Broken journeys, wounded love

A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. A person who loses his/her spouse is a widow or widower. A person who loses their child is called? Nothing. Because they are nothing. The most painful of pains. The loss of a child is loss of dreams, a loss of hopes. The grief that comes in waves and settles down. Of the 25% women who suffer miscarriages. Of those who have stillbirth or of those who lose their infants or young ones. There is nothing to console them. The balloons that fly away and mingle with the clouds. Maybe they go the children lost. Lives full of questions and doubts. Grief that is mingled with a strange emptiness, a strange hollowness. Yet there is peace. The peace that is the end. Is there a place where broken dreams are cherished? Is there a place where lost hopes are kindled? Is there a place where broken journeys are resumed. From the place of no return, hopes and dreams and answers are requested. The love that is wounded and is always with the child that is lost. That love is mixed with grief and that grief is mixed with peace. May everyone with a wounded heart find peace. Hope someday, answers may be found. Hope that someday, families may be reunited.

Maternity benefits

Motherhood takes a toll on a woman's life and it affects her ability to move or work. For a working mother, it is important that she receives some leave after having a baby without worrying about her job security. Maternity benefits vary from country to country ranging from zero days to upto two years. Some benefits that are provided by law are:
(1) Paid leave for a specific period of time, which varies from country to country.
(2) Non-discrimination due to the fact that she has a child. Her position at work cannot be adversely altered due to her maternity nor can she be denied promotion as a result of the same.
(3) Job security. A woman cannot be fired during her maternity leave nor can her maternity be used adversely against her.
(4) Creches and child benefits to help her transition back to work. They may include child care services at the workplace and a provision to take nursing breaks.
(5) Option to take leave at the loss of pay but with security to return back to work.
(6) Child benefits and welfare schemes. Some countries provide financial aid to eligible mothers in order to bear the expenses of a new baby. Also provisions for baby milk or food maybe available to eligible mothers.
Maternity benefits are essential in order to ensure that a woman continues to work after having her baby. They provide her with a financial support and also allow her to rest after a life changing event.

More than a thing

It is a strange world with strange people. On one hand there are strides been made to get equal rights to everyone while on the other, it is no big deal to discriminate. From denying accessibility to the disabled to refusing families to adopt, discriminations are everywhere, hidden from plain sight. In some cases, it may be difficult to decide which party to support but on others it would be crystal clear.
Human Rights are not things or the ability to get things or services. Rights are the necessities to lead a respectable life. Basic human rights not just for the privileged. They are for each and every individual by virtue of being born as a human. They came as a result of struggle of hundreds and thousands of people over the decades and centuries. They are not to be held at the whims and fancies of the few. Rather they should be cherished and protected for every single small man. Denying those rights should not be an option for anyone. Also making a mockery of the equality rights should not be allowed.
It is a strange world with strange people. On one hand there are protections for every walking creature while on the other, survival may be difficult for the poor man. It is a truly strange world.

The perfect house

The perfect house. An ideal place where everything seems magical. We run around looking for a perfect place to live. Everybody has different concepts of how and what they want in their house. Number of rooms, garage, garden, location, everything is a criteria when buying a house but these do not make a house home. The truth is that the perfect house doesn't require any of these physical features to make it a perfect abode. An ideal house is the one which is full of memories, often the very first childhood memories. It is a place where a child first identities that it is his home. It can have broken staircase or small rooms or not enough space for anything. It can be old or messy or airy. Nothing matters. It is a place which is home in the mind of a child who grows up looking for it. It is a place of emotions whether or not it has any physical wealth or not. It is a place of dreams and hopes and aspirations. A place like none other. Because it is not a physical place but the feelings and memories linked with it.

Postpartum depression

Postpartum depression is a common problem which is sadly ignored in a number of communities. Even though it is not talked much, it is very common and can span days to months in a woman's life. Low self esteem arising from physical changes to hormonal changes, not having support while taking care of the baby, lacking someone to talk to or simply being overwhelmed by the work and responsibility can play the culprit. It is important that the family and friends pay attention to the needs of the new mother, help her cope with the changes in her life and where necessary provide her with counselling or medical support to overcome her feelings.

Banning the plastics

The environmental degradation is caused both the insensitive extraction and misuse of natural resources along with the dumping of harmful substances in the nature. Banning of single use plastics such as straws or disposable utensils that cannot be reused or recycled but instead end up in landfills or pollute the water bodies can help to a large extent protect the environment from their harmful effects. Reusable cutlery, biodegradable alternatives or just recyclables are the way to mitigate the harms caused by the plastics.
Another source of problem are the paper products that cannot be reused or recycled. These include bathroom rolls. Instead of cutting down forests to manufacture the toilet paper, companies should try to find recycled paper alternatives that would cause less environmental damage. Another alternative to the indiscriminate paper use would be the use of bidet system which uses water for cleansing purposes and does not cause the cutting down of forests.
It is important that single use products is reduced and replaced by recyclables or biodegradable in order to ensure that the earth is not filled up with harmful, green house producing materials. Instead, making a collective informed lifestyle change in order to protect the environment is the need of the hour.

The smaller man

In every land, there is a group of individuals who lack the voice. They may be religious, linguistic or cultural minorities. They may be politically silent group. They may be women, children, old, handicapped or refugees. These are the people who require protection from various agencies who try to take away their rights.
International law aims to protect the rights and freedoms of all individuals. However, these laws may sometimes be misused to persecute those who are minorities or political opponents. Instead of protecting the rights of the weaker sections of the society, the laws may be used to persecute them instead. In democracies, it appears that the will of the majority is what is ruling there nations and the laws appear to be favourable only to the majority. Sometimes, this leads to the notion that the laws are bad. But that is not the case. Purpose of law is to create a stable society and creating peaceful and secure environment. While it may seem that in protecting the greatest good of the greatest number, the smaller individual is getting crushed but the truth is that it is this smaller man who is the beneficiary, whose good has to be protected. It is the duty of the nations to protect the rights of the minorities and ensure that their voices are heard. It is important that the laws are not misused and the principles of natural justice are always protected.
Every individual counts and it is the collective duty of societies and nations to ensure that the smaller man is heard. His rights are not compromised and his life is not sacrificed.