Positive Overtones

Bamboo plants have long been multipurpose plants. Their stems are sturdy, hard, and at times thick (depending on the type of bamboo plant). I have noticed the wonder of bamboos for a long time. However, I have also drawn out some ethical lessons from these much used plants. 1.   Leadership and Humility are inter-twined: There is a popular Chinese quote that continues to do the rounds on social media. The quote says that the higher the bamboo grows, the greater the bend. That is a clear and definite analogy on how a leader ought to be. Leadership entails one to bend down to help others. Authority goes best with humility. However, we most often mix things up and equate authority to pride. If you ever notice a bamboo, you will see that it can grow some several meters high. Yet, it does not remain with its tip to the sky. It continues to tilt downwards. The tip of the bamboo points/faces down telling us also to look at the needs of others no matter how high we climb the success...

In our high school, we would often have practical classes in Chemistry. The wonderful thing about the practical classes were the chemical reactions. It would usually be mixing acids and bases together to get a new colour or a new scent. The most basic of all these tests would be the ‘litmus paper’ test. The litmus paper would change colour when dipped into a concoction thus revealing the ph of that substance. But, what interests me is always the chemical reactions involving our olfactory senses or testers. The fragrance or odour that emerged from the chemical reaction determined the salts that were used. This whole idea of chemical reactions was almost forgotten. I was reminded of it when I read a quote by the psychologist Carl Jung. I do not recall the quote word for word but I do remember its essence. Carl Jung compared people as chemicals. He said that when two people interact with each other, a reaction is created which transforms at least one of them. No matter how old we a...

I have always been fascinated by the simple and ordinary matchsticks. As a child I would always wonder how a simple and insignificant wooden stick could spark a fire. It is only as I grew that I studied about the chemical concoction prepared when making the matchsticks. This would create a chemical reaction when the matchstick was struck against the matchbox which resulted in the creation of a flame. Most often we use matchsticks to start a fire. The fire then can be used creatively or destructively. It is quite a common phenomenon to see fire unleash its destructive powers. There are the natural forest fires, the fire at oil-rigs, and the bombing of cities by soldiers or terrorists. The list can go on: from minor damages to devastating destruction. However, when we look at the creative power of fire, we notice many useful things that many of us are unaware of. The most basic of it is that fire is used for cooking. It is also used as a heating system during the cold winter seaso...