystics keep on being born. Society has not learnt from lessons from history. They are still haunted and sacrificed at the alter of greed and dissension.
Weshould react differently to Mystics. The common enough mode today is to declare them mentally ill and have them put behind the bars of an asylum. Or to torture them after declaring them to be heretics and witches. This is primarily because they speak in metaphors that elude our understanding. Their real life experiences are translated into proverbs and parables, and their ability to see the unseen upsets us.
 Ler us be kind and thoughtful to them and try to profit from their insights and knoweledge of the unknown.

dynasty: Gypsy Vibes

dynasty: Gypsy Vibes: The mountains are green with monsoon trees Over them loom the dark blue clouds The river swells with unmeshed glee Breaks and ...