After selection by my high school, I got the opportunity to visit Japan for a Chemistry Olympiad. This was the very first time that I had set foot outside my home country, a fact that explains the immense excitement that had beset me. Japan is a country very different from Pakistan in almost every realm. I knew at once that the short visit to this culturally rich and diverse country will forever enrich me in my intellectual development. It is a testament to the unique quality of the human spirit that despite the multifarious differences that are discernible between countries, humanity is bonded even in this fine line of distinction. It really is astonishing how social norms and values differ in each part of the world and that something inconceivable in one country would be perfectly normal in another. Herein, lies the beauty of human civilization and it was only my trip to Japan that had expanded my horizons and instilled in me the sense of varied cultures of the modern world. Understanding the range of cultures of our times is pivotal to my understanding of how the world operates. Perhaps, the most striking realization was the recognition of the difference between cultures amid the appreciation of the qualities that make us all akin. I felt that I had changed after the trip, as the way I made sense of the world was forever altered.
Qatar is a country that is a showcase of Middle Eastern culture and values. As an ambassador for TAMUQ, I would like to elucidate the social customs that are present in the Middle East. Qatar is increasingly defining itself as a melting point and the very fact that Education City is home to students from more than fifty countries stands as a testament to this. The country, in line with the 2030 vision, seeks to become a knowledge hub with Texas A and M being a focal point for the study of engineering and liberal arts. The negative picture of Islamic countries painted by the media cannot be generalized at all times, and I would like to remove some of the stigmas that are normally attached to this region. These conventional notions about the Middle East as being rigid and unreceptive to change no longer hold credence as epitomized by Qatar’s inspiring growth in the last decade. The country is increasingly becoming liberal and tolerant to the torrent of changes that have emerged in the last few years. It is noteworthy that Qatar is the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas which in turn means that engineers are in high demand as Texas A and M supplies the workforce in the one of the world’s most important energy producing region. Education City is perhaps the most globalised campus on Earth which is a reflection of its cultural diversity. It is the fusion of education in an interracial setting that has helped me to interact with students from different races who I otherwise would never have met. I would like to enlighten my peers at College Station that the Aggie spirit runs high in Education city and it is this very spirit that so tightly bonds the two campuses despite the thousands of miles that separate the two.
In our globalised era, international student exchanges serve as an important bridge between cultures and nations as we come to appreciate the multifarious aspects that make us all similar, as world citizens. Such an opportunity would help me to understand the workings of American culture and society, a topic for which I have developed a profound and deep craving ever since I came cognizant of the world around me. The experience of meeting new people is beyond doubt an opportunity that I have never let go of. This would greatly aid me in improving my interpersonal skills, a skill that is increasingly defining itself as pivotal in any field of study. Upon my return to TAMUQ, I aim to share all the amazing experiences with my peers in Doha, aiding them in our collective realization of how the Aggies in College Station are not so different from those in Education City. I also plan to shed light on the cultural values and norms of the United States and how Texas A and M is educating the world’s next generation of leading engineers, not only in College Station but also in the Doha campus. It is this geographical and cultural diversity that set Texas A and M apart and give it the edge required in this interconnected world. I would fine immense pleasure in sharing whatever I learn in College Station with my peers in Doha and my intellectual development would transmute me into a better student leader at TAMUQ.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The search for the surprising
The first chapter downplays the role idealism and heroism can play in a war and instead goes about showing how humans have to be motivated to achieve a set target. Marshall’s description of how men in combat can easily vacillate between behaving like lions or like scared hares serves to justify the fallibility of human nature. Something that bolsters this argument is the pivotal role that has been attached to army officers, men who provide disorganized soldiers with leadership and guidance. By taking a rather pessimistic view of human nature, one that relegates man to the status of an egotistical creature, Gwynne Dyer lays bare his belief that humans need strong leadership at all times. Dyer also endorses the manipulation and psychological brainwashing that the military often resorts to. In his depiction of humans as captive to the fear of death, the author fails to appreciate the unique quality of the human spirit. The acceptance of unlimited liability by all soldiers highlights the selflessness displayed when they sign up in the army. To sign a contract for your own death does tell us something about the person who does so. The unromantic view of solders under stress can be castigated on the grounds that fear is a reality and is very much palpable. When you put at risk the most precious thing you have, your life, then it is only understandable that a person will show some signs of tension.
Dyer underscores the fact that total war is only sleeping and it is only a matter of time before the world community finds itself enveloped in another major conflict. Such a conclusion ignores the placating effect of nuclear weapons .Given that humans are rational, the presence of nuclear weapons can, paradoxically, deter major conflict. Consider the economic interdependence that marks the modern epoch, a fact that serves to exemplify why nations will avoid war when they can. This is not to say that war will become a thing of the past for it will remain as long as humanity survives. But the likelihood of a major armed conflict between the nuclear powers diminishes owing to the realization of the tremendous destruction it can engender.
The observation that is war is completely capricious and that no amount of planning can negate the multitude of variables present in it cannot be generalized as a rule of thumb. As the years roll forward, planning is increasingly defining itself as paramount to success in any war. In essence, the burgeoning need for planning is a reflection of the complexity of our era. In his endorsement of war as the ‘province of uncertainty’, Dyer has to some extent relegated an important factor to something that lacks efficacy. There is no denying the fact that unpredictably is entrenched in the very nature of conflict, but this does not give us the warrant to label preparation as insignificant. What I find surprising is the extent to which Dyer is willing to do so.
The second chapter underlines the role of basic training as something that caters to the metamorphosis that marks the entry of new recruits into the army. Basic training is a method of transmuting the young civilians into bellicose soldiers, ready to kill at the slightest whim. It is worth outlining the considerable level of resistance and non conformity that accompanies this period of basic training. Not everyone internalizes the military values to the same degree and even if they do, they cannot be any degree of assurance that once on the battlefield; their ingrained belief in the sanctity of human life will not deter them from engaging in combat. If nothing else, this serves to show that about 20 years of socialization has left behind its imprint on the young recruit’s soul. It is rather hard to see how three weeks of intensive training can, in the slightest, reverse all the moral norms and values embedded inside the individual. Taken together, the notion that otherwise empathetic humans can be turned into heartless beasts in a period of three weeks renders itself worthy of a certain degree of suspicion. In stark contrast, evidence corroborates the difficulty of killing even in face to face combat, where the price of doing so is potentially one’s life. As pointed out by US army Colonel S.L.A. Marshall, only 15 percent of trained combat riflemen fired their weapons at all in battle. Also, consider the Battle of Gettysburg where huge numbers of soldiers refused to fire their weapons at short range. It needs to be pointed out that the new training methods stand out as an anomaly in their ability to mitigate the moral compunction that results from killing. The tactics used in such modern training methods are more successful as they take into account human psychology. That said, the inability of basic training to instill military values into the new recruits stands as a testament to the compassion embedded in all of humanity.
Dyer underscores the fact that total war is only sleeping and it is only a matter of time before the world community finds itself enveloped in another major conflict. Such a conclusion ignores the placating effect of nuclear weapons .Given that humans are rational, the presence of nuclear weapons can, paradoxically, deter major conflict. Consider the economic interdependence that marks the modern epoch, a fact that serves to exemplify why nations will avoid war when they can. This is not to say that war will become a thing of the past for it will remain as long as humanity survives. But the likelihood of a major armed conflict between the nuclear powers diminishes owing to the realization of the tremendous destruction it can engender.
The observation that is war is completely capricious and that no amount of planning can negate the multitude of variables present in it cannot be generalized as a rule of thumb. As the years roll forward, planning is increasingly defining itself as paramount to success in any war. In essence, the burgeoning need for planning is a reflection of the complexity of our era. In his endorsement of war as the ‘province of uncertainty’, Dyer has to some extent relegated an important factor to something that lacks efficacy. There is no denying the fact that unpredictably is entrenched in the very nature of conflict, but this does not give us the warrant to label preparation as insignificant. What I find surprising is the extent to which Dyer is willing to do so.
The second chapter underlines the role of basic training as something that caters to the metamorphosis that marks the entry of new recruits into the army. Basic training is a method of transmuting the young civilians into bellicose soldiers, ready to kill at the slightest whim. It is worth outlining the considerable level of resistance and non conformity that accompanies this period of basic training. Not everyone internalizes the military values to the same degree and even if they do, they cannot be any degree of assurance that once on the battlefield; their ingrained belief in the sanctity of human life will not deter them from engaging in combat. If nothing else, this serves to show that about 20 years of socialization has left behind its imprint on the young recruit’s soul. It is rather hard to see how three weeks of intensive training can, in the slightest, reverse all the moral norms and values embedded inside the individual. Taken together, the notion that otherwise empathetic humans can be turned into heartless beasts in a period of three weeks renders itself worthy of a certain degree of suspicion. In stark contrast, evidence corroborates the difficulty of killing even in face to face combat, where the price of doing so is potentially one’s life. As pointed out by US army Colonel S.L.A. Marshall, only 15 percent of trained combat riflemen fired their weapons at all in battle. Also, consider the Battle of Gettysburg where huge numbers of soldiers refused to fire their weapons at short range. It needs to be pointed out that the new training methods stand out as an anomaly in their ability to mitigate the moral compunction that results from killing. The tactics used in such modern training methods are more successful as they take into account human psychology. That said, the inability of basic training to instill military values into the new recruits stands as a testament to the compassion embedded in all of humanity.
The morality of murder
The short story, Just Lather is shaped by the presence of both internal and external conflicts. Most conspicuous is the struggle taking place inside the barber who grapples with the relative importance of morality, professionalism and loyalty. A somewhat latent conflict goes on inside Captain Torres whose final remark reveals the human that lives inside him. Also, the existence of external factors like political and social unrest, help us in understanding the setting of the story.
Just lather is a story that presents to us in the most lucid way all the hesitation that results from us exercising our morality. The grand setting concocts an image that leaves the barber in a quandary. The symbolism employed through the use of the razor and the ever so vulnerable neck of Captain Torres provides a strong sense of suspense. This makes it rather simple to fathom the golden opportunity knocking at the barber’s door, an opportunity that could transmute his lowly existence into a hero worthy of veneration. It is against this backdrop that we see the barber making his choice, rendering the ending all the more dramatic. That he did not succumb to his belligerent inclinations leaves us gaping at the ingenuity of the author and the principles of a man who finds redemption through his work.
Conflict is a theme that resonates throughout the story. Needless to say, it is imperative to our understanding of the barber. The barber’s profound sense of morality and commitment to his profession is first revealed through the bitter conflict that leaves him undecided and bamboozled. This internal conflict is further exacerbated by Captain Torres who deliberately adds salt to his wounds. Consider the callous remarks made by Captain Torres, comments that help the reader to form an early impression of him. The manner in which Captain Torres is able to relegate the killing of the rebels to the status of a ‘Fine show’ and as something that lends itself worthy of amusement serves to provide us with one such example. The author provides us with further evidence in relation to Captain Torres’s search of the rebels: ‘Not one of them comes out of this alive, not one’ (Tellez, p.16). The image of the barber armed with his razor, all the while being incensed by the piercing commentary sets the stage for the climax of this gripping story.
It is worthwhile to explore the reasons that led the barber to go against his natural inclination, an instinct that would surely have led him to avenge the heartless killings of his countrymen. To rebel against one’s nature is beyond doubt an act that defies logic and which, therefore merits scrutiny. The barber finds himself in a moral quandary as outlined by the author: ‘Curse him for coming, because I am a revolutionary and not a murderer. And how easy it would be to kill him. And he deserves it. Does he? No. No one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer. What do you gain by it? Nothing’ (Tellez, p. 18-19). The beauty of the compelling narrative lies in the inexorable struggle taking place inside the barber who is torn between his urge to kill and his overriding belief in the nobility of a profession that he has helped to elevate to the sacrosanct status of an art. That said, the barber does, for some time, entertain the thought of killing Captain Torres. But this time, the conflict inside him takes into account the possibility of the effects of his act: ‘He slit his throat while he was shaving him- a coward. And then on the other side. ‘The avenger of us all. A name to remember’ (Tellez, p.19). The barber prides himself in relation to his occupation and this hinders him from killing Captain Torres. The battle raging inside the barber lays bare his dedication and more over, his undying respect for an occupation whose worth many would question. As underscored by the author: ‘Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was also a conscientious barber, and proud of the preciousness of my profession’ (Tellez, p.17).As it turns out, the barber is swayed to a greater extent by this line of reasoning. The conflict inside the barber is resolved as a consequence of his ingrained respect for a profession that he cannot dare defile.
The author’s depiction of Captian Torres as a man who has no qualms in killing serves a useful pupose as it sets the stage for his dramatic confession later in the story. In order to shed more light on the conflict present inside Captain Torres, it is worthwhile to explore the rationale for his last comment. The author, in a single sentence, is able to change the makeup of the story: ‘’they told me that you’d kill me. I came to find out. But killing isn’t easy. You can take my word for that’ (Tellez, p.21). By accepting that killing is not easy, Captain Torres goes on to show that he is not the savage that we consider him to be. Captain Torres likens himself to any normal being in his appreciation of the difficulty that comes about as a direct result of engaging in such egregious behavior. The ending of the story serves to humanize Captain Torres, a man otherwise depicted as the embodiment of all that is evil. The author paints a picture which exposes the animal that resides in him: ‘A man of imagination but who else would have thought of hanging the naked rebels and then holding target practice on certain parts of their bodies’( Tellez, p.16)?
He could very well be a man trapped in the captivity of negativity, a condition that impedes morality from overshadowing one’s innate belligerence. If nothing else, Captain Torres’s confession mitigates his own sense of guilt and to some extent justifies his flagrant behavior. A prisoner of his social role, Captain Torres does lay bare the inexorable conflict that resides in him. In a kind of role reversal, Captain Torres begins to see himself through the barber, which is possibly an attempt to uncover and unravel the moral quandary that envelops him.
The internal conflicts that go on unabated inside the two principal characters cannot be fully understood without an appreciation of the external factors that helped shaped the plot. The backdrop of the narrative is provided by the civil war that is wreaking havoc in the country. These external factors have an important bearing on how the two principal characters conduct themselves. For example, it is inconceivable to fully understand the moral quagmire the barber found himself without knowledge of the atrocious killing of the rebels. Such acts of unspeakable horror instilled in the barber a desire for revenge. All in all, conflict (internal or external) is a pervasive feature of the story line and one that is central to our understanding of the characters.
Just lather is a story that presents to us in the most lucid way all the hesitation that results from us exercising our morality. The grand setting concocts an image that leaves the barber in a quandary. The symbolism employed through the use of the razor and the ever so vulnerable neck of Captain Torres provides a strong sense of suspense. This makes it rather simple to fathom the golden opportunity knocking at the barber’s door, an opportunity that could transmute his lowly existence into a hero worthy of veneration. It is against this backdrop that we see the barber making his choice, rendering the ending all the more dramatic. That he did not succumb to his belligerent inclinations leaves us gaping at the ingenuity of the author and the principles of a man who finds redemption through his work.
Conflict is a theme that resonates throughout the story. Needless to say, it is imperative to our understanding of the barber. The barber’s profound sense of morality and commitment to his profession is first revealed through the bitter conflict that leaves him undecided and bamboozled. This internal conflict is further exacerbated by Captain Torres who deliberately adds salt to his wounds. Consider the callous remarks made by Captain Torres, comments that help the reader to form an early impression of him. The manner in which Captain Torres is able to relegate the killing of the rebels to the status of a ‘Fine show’ and as something that lends itself worthy of amusement serves to provide us with one such example. The author provides us with further evidence in relation to Captain Torres’s search of the rebels: ‘Not one of them comes out of this alive, not one’ (Tellez, p.16). The image of the barber armed with his razor, all the while being incensed by the piercing commentary sets the stage for the climax of this gripping story.
It is worthwhile to explore the reasons that led the barber to go against his natural inclination, an instinct that would surely have led him to avenge the heartless killings of his countrymen. To rebel against one’s nature is beyond doubt an act that defies logic and which, therefore merits scrutiny. The barber finds himself in a moral quandary as outlined by the author: ‘Curse him for coming, because I am a revolutionary and not a murderer. And how easy it would be to kill him. And he deserves it. Does he? No. No one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer. What do you gain by it? Nothing’ (Tellez, p. 18-19). The beauty of the compelling narrative lies in the inexorable struggle taking place inside the barber who is torn between his urge to kill and his overriding belief in the nobility of a profession that he has helped to elevate to the sacrosanct status of an art. That said, the barber does, for some time, entertain the thought of killing Captain Torres. But this time, the conflict inside him takes into account the possibility of the effects of his act: ‘He slit his throat while he was shaving him- a coward. And then on the other side. ‘The avenger of us all. A name to remember’ (Tellez, p.19). The barber prides himself in relation to his occupation and this hinders him from killing Captain Torres. The battle raging inside the barber lays bare his dedication and more over, his undying respect for an occupation whose worth many would question. As underscored by the author: ‘Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was also a conscientious barber, and proud of the preciousness of my profession’ (Tellez, p.17).As it turns out, the barber is swayed to a greater extent by this line of reasoning. The conflict inside the barber is resolved as a consequence of his ingrained respect for a profession that he cannot dare defile.
The author’s depiction of Captian Torres as a man who has no qualms in killing serves a useful pupose as it sets the stage for his dramatic confession later in the story. In order to shed more light on the conflict present inside Captain Torres, it is worthwhile to explore the rationale for his last comment. The author, in a single sentence, is able to change the makeup of the story: ‘’they told me that you’d kill me. I came to find out. But killing isn’t easy. You can take my word for that’ (Tellez, p.21). By accepting that killing is not easy, Captain Torres goes on to show that he is not the savage that we consider him to be. Captain Torres likens himself to any normal being in his appreciation of the difficulty that comes about as a direct result of engaging in such egregious behavior. The ending of the story serves to humanize Captain Torres, a man otherwise depicted as the embodiment of all that is evil. The author paints a picture which exposes the animal that resides in him: ‘A man of imagination but who else would have thought of hanging the naked rebels and then holding target practice on certain parts of their bodies’( Tellez, p.16)?
He could very well be a man trapped in the captivity of negativity, a condition that impedes morality from overshadowing one’s innate belligerence. If nothing else, Captain Torres’s confession mitigates his own sense of guilt and to some extent justifies his flagrant behavior. A prisoner of his social role, Captain Torres does lay bare the inexorable conflict that resides in him. In a kind of role reversal, Captain Torres begins to see himself through the barber, which is possibly an attempt to uncover and unravel the moral quandary that envelops him.
The internal conflicts that go on unabated inside the two principal characters cannot be fully understood without an appreciation of the external factors that helped shaped the plot. The backdrop of the narrative is provided by the civil war that is wreaking havoc in the country. These external factors have an important bearing on how the two principal characters conduct themselves. For example, it is inconceivable to fully understand the moral quagmire the barber found himself without knowledge of the atrocious killing of the rebels. Such acts of unspeakable horror instilled in the barber a desire for revenge. All in all, conflict (internal or external) is a pervasive feature of the story line and one that is central to our understanding of the characters.
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