Pride and Prejudice in Our Lives

Many moons ago, in my senior year at high school, the English Literature class syllabus entailed reading/studying Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice”.

As it happens, even though at that time I was gravitating towards and ended up choosing a natural sciences education and career, I continued over the years to retain my memories and admiration of the power of literature and it’s influence in formulating and polishing my thoughts with “Pride” and perhaps a little “Prejudice” too!!

Jane Austen’s theme was one that laid out the two aspects in the title of her novel over many pages of twists and turns in the lives of the Bennet family and, particularly that of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet.

In the novel, much like what happens in true life for you and me, the travails from the ridiculous to the sublime and vice versa are encountered at different chapters of the book in very much the same way as what we experience over the span or chapters of our lives!

In our formative years, as we transition from childhood to maturity, we are influenced by many expressed thoughts, mental and physical postures and behavior of those whom we observe amongst our family, teachers and friends. That influence may morph into bias or prejudice that often times is not that easy to break out of as we grow older.

The extent by which the acquired bias and prejudice is tempered will vary amongst individuals including between siblings depending on the different shades of personal experience, environment and circumstances that each is exposed to.

Prejudices and/or tainting of thoughts and ideals may spread like an epidemic and, without the necessary antidote, namely education, may well extend over national, religious, gender, class, rank, etc..... aspects of any society.

Needless to say, ill-founded pride and the presence or absence of envy, ambition, aspiration, bigotry, passion and jealousy, amongst other things, are important ingredients in the recipe that determines anyone’s personality. Sweet, tasteless or sour personalities are thus shaped depending on the doses and/or combinations of those ingredients!

Hani Badawi
December 29, 2017

Balancing Our Lives

If we examine many aspects of life we will find that a balanced approach is necessary.

In all fields of science one must use checks and balances for verifying and proving theories.

In diverse fields of finance checks and balances are used for balancing budgets.

In medicine, a balanced diet is recommended for leading a healthy life.

All religions call for a balance between wordly and worship/divine matters.

A successful school curriculum relies on a balance between, humanities, social science and natural science subjects.

And there are many more examples of how balancing things in our lives is important.

On the other hand, there are many examples of unbalanced behavior that we observe on a daily basis by politicians and, from time to time, by world leaders! For that, we may fine-tune our thoughts to strike a balance in our lives by adopting a path for reform via casting our votes or joining an opposition campaign. We may also, instead, choose to tune out the cacophony of the crazy ideas that we hear via the media!

Temptation often steers us away from an otherwise balanced state of affairs, however, corrective action is possible if one reacts in time before the balance tips over one way or the other!

Hani Badawi
December 8, 2017

Humans and Electric Circuits - Are they Analogous?

In this short essay (composed 6 years ago) I attempt, relying on my lifelong engineering and research career, to draw some analogies between a few human traits and behaviors to the components and behavior of electric circuits!

So, should you have no interest in delving further into my world of science, you can skip reading what follows!

We are all wired up in a very similar way as a "passive" electric circuit. The complexity of any given human circuit is directly related to many factors that constitute our individual lives. However, unlike electric circuits, no two humans are wired in exactly the same way.

If you agree so far, continue to the next paragraph. If I lost you, please feel free to skip the rest of this analysis.

OK, you are still reading, so you must be still interested! Now, let me draw the following analogies and see if you agree (or disagree):

Some circuits are more resistive in nature. The resistive human nature could be, in one extreme, indicative of close-minded individuals who resist change, or, on the other extreme, individuals that resist indoctrination by the society or other external sources.

Some circuits are more reactive (either inductive or capacitive). They remind me of different degrees of emotional intelligence. If inductive, some will induce ideas from others and some will induce ideas to others. If capacitive, some would charge up others and some will be charged up by others. If the capacitor is leaky then it will not hold the charge and that reminds of people who cannot hold a secret and some are more leaky than others!

The simple circuits comprising the above 3 "passive" elements, namely: resistors, inductors and capacitors is the simplest form of circuit. This type of circuit will also consist of a battery or a power source (for which the human equivalent is the brain) and a switch for turning the current on or off (does that remind you of the state of consciousness - awake or asleep?).

If perchance a short circuit occurs, then this would herald the demise of a circuit. Doesn't that remind you of what happens at the end of a life!

On a happier note, passive circuits are not the only circuits that have advanced our technology of today. There happens to be a host of "active" elements known as diodes and transistors and they are forever evolving, very much in the same way as the growth of our knowledge in our lifetime and also the evolution of our future generations. For these "active" elements analogies one must remember to cherish and nurture their growth.

A final thought: Keep your batteries charged and don't let anyone rewire you!

Hani Badawi
December 6, 2011

Perspectives and Appreciation Note

In all my notes/blogs I only aim to provide a perspective of my thoughts in a similar way as what an artist would in rendering her/his feelings using the material and subjects of their choice.

I do not claim or profess to be an expert at what I write. I only reflect what’s transpiring at the moment that I conceive a thought or an idea and lay it open for comments, criticism or support, all of which truly fuel my mental engine to keep it running!

Needless to say, in addition to appreciating your comments, I note that many of your comments reflect a deeper understanding of some of my perspectives and prompt me to delve deeper into facts about the subject matter or my inner thoughts.

Your perspectives on my perspectives are important and highly appreciated!

Hani Badawi
December 2, 2017

Do We Grow Up or Grow Old? A Perspective

I’m sure that at some time or another you heard people say: grow up, act your age or stop being childish!

What does that mean?

I guess, like many things in life, the answer to that question is: It depends!

Depending on life circumstances, individuals may have been conditioned and/or have chosen to lead a life of limited resources. By that I mean that they may have had external factors dictating behavioral patterns on them but, on the other hand, they could also have chosen to lead a life where human interactions were minimal or avoided for some reason or another.

Whatever the reasons are, onlookers who have led a gregarious and socially active life will look upon the limited resources group as dull, uninteresting or culturally inept. They may even label them as infantile or childish.

Conversely, the limited resources group may hold a similar view of the socially active group and apply similar labels to them like “not acting their age”, etc.

The common denominator, nevertheless, is that the two groups (and other various groups not addressed here) continue to grow older.

So growing old is inevitable. Determination of whether growing up or acting one’s age, however, will always be in the eye of the beholder!

Hani Badawi
December 1, 2017

Cancer: The Cruelest of All Maladies

More than 2 years ago, in the midst of my late wife’s struggle against cancer, I attempted, to no avail, to understand the history of that disease, that disease which has been given all different names including the title of a book written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, namely: “The Emperor of All Maladies”.

In recent years, apart from my dear wife’s final surrender to that disease, I witnessed several of my family members and friends struggle to beat different forms of that disease but, alas, they all finally succumbed to the violence of that enemy that has no age or sex discrimination!

Alas again, scientific studies and research over the past more than a hundred years in the field of cancer and how to conquer it, has shown little progress in spite of the funds expended in finding effective remedies and/or cures.

Needless to say, families and friends that witness the struggle waged by those who are afflicted, end up suffering from mental wounds and are left with scars of varied magnitude that persist for the rest of their lives.

Apart from hoping and praying for an effective breakthrough in beating that disease, I am left with no better description than to say that this has been and continues to be the Cruelest of all Maladies!

Hani Badawi
November 25, 2017

Role Models

People choose role models for various reasons and motivations. I, for one, find myself echoing many of the words that my late father-in-law used to quote repeatedly on pertinent occasions.

As I get older, I note that echoing these quotes is a form of acknowledgement and assertion of the profound impact that he left on my thinking and reasoning on one hand, and on my analysis and deduction on the other.

We now talk about “band-width” when we describe the extent of knowledge that a person commands. The term “well-rounded” or “all-rounded” also serves the same purpose, and I always associated the the term “rounded” with the process where the “sharp-edges” of our youth are smoothed out by our acquired knowledge.

How I would have liked to discuss this with my father-in-law, as he would, as he always did, shed more light on this and other vital matters of my existence.

Indeed, without a shadow of a doubt, he was/is my role model and I hope that I could live up to his level of wisdom and knowledge, but, as he always would remind me, “Only God is Perfect” or “الكمال لله”.

Further to the foregoing comments, I wish to opine that: “If you ever, inadvertently become a role-model, you must take on the responsibility of living up to the principles that you propagate”, and, “share your ideas and principles generously because, if you don’t, they are of no use to you or anyone when you’re gone!”

Hani Badawi
February 21, 2011

Love, admiration, respect and appreciation

I’m sure the words and feelings in the title of this note are very familiar to all of us and I am certain that if left to our own devices, the definitions will differ widely from one person to the next, depending on the unique circumstances experienced by each.

Definitions serve the purpose of describing the general and accepted norms of the meanings of any adjective but I question the absolute accuracy of any definition because it simply cannot encompass all the intricate unique feelings embodied in any of us.

So, I love, admire, respect you all and appreciate you taking the time to read this!

Hani Badawi 

November 19, 2017

Hope, expectation and the road in between

In a simplistic way, in what I’m about to unroll here, I hope to be able to explain myself and expect you to make up your mind as to whether I make sense or not!

Our road between hope and expectation is more likely to be rugged, unpaved and difficult to travel and certainly more so than when we initially set out on any hope-driven journey. Needless to say, most journeys commence with a hope and with the aim that our expectation is our ultimate destination.

Before attempting to expound on the topic of this note, allow me to invoke a few important requirements that will ultimately lead to a successful journey between the two milestones; hope and expectation.

On any physical journey, by whatever vehicle we choose to travel, we need fuel, knowledge (maps or GPS nowadays) and, depending on the length of the trip, refueling, rest-houses (for sleep, food, coffee etc.) and vehicle maintenance. Absence of any of these components will evidently take a toll on how, successful, arduous or long the trip will be.

With that in mind, let’s consider any trip that starts with hope and ends in a destination that matches (or closely matches) our expectation.

In the same way as a physical journey, a hope-expectation journey must be supported by many elements or tools: knowledge (education, experience), determination, dreams, support by loved ones, recreation, etc. They’re all needed, otherwise the trip will end up being one with an illusion as a starting point and a disappointment as the arrival point (and obviously not a destination!!).

In traversing a hope-expectation journey, there will be many challenges and obstacles on the way, many of which will be impossible to predict. Finally it is the support tools and their mobilization that will ultimately lead to the desired conclusion!

Yes, many would be right in saying that it’s easier said than done. My retort is that with enough preparation and determination for what is “said”, the easier it will be “done!!!”

Hani Badawi

November 19, 2017

Kind, Kinder and Kindest

What kind of kind are you?

How do you evaluate your own level of kindness and how do others evaluate you?

Is there a universal standard or metric that one can use for such an evaluation or is it basically a perception that hinges on a situation or more?

There are kind greetings, words, gestures, deeds and many other forms of kindness but the general use of kind as an adjective to describe a person may be misleading!

Does the use of the comparative terms kinder and kindest imply that there is a scale for measuring out the level of kindness?

Often times people associate kindness to naïveté and on other occasions to stupidity and/or weakness of character. Does that perception reflect a less kind assessment of the person being judged?

Let us not forget that “unkindness” can also be construed as the opposite of kindness and therefore, as an adjective, may suffer from the same ambiguity that “kindness” does! Note that an unkind word or behavior may be necessary to rectify or resolve a problem or a situation.

Some people derive more joy from giving than taking. Does that make them kinder than the ones whose joy emanates from receiving?

How about the kindest of them all? Is there a fair competition that leads to crowning an individual as kindest of them all?

As a challenge, why don’t you think about the many sides of kindness and let me know what kind of thoughts you have on this matter 😃.

Kindest regards to all 😃.

Hani Badawi

November 17, 2017

Who Am I

What you think of me - May not be what you see
What you think - May be changed in a wink
Is it my personality - Or is it your fantasy
Is it my demeanor - Or are you just a dreamer
Is it my mind - Or what you divined
Am I for real - Or is it how you feel
In your opinion - I may be a villain
In your view - I should be in a zoo
In your mind - I may be unkind
Am I interesting - And worth trusting
Am I erratic - And not sufficiently dynamic
Am I arrogant - And also an irritant
What you see - May not be the real me
What you think of me - May not be what you see
Do you really know who am I - Or is it what you see with your own eye

Hani Badawi

November 14, 2017

Trump-load of Rubbish

Has the United States elected a president who is wasting the country’s time????

Isn’t it said that instead of Trump learning about the needs of his citizens and serving them as he should, his citizens are not only trying to understand what he’s about, but they’re surprised and distressed on a daily basis as they find out that his personality is as shady as some individuals (advisers and/or operatives) that he surrounded/surrounds himself with!

The county is now mobilized to serve him rather than the other way round. What a travesty!!!

His arrogance and bully characteristics are as clear as crystal and yet the majority of the Republican Party individuals who are in power are shying away from confronting him and I suspect that they do so in fear of his venom rather than believing that he’s worthy of support. Shame on them!

What a waste of time and opportunities in the contemporary history of America!

I wonder, when will justice reign and when and how will this charade end????

Hani Badawi 

November 6, 2017

Gun Lobbyists/Osrtiches!

President Donald Trump said Today that Sunday's mass shooting at a Texas church "isn't a guns situation" but instead "a mental health problem at the highest level."

This is the dumbest statement that anyone could have made, let alone by the president of the USA!!!

Doesn’t he realize that all shootings of this type are initiated by mentally deranged or disturbed individuals!!!! That being the reality, it is more of a good reason to address this chronic problem, one that is perpetuated by gun lobbyists who continue to, like ostriches, bury their heads in the sand taking shelter in the second amendment to the constitution which was adopted 226 years ago on December 15, 1791!

Don’t the modern day adherents to the second amendment realize that when it was ratified back then, it was done in a different context than how they choose to interpret it today? Furthermore, don’t they realize that NO one at that time could have predicted the degree of sophistication of arms nor the complexity of life in the 21st. Century?

I wonder if some politicians need to be made aware that they no longer live in the 18th Century!!!!!

Hani Badawi
November 6, 2017

Brain Freezes

Most, if not all, of us may have experienced a brain freeze whilst consuming an ice cream or a freezing cold drink! During that time the chances of thinking about anything other than how and when this episode will pass are negligible, if not nonexistent. Luckily an episode of that description only lasts a few seconds and once it is over we feel as if we are reborn!

On the other hand, brain freezes caused by irrational convictions and often precipitated by consistently bad behavior and/or news propagated by some politicians and the media (in all its forms), can last for much longer, maybe months or years, not a mere few seconds.

Alas, when these long brain freeze episodes are over, we realize how much time we have wasted. However, unlike the ice cream brain freezes, we have the ability, if we choose, to jump out of any of these episodes before too much time is wasted!

Hani Badawi 

October 28, 2017

Revelations and Inspirations

Whereas we may have revelations in the form of dreams, we may also experience them when we are wide awake and conscious. These may or may not be influenced by events in our lives but in all cases they may act as seeds for taking deeper dives into our soul and conscience.

Inspirations, on the other hand, are seeded in personal events, education, readings and discussions, all of which we continue to encounter along the path of our lives. They may or may not lead us to take decisions but they can act as catalysts for us to clear up our minds and to entertain further ideas and/or norms.

An inspiration may be precipitated by one or more revelation and a revelation too may be precipitated by one or more than one inspiration. Therefore, in all likelihood, they coexist and may reinforce our beliefs and actions in unique ways that only pertain to our persona.

May all your revelations and inspirations lead you to the best path in your lives.

Hani Badawi

October 27, 2017

Guilt, Regret, Remorse and Conscience

Feelings of guilt, regret and remorse are not uncommonly encountered at some stage in our lives and are simply manifestations of a conscience that’s alive and kicking.

Logic says that the absence of these feelings is a reflection of the absence of conscience!

Hani Badawi
October 25, 2017

Difficult Decisions

In life we often have to make decisions and choices that are difficult for us to make. Normally, “difficult” implies that much thought and reflection has been expended in arriving at the actions to be taken.

Difficult decisions and ensuing actions are never without pain because it is only the long term effects that will reflect their justification.

Hani Badawi

October 25, 2017

My Book Is My Loyal Companion

Whether you read books in the old way of thumbing through the pages or electronically on your preferred e-reader gadget, I’m sure you’ll agree that a book is a good companion. Needless to say, you can choose to start, finish or terminate reading a book without it putting up any resistance to your actions!

Not only does a book keep you entertained and provide you with knowledge but it also provides you with food for thought for new ideas and for discussions with friends hence widening your scope of awareness and friends alike.

During our formative years we learn much about life via fairy tale books that, more often than not, contain subliminal messages about what to expect in our lives and that, whereas evil exists, good prevails in the end!

Later on in life we learn that fiction sometimes beats reality and thanks to books again for affording us the chance to put things in perspective and find out how to utilize the power of imagination to propel us into new frontiers of knowledge and relationships.

History, biography and historic fiction books are now my favorite reads. They allow me to see different aspects of life and live in different worlds, so to speak!

A book can keep you entertained, enhance your imagination, provide you with facts, give you hope, warn you about dangers in life, guide you as to how to behave under different circumstances and may also send you to sleep!

What a great companion!

Hani Badawi
October 19, 2017

Happiness and Pleasure

Are you happy to be pleased or are you pleased to be happy?

In this short essay I will only touch on what comes to mind on the subject of happiness and pleasure for I do NOT purport to have the expertise to offer a comprehensive analysis on these feelings an/or emotions.

Most arguments about the difference between happiness and pleasure suggest that happiness is more enduring than pleasure, the latter being perceived as a transient feeling (or state of mind) which lasts only for a short duration. In other words, happiness and pleasure may be described as finite feelings (or states of mind) that have a duration associated with each, the former being the one that is expected to last longer than the latter.

The common examples of comparing the two feelings (or states of mind) include the following:

- Pleasure from eating something you like only lasts for the duration of consuming that pleasing bite or meal.

- For a finite duration, physical possessions can be sources of pleasure but not happiness

- Happiness emanating from a relationship whether it be marriage, friendship or a combination thereof may last for a lifetime or, for what most would agree, longer than the foregoing examples about pleasure.

With the above in mind, let me address the question that I posed at the outset of this essay, namely: Are you happy to be pleased or are you pleased to be happy?

Staying true to my note about keeping this simple and, after considerable deliberation about the sources and nature of each of the two emotions, my answer to the question is: neither! Instead, I would say that I am happy to have you as my friends and pleased that you took the time to read this and some of my other thoughts!

Hani Badawi
October 18, 2017

Minds Eye, Nature and Perception of Things

We all perceive things and react to them with different eyes and never will what you perceive or react be exactly the same as what anyone else does. This is because our minds eye, unlike our physical one, will color things differently from others depending on the unique circumstances and experiences that provided the coloring box and brush to each.

I would argue that, not unlike humans, nature will also manifest itself differently depending on circumstances that, by and large, originate from geological, geographical and physical factors, but in some instances ones that are inflicted by humans.

Modeling behavioral patterns of nature, whether it be hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, changes in climate such as global warming, etc. is a very difficult undertaking but progress continues to make headway as our tools continue to develop.

Likewise, understanding or modeling human behavior is a very difficult undertaking when tackled by specialists in the field of psychiatry or psychoanalysis and again, like in the case of nature, specialists have made some headway at unraveling some of the above mentioned coloring boxes and brushes but considerable challenges remain.

With the above in mind, it is not surprising that we often ascribe differences in our human perceptions and reactions to us having different natures!

Hani Badawi

October 17, 2017

Misinformation Sources

In this age of “information superhighway” and its associated diverse media channels, one has to be aware of the multitude of misinformation that is being propagated.

Needless to say, when misinformation is blindly heeded it may cause anxiety and animosity amongst friends and family to reach new heights and, alas, falling from these heights can be very painful!

Hani Badawi
October 16, 2017

Marking Territories

Dogs mark their territory by urinating on trees and walls, never on human beings, whereas pathetic leaders do that by tweeting on their fellowmen/women to the detriment of their nations!

Hani Badawi
October 10, 2017

Chicken and Egg Dilemma

History shows that when respect is demanded via scare tactics and bullying, invariably the outcome is more strife and uprising by the bullied parties.

Unfortunately, it is often the case that the bullied themselves turn into bullies and perhaps that’s the reason for the endless strife and discord amongst individuals and/or nations!

Hani Badawi
October 13, 2017

Your Life is a Garden

Your life is like a garden filled with a multitude of plants. Pluck the weeds, prune the shrubs, keep the bugs away, water the plants appropriately and never ignore the roots.

Most importantly sow more seeds of your favorite plants, ones that will ultimately fill your life with joy!

Happy gardening to all!

Hani Badawi
April 12, 2017

Problems and Solutions

Our knowledge is an accumulation of experience that is reaped via: parental upbringing, siblings, traditional schooling, "school of hard knocks!", friends, work, reading, TV and, last but not least, circumstances.

Correct solutions to mathematical problems, crossword puzzles and any other form of mental challenge depends on one's education and accumulated knowledge and cannot be attained simply via intelligence or inspiration.

If you agree with the aforementioned statements, then let's together address the question: Can we resolve circumstantial challenges through accumulated knowledge?

On posing that question, I suspect you'll notice that a circular argument, similar to the unresolved question: "Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?" is encountered here!

As a result of grappling with this intriguing question for some time, I arrived at the following thoughts (and I would be presumptuous if I were to call it an answer):

· As free thinkers, we naturally accumulate knowledge, and, even when our experience appears to be almost identical, we never accumulate knowledge at the same pace or in the same way

· Furthermore, as our brains are wired differently, our emotional responses in dealing with our circumstances will invariably differ

· In the process of aging we acquire wisdom but our retention of knowledge inevitably diminishes and our memory ultimately fades away

And:

· We adapt and adjust our responses to circumstances differently.

· We continue to fine tune our thoughts as time goes by

· As time is unidirectional and cannot be locked or reversed (as much as we would like it to!!) we are continuously confronted with circumstantial challenges

Inevitably and fortunately there are positive factors that we also encounter over time. Fortunately these have a tempering effect on our circumstantial challenges and allow us to proceed to the next challenge in our lives.

As the saying goes: Life Goes On!

These are my present thoughts on that matter. They may change in time as my challenges dictate!

May your circumstantial challenges always be far outweighed by the positive factors in your life!

Hani Badawi

April 12, 2017

On Judgment and Politics by BCE (Before the Common Era) Greek and Roman Philosophers

"Men of ill judgment ignore the good that lies within their hands, till they have lost it." Sophocles (496 to 406 BCE)

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." Plato (428 to 348 BCE)

"An orator without judgment is a horse without a bridle." Theophrastus (371 to 287 BCE)

"It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 63 BCE)

"A hasty judgment is a first step to recantation." Publilius Syrus (85 to 43 BCE)

Hani Badwi

March 25, 2017

Today's Thoughts

Anger and Arrogance are not qualities needed from leaders who are expected to care about the welfare of their nation!

Political Parties are effective in making positive changes only and only if they work towards the betterment of their country and not for their party's gains!

Some politicians seriously believe the following quote by Malcolm Forbes:
"There's nothing wrong with nepotism as long as you keep it in the family"!!!!!

Hani Badawi
March 25, 2017

Conditional and Unconditional Love

Driven by true love and care, giving advice to a family member or a friend should NOT be confused with the often misused term "conditional love".

"Conditional love", in my humble opinion, is an oxymoron.

Let me explain:

When conditions are imposed in a relationship, then it becomes more of a transaction, one that addresses the needs of the person invoking the condition(s). That, in it and of itself is a major departure from "true love".

In its simplest form: "true love" is built on mutual respect and mutual acceptance of the differences between the parties concerned. This includes differences in opinion where "agreeing to disagree" is a key cornerstone of a healthy loving relationship.

If you believe that "conditional love" is an oxymoron, then the use of the term "unconditional love" is worthy of the following consideration:

Based on the above reasoning, there's only one form of love, namely "true love". If that notion sits well with you, then perhaps you will agree that the word "unconditional" is redundant in the same way as the word "back" in the commonly misused term "returning back"! There's only one place to return to and that is "back"!

In closing, I wish to invoke one more notion for your consideration. Conditional friendship also, by and large, conforms to the above analysis about love. However, unlike the case of love, if and when the word "conditional" is used in describing a friendship it implies that before the conditions were placed the parties were adversaries as is the case of friendly and (once upon a time unfriendly) countries! Examples are beyond the scope of this note but I'm sure you can think of some!!!

I am open to comments and advice on the above thoughts because I truly love you!

Hani Badawi
February 24, 2017

Change is the only constant!

In a worldly, non-religious or spiritual sense, the notion that "There's nothing more constant than change" is often stated to reflect that change is inevitable.

In the branch of physics known as classical mechanics there are two types of energy, namely: kinetic (dynamic) and potential (static) energy. Energy spent in resisting "change" happens to be kinetically wasted and potentially damaging!

Embrace change and let it propel you into new realms that otherwise you would never discover!

Hani Badawi
February 18, 2017

Specialization and Generalization

Someone said that “specialization is the process of knowing more and more about less and less until you know everything about nothing”!

How about generalization? I say: It is the process of knowing less and less about more and more until you know nothing about everything!!!!

Perhaps the happy medium is the process of “enhancement of knowledge” whereby there is more than less a benefit gained by the learner :-).


Hani Badawi
February 17, 2017

Politicians/Actors and the Art of Deception

If you agree that most politicians are crooked, and if you agree that politics is not only exercised within and between governments, then what you're witnessing now in the USA is a play where the directors, producers, actors, lighting, prompting and stage managers are openly playing their roles without due consideration of either the script (the constitution) or the audience's (citizens of the USA and the world at large) knowledge and/or expectations.

In essence I think what we are watching is the unfolding of a Greek or Roman tragedy of biblical proportions and remember, we are only witnessing Act 1, Scene 1.

Of all the playwrights no one portrayed the ultimate fate and demise of a tragic hero better than Shakespeare. In all his plots, ambition and greed underlined the causes that led to the heroes downfall.

Let's also not forget the importance of the supernatural events and fortune tellers in Shakespeare's plays (e.g. The Soothsayer in Julius Caesar and The Three Witches in Macbeth) whose indications and forecasts were eerily realized!

In the above, my hope is that what I described is just a narration of a nightmare and that when I wake up things will be fine!

Hani Badawi
January 24, 2017

Matchmakers: Are they still around?

The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word "matchmaker" is a "go between" person whose profession is to find a match for a person (man or woman) who is seeking help in finding a person to marry.

Without delving deep into the origins and history of the matchmaker profession, I think it is safe to say that it has existed in different cultures over many centuries. Their existence was, and, in some cultures still is, driven by the fact that opposite sexes were/are not allowed to mingle either unsupervised or at all. That's when the services of a matchmaker becomes indispensable as she/he will have all the "vital" information pertaining to individuals of both sexes, and which, upon request by their match-seeking customers (usually parents of the bride or groom to be), they would share the information for a negotiated fee in the form of a retainer and/or commission to be paid at the successful conclusion of a match or matrimony to be precise!

The aforementioned "vital" information was often tweaked by the matchmakers to enable them to conclude the transactions for which their services were sought. Effectively, as a con(sequence) they may end up being the sole beneficiary of the deal!  In my life I've seen many movies where this type of crooked behavior was exercised. Most notably, some of you may recall the matchmaker character in "Fiddler on the Roof" but there are many other examples!

This brings me to the question: Have matchmakers evolved in time to cover non-matrimonial type matchmaking?  To address this question, let me review here a few activities and professions that are ubiquitous to us today.

Headhunters and/or Recruiters: Their job, much like the matchmakers of the past, is to connect a recruiting organization to a candidate whose credentials (like the previously mentioned vital information) are aligned. Retainers and commissions are typically paid by the hiring organization to the headhunters at the successful conclusion of their hiring the job seeking candidate.

Online Dating: I'm sure you'll agree that this fits the matchmaking function, of course with the exclusion of parents interference or control! Like matchmakers of the past, online dating organizations use vital information (hopefully without manipulation) to bring individuals together, however, matrimony in their case may not necessarily be the only motivating force!

Other credible and legitimate examples that, in part, bear some resemblance to the old matchmaking technique, with the caveat that they do not match individuals with other individuals, include service providers such as financial and insurance brokers and real estate agents aka as realtors.

In conclusion, I think that the matchmaking job and/or technique has continued to evolve and morph and, yes, matchmakers are still very much around!

Hani Badawi
January 1, 2017