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Quote by Abhijit Naskar

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World War Human: 100 New Earthling Sonnets

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Abhijit Naskar

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“Sieg Heil and the rest (Sonnet 1162) Some shout Sieg Heil, Some shout Jai Hind. Some Star Spangled Banner, Others God save the fiend. Only the language differs, Jungliness remains the same. Even in an integrating world, Some maintain the habits lame. Once upon a time, they might have had some value. Today they are just anachronism, Kept alive by apes without clue. If you are still enraged, how dare I compare Sieg Heil with the rest! Study the history unvarnished - behind every tribal salute you'll find a holocaust equivalent.”

“If the colored population of earth today mounted an uproar against the white colonizers, there wouldn't be any trace left of Europe and North America. Yet the thought never crossed our minds - you know why! Because vengeance is not in our nature, let alone invade other people's home and call it march of civilization. And if we the colored descendants of colored ancestors can choose not to hold you responsible for the atrocities of your white moronic ancestors, despite being subjected to the same kind of discrimination till this day, couldn't you at least foster the basic human dignity to recognize those atrocities of the past and do your best to make sure that they are never repeated again! Once and for all, couldn't we be human beings before we are colored and caucasians!”

“Generous listening is powered by curiosity, a virtue we can invite and nurture in ourselves to render it instinctive. It involves a kind of vulnerability - a willingness to be surprised, to let go of assumptions and take in ambiguity. The listener wants to understand the humanity behind the words of the other, and patiently summons one's own best self and one's own best words and questions.”

“How well do you know the people who raised you? Look around your dining room table. Look around at your loved ones, especially the elders. The grandparents and the aunts and uncles who used to give you shiny new quarters and unvarnished advice. How much do you really know about their lives. Perhaps you've heard that they served in a war, or lived for a time in a log cabin, or arrived in this country speaking little or no English. Maybe they survived the Holocaust or the Dust Bowl. How were they shaped by the Depression or the Cold War, or the stutter-step march towards integration in their own community? What were they like before they married or took on mortgages and assumed all the worries that attend the feeding, clothing, and education of their children? If you don't already know the answers, the people who raised you will most likely remain a mystery, unless you take the bold step and say: Tell me more about yourself.”