Where is Life?

Life as my middle school biology teacher taught was anything that respire, reproduce, regulates, transports, grows, excrets, synthesise...I do not know if I remember all of it well. Does these really defines life? What about entities in other planets? Are they subjected to these criteria for the definition of living or even proof of existence?

Well, before I lost you, let me be upfront. Life is not limited to planet earth alone! There are living entities in other planets! Yes there are! In heaven (if you believe in one), are the entities living or dead? To us on earth they are! To them, they are living (maybe they will consider us dead as we do them...maybe...who knows?).

Recently at my hotel room watching Science channel, I came about NASA explorations and in one event, astronauts at the international space station discovered planktons after examining the results from cleaning the station's outer windows. That may have been considered a contamination from earth. And if not? Which is a possibility, where then is the plant from?

I can go on, but here's my perspective, there is life everywhere!

Life on earth is 'housed' differently (plants, animals,..taxonomist will provide the rest). In both animals and plants, there are thousands of species, of which  many still remain to be discovered. One certain thing is that you can break this house down to varying composition of water, thermal energy, air, ether, organic and non-organic compounds and elements and of course intelligence, mind and 'spirit' (whatever that means to you).

So, where is life? Life exists everywhere! The composition of the various composites of a body be it of animal or plant as outlined above determines ability to carryout one or all functions of a living organism mentioned earlier. A fish has no fibers, and therefore do well in water. Trees have fibers and are therefore rigid and capable of enduring varying conditions. For the fish and the tree, their composition of water, thermal energy, air, ether, organic and non-organic compounds, varies considerably and one may not survive the other's atmosphere. So goes with planets outside of ours.

In other planets, life is adapted to the varying atmospheres. Sun houses personalities with body made up of predominantly thermal energy and other planets and asteroids  have entities with composition adaptable to their atmospheres. Life is not restricted to human like compositions alone. huge WELCOME to JUNO!

To see these lives as we explore space, hopefully our instrument will be suited to detect and interact with them and if it is not we'll keep trying. That wont drain the tax payers wallet. Definitely not! But Are those lives aware of our presence? I'll say yes! Our 3-d world is in itself limiting. That is the first step in understanding existence outside of our sphere. Those limitations may not be correctable, but can be explored. The exploration may not be with the use of limiting instruments. Indeed life is everywhere, one has to use the right instrument to see them.

Trayvon Martin

The Trayvon Martin's case will be talked about for a long time. This world has always been divided: rich vs poor; male vs female; straight vs LGBT; young vs old; name it! The inherent nature of all beings is to accept one thing and reject the other (animals and plants alike). We are by default, a 'discriminatory organism'. What then do we reject  or discriminate against to reduce the recurrence of tragedy, such as this?

We need to make concerted efforts to reject the default...those thoughts, speeches and actions that reduces our humane nature and work very hard (its a hard work!) to reprogram our minds to only stay positive and see everyone as our extended sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, put simple, our extended loved ones. This requires practice. We do not loss a few pounds without working on it nor do we possess that new tech gadget without a price.

Friends, brothers, sisters, if we take a meek approach and see ourselves as imperfect, we can continually search our hearts to root out biases (seconds by seconds, minutes by minutes...). By adhering to this practice consistently, it becomes only a question of time before the cells of our body rejects the status-quo, and root only for a humane point of view. Such a nature is in itself contagious and can help forge an organically healthy society. Its a responsibility that falls on all of us. Let's go to work!

Housing Market in Perspective

Walking down the street today on First Street, northeast, DC, I had a conversation with a
colleague Matias, on housing market in America. Foreclosure and consumer confidence, plus job
loss have plagued us over the last three years. Sad as these are, they are not endemic to us in the
United States alone. The world over in their individual sovereign states, were shivering with this
economic pandemic.

It is sad that families are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet at our time. Even
though I have no immediate family to care for, financially, I feel the heat too. Credit cards and
bills and differed school loan, year after year. I can barely say when I shall get through. Seems
like a classical case of a man sold out unknowingly or knowingly to the corporate world: 'just
work and pay month to month'...Wal-Mart will hire you at retirement.

I do have a problem here. That has to do with the housing market. Living in DC, seeing
those beautiful condos springing up at the speed of light and oh God; they are sight to see.
Admirable. I asked the price for a 2 bedroom recently on the Southwest end, and Lord, it goes
for $600,000.00 plus. At that price, I felt dizzy, and shrugged it off. I will rent until I cannot
afford rents anymore. To keep this narration short, housing is over priced in America. This was
the core of my conversation with Matias.

Food, shelter and healthcare are a triad that is necessary for humans...and animals alike.
Compromising one may jeopardize the other(s) and lead to a violation in fundamental human
existential needs. And of course...RIGHT. Housing for all, good healthy food for all, and
Medicare for all; sounds like asking for too much. Not just in America, but anywhere in
the globalized economy. But should we loss our sense of responsibility for one another, for
personal prosperity and self aggrandizement? Or is this question worth asking as it betrays
capitalism? Sure not. Market oriented economy is a natural way of life, even favored by God, in
His majesty. What is un-natural is for corporate(s) to go unregulated and exploit the common.

The cost of construction of a two bedroom condo in southwest DC is certainly not $300,000.00
not $100,000.00, I bet it is much less. I agree with location determining cost but not to that
magnitude of 1/2 million plus dollars. I wonder what retirement will be like for me and how
many of my kind are out there, with graduate degrees and huge school loans, enough to take a
third of your work life. I feel enslaved, and there is no way out!

That other Species…

It is interesting to note how diverse the environmental movement has grown with its accompanying philosophy in the varying arena. While this is complex, evolving and involving, I shall at this point look at the animal trade aspect and what this means to… me?


The African landscape is interesting to observe. Elephants, lions, rhinos, plus numerous large mammals, birds and amphibians are ‘extinct’ in some localities due to over hunting (certain ethnic group consider ‘bush meat’ a delicacy). These species’ meats are either highly priced and provides income and/or supports the protein needs in a family. Sometimes, both factors come into play. The continental landscape thence portrays a declining population of large mammals from West to South of Africa. Human population and a non-touristic based economy in West Africa, further aggravates animal hunting, compared to East and Southern Africa.

This January I was in Central America, El Salvador, to be specific. At a market place in San Salvador, the sight of the entrapped animals, mostly reptiles and birds is awful to see. The innocent animals were held trapped in strings that bind their limbs to their body until a buyer comes to determine their final fate (food or pet). This is saddening. Is the cruelty and gratification demanded by the perpetrator either in Africa, Americas or elsewhere, visible to their own eyes? May be not. Someone will argue that we are all entrapped by the invisible hands of nature. Very true; sans aucun doute! Humans has intelligence which In itself calls for responsibility.

Numerous national and international conventions exist, trying to shape us up, but the convention to truly address humane part of us remains obscure or better put, peut-être aucun. Cultures, traditions, social, economic and political end points, among several others, come into play herein. Therefore, we can hardly say what is right or wrong. But, does our conscience come into play when we decide the fate of the other species, based on our immediate needs or gratification? It depends on who you talk to. The Ogun worshipper in West Africa will not see anything wrong in dog sacrifice (a dog lover will faint at such a sight); nor will I agree with the trapping, killing and eating of anything for food or sacrifice, except grains and legumes. It comes down to our belief systems and how needs are defined within this context.

We can go on. But to avoid boredom, I shall conclude. Anyone familiar with Ramayan will remember how Dasarath, as young king went hunting in the forest. His skillful marksmanship is not limited to sight shooting alone. Sound to this expert king is as good as sight. He never miss his target. But one day, that skill brought down a different kill. History tells thus:

Two couples live in the forest as ascetics with their only son. They were both blind. So the only sight they have is this son. After fasting, they were to break fast with the water from the Sarayu river, as their solace. They sent the boy forth to the river. As he leveled the pitcher into the river, Dasarath heard the sound. The accompanying agonizing sound that followed was that of a human and not what he had thought.


Dasarath went before the blind ascetic couples to beg for forgiveness as the dying boy as told him to. He had to, because there will be a consequence for his action. Saddened by the news, the coupled decided it is time to depart this planet and instructed Dasarath to prepare a cremation fire for their son, which he did. The couple both leaped into the cremation fire of their only son, but as they proceed, they curse Dasarath thus: ‘in your old age you will also die from separation from your son as you have caused us to’. Dasratha died lamenting separation from Rama. I leave the rest to vedic historians.

Little to say, there are consequences for our actions, either at the individual level, or collective level. Hunting, trapping and killing of innocent animals has no ethical justification, if we sought peace and harmony. Nay, they bring forth negative consequences.

The good health we seek for, the love of the planet we longed for, ecological, social and economic sustainability can very well be attained if we all live on fruits and vegetables, nuts legumes and all that is plant based. But the tongue protests. Thus a justification for animal based food. Neither the sophisticated agricultural system nor the pharmaceutical ingenuity of our time will save the day. We remain the architects and engineers of healthy self, and world. Both are mutually dependent, inseparable and contagious. I can go on…

So, will the animal racketeer of sub-Saharan Africa, Central America or Asia be happy and self-fulfilled? Will the palate gratifying population of north east west and south and center of the equation with taste for wild or domesticated species find good health, longevity of life, internal and external peace, accompanied by an ethical inclination to save all that be and eat from the lowest of the pyramid? It depends on who you ask. I’ll give you my opinion: No!

A reflection along these lines may indeed open the door to augmented environmental consciousness. But either way, it is a recipe for harmony within and between individuals and species.

Note: I wrote this piece after my return from El Salvador in January and forgot to post it. Other emerging issues drove me to my blog, only to remind myself that this need come first.

Lessons of Iso-Upanishad-1

I do not intend to turn my blogs into a scriptural forum, but as I focus on environment and health, the scriptures just cut right across. So, what to do? I shall take in few leads from the iso-upanisad to guide my discuss in the coming weeks.

Yesterday was janmasthami and I fasted the whole day, in spite of 9 hour day work. My colleagues persuaded me to drink water which I objected to. This is not a strain on my body; it’s a fulfillment of my spirit. Tomorrow will come and I shall eat to my satisfaction.

Food indulgence and the inability to restrain and skip a meal or two or even the 3-square meals in a day (I don’t know if that term 3-sq. exist anymore as people now eats and eats or 'snacking', as it is put now) is more or less the norm these days. But we all need a break, the eyes bleak, the sited stands, the standing sits, the computer reboots and the land is left to fallow... Thence why not the digestive system? An uncontrolled tongue or digestive system can put to compromise, the health and wellbeing of the individual and the planet at large. How? Because the individual is a microcosm of the planet. Here lies the recipe for a sustainable world. Need induced consumption should triumph over craving-induced consumption. Mantra 1 of the Iso-upanisad, states:

"īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvaḿ yat kiḿ ca jagatyāḿ jagat tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svit dhanam "

Translations: "Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong"

We can only take what is due for the maintenance of body and spirit, taking more means we're taking what is not officially given to us. So, someone who lives on 3 fingers of banana and a cup of milk for breakfast, 3 rotis and a bowl of dahl (beans) for lunch and a bowl of steamed vegetables for dinner can not be said to have taken too much. But when a Texas styled 4-bedroom house and a gas clunker is added to it, one definitely have taken more than s/he deserves. A sustainable world is hereby compromised, just by the action of one individual!

It is hard to keep this craving induced consumption out of the way. But if we take lessons from inspirational texts as the Upanishads, we gain both understanding and strength to cut consumption to need induced level. This is the internal catalyst required to activate the reaction for a viable world. As a physician of my own body I shall write this prescription for myself. Anyone out there objects?

Hazardous Air Pollutants

It adds up!
Coming home last night, I can smell the exhaust/ferrous fumes my car and other autos releases. I know it adds up!
News and stories of friends and family diagnosed with cancer is no longer uncommon.
I am already taking in my dosage from the air I breath!
It definitely adds up!
Science and technology have made life easy to live, so has it made it easy leave!
It adds up.
Various cities now monitors for air pollutants. Exhaust from automobiles account for more than 50% of air pollutants, with cancinogens outnumbering the rest of the contents (of the individual pollutants in my city's air). I can only remember that every breath is a dose that adds up!
Regulations, enforcement and changing technology remains the approach by our law makers...how much more can we expect? The finish line may not be an air free of pollutants. It is when it comes to my turn to answer the call. For its air now, water and soil remains a misery. and they are all tied to my life!
It only adds up to make my ending sooner than nature orchestrated or is it the other way?