India | India
May.16.2013
Self-immolation isn't what it used to be.
This ultimate form of protest became global news in 1963 when the venerable monk Thich Quang Duc set himself ablaze in the middle of Saigon, Vietnam, protesting religious oppression. Doused in gasoline, the monk sat serenely in lotus position and lit a...
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May.13.2013
I’m addicted to exploring the world. Over the years, I’ve visited many countries, often more than once, nosing around, talking with people, seeing how they live, what they’ve created and built, the direction they seem to be heading, from the cities...
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May.04.2013
A few years ago, I had a friend whose wife and daughter had both been child sexual abuse victims. One day he asked me, “If child sexual abuse is so prevalent maybe there’s nothing wrong with it. Maybe it’s just a normal part of civilization.” I looked at him as if he was crazy.
Over the years, I’...
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Apr.26.2013
Why, people ask, do I wander the world? Why do my wife and I spend time in other countries, seeking out places that are different from those we’re used to and are comfortable in?
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Apr.22.2013
Like most Americans, I’m terrible at learning languages. I’ve studied several, but only varying amounts of each language stuck. Of course, I should’ve started when I was a small child, but elementary schools didn’t teach languages then...
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Apr.20.2013
I am so ashamed on behalf of humanity, so ashamed on behalf of men and civilization, and so ashamed on behalf of India.
Police in India arrested a man for torturing and raping a five year old. That's enought to sicken my spirit, and the details are more sickening.
But the father knew...
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Apr.05.2013
Lately I've had to confront the same fear again and again. With essay 1280 on 魂 (soul, spirit) and then essay 1651 on 塔 (tower; pagoda; monument), I've needed to write quite a bit about Buddhism. What a complicated religion! Even Japanese people seem confused by some of the...
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Apr.05.2013
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s screenplays did not scream, or even appear to make profound statements. The sorrow was matter-of-fact. It took me a while to understand the detachment.
“I want a happiness without a hole in it, I want the bowl without a crack” – (From ‘The Golden Bowl’)...
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Mar.30.2013
The princess was young, beautiful, spoke English better than Maggie Smith, carried a smart phone everywhere, and we were her guests. One of the most modern countries in the world, India also remains one of the most traditional. It...
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Mar.14.2013
The Palace of the Maharaja of X was going to be our home for the next few nights, while we explored the region.
“This should be fun,” we told each other, and the...
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