I first heard ‘cultural genocide’ when Dalai Lama accused China on Tibet.

What is cultural genocide? That sounds intelligent but…?

I know of human genocide where a generation of humans or tribes were exterminated. I first understood this when the Khmer Rouge engaged teenagers to exterminate the elderly by using plastic bags to suffocate!

Today, our culture is one where enormous amounts of money, energy, and time were poured to constructing facades people believed were more acceptable by others. The standards used to determine a person’s value and worth generally include wealth, public acclaim, beauty, power and popularity…jobs and professions; location and kind of homes…

Take for instance, those women pose for fashion magazines and television commercials…top models paid exorbitant salaries; athletes are expected to perform like machines; and pop-star celebrities ‘primped and styled’ to an exact market-tested image! Perhaps the reason for indulgence in drugs and alcohol to anaesthetize one’s pain and inadequacy in order to reach perfection?

Then there is the throw-away culture and the must-have-latest technological gadgets!

How do we define these? Modernisation? Cultural decadence? Cultural genocide?



Yesterday, we throw away worn out and tattered old jeans because the jeans have a hole in the knee.

Today, many will spend a fortune on the latest fashion — jeans with a hole in the knee! Wear worn out jeans to be hip!


I’d been thinking a lot about anger lately.  

I know anger is a normal human emotion…a fact of life. There is nothing wrong with anger per se.

The problem is when the anger gets completely out of control…when it won’t let go…when it does some real harm to others…when it lashes out irrationally and makes one regret after…when one cannot see the bigger picture or another’s point of view…

Cursing, swearing or colorful charged words start flying…thinking becomes exaggerated and overly dramatic!

I recall the remark once made by this elderly friend who brought me to a rodeo long time ago. The atmosphere was highly charged. The cowboy was challenged to stay on the angry bull for several minutes when released in the ring. Those who couldn’t stay on were thrown off the bull and flung in the air.

He said, “You see the cowboy just stay on it. He flowed with the energy of the angry bull.” Then added, “Just like taming our anger.”

Indeed, the cowboy did not pacify or try ways and means to take control of the bull. He did not stop the bull or bring it back to the pen. He just stay on it. The cowboy flowed with the energy of the anger. He knew by forcing the angry bull to calm down before he’s ready, would only make the bull angrier and panicked more.

Such is paradox of life…