How Sane Are We?

                                                                                   Anuradha Chaudhary, Bangladesh (1947 - )
Summary in English

This essay reflects the modern environmental issues that writer talks about the insane behavior of the modern human beings who are blindly causing the ecological damage as well as the environmental destruction of the modern world. Human beings are selfish, commercial and self-destructive in the modern world. This essay implies that human beings cannot make rational decisions. Ecology and politics are closely linked although many people do not see any link between them. Similarly, we are not respecting our ancesters by conserving nature. Thus, it is necessary for us to change the present social, economic and political system of the world.
The essayist analyzes the misconception that our collective decision making process is rational. She shows the realistic picture of the environmental crisis in the modern world. She criticizes modern human beings for not being awareness about the fatal consequences of the environmental destruction so that they are directly or indirectly involved in creating pollutions and ecological damage. People from the developed countries have been using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other harmful gases and chemicals. CFCs were invented in 1930. They consist of chlorine, fluorine and carbon. They are man-made chemicals. They cause 20% of the greenhouse effect. Similarly, Ozone is a naturally occurring substance made up of oxygen atoms. The ozone layer is badly affected. If the rays reach the earth, they will affect co-system, decrease agricultural productivity, weaken human immune system, cause skin cancer and eye contracts. This is because only in 1985, it was believed that there is a between CFCs and ozone layer. Therefore, people from the world could stop the use of CFCs immediately and use cheaper and harmless chemicals to replace it. However, this principle could not be long-lasting so that people started using CFCs for creating destruction to themselves.
The writer says that modern human beings have been destroying their own existence. The decision makers as the political leaders are only worried about the next election, but not about the future of human beings. They are only concerned with immediate advantages. So, our collective decision is self-destructive. Therefore, we all human beings should save the nature, atmosphere, wild life, forests, water, resources, ozone layer and the whole ecology. If we fail to bring about fundamental change in our ways of thinking and doing politics, we just might sink and drown. To conclude, the writer suggests us that we, modern human beings should change our thoughts, behaviors and political and commercial activities.

Gaia

                                                                                             Shreedher Lohani, Nepal (19944 -)
Summary in English 

Gaia is a mythological, ecological and satirical poem. It is a symbolic or personification for earth. According to Greek mythology, Gaia is the Goddess for earth that is a natural system that controls itself and endures everything. The earth has always been nurturing her children with motherly love despite their reckless activities. Although her own children have made her weak and ugly, but she still loves her children. She endures all wars and all hunger. In addition, the earth has patience and endurance. She has great heart.
The strong warm wind blows through the withered palm trees. The devouring rain hits the earth. Then, the sea becomes violent and mad. The mountain peak has irregular shape. The powerful time plucks at the world on its thin gray wings. Moreover, the atmosphere of the earth is polluted with the full smell of the filthy fungus. There is sudden violence, disturbance, disaster and hunger everywhere in the earth. However, the earth (Gaia) tolerates all these pains and sufferings.

Ethics

                                                                                                        Linda Pastan, USA (1932 - )
Summary in English

The poem "Ethics" is Linda Pastan, influential American poetess. This poem represents the dilemma between art and life. It tells the story about the youth to old age. According to her, life, art, painting and nature are almost one. In addition, art is like the life itself.
The speaker at the very beginning of the poem shares her past experience about ethical question asked by her class teacher that brought complexity and dilemma to her. The question was "if there was a fire in a museum, which would you save, a Rembrandt painting or an old woman who hadn't many years left anyhow?' This question makes speaker long time to think in different occasions and places. She along with her classmates used to choose the Rembrandt painting for one year and the old woman in another year, and the school teacher reported the speaker that she wanted to be far away from her responsibility.
In fact, the speaker could not understand what ethics means when she was child. However, the poetess stands in the real museum in front of the real Rembrandt and her as the old woman herself after many years. Then, she comes to know that art is related to life and vice-versa. Being an artist, the speaker emphasizes both art and life. Now she comes with the surprising answer that woman, painting and the season are almost one and all beyond saving children. It means life and art is the One, where one remains incomplete in the absence of another. Rather both art and life are almost equal.

Curbing the One–Eyed Monster

                                                                                            Fiona C. Jenkins, New Zealand (1947 - )
Summary in English

This essay makes a criticism on modern TV culture where TV has been taken as a one-eyed monster. It must be curbed aside. It has become a thing of hatred. So, we must keep our brain safe by ignoring to watch TV although we miss some advantages. We spend lots of our precious time on watching TV, and so do our children. It has become a curse. It makes us completely passive. We are losing our creativity. Democratic attitudes and values have been endangered by TV as the monstrous gift of science. Truth is lost. In this sense, many people are manipulated and controlled by others.
Jenkins says that TV has brought a great harm. For example, in America, daring childhood, people watch 13000 killings 100000 violent episodes and 650000 advertisements. In average, an American child watches TV seven hours per day which is only the matter of wasting time. Similarly, we are left very little time for fun after watching TV. Instead, we could read books, talk to people, watch the sunset, travel, etc. watching TV is to make passive life. TV makes us ignore institutional life. As a result, the social and political world remains deficient. TV threatens a free society. The world of TV is unreal and irrelevant, too.
People who are politically and economically powerful, they mostly control media (TV) and mold public opinion to serve their own class interests. In such a situation, democracy suffers and people cannot exercise freedom. Jenkins gives the example of America. In America, TV stations are controlled by capitalists and rich, selfish, business and media people. They never think about the benefit of the ordinary people. Rather they manipulate and deceive common people. Though they get many comments, they do not care it.
Jenkins suggests us that the best idea to protect ourselves from had influence of television is boycotting them. She further advises people to unplug TV and curb it aside. Therefore, it is better to throw the TV set away and make educational in our home.

The Good Example

                                                                                          Vicente Riva Palacio, Mexico (1832-1896)
Summary in English

"The Good Example" is a story about the educational system of Mexico in the 19th century based on traditional methodologies like memorization as well as parrot learning. The writer truly makes a bitter comment with such educational system where even a parrot can open a school.
There was a village in the Southern part of the Mexico Republic. In that village, there was a school run by Don Lucas Forcida. He was a hardworking teacher; therefore, villagers and pupils liked and respected him very much. He had adopted the traditional methodology of teaching and learning. Students chanted the alphabets, syllables, religious question and answers, poems and historical dates in s monotonous way. Their learning consisted in repeating the teacher's words and sentences with boringness.
Don Lucas had a best friend named 'Perico.' Perico was a parrot that used to seat above the school door. It used to imitate whatever the teachers and students chanted. The interesting thing is that after school, Perico and the head teacher used to enjoy having cake and chocolate in the school ground. They understood each other perfectly. So, both were tighter. Several years passed. Don Lucas had much confidence on his parrot, therefore; no longer he trimmed his wings or tied his legs.
One day a strange incident took place. One of the school children informed Don Lucas about the parrot's escape. Don Lucas and the children saw the bird fly away into the deep forest with the forest dwelling parrots. Don Lucas, teachers and all students got shocked from this incident. Don Lucas though himself that the parrot was ungrateful to abandon the best friends like him. After a long time; they had forgotten the terrible incident.
After several months, Don Lucas had to make a trip to neighboring village was twenty or thirty miles away from his house. When he was in the middle forest, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. Don Lucas's ears caught a familiar sound like children chanting syllables, alphabets and words. Suddenly, he thought it was a fancy but later he asked himself if there was a school in the forest. He got surprised. Finally, he saw a group of parrots chanting alphabets, syllables and words by flying over his head. There was a Perico as well.
At the end, Perico turned his head towards his master, Don Lucas and told cheerfully that he had opened a school in the forest.

"Surely you're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

                                                                                                Richard P. Feynman, USA (1918-1988)
Summary in English

This essay is based on the writer's past experience about his college education regarding knowledge and methods. The writer claims that knowledge must be based on scientific methods and it must be gained through the interdisciplinary approach. So, this essay tries to show that traditional method of learning is baseless and misleading. Furthermore, a talented and genuine man can adjust anywhere in the world. Interest is the most important motivation I education though what and how one learns can be measured.
Richard P. Feynman was a physics student who completed his undergraduate from MIT, America. He loved his institution too much so that he wanted to do graduation from there. However, Prof. Slater did not accept his enrollment because Feynman had to find out what and how the rest of world was going and doing. So, according to the suggestion of Prof. Slater, he decided to go to Princeton College for his graduation.
He went to Princeton College with his father by car. He also got room there. He stayed in the hostel with his friends. The college looked like the imitation of Oxford or Cambridge University. One day the Dean of Princeton College, Prof. Eisenhart organized a Tea Party to welcome the new students. Feynman was not very familiar about the culture and manners of such social gathering. He got confused how to behave and where to sit. Mr. Feynman was asked if he liked cream of lemon tea. But he replied that he would like both. Listen his reply, all people started laughing. At the same time, Mr. Eisenhart commented, "Surely, You are Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
Gradually, Feynman learned the manners of social gatherings at Princeton College. Then, he started going to tea party, dinner party as well. At the very beginning, he used to sit the physics group students but later he started sitting with the groups of biologists, zoologists and philosophers. Mr. Feynman became the talented and genuine student out of the college students. He understood the importance of interdisciplinary approach in learning. So, he realized why Princeton College was right for him.
Mr. Feynman got many opportunities to gain knowledge in different disciplines during his graduation from Princeton College. He got golden opportunity to observe cyclotron about how it works. He was also invited to conduct a seminar on Biology by Prof. Watson at Harvard University. So, he gave a lecture to the Biology students of Harvard University.
Although Mr. Feynman was a physics student, he learned a lot of things and gained experiences in Biology. He loves physics more but equally he prefers to gain knowledge from different disciplines.

Phaedo

                                                                                                                    Plato, Greece (427-347 BC)
Summary in English

Phaedo is moral story that represents the true philosophy of Socrates. It teaches us to fight for justice, humanity, freedom, peace and democracy against any kind of slavery, injustice, inequality, suppression, discrimination, inhumanity and autocracy. This story expresses the meaning of death convincing that an honorable death is more worthful than inglorious life. In addition, it reflects death is for a new life.
In this story, there is a dialogue between Phaedo and Echecrates. It is about the true philosophy in relation to the last moments in the life of Socrates. Phaedo is a devoted disciple of Socrates. He is present when Socrates dies. Phaedo describes everything to Echecrates, (another disciple) about the death of Socrates.
Socrates, the great philosopher is accused of misleading the youth of Athens and causing them to hold free opinions. Then, his trial period begins. He is asked to apologize but he never does on the ground of falsehood. He is put in prison until he is killed. Before his death, Socrates meets his family and disciples and tells them not to be afraid of death rather walk in the path of justice, truth and democracy.
On the day of execution, all his friends and relatives come to see his early in the morning. He remains busy in conversation and at last, he requests them to go to their house and enters into next room and drinks the poison calmly. Looking at such, his friends begin to weep but Socrates scolds and tells them it is useless to stick to life if it is meaningless. Socrates believes that the soul is immortal because it can be perceived by those who exist by the truth, goodness and beauty which are eternal. There is also a spiritual life after death.