In anticipation

Wondering what the future holds

Hopes and wishes and prayers abound

For a  peek into the life yet to come

For where the events are going to turn

Some dreams hold the secret

Some prayers give the comfort

Wishing it becomes as beautiful as a dream

Floating lightly in a lively stream

A dream I dream and a dream you have

Of what the life is going to share

For every prayer has an answer

And every dream has a believer

For future is a page unturned

Waiting for its time to come

International day of disability

About 15% of the world's population or about 1 billion people suffer from some form of disability or another which might be minor or extensive. Disability may be physical or mental in nature. It might be congenital or acquired due to some disease or accident later in life. Children with disability are more likely to suffer abuse at schools and daycares leading them to dropout from there. Reports suggest that about 75% of children with disability in developing nations do not attend schools, minimizing their chances of finding livelihood later in life. Parents of children with disability have greater trouble finding a caretaker for their children and more troubled with their child's future. Since the child with disability needs greater support and understanding, the parents are more worried about their child's life after them. Having a child with special needs is a daunting task and on top of that they have to answer all sorts of questions about the disability from curious onlookers. People in developing nations have different perspective about disability and may not be that welcoming towards the child and his parents. People with disability need to be welcomed wherever they are. They may lack some abilities but the one that have an abundance of, is the ability to spread love. They don't need sympathy but they do need understanding. They may not be able to do everything but whatever they do, they do it with the best of their capabilities. All they need is love and acceptance and people around the world should be understanding and caring towards them.

My green patch

Gardening has been more than a hobby for me, it is a part of who I am. When I was a young girl of about 6 or 7, my granduncle taught me to 'create' new plants using plant cuttings and growth hormones, since then I really enjoyed propagating my favorite plant varieties. As I grew older, my garden became my home as I spent my entire day tending to my plants. Doing a project on environmental pollution and another on sustainable development made gardening my most cherished hobby as I collected rare plant varieties, propagated them and shared them with my friends and other gardening enthusiasts.
Today, we see a rise in air pollution causing all sorts of health problems as well as increasing childhood mortality and reduced life expectancy. Global warming and climate change are not fancy terms. Today it seems that gardening should be taught to all school children and the green cover be increased everywhere. Increasing vegetation is the most important means of combatting air pollution and improving the air quality. We need lots of green patches everywhere in this world.

Gun violence

Violence in all its forms is increasing all over the world. While in some countries it is not easy to obtain firearms, the right to own firearms is covered by the second amendment to the American Constitution. I recently heard a series on radio about gun violence in the city of Chicago. A series titled 'every other hour', discussed the severity of gang killings and gun violence in the city of Chicago. The series was named such as that is how frequent are gun killings in the city, with over 2500 people dead by September 2017. They discussed the lives of the gang members and pointed out how teenagers coming from broken families are more likely to join gangs and end up killing people. These children drop out of school and end up in a world of drugs, alcohol and violence. Teenagers as young as 13 years of age may be the ones firing a gun and killing people. These children need counseling and proper homes where they can continue their education and lead a meaningful life instead of going from juvenile offenders to hardened criminals. children, in general, and particularly those who are coming from broken families, need to be counseled at school to check their mental status. Their grades need to be monitored and proper guidance should be provided so that they are not trapped by the gangs. often the victims of sexual abuse end up on the streets and become an easy target for these gangs to hire. A proper counselor should be present in schools and in foster care systems to ensure that the child is having a healthy physical, mental and emotional development. Attempts should be made to e ensure that these children are not lured into a world that would destroy their life and future. Social workers should have a full time job to check the neighborhood to ensure that children are safe. Also there have to be background checks before selling firearms and gang members should not be able to get easy access to sophisticated firearms.

Bioethics

The advances in the field of genetics have opened many avenues for attempts at understanding as well as altering the human genome. Scientists in USA, UK and China are attempting to alter human DNA to figure out the effects of various genes. Recently, attempts have been made to alter the genes of viable human embryos in the hope of finding cures for many diseases. While on one hand, these attempts can help understand the process of aging on the other they can help identify and possibly prevent many diseases. It is quite possible to find cures for various diseases like Alzheimer's, various cancers amongst others. Altering the human genome might be able to identify and alter the genes causing various birth defects and save many lives but a dangerous outcome is also possible. Since, one gene can have many effects, while genetic engineering might prevent one genetic disease, the same can also give rise to another anomaly or dangerous mutations. Any change in the genes will be handed over from generation to generation leading to possibility of unseen dangers. Unfortunately, as humans are not like cattle, the entire batch cannot be culled. Thus, any attempt at altering human DNA comes with various ethical questions that need to be addressed before viable embryos are genetically modified.

I have been there

I know your dreams
I know your fears
I know it all
because I have been there
I know your pain
I know your tears
I know the depression
because I have been there
I know you scream
I know you shiver
I know your misery
because I have been there
I will hold your hand
Trust me, I am here
I am your friend
because I have been there

The Pen and the Paper

Once the Pen and the Paper had a talk over who is the stronger of the two. The Pen said, I am stronger for haven't you heard that a pen is mightier than a sword. You can be white and shining bright, but once I move over you, I can change your face forever, I can mark you the way that your identity will change.
The Paper smiled and said softly, I know you can change my face for ever and the words you write over me can change the world. But do not forget that as you move over you, you lose a bit of yourself in me, but don't worry my friend, for as you finish your life supply, I will keep your essence in me as long as I survive. Together we can show the world what needs to be done, the words you write on me shall be read and remembered and they will guide the world.