by Anita Mendiratta | Feb 2, 2017
Patriotism. The pride felt for one’s flag, one’s people, one’s national identity and one’s overriding ideology. It is something that is felt, deeply, even if not on show overtly.
At times, however, the love of country can reveal itself in full force. Moments of national victory, be it in sporting or political combat, tops the list of overt expressions of national pride. Chants of national jubilation unite citizens of differing backgrounds, different beliefs. In that moment, all are one.
At others, one’s sense of national identity is felt most vividly when among others of another nation. Whether at home or out in the world, immersion into another national identity can make clear unique elements of one’s nation. Its voice, its values, its vision of the future. All are amplified to oneself (and often others) when among others of a different flag.
To stand beside one’s flag with hand on heart, expressing solidarity in spirit, is something in which every national should feel confidence and pride. Rarely in one’s lifetime is this feeling of connection to national identity ever challenged.
Rarely does one feel a shame in revealing their flag, be it through accent or actions.
And yet, sadly, these moments can happen. A single event, a single signature engraving one moment in time, can leave literally millions in shock, their feeling of pride of flag shattered, while people of other nations look on shaken, their respect for a once celebrated flag shredded.
Such was the case on January 28th when, with the stroke of a pen, the land of the free shut its doors. And for millions across the nation and world, shut its heart. The travel ban imposed by recently elected President Trump under Executive Order immediately tore families apart, openly rejecting people, principle and the promise of a nation once known for the possibility of dreams being realised. Employers and educators scrambled to secure the safe return to the United States of valuable and valued people under their guard. Students, scholars, staff alike were now at risk of being locked out, indefinitely. Border officials and boarding gates across the world raced to understand what exactly the new ruling meant for those travelling. Law abiding, legally registered American citizens suddenly felt rejected from their adopted home.
Painfully, citizens once celebrating their allegiance to their flag felt shame, deep shame, at the actions of their elected leaders. The threats of the newly elected President were being acted upon, the ripples of fear reaching far and wide. Even if, as the new administration argues, only a few are impacted by this act of intended national protection, the impact on national psyche will and has hit millions. Love, trust and pride of flag – gone.
Within minutes o the Executive Order being signed, airports filled with protestors pushing back on what their new President defined as the new America. Fury erupted across all both sides of the country, both sides of the aisle. American citizens separated themselves from the actions of their head of state, clearly stating the actions of one man not being reflective of the fabric of the flag.
Caveats are suddenly expressed in conversations:
“This is anti-American”
“I am an American but this is not my President”
As days have passed, unedited expressions of anger, shame and condemnation fill conversations and official communications. Across industries and individuals, the overriding statement: this is not what America stands for. This is not what our global community will stand for.
Rarely is a person’s national identity defined by what they are not.
This, sadly, is one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ times.
There are no words. Only deep, deep feelings of sadness.
And for millions, same flag or not, shame and separation.
Surely we as the global community, wherever we are, are better than this.
x
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2017
by Anita Mendiratta | Jan 20, 2017
Just a few hours left……
As Washington DC concludes final rehearsals in anticipation of today’s inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America, rehearsals of not just events related to the ceremony taking place in front of the nation’s capital, but also events set to take place once President Trump takes over the Oval Office, the city, under the gaze of the waiting world, is bracing for profound change.
At the moment of the taking of the Oath of Office, swearing in a new President of the union, moving out of the nation’s capital will be a first family that has lead a number of firsts in not just American politics, but society and ideology. Being the first African-American President of the United States started was the first of the first. Many subtitles soon followed.
As the people of the USA and world look upon the legacy of President Obama, many positives and negatives will emerge across the economic, political and social spectrum. Viewpoints will be as many as voices. Over his eight year term, President Obama has established an immense portfolio of highest accolades, and of heartaches. Debates will continue for decades.
What cannot be debated, however, is the show of character that President Obama brought to America and the World. Importantly, to the White House, and the American people, he brought remarkable class, commitment, compassion, courage.
And now it is time for closure.
So much can be said, and no doubt will, about POTUS #44. As is the case for POTUS #45, still due to rest his hand on the Bible in swearing his service to the American people as the rest of the world watches on.
Whatever happens, whatever may be for the US, and the world, as the winds of change blow through Washington DC today, immediately reaching out to the world through the media and global markets, one thing is certain:
“The sun will rise tomorrow…”
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2017
by Anita Mendiratta | Dec 24, 2016
December 24th.
Work phones and emails are silencing across networks, deep exhales are sounding across the globe. Everywhere, whatever the global coordinates, local sentiments, races & religions, rhymes or reasons of daily life, a hush is setting in. Something soft, something special, is filling the air. Something that unites us all, whatever our religion / faith / spiritual sensibilities. Like fairy dust, it makes this night brighter, merrier….softer, slower, kinder.
It happens every year at this time. Christmas eve. A day when miles are travelled by millions for the sake of simply being together. As the clock nears its moment of striking midnight, a sudden rush of emotion is felt to be where one needs to be, to be with whom one’s heart most desires, white Christmas or not, even if only in one’s dreams…
It is moments such as these that magnify the gift that is travel – the ability to come together to share the times that truly matter.
At this moment, according to NORAD’s so stunning Santa Tracker http://www.noradsanta.org/, Santa has just left Nepal, he now making his way to India. From there it is onward to Sri Lanka, followed by the Maldives, back through India, up to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, through the Middle East, then onward westward. With magic up above, children across the globe look up the skies. Grown ups too. It’s impossible not to. Maybe, just maybe the sound of bells will be faintly heard, the soft glow of a red nose may be faintly visible…
On this night, while our eyes may see nothing, the image in our hearts is clear. The world’s most dedicated traveller never fails to deliver, in all ways. With 9 reindeer leading the way, a soft red globe at the front of the pack, Santa is spending this night crossing regions, and religions, sprinkling the world with the gift wonder.
As midnight rings in across the globe, wherever you may be, whatever your spirit may sing to, may this night be one to pause your thoughts, squeeze your heart, and leave you feeling blessed in your ‘here & now’.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good flight. x
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2016
by Anita Mendiratta | Nov 30, 2016
It was only 3 weeks ago.
It is hard to believe it was only 3 weeks ago when so much of the world woke to a shock they will never forget, yet one that so, so many wish that they could.
The map was red, undeniably, unquestionably, irreversibly red. He had won. The Republican candidate was now to be referred to as ‘President Elect, Donald Trump’.
Hundreds of millions across the US, and the world, woke to shock. Time-freezing, ‘you will never forget where you were when…’ shock. The people had spoken. The American elite will no longer lead. Now it was time for the power of the people to rise, and govern. The relieved souls: US-based in the main.
For the rest, it was shock and awe. The dawn was to bring a map bathed in blue. The responsibility of the right to vote was wisely to rise over the unprecedented theatrics of the 2016 US Presidential campaigns. The moment of truth was to reveal a choice in favour of experience, stability, global sensibility, and decency over disruption and disrespect. The polling booths were to be the moment when the country (and world) switched channels, resuming regular programming, the reality show having come to its final, dramatic episode.
But it was not to be the case.
Sunrise brought the rise of dismay. And angst. And tears. Could this be true? Have the American people chosen this man, this character, as representative of the nation’s vision, identity and ethos?
2016 has been a year beyond fiction, beyond feeling, and beyond logic, in so many ways.
First came the continued tragedy of the Refugee and Migrant crisis. Then Brexit. Then the US Elections. The people have spoken once more. And their words, their wishes, are expressions of a desire for profound change, with separation at the centre of their sense of stability, security and future opportunity.
The feeling of ‘how can this happen? really was like deja vu all over again……
Which begs the question: what do the events of 2016 say about us, each of us, as a citizen of the global community? The choices we make in terms of:
- What attracts our attention?
- What pokes us in the eye, stirring up our compassion?
- What forces us to take a stand, taking action?
- And at the same times, what goes unnoticed?
Today, months after Brexit, days after the US Presidential Elections, seconds since the latest crisis, our attention is pulled in so many directions. But actually, none at all. The intensity of activity turns to a numbness. There is just so much noise that it is simply easier, and understandable, to cover one’s ears and walk away.
But if there is anything that Brexit, the US Presidential Elections, and so many other tests have proven, we cannot, simply cannot, turn away. What may seem the path of least resistance is, in fact, the path of apathetic abandonment of responsibility.
What is happening is not ok.
What is being ignored is not ok.
Turning away, covering our ears, walking on, is not ok.
Never, ever, should it take the lifeless body a tiny Syrian toddler named Aylan on Turkish shores to draw the attention of people of the world to the plight of others. ‘Syria’ has become a symbol of abandonment. ‘Trump’ has become a synonym of populism. ‘2016’ has become a page in history punctuated with disbelief…the ‘Word of the Year’ most consistently expressed in 4 letters, the first being an F, the rest best not put in print but rightly assumed.
So where are we now? What have we learned? What difference will 2016 really make?
If anything, one can only hope, it will be the need to do everything possible, sometimes defying instinct, to not turn away.
There is too much, too too much, happening every day everywhere around us, trying to create a global community of enemies. That is not who we are, and who we are meant to be.
Whoever we are, wherever we are in the world, our blood reveals immigrant ties. Our hearts reveal hope for a safer tomorrow.
Our better angels are fighting tirelessly to rise above. Because all lives matter.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2016
by Anita Mendiratta | Oct 10, 2016
To watch / read / listen to the debates, discourses, digs, documenting, and painful dispatches from campaign offices in this year’s US Presidential election is truly historic. In so many ways both the Democrats and Republicans are making history. Personalities and profiles of the candidates are unprecedented. Some of the reasons were expected – the first woman at the helm of a party in the presidential race versus the first outsider and self-funding her opponent. One a lifetime in the political arena, the other a lifetime in the boardroom. One an assumed contestant for the 2016 presidential race, the other a complete shock in participation and now pole position.
Yet there are similarities – both are deal makers, though each with profoundly different agendas, styles, and bottom lines. Both possess gravitas and grey hair in their respective areas. Both love their families, flowing in their affections and fierce in their protection. And both are in it to win it. Never before in the race for the White House has the competition been more diverse, nor divisive.
As hundreds of millions are spent in the countdown to election day, the equivalent of GDPs of small, struggling nations, messaging grows more acutely focused on the courtship of voters, building on bases, seeking to appeal to undecideds, imploring the need for all Americans to exercise their democratic right and responsibility to vote, to step forward and help shape the future of their nation’s economy, psyche, and one hopes, unity.
To be at this point in the race is to be in a period of intense noise. The media blitzes are expected, the massive spends a cost of doing business and praying for the return on investment, be it party funds, supporter donations, or personal wealth. This is nothing new. The new highs in spend are what they are. They are expected, and accepted.
What has been a great shock to the political system, and the people of the US, and dare it be said the world, has been the shocking, simply shocking, lows that the presidential race has reached, and continues to reach, with each passing day. Attacks on the opposition have become abusive, personal fur tearing and assaults on character and capabilities eclipsing professional agendas and policy perspectives. Social exchange has gone into freefall.
Painfully, embarrassingly, the vocabulary of the US presidential race, candidates, critics and commentators (official and those simply socially empowered with 140 keystrokes of opinion, qualified & verified or not, American and worldwide) alike, has become the stuff of tabloids, tantrums, bullies and brothel owners.
Credit where it is due – it is one candidate in particular who built his party campaign off of hurling offenses and building fear. Now a party nominee, the hateful and hurtful rhetoric has reached new highs, the national elections vocabulary new lows. Still, whether one’s one words or echoing those of another, to give such language, such sentiment oxygen, is to magnify the mess.
Back in the day when both candidates were children, to use the language used so freely and so unashamedly today, by those in the race and then magnified by the population at large, would have both candidates and all speaking such soiled language, grounded. Four letter words, hate speech, bullying – these used to be prohibited, punishable. And yet today, as the race reaches its climax, the entertainment of the race has stripped the candidates and the American people of a filter. Speaking one’s mind, regardless of prejudices and paranoia, had become applauded as being honest, being anti-establishment, being what is going to be what makes a nation great again.
But what happens once November 08th has come and gone. How will Americans look at one another as they look to their respective futures? Together, after pushing so far apart? Hopeful, after declaring oneself so hopeless? Safe and secure at home after being so overtly singled out for as unwelcome?
And what about once one crosses US borders? How does the world now look at this nation that has declared war on itself, one turning free speech into foul exchanges that cheapen the overall image and sense of ethics of a people? How does one maintain a seat at the table when they have shown absolutely no regard for table manners?
What we are seeing now is beyond comprehension. There are no words for what has become acceptable language. Whatever the outcome of the presidential race, the image of the position of the ‘President‘ has been bruised. The dark, painful colours of this fight will take years to fade, exceptional effort to heal, though no question scars will remain.
The scars? A society that allows such open, unedited, abusive and offensive language as everyday language. Walls have been built and bridges destroyed across the nation’s psyche, simply through words. Bricks and mortar were not needed.
Still, as the sun rises on November 09th, with ballots having been counted into the wee, dark hours of the morning, the victor announced and ballots safely discarded, how dearly, desperately, one can hope that thrown away with the ballot papers will be the rhetoric that was used to rip people apart, Americans recognising that from this day forward, greatness as a nation comes through a desire to be better first and foremost through how one looks at, speaks with, reaches out to the person standing right beside them, whether they were voting right, left, or in the middle just 24 hours before.
It’s not ok. And it is not an evolution of the times that must be accepted. Americans are better than this. We are all better that this. Decency is not a political policy, nor a position, nor a platform. It is a simple code that should, at a cellular level, be shared by all nationals, political preferences aside.
One can only pray that as the sun rises on November 09th, words of unity and respect will be be reawoken. America, the world, is better than this.
Saying a prayer……x
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2016
by Anita Mendiratta | Sep 4, 2016
One year ago the image of baby Alan Kurdi washing ashore gripped the world. The desperate quest of his Syrian family for freedom and safety ended up in this tired, overtaken rag doll image becoming a reflection of the plight of the Syrian refugees. A little angel forced our attention.
One year on. And where are we now? Has his life been honoured by lives protected? Lives saved?
Has the call to the global community for compassion and accommodation been heard? Has the message been able to make its way through the year?
Painfully, it appears not.
Immediate response to the image of lifeless little Alan on the shores of one of Turkey’s tourism beaches was citizen outrage and political action. As hearts opened across the globe, and hashtags acted as a voice imploring a humanitarian response, policies were put in place to open doors. European leaders, some but not all, showed an ethical leadership and unity unseen for quite some time. Their show of courage and conviction within political leadership was needed, immediately, not later, as day after day thousands of desperate, journey defying refugees arrives on the shores of the continent. Tiny children. Tired parents. Too many to count. Too many tears to see through.
Hearing of the struggles for life, hundreds of millions worldwide watched as flimsy, water-defying boats arrived in Europe, and the journey of the refugees continues. The long walk to freedom. Hundreds and hundreds of kilometers were taken on without hesitation by the refugees remarkably on terra firma. Germany, Austria, the UK, France…anywhere, actually. As they say, beggars can’t be choosers. Thousands of kilometers away from Turkish shores, refugees began their trek to their so dearly hoped for final places to rest their tired hearts, souls and soles.
The world was finally watching. And yet the reality is that long before baby Alan washed up on the shores of Turkey, refugees had been fleeing from Syria to places promising simply safety. Millions. Millions the world chose not to see as it was not on their shores.
And then reality bit, hard. As waves of refugees arrived into Europe, doors began to close, along with hearts. Policies were changed, promises fell, compassion faded. And # activism moved on to the next issue, the next crisis, the next popular outrage.
Still, while the world looks away, the global refugee community continues to fight for freedom, dignity and safety. The numbers of refugees making the terrifying journey since little Alan’s death has reached almost one million, with close to 6000 lives lost – those that we know of. This past week, in a period of just 30 hours, an estimated 6,500 refugees made the terrifying crossing of the Mediterranean, including a pair of five day old twins born on the waters thankfully finding themselves on the dry shores of Europe, and in the headlines of global news. The survival of these two little souls has been called a ‘miracle’, the story squeezing the hearts of the world. Likewise the image of little Omran, the young boy pulled out of the rubble of an airstrike on his neighbourhood in Aleppo. His family chose to stay. He survived. His brother, however, did not.
Children, fragile children, have become what it takes to get the world’s attention, to care.
But does the world care enough to not look away?
The care, compassion and action of the world can be so much more. We who can make a difference must stop looking to the lives of refugees for stories of miracles – we must create the miracles that their life stories so desperately, courageously seek.
The policies of governments across the world accepting, or rejecting, refugees are a direct reflection of the wishes of their citizens. It is the opening, and closing, of hearts and homes on safer ground that is determining the fate of the refugees – courageous souls simply seeking to find a way of looking towards tomorrow with confidence that they will see the sunrise. Are changes needed to systems and structures to take in refugees and make them productive, appreciated members of society? Absolutely, this we know to be true. As is needed ways of identifying those taking advantage of the suffering of others to drive their own agendas, gaining access to be able to do damage to societies simply trying to do good.
As opportunities and issues across our world continue to bring people together, the refugee crisis has rightly been called ‘the moral test of our generation‘. To fail this test would be profoundly shameful.
Today, right now, here’s how you can help: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/28/world/iyw-migrant-how-to-help/index.html
And please, please, do not look away…..x
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2016
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