The Gods of Peace
In the name of God I will murder, conquer, and oppress. This brief phrase summarizes centuries of exploitation and misinterpretation of religious values by oppressors and dictators. A practice that continues to exist in almost every conflict taking place today, regardless of globalization, the spread of education, and the mainstreaming of the international human rights […]
Freedom. Conscience. Who Cares?
If you ask a random sampling of young people what they believe conscience is, they will give you a relative response that divulges a myriad of opinions and viewpoints. Add to the question the meaning of freedom, and the same happens. Put the two together, and you will find yourself in a jungle of confusion with […]
What It Really Means to Be a Mother
When I went to Paris on the au pair program, I was much younger. I took care of twins. I would take them to the park, shower them and I would eat with them many times. I would also play with them a lot. This was the second major encounter with children after my sister’s […]
Motherhood Explained
Nine years ago, when I was expecting my first baby, my mother-in-law told me matter-of-factually, that “you don’t really love your babies when they are first born, but you grow to love them after you take care of them.” At the time that she said this, a mere six or seven months into my new […]
A Mother’s Gaze
One February afternoon, I was riding the New York City subway, staring out the darkened window, rather melancholy and lost in my own world. Then, the mother and her young daughter to my left caught my attention and revolutionized not only my perspective on the day, but gave me an insight into the gift that […]
Family and Society
All tall, beautiful, magnificent, and splendid building you have seen and known do not exist in isolation. There is a very strong base upon which they are built and mounted on, and that is what makes them stand. That’s their foundation. Our societies can also be understood in the same way. The on-going developments and […]
Seven Lessons From My Family
Here in the WYA blogspace, we write about a lot of different issues and we give our opinions and try to get discussions going on many fronts. We represent lots of different cultural, political, socio-economic and religious backgrounds. It is important for us to be open-minded and respectful as we explore the issues we deal […]
It All Started with the Family
This article was written using the ideas of a group of intellectuals at a discussion today. None of these ideas are my own ideas, only the interpretation of a discussion regarding the truth about the person by analyzing the difference between religious and non-religious groups. This discussion analyzed the different systems and institutions that developed […]
The Family: A Kenyan, Or Rather a Nairobian, Perspective.
Each time I think of family what comes in mind are those beautiful Christmas celebrations, birthdays ,at times weddings, since those are some of the times I get to bond much with my family members, and keep those awesome tokens as souvenirs for the future. Sixteen years ago I lost my younger sister and the […]
Strong Bonds: The Chemistry of Filipino Families
It was just a simple gathering at a house in a rural poor community and I was making a native dessert together with a Tita (Aunt in Filipino), her Sister-in-law, and a Lola (Grandmother in Filipino). They weren’t my blood relatives but that’s how it is here in the Philippines, we automatically feel like family. […]
