"Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy. Everyone who gets you out of shit is not necessarily your friend."
The Lessons of a Bird: A Short Story
BY ALLEN KLEIN
Here is a story about a bird who found his lessons in the most unlikely of places:
Once upon a time, there was a nonconforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter. However, soon the weather turned so cold that he reluctantly started southward. In a short time, ice began to form on his wings and he fell to earth in a barnyard, almost frozen. A cow passed by and crapped on the little sparrow. The sparrow thought it was the end. But then the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings. Warm and happy, able to breathe, he started to sing. Just then a large cat came by and hearing the chirping, investigated the sounds. The cat cleared away the manure, found the chirping sparrow and promptly ate him.
Now, it may seem that there are no lessons here, but there are.
In fact, there are three:
1. Everyone who shits on you is not necessarily your enemy.
2. Everyone who gets you out of shit is not necessarily your friend.
3. If you’re warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.
2. Everyone who gets you out of shit is not necessarily your friend.
3. If you’re warm and happy in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut.
As an Individual, Born before India's Independence, Never had the time or inclination for Politics either local or National or International level. Perhaps it speaks of the stone age I am from. I have graduated from Listening to Binaca Geet Mala & Vivid Bharati using a small Murphy Valve Radio, and using snail mail for communications and telegrams for emergencies most often informing family of deaths or births. News papers like Hindu and Indian express were read by fathers in the family and almost everything we heard or knew was by word of mouth most often gossips and rumours.
Fast Forward to 2020, a different century of smart phones and apps meaning applications giving access to social media like Face Book, Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter, Pod Casts, You Tube, and I am sure there are hundreds of other Apps I have not bothered to find out as I do not have the time or Band width. and Lets us not forget the Personal Computers and Lap Tops and Doctor Google. There is virtually nothing One cannot find out about, using Google. and Oh if you are interested in news you don't really have to buy printed news paper any longer (even though I do just out of habit or reading the paper and sipping nice coffee) and ofcourse we have the CNN, FOX, Al JaZeera, BBC, ABC, SBS and a whole list of Indians news media bombarding the populations with news 24/7 mostly recycled and Bad news. and guess what I can get them all landing as Google Mail or as Google Alerts. So there is no dearth of information.. Whilst the kids are all too busy posting photos on Instagram and chasing their idols, it is the Oldies who have taken to Whatsapp and Face Book like fish to Water. Gone are the Yahoo and Google Groups that chaps like me were hooked to from year 2000 to year 2015.
Digital Technology has changed the way we do things from day to day from booking doctors appointments, to shopping for groceries on line and having it delivered to using Ubereats to get your chosen dishes delivered to your house to eat while you watch TV. Who wants to Cook or even go to the stadium to watch Sports when you can watch it on a big screen at home in your own personalised TV Room.
Along with this Digital Tech Boom came the opportunity to follow anything you want be it tennis or cricket or news or politics or info on health and medical treatments etc etc. Everything is at our disposal in our very homes.
All of a sudden most retirees are becoming aware of local and national and international Politics. We get to see every move Trump makes 24/7 and we also stay abreast of news on Corona Virus and how it is spreading to the rest of the world slowly but steadily. Having said that there is also a lot of fake news out there to confuse the Population and Politicians will condemn anything against them as FAKE news. India is No exception.
No Country has more Mobile Phones per capita than India and no country uses Whatsapp more than India, especially because it is free.
This has turned out to be a Boon for the over 50s in India especially the retirees to have time to dabble in matters of public interest including politics.
Digital Technology has changed the way we do things from day to day from booking doctors appointments, to shopping for groceries on line and having it delivered to using Ubereats to get your chosen dishes delivered to your house to eat while you watch TV. Who wants to Cook or even go to the stadium to watch Sports when you can watch it on a big screen at home in your own personalised TV Room.
Along with this Digital Tech Boom came the opportunity to follow anything you want be it tennis or cricket or news or politics or info on health and medical treatments etc etc. Everything is at our disposal in our very homes.
All of a sudden most retirees are becoming aware of local and national and international Politics. We get to see every move Trump makes 24/7 and we also stay abreast of news on Corona Virus and how it is spreading to the rest of the world slowly but steadily. Having said that there is also a lot of fake news out there to confuse the Population and Politicians will condemn anything against them as FAKE news. India is No exception.
No Country has more Mobile Phones per capita than India and no country uses Whatsapp more than India, especially because it is free.
This has turned out to be a Boon for the over 50s in India especially the retirees to have time to dabble in matters of public interest including politics.
