The Unconstitutionality of the AFSPA

The AFSPA is unconstitutional.

Either we admit that those people are the citizens of our country, and we grant them the same rights the rest of the Indians (are supposed to) enjoy, or we admit that they are a foreign territory that we are trying to keep under our control, and hence we do not grant them those rights.

If you think that an area is full of evil terrorists, you go in there with an act like the Special Powers act, it is shameful and pathetic if 5 years are not enough for you to regain control of a civilian population, no matter how many weapons they have.

If you can't manage in 5 years, take 5 more. Still no? Take 10 more. But, seriously, if 20 years are not enough for you to regain any sort of control, then that is just super pathetic. And that is your problem, not theirs. 50 freaking years? Really? Are you serious? 

That's just so sad, dude... That's just wrong. And intolerable. Unacceptable. Unconstitutional. And it should be punishable by death. Which still won't return the lives of the thousands of innocents who have been killed.

http://www.guernicamag.com/features/3282/mathur_12_1_11/

Fresh look on AFSPA – way you never thought before - Why the AFSPA is unconstitutional, and must be repealed immediately.

"The only solution, it seems, for redressing the deep anchored hatred and pain is an apology to the affected people and their subsequent economic advancement. So-called dialogues started by fat ministers, muffled scholars and cunning bureaucrats will not work. The Army or the police cannot help as they do not address the matters of the heart. If India has to be a true democracy then it has to show that the Rule by Law is also a Lawful Rule – starting with an investigation into who first thought of these unlawful acts that facilitated the murder of Indians.

Doubts about legitimacy of Indian rule in those places have to be cleared on an ideological level and at grass root, people-to-people levels. "

Of Iron ladies and Anonymous Ops.

Imagine being angry at something. Imagine this something permeating every aspect of every single day of your existence. Imagine it taking away your desire to do anything except oppose it, fight it, get rid of it. Now, imagine being unable to understand the very concept of futility. Imagine fighting and fighting and bleeding and falling and rising and fighting, while the crowd empties out, and only blackness is left behind to watch you. Imagine a cell that's just big enough to sleep in, and imagine the rage, the rage, the rage. Imagine the ghost of Justice weeping beside you in a cell, and you having the strength to console *her*, fight for *her*, when she should have been protecting *you*, watching over *you*.

Irom Chanu Sharmila has been on a hunger strike against the Armed Forces Special Power Act in Manipur since the 4th of November, 2000. The AFSPA, which is applicable only in Kashmir and the north-eastern states, gives the armed forces of India sweeping powers, to the extent that anyone, above the equivalent to a watchman's post in the force, has the authority to arrest, detain and Kill anyone on the suspicion of Militant activity. That's right. You don't have to be guilty. There doesn't have to be one shred of evidence against you. You could be anybody, doing anything. The Act translates to this: As long as you are part of the Central forces, you can murder anyone you want to, and no one can stop you, or even ask you why.

The extent of Abuse faced by the citizens of these States is alarming and nauseating. Every time I hear about another rape, another murder, another brutal senseless act of violence, it makes me want to flee the Country. How can we, as an entire Nation, just sit by and let something like this happen?? Why? Is it because Anna's corruption affects you, but the plight of the North-Eastern States does not? Or is it because we think ourselves "more Indian" than our counterparts?

The injustice is outrageous. The Silence, deafening. Her Story, heartbreaking.

What should she have done? What could she have done? What hasn't she done?

And now, if that wasn't enough, the NDAA enters the scene.

India has never been too big on individualism and promoting civil liberties. It's hard to concentrate on those things when nearly a third of the population is starving. But, the United States, now they have a reputation to uphold. An important one, if your national anthem mentions it..

This is not just a blow to the citizens of the US, or people who are somehow involved with the Nation; No, it is an affront to Freedom everywhere.

Don't fall, Land of the Free..

Your triumph or failure means everything..

Call to Arms

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Only Promise I'm Keeping

A hundred years ago,

I would have promised you eternity

Now, I have nothing to offer

except, half baked forevers

and a screaming taciturnity

For, I know, I too am disintegrating..

And, I suppose I should have listened 

when you whispered to me

"Put down your sword"

But it was all too late

and, I have made my enemies

Yes, I wander these angry streets

where no one dares touch me

and I rage in the fear that it is only because

I wear the golden armor that you left behind

and though it's been fading all this time

no one really cares

about you, or I

except us.

Still,

I have little to fear

for every arrow is just another one

Until the last one is here

And, the day I meet one-too-many,

it shall only be you and I

Yes, then everyone would care, my darling

But, your armor, you see, would die

Regardless, of all else that fails me now

and all the scattered forgotten vows

Your voice is the only one I still remember

at the edge of a dimly-lit, distant December

I know, I'm sure to be there again

even if how or when, I can''t control

And, until that day arrives,

Love, I swear I'll carry your soul...

What is Copyright? A beginner's Guide

In light of all the pro, and anti, SOPA  love & hate that's been flooding the internet. Here's my two cents:

Introduction

Copyright refers to the set of exclusive rights given to creators for their literary, artistic and scientific works, so long as they exist in a material or tangible form.[1]  According to Copyright law, the author is the creator of an original expression in a work, and is also the owner of the copyright. In the absence of any agreement in writing whereby the copyright has been assigned to another party by the author himself. Generally, a copyright exists in an original work of authorship at the instant that the said work is fixed in any tangible form of expression.

In virtually all countries, without exception, copyrights are products of legislation.[2]

Most nations follow one of two systems relating to copyright: 1) Authors’ Rights Systems & 2) Copyright System. The differences between the two are most visible when comparing the rights and status of Authors in these systems, with those of the owners of copyright.[3] Authors themselves, usually enjoy a better status and representation in CMOs in author’s rights countries, wherein some such organizations don’t even include, as members, owners of derived rights (e.g. Publishers).[4] In copyright system countries, on the other hand, it is the entrepreneurs who appear to have the stronger role.[5]

Defining terms

The Berne Copyright Convention, which has been signed by most major nations, states that every creative work is copyrighted the moment it is “fixed” in some material form.[6] The UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 defines an author as “the person who creates” the work, i.e. the creator, regardless of the type of work involved.[7] Hence, for copyright purposes, the writer of a novel or a play, the painter of a painting, the composer of a symphony, the choreographer of a ballet, etc. are all the authors.[8] The producer of a sound recording is its author.[9] In the case of films, both the principal director and the producer of the same are considered to be its authors.[10] Similarly, the person producing the broadcast or cable cast is its author.[11] 

On the other hand, ownership is transferrable. In a work created, the author is the first owner of the copyright, unless produced as a part of the author’s employment.[12] Though this ownership may leave the author of the work immediately upon his finishing it, at the instant of creation, the owner of copyright is the author.[13]

II. The Mass Media Phenomenon: The Printing Press to the internet

The emergence of the internet, followed by its consequent invasion into nearly every corner of the World, led to a redefinition of mass media in a new light; and scholars often compare the World Wide Web in terms of the revolutionary impact it has had, and is still in the process of having, to that of the printing press. In previous times, the concept and power of copyright was concentrated to a much higher degree than it is today, and can be traced back to privileges and monopolies that were granted to the printers of books. If one wanted to get a copy of a book, he would have to seek out these monopoly-holders and take their permission to literally copy the book on to blank sheets of paper.[14] The advent of the printing press is the reason most often cited for the growing interest in a formal protection for books, eventually resulting in the first general legislation for protecting the rights of authors, the British Statute of Anne, 1709.[15]

Up until the 1990s, copyright was mainly used by the entities it was aimed at: professional bodies; these were either legitimate (distributors, cable companies or broadcasters) or illegitimate (makers and distributors of pirated cassettes, and later, of CDs and DVDs). Usually, these entities were merely playing the role of intermediaries, and had no personal interest in the content themselves. The internet changed all of this, especially with the invention of peer-to-peer software. Starting with a centralized system known as Napster[16], the recording industry has been waging a constant war against file-sharing, evidence of the emergence of a strong social norm, the stopping of which would have been too risky, as enforcement of a legal norm considered unfair or unjustified by a majority of the concerned people is always arduous.[17]

Historically, the purpose of copyright was not to stop the flow of works, but to channel it, which is to say that copyright was never designed to forbid end-users from utilizing the work, and underlying policy objectives at the advent clearly demonstrate that the right of copyright was meant to be exercised by professionals, against other professionals.[18]

Today, there are three main organizations that regulate Copyright over the Internet: The Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MYIPO), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

MYPIO

The Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MYIPO) is responsible for the enforcement of the Copyright Act 1987. MYIPO is an agency under the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operation and Consumerism.[19]

Malaysian copyright law is strong and reflects current international copyright protection norms.[20] In 1997 an amendment was introduced on the lines of the U.S. Digital Millennium Act. Software was included in the list of copyrightable material and unauthorised transferring of copyrighted material over the internet and tampering with security measures that are embedded in software to prevent unauthorized copying are now akin to copyright infringement.[21]

MPAA

The Motion Picture Association of America was founded in 1922 to advance the interests of its members.  As a result, it operates in a multitude of spheres including safeguarding the intellectual property rights of its members. MPAA's members are the six major U.S. motion picture studios: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures etc.[22]

MPAA has filed lawsuits against servers[23] and torrent websites[24] to check illegal download of copyrighted content. In order to discourage people from illegally downloading copyrighted content innovative measures such as the “You wouldn’t steal a car”[25] video were widely broadcasted. MPAA claims that during 2006, 75 such servers were shut down due to their actions.[26] But MPAA is not enough to curb the internet piracy as even today there are hundreds of websites that allow one to illegally download any cinematograph film which may or may not be under copyright protection.

RIAA   

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trust which functions on similar lines as the MPAA as far as protecting the interests of its members, i.e. individual record owners,[27] goes. Thus it is responsible for collective rights management of sound recordings. 

RIAA also initially engaged in taking direct action against file service providers[28] and individuals[29] who illegally obtained copyrighted content from such websites. RIAA has now moved to work with ISPs to use a three-strike warning system for file sharing and once the third strike has been confirmed, the internet service of the infringing individual will be disconnected altogether.[30]

Remember:

The Author and the copyright owner are not always the same, the former being the creator of the work, and the latter referring to the person having “plenary control” of the said work.[31]

---

[1] A copyright refers to the exclusive statutory rights, given to the creator, for the exercise of control over any copying, and any other exploitation, of the works, for a specified amount of time. The owner of a copyright thus, can be said to possess a positive set of rights, as well as a negative one; The former being an exclusive right to copy and otherwise manipulate the copyrighted work, including the right to license others to do so, while the latter refers to the right to prevent anyone else from doing the same without the consent of the creator, who has legal remedies available to him. See ‘Defining Copyright’ available at http://www.articlesbase.com/copyright-articles/defining-copyright-2514882.html#ixzz1Tg3l76cv last visited on 04^th August 2011.

[2] World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO guide on the licensing of copyright and related rights by WIPO (Geneva: WIPO, 2004). Though, there is no such thing as an “international copyright” to protect one’s work throughout the world, most countries are members of the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, allowing for the protection of one’s works in Countries wherein one is not a citizen. See “About Copyright” World Copyright Information available at http://www.world-copyright.net/home.shtml last visited on 04th August 2011.

[3] Id. While the copyright system is based on a nearly purely market-based approach, focusing on the property aspect of copyright, the focal point of Collective Management Organizations in Authors Rights Societies seem to be primarily composed of taking care of the needs of the authors, instead of the entrepreneurs, thus adopting a comprehensive approach, which includes economic as well as social and cultural aspects. The differences are visible by inspecting the nomenclature; Referred to as collecting societies in copyright systems, they give the illusion of a purely economic role, limited to the function of ‘collection’ of fees from the users instead of distributing the same to the authors, which is obviously false. On the other hand, Authors rights countries often have more comprehensive terms for the CMOs, ranging from ‘societies of authors’ to the ‘societies for protection (or safeguard) of rights’., reflecting their wide-ranging approach to the subject. In the copyright system, these organizations mainly exercise the mere economic role of administering copyright collectively, in the Authors rights setup, theses organizations often have additional social and cultural roles, sometimes being mandatory by law. In the latter, CMOs are usually also seen as cultural organizations, requiring a sense of unity and camaraderie amongst the authors.

[4] often even given the designation of “Authors societies”

[5] Slike Von Lewinski, International Copyright Law and Policy 61 (UK: Oxford University Press, 2008).

[6] Article 2(2), Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. Article 5(2) of the Convention expressly prohibits all member nations from insisting upon compliance with formal procedures as a pre-condition for protection of works by foreign authors protected by the said convention. See Sheldon W. Halpern, David E. Shipley & Howard B. Abrams, Copyright Cases and Materials 296 (Minnesota: West Publishing Co.. 1998).

[7] Sec. 9(1), Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988: Authorship of work “(1) In this Part “author”, in relation to a work, means the person who creates it.”

[8] Thomas Hays & Claire Milne, Intellectual Property Law in Practice 185 (UK: W. Green & Son, 2004].

[9] S. 9(2)(aa), CDPA, 1988.

[10] 9(2)(ab), CDPA, 1988.

[11] 9(2)(b), CDPA, 1988.

[12] Ss. 11(1) and (2), CDPA, 1988.

[13] Thomas Hays & Claire Milne, Intellectual Property Law in Practice 185 (UK: W. Green & Son, 2004].

[14] The oldest recorded case based on an action for the right to copy deals with a text known as the Cathach, from Ancient Ireland. The text is the oldest existing Irish manuscript of the Psalter containing a Vulgate version of Psalms XXX (10) to CV (13). See ‘The Cathach/The Psalter of St. Coumba’ available at http://www.ria.ie/Library/Special-Collections/Manuscripts/Cathach.aspx last visited on 04th August 2011.

[15] Joseph S. Dubin, ‘The Universal Copyright Convention’, 42(1) California Law Review, Inc. 92 (1954). Also see: Statute of Anne 1709 “An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned” available at http://www.copyrighthistory.org/cgi-bin/kleioc/0010/exec/ausgabe/%22uk_1710%22 last visited on 03^rd August 2011.

[16] Napster was shut down after injunctions were issued by various US Courts. See A&M Records Inc v. Napster Inc., 284 F, 3d 1091 (9^th Cir. 2002) cf. Daniel Gervais, Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights 7 (The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, 2006).

[17]Daniel Gervais, Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights 8 (The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, 2006).

[18] Id.  Similar to the effect of the printing press, the internet has the potential to make laws and decisions easily accessible to the public, which in turn could make the administration of copyrights more transparent, and the authority of central organizations stronger. Also See: Ang, Peng Hwa and James A. Dewar, ‘Back to the Future of the Internet: The Printing Press’ available at http://lirne.net/resources/netknowledge/ang.pdf last visited on 04th August 2011.

[19] Available at http://www.myipo.gov.my/ last visited on 03^rd August 2011.

[20] Malaysia is a signatory to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and boasts strong domestic copyright legislation.

[21] Section 2(f) which provided the definition of Literary work and Section 41 dealing with infringement were amended to cover electronic media as well, Copyright (Amendment) Act 1997.

[22] Motion Picture Association of America available at www.mpaa.org/about last visited on 03rd August 2011.

[23] Razorback 2 was shut down as a result of the action taken by MPAA. See ‘MPAA Press Release, 23.02.2006’ available at http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_02_23.pdf last visited on 04th August 2011.

[24] MPAA has filed multiple suits against various torrents, such as Pirate Bay. Raids were conducted on the office of Pirate Bay and servers were seized. Arrests were also made. But three days later, Pirate Bay was functional again. See ‘MPAA Press Release, 22.09.2005’ available at  http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2005_09_22.pdf last visited on 04th August 2011.

A similar attempt was made to shut down Hotfile. Jacqui Cheng ‘MPAA sues Hotfile for “staggering” copyright infringement’ Law & Disorder: Tech law and policy in the Digital Age available at http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/mpaa-sues-hotfile-for-copyright-infringement-on-a-staggering-scale.ars last visited on 04th August 2011.

[25] “You wouldn’t Steal a Car” Youtube available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZm8vNHBSU last visited on 03^rd August 2011.

[26] Razorback 2 was shut down as a result of the action taken by MPAA. See ‘MPAA Press Release, 23.02.2006’ available at http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_02_23.pdf last visited on 04th August 2011.

[27] RIAA available at http://www.riaa.com/aboutus.php?content_selector=about-who-we-are-riaa last visited on 04^th August 2011.

[28] Andrew Orlowski ‘"I poisoned P2P networks for the RIAA" – whistleblower Gobbles fesses up to hoax’ available at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/01/17/i_poisoned_p2p_networks/ last visited on 02^nd August 2011.

[29] Andrew Orlowski ‘RIAA chief invokes Martin Luther King in pigopoly defense’ available at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/03/18/riaa_chief_invokes_martin_luther/ last visited on 03^rd August 2011.

[30] ‘Verizon backtrack on three-strike disconnect claim’ available at http://www.thecmuwebsite.com/article/verizon-backtrack-on-three-strike-disconnect-claim/ last visited on 03^rd August 2011.

[31] Alka Chawla, Copyright and Related Rights 74 (Delhi: Macmillan India Limited, 2007).

RATM and Anti-Authoritarian

I was talking to Ko last night, and he told me that RATM instantly appealed to anybody who was anti-authoritarian, and I launched off into a whole speech about how I wasn't anti-authoritarian, but just doing what I wanted, whether or not the authorities had something to say about it. Being an instinctively curious person by nature, I had to see what it was that I claimed I was not being. Turns out that being an Anti-authoritarian isn't about what I thought it was. It's impossible not to feel silly at this juncture, but at least I found out, right? I should know. And now I do.

Ah well, the RATM thing makes sense then. Power to you, Ko. I know you'll read this some day. <3

Ah, so much to learn, so much to do. I suppose beginning those assignments would be a decent start.

Stay Strong!

Peace.

Everything Stays the Same

The need

To bleed

Is not easily ignored

The words

They’re gone

They don’t love me anymore

And I

Am not me

Haven’t been so in too long

My veins

Are empty

My thoughts, always wrong

And I wait

In vain

For anything to change

But I’m trapped

And lost

And everything stays the same

Classroom ramblings on Choice and Testifying

Choice is important.
Because, without choice, freedom becomes meaningless.
And, that is unacceptable.

Not to mention Dangerous.

Sometimes, I believe that it is the ability of man to adapt that is the root of all our problems. For, unless you want things to change, they never will. And, unless you dislike the current establishment, at least to the point of resentment, you won't really want things to change. Not strongly enough for you to do anything about it anyway.

*And the riot be the rhyme of the unheard*

There are food grains rotting in godowns year after year, across the country, while children starve to death slowly, along with the cattle that is too weak to give them any milk to drink or sell to survive. And as they die in homes made of mud and tarpaulin, hundreds of schools and restaurants and cafeterias across cities throw away thousands of tons of food every single day, even while orphanages struggle to find funding for food for all their kids.

The government spends lakhs of rupees on building memorials for the so-called important, and the dead, while the living join those very ranks because they don't have enough money to survive. Farmer suicides, victims of industrial disasters, survivors of war. Nothing is sacred anymore. Least of all, human life.

The rich feed on the poor, and the corporations of the world move steadfastly on their own path of greed and oppression, often leaving behind a trail of destruction, of both land and water resources, through toxic wastes that slowly seep out and poison the unaware populace day after day.

Where is the justice for the people of Bhopal, betrayed by their own government and State? Where is the justice for the north eastern states, long oppressed by forces of a Nation that forces it to call itself a part of a whole that has never given a fuck about its opinions or welfare, instead subjected to horrors and unjustified violence by the same forces that are supposed to be protecting those very citizens?

There are too many places in this world where it is possible to beat a man to within an inch of his life without ever facing a single consequence. And the voices that speak out are ignored until they get too loud, whereupon they are quickly silenced.

But, someone must testify.


[My own is hoarse. But, I've realized, that if I am going to be consumed by rage, I may as well burn in the name of the graver injustices plaguing our planet. I don't exactly know where to start, but I suppose reading is always a good idea. The reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War first. An excellent idea for the next post! I shall make a list of all the books I absolutely must read.]

The Logic of Power

Power

Power is important. And it isn't only because everybody wants it. The more power you possess, the more control you have. Over not only your own, but other people's lives as well. Power gives you a high that might remind one of the exhilaration and delight of true freedom, but this is merely a symptomatic illusion, usually the source of this addiction - when it isn't based on a perverse desire to hurt and conquer, of course. It is an illusion, because while more Power might mean fewer masters, each step demands more and more, until every upward move involves a sacrifice that we are by then hardwired to too readily give. 

____________________________________________________________________________

The Power belongs to the people. Whatever happened to that government of the people, by the people, for the people? How can millions of people remain poor in a country, year after year, while MNCs - that aren't even real people, make billions and billions of dollars? How can they rob the same people that work for them, day and night, who often work endless shifts, subjecting themselves to hazards that they do not even fully comprehend? How can they get away with incidents such as the Bhopal Disaster (India) and The Hawk's Nest Tunnel (West Virginia, U.S.) without even a scratch, while orphaned children cry in their wake, often themselves infected by diseases that no doctor can ever cure - if they were to ever be able to afford one.

A professor of mine said this very trippy thing in class once, "You can never take a look at the so called 'whole-picture'. Because, once you begin to see all the things that are happening in the World today, you'd only get sad and depressed and suicidal. That's why people isolate events and ignore the rest. We all do it. And if we wish to remain sane, we have to."

If it were anybody else saying these words, I would dismiss them as Ostrich-like instantly, but this professor knows things. He has negotiated deals between the government and armed militant forces multiple number of times. When he speaks, you are compelled to listen, even though I've never once heard him raise his voice. He has seen more than I can ever dream to.. and you can see it in him. Therefore, because he has said it, I wonder if it is true, though I already know it is, for I know a little bit about insanity.

There is just too much that is wrong with the World. Too much that needs fixing. Meanwhile, the people seem to be caught up in struggles over things that would be worthless unless all that is basic about our rights and freedoms are guaranteed.

And you know that everything you hold dear to you is at risk, when you need to ask the police whether you can play music in the far-out country-side rather than just inform them. And when they can stop you from walking from one end of town to the other, on the ground that certain political groups have threatened violence. So? Are not the police in existence to prevent exactly that kind of thing?

It's a common problem in our country, and perhaps in others as well, that authorities believe our handing over of certain freedoms in our desire to be safe translates to an acceptance of laws that further curtail our freedoms just to make their jobs easier. Free Speech is a constitutional right. And every policeman, just like any citizen, has the highest form of duty to uphold the Constitution.

But, who knows that now? And, who cares, right?

We've got to take the Power back...

_______________________________________________________________________

Does Power always corrupt?

No, but it always can.

And Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely.

A Revolution Begins

On my way to class this morning, my eyes fell upon this book on Guevara that I had borrowed from a senior of mine sometime last year, but never gotten around to reading. Now, I've never been much of a non-fiction person, but after a really good experience with M.J. Akbar's book on Nehru (The making of India, I believe) and more importantly, considering I now own a blog called "Viva la Revolucion", I guess that's one book I should read. Nevertheless, at the time, I merely picked it up and ran off to class, for which I was, once again, late.

Here, I would like to deviate for a bit and admit my guilt as to not utilizing the facilities that are available to us students, one of them being decent lectures. Undeniably, our college is facing severe crises in terms of quality professors, but we still do have some lectures that are worth listening to. Unfortunately, a short attention span, combined with a compulsion to always be doing something, means that I never know what's happening in class. This should change. I state it here, so that I know that I am bound.

For now, however, we must return to the book I am reading. It contains a small chronological sequence of all important dates and events in Che Guevara's life. And I cannot believe that someone like him was murdered, while the entire international community simply stood by and watched. [Though I am reminded of another free man's words of wisdom "If you kill another, you must be prepared to be killed yourself." (Fictional, perhaps, but wise nevertheless.)] I don't think I'll say more on the subject just yet, though.

You know, I don't know why I chose the title 'Viva La Revolucion' for my blog. The road that led me here was a completely different one, revolving around freedom, and a recurring love for Italy. And anarchy. It was about music, and rage, and the need to understand.

But, now, the words are beginning to speak to me again. And I am already hooked into this book that seems to whisper directly to my blood that it was just waiting for me to be ready.

You know, people always say that Che would be really depressed if he saw these rich little kids with their capitalist-consumerist attitudes, running around wearing his highly commercialized face on T-shirts and bandanas.

But, I don't think that he would really mind. He wouldn't, because he believed mostly in freedom. And I understand what he wanted; just soldiers to take his position on the lines. For one to be so dedicated, one needs to be inspired. And to be inspired, one needs to hear and know about people who have attempted the crystallization of the sort of dreams that you cannot even wholly comprehend. For every person who hears the story of Che consumes a spark that may just ignite into a roaring fire. And revolutions need all the flame they can muster.

It seems too strong a pull to be just coincidence. I know I shouldn't think like this, but I can feel that familiar tightness in my heart, as if I were preparing for a struggle that were inevitable. I would ignore the feeling, if it were not for the chance discovery I made of Nelson Mandela's words about Che Guevara, when he referred to him as "an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom".

I love Freedom, Mr. Che.

Inspire me?


P.S. It's impressive that even blogger's spell check knows that Guevara is *not* a spelling mistake. Way to go, Che! Viva la revolucion!

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

Not all revolutions involve assassinations and civil wars. Though, I am yet to learn whether all revolutions require the same.. It's easy to feel like that sometimes; much harder to take a stance and fight for what you know is right, with only your words and your convictions to make a point, not daggers and poison.

Words have always held power, and they always will. Their impact might be diluted by way of our insane levels of connectivity and the need to share and discuss the most trivial issues on public fora, but the same also facilitates a network with the kind of reach that is incomprehensible to even those from times that cannot yet be considered past.

We, the youth of today; individuals who have grown in the midst of a chaotic world where everything is accessible, less and less is permitted, and everyone has an opinion that they scream directly into your ears or shove down your throats, carry a different burden of responsibility. It is an era of change. And change we must, or we shall die.

Apathy, violence, hate, jealousy, greed; none of these is new. But the ability of man to destroy is much greater now than ever before in the past, and that is why things must change.

Earth has borne the burden of mankind for centuries without a complaint, and now that the planet is  falling apart, our careless ways must change.

Corruption and incompetence have long been a part of human history, but we are no longer a new species struggling to survive in a new world. We have been here long enough to know better, and hence we must change.

But, first we must learn what to do. And this cannot be explained or taught to anyone. We arrive on this planet just as clueless as the next newborn infant, and every single person must die. The time in between is yours and yours alone. No one who tells you what to do or how to behave shall ever have to live with the consequences of your actions. Each one of us has been given the ability to think our actions through.

"We don't need anyone to tell us what to do.. We are free to follow our own path. There are those who will take that freedom from us, and too many of you gladly give it. But it is our ability to choose - whatever you think is true - that makes us human. There is no book or teacher to give to the answers, to show you the path. Choose your own way. Do not follow me. Or anyone else."

Amen to that. Brothers and Sisters, listen closely, for it is your life, and not your soul that is in immediate need of salvation. On your deathbed, you shall not remember the Sundays you spent at work, or your highest grades in class; you will remember moments of meaning, and worth, and value. And no one but you can create them. That is the time that is running out.

Live your life. No one else can do it for you. And no one else ever should.

Go in Peace.