Sixth-Day Adventist Work Culture vs Seventh-Day Adventist Sabbath Culture

Sixth-Day Adventist vs Seventh-Day Adventist. The formula for Positive Work Culture.

The Seventh-Day Adventists believe that the Sabbath should be observed on the seventh day of the week, i.e. from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. I coined the phrase Sixth-Day Adventist to give my highest priority to God’s Commandment asking man to perform labor or work for Six Days. In my analysis, God ordained a Six-Day Work Schedule without which man cannot seek the blessings of Sabbath. The Rudi-Grant Connection at Whole Foods follows the Six-Day Weekly Work Schedule.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture. This article is dedicated to the loving memory of Jessica Cole of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Bangalore (Bengaluru), India.

This article is dedicated to the loving memory of Jessica Cole, my relative who lived in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India as a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. She inspired me to formulate the Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture.

The U.S. Working Week

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

As in most industrialized countries, the Standard Work Week in the United States begins on Monday and ends on Friday. During the Depression, President Herbert Hoover called for a reduction in Work Hours in lieu of layoffs. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a five-day, 40-hour workweek for many workers.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Benefits of a Healthy Work Culture

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

The benefits of a healthy workplace culture are innumerable. Some of the most astounding benefits that a strong culture has to offer include

Highly engaged and productive teams—Research shows that when employees view their organization’s culture positively, they are 3.8 times more likely to be engaged at work; in fact, a staggering 89 percent of “highly engaged” employees claim that the culture in their organization is positive.1 Some of the markers that are associated with increases in employee engagement rates include workplace connections2; clear communication around organizational goals, objectives, and plans for implementation or execution3; community, inclusivity, and teamwork; learning and development opportunities4; frequent feedback; commitment to wellbeing and wellness programs; and above all, trust in senior management.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Improved retention and recruitment—In a study conducted by Deloitte, organizations that had the strongest workplace cultures were much more likely to attract and keep talent, including 59 percent less attrition. Given that corporate culture is now more important than compensation or material benefits when employees decide whether to work for a certain organization, organizations with high employee satisfaction rates and employee experience stories testifying to a strong workplace culture are likely to have a larger pool of potential hires to choose from compared to their competitors, and are likely to hold on to new talent for the long-term—a needed perk amongst mounting evidence that suggests that Gen Z, on average, is spending significantly less time at a given job compared to older generations.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Healthier employees—While toxic work cultures are linked to poor health outcomes, the opposite is also true. Research shows that employees who think positively of their workplace culture tend to have lower heart rates and blood pressure, as well as stronger immune systems. As this makes employees less likely to get sick, organizations that tout healthy workplace environments also observe 41 percent reductions in absenteeism and presenteeism.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Fewer accidents, injuries, and mistakes—In addition to fewer absences and less sick days, founder and CEO of Choose People, Kris Boesch, reports that organizations with people-centric or “people-first” cultures boast 26 percent fewer mistakes, accidents, and work-related injuries.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Greater customer satisfaction and higher profitability—When employees feel healthier and happier in the workplace thanks to a positive work culture, research shows that such feelings tend to rub off on the customers they interact with, making for an improved customer service experience. Consequently, PwC insights reveal that organizations with strong cultures are a whopping 89 percent more likely to report higher customer satisfaction.—but not only that, they are also more likely to report revenue increases up to four times that of their competitors (with an average increase of up to 682 percent for organizations with thriving cultures compared to just 166 percent for organizations with poor cultures).

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Organizational resiliency and adaptability—Managers almost unanimously agree that a positive workplace culture creates more resilient teams. In fact, a strong company culture is responsible for helping nearly 70 percent of organizations adapt better to the pandemic. According to new insights from PwC, 67 percent of senior leaders cited a strong culture as the tool that helped change initiatives happen and helped them to maintain and drive successful outcomes.

The Concept of Positive Sixth-Day Adventist Work Culture is inspired by God’s Work Week:

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

The details of God’s Work Week are vividly described in Genesis, Chapter 1.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

Six is a number perfect in itself. God created the world and the man in Six Days because this number is perfect. For that reason, the man must also choose a Six-Day Work Week.

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, California inspires me to formulate the Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed for it is not inspired by the Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture

June is Professional Wellness Week – The benefits of Sixth-Day Adventist Positive Work Culture
Sixth-Day Adventist vs Seventh-Day Adventist. The formula for Positive Work Culture

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is not consistent with holistic workplace environment

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

Professional Wellness Month is celebrated each year in June and it throws light on the workplace’s role in creating a holistic environment for employees. It also focuses on how organizations that place emphasis on professional wellness are largely successful, attract top talent, and drive employee retention.

I ask my readers to reject the assumptions and the criteria described by the Fair Labor Standards Act as they contribute to Unequal Employment Opportunities at the American Workplace. As such the Fair Labor Standards Act is not consistent with the Natural Law principle of Equality that formulates the Supreme Law of this Land.

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

Cultivating a Healthier, Happier Workplace

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

Despite the vast advantages of a healthy workplace culture, new insights from Gallup show that only about a quarter of U.S. employees strongly agree that their organization delivers on its mission and promises, say that they can apply their organization’s values to their work, and actually believe in those values. This once again goes back to the employer-employee disconnect driving attrition and toxic workplace environments: When leaders attempt to unite their workplace around a common goal, value, or mission without taking into proper account the needs, concerns, or values of their employees, such efforts ultimately fail.

Instead, the cultivation of a healthy, harmonious workplace culture happens only when everyone in the organization is involved, and not just those at the top. That said, some of the best practices that can help organizations to improve their environment and enhance their workplace culture include those listed below.

Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Daily Operations

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

First and foremost, building a healthy work environment and a strong culture requires that organizations reimagine what diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace looks like (or the alternative acronym, EDI). Without ensuring that discriminatory, oppressive, or limiting policies, practices, and biases are absent or disbarred from the workplace (i.e. without ensuring that the workplace is equitable), toxicity in the workplace will prevail, as will its numerous costs and consequences.

That said, employers need to look beyond diversity recruitment and pivot their focus toward creating a sustainable environment that treats all employees as equals, helps them to reach their full potential, and motivates them to stay. This may include ensuring that all groups present in the workplace (namely, all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, etc.) are accounted and spoken for before any important decision is made, that everyone has a chance to be heard during meetings, that everyone has the same opportunities for growth and promotion within the organization, and that everyone is treated with the same level of respect.

Providing Training Opportunities for Leaders and Managers

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

While healthy workplace cultures revolve around the equitable treatment and involvement of all members of an organization, establishing that workplace culture starts at the top. How leaders communicate, behave, and defend or explain their behaviors in the workplace inevitably influences employee behavior, sentiment, and their experience at large. That said, many experts on corporate culture underscore the importance of providing training opportunities to teach leaders from all levels of the organization about the signs and characteristics of toxic workplace cultures, the role they play in determining workplace culture, and how they can prevent toxic cultures and, alternatively, foster positive cultures. This includes encouraging leaders to seek out cross-cultural experiences that help them to enhance their awareness of other cultures and really connect with the needs, interests, and values of their employees; allowing them the time and opportunity to help them build key skills, like empathy, active listening, and recognition; and organizing workshops dedicated to teaching leaders how they can be supportive of employees’ workplace mental health and wellbeing needs, and be accommodating toward their personal and professional goals.

Offering Educational and Professional Development Opportunities

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

As leaders are trained to be more empathic, inclusive, and accommodating. One of the best ways in which they can show support to their workforce, according to employees, is by offering career-enhancing education and continual development opportunities that tie them to their organization’s key missions or purpose, reassures them that their work and talents matter and are valued, and motivates them to look for new and improved ways of contributing to their organization. Research shows that employees who feel as though their employer not only values their work but cares about their long-term career prospects and individual success are likely to feel happier and more secure, creating a culture of celebration instead of cutthroat competition. Some of the most sought-after professional development opportunities include management and leadership training, certification programs, technical and interpersonal skills training, and employer-subsidized degree programs. By incorporating development opportunities into daily operations, leaders establish an equitable and inclusive culture in which all believe they have the potential to rise to the top, regardless of connections, backgrounds, or other unfair advantages that, when advantageous, perpetuate toxic cultures.

Prioritizing Holistic Wellbeing; Implementing Wellness Programs and Flexible Benefits

The American Employer-Employee Relations are fundamentally flawed for want of holistic workplace environment. Hourly Wage vs Salaried Employee is the symptom of the lack of holistic environment for employees.

When employees feel as though their leaders look down on their health and wellness needs as a detriment or burden to the organization, they are more likely to feel detached from their leaders and peers, disinterested in their work, and overall, less committed to their roles and employment with the organization. In fact, a new study has found that the majority of today’s workforce (86 percent) would be more likely to leave a job if it did not support their wellbeing, while 83 percent say they are more attracted to organizations that demonstrate a “progressive culture” that cares about workers’ holistic health and wellbeing. In order to create such a culture, numerous studies point to the importance of maintaining workers’ work-life balance and upholding their “right to disconnect”; prioritizing flexibility and autonomy when designing benefits offerings, such as by offering work-from-home and choose-your-own-hours opportunities, unlimited paid time off (PTO), as well as health and wellness stipends; and incorporating stress-reduction, mindfulness, and meditation practices into the workday. When employees are given the okay to relax, recharge, and recover, they’re protected against chronic or excessive stress, which not only improves their performance, but also improves their mood, which in turn creates a happier, more cooperative, and good-natured culture.

The Hourly vs the Salaried Employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed

The Hourly vs the Salaried Employees.In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as the Hourly and the Salaried without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was signed into law on June 25, 1938 claiming that it will provide protection to people working in the US.

Knowledge Work vs Manual Work.In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

The Blue Collar vs the White Collar Employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed.

There can be no distinction such as the Skilled and Unskilled among the workers as Life can only be defined as ‘Knowledge in Action’. All human beings process similar kind of information and use chemical energy to perform similar kinds of sequential, guided, purposeful and goal-oriented actions described as ‘Metabolism’. In fact, no man can perform Unskilled work.

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

I ask the US Congress and The US Department of Labor to discard the flawed Act and dump into the dustbin to put an end to the division of workers into White and Blue Collar. As such, each employee and his or her employer must make the determination about compensation or remuneration and agree upon the terms for wages and benefits for performing any kind of labor.

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.
In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

In my view, the Natural Sciences and the Medical Science in particular does not validate the concept of the White-Collar or the Managerial Class as no human being performs executive, administrative, or professional service while operating the metabolic functions of human bodies of their own. No man lives as the boss, the manager, the administrator, the executive officer, the ruler, the governor, or the controller of his own body.

I ask my readers to reject the assumptions and the criteria described by the Fair Labor Standards Act as they contribute to Unequal Employment Opportunities at the American Workplace. As such the Fair Labor Standards Act is not consistent with the Natural Law principle of Equality that formulates the Supreme Law of this Land.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE-ESTABLISHMENT NO. 22-VIKAS REGIMENT

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

FACT SHEET – WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION (WHD) – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.

Clipped from: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/whdfs17s.htm

Fact Sheet #17S: Higher Education Institutions and Overtime Pay Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The FLSA requires that a non-exempt employee receive minimum wages for his or her work, as well as overtime wages whenever he or she works more than 40 hours in a workweek. Section 13(a)(1) of the FLSA, however, exempts certain employees who perform bona fide executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales duties from minimum wage and overtime requirements. These exemptions are often called the “white-collar” exemptions. This fact sheet discusses the applicability of these exemptions to jobs that are common in higher education institutions.

The Exempt vs the Non-Exempt Employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fundamentally flawed.

General Requirements for Exemptions

To qualify for a white collar exemption, an employee must generally satisfy three tests:

1. The employee must be paid on a salary basis that is not subject to reduction based on the quality or quantity of work (the “salary basis test”), rather than, for example, on an hourly basis;

2. The employee must receive a salary at a rate not less than $455* per week (the “salary level test”); and

3. The employee’s primary duty must involve the kind of work associated with the exempt status sought, such as executive, administrative, or professional work (the “duties test”).

4. Additional information concerning these exemptions is available in Fact Sheets 17A-G. See https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdcomp.htm.

Exemptions for Common Higher Education Jobs

Teachers

A teacher is exempt if his or her primary duty is teaching, tutoring, instructing, or lecturing to impart knowledge, and if he or she is performing that duty as an employee of an educational establishment. See 29 C.F.R. § 541.303. Educational establishments include elementary school systems, secondary school systems, institutions of higher education, and other educational institutions. See 29 C.F.R. § 541.204(b). If a bona fide teacher meets this duty requirement, the salary level and salary basis tests do not apply. See 29 C.F.R. §§ 541.303(d), 541.600(e). Given these standards, professors, instructors, and adjunct professors typically qualify for this exemption.

A faculty member who teaches online or remotely also may qualify for this exemption. The regulations do not restrict where bona fide teaching may take place, to whom the knowledge can be imparted, or how many hours a teacher must work per week to qualify for the exemption. The exemption would therefore ordinarily apply, for example, to a part-time faculty member of an educational establishment whose primary duty is to provide instruction through online courses to remote non-credit learners. The exemption could likewise apply, for example, to an agricultural extension agent who is employed by an educational establishment to travel and provide instruction to farmers, if the agent’s primary duty is teaching, instructing, or lecturing to impart knowledge. To determine a teacher’s primary duty, the relevant inquiry in all cases is the teacher’s actual job duties. Job titles or full/part-time status alone do not determine exempt status.

A teacher does not become non-exempt merely because he or she spends a considerable amount of time in extracurricular activities (such as coaching athletic teams or supervising student clubs), provided the teacher’s primary duty is teaching.

Coaches

Athletic coaches employed by higher education institutions may qualify for the teacher exemption. After all, teaching may include instructing student-athletes in how to perform their sport. But a coach will not qualify for the exemption if his or her primary duties are recruiting students to play sports or visiting high schools and athletic camps to conduct student interviews. The amount of time the coach spends instructing student-athletes in a team sport is relevant, but not the exclusive factor, in determining the coach’s exempt status.

Professional Employees

The FLSA provides for several kinds of exempt professional employees—such as learned professionals, creative professionals, teachers, and employees practicing law or medicine. In higher education, employees eligible for the professional exemption are often either teachers (as discussed above) or learned professionals (as described below). To qualify as a learned professional, the employee must satisfy three requirements:

1. The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring advanced knowledge;

2. The advanced knowledge must be in a field of science or learning; and

3. The advanced knowledge must be customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.301. Unless the employee is a teacher or practicing law or medicine, he or she must also satisfy the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests to be an exempt professional.

In higher education, examples of exempt non-teacher learned professionals generally include certified public accountants, psychologists, certified athletic trainers, and librarians. Postdoctoral fellows, who conduct research at a higher education institution after completing their doctoral studies, likewise generally meet the duties requirements of the learned professional exemption, and they may additionally qualify for the teacher exemption if teaching is their primary duty. Of course, an employee’s qualification for the exemption depends on his or her actual job duties and education. Job titles alone are not sufficient for determining whether an employee satisfies the duties test.

Administrative Employees

Various employees at higher educational institutions may qualify as exempt administrative employees. The administrative exemption applies when the following requirements are met:

1. The employee’s compensation must satisfy the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests;

2. The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers; and

3. The employee’s primary duty must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.200. Such administrative employees in higher education might include, for example, admissions counselors or student financial aid officers. An employee’s qualification for the exemption depends on his or her actual job duties; job titles alone are not sufficient for determining whether an employee satisfies the duties test.

Notably, there are specific regulatory provisions for certain administrative employees—known as “academic administrative employees”—whose primary duty is performing administrative functions directly related to academic instruction or training in an educational establishment. To be exempt as an academic administrative professional:

1. The employee must satisfy the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests or receive a salary of at least the entrance salary for teachers in the same educational establishment; and

2. The employee’s primary duty must be to perform administrative functions directly related to academic instruction or training in an educational establishment.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.204. Employees who work in higher education but whose work does not relate to the educational field (such as work in general business operations) do not qualify as exempt academic administrative employees. See id.

In higher education institutions, exempt academic administrative personnel generally include department heads, intervention specialists who are available to respond to student academic issues, and other employees with similar responsibilities. Exempt administrative personnel would likewise generally include academic counselors who administer school testing programs, assist students with academic problems, and advise students concerning degree requirements. Again, whether an employee satisfies the duties test for these exemptions depends on the employee’s actual job duties, not just the employee’s job title.

Executive Employees

To qualify for the executive exemption, an employee must satisfy the following tests:

1. The employee must receive compensation that satisfies the above-referenced salary basis and salary level tests;

2. The employee’s primary duty must be managing the enterprise or a customarily recognized department or subdivision thereof;

3. The employee must customarily and regularly direct the work of at least two or more other full-time employees or their equivalent (for example, one full-time and two half-time employees); and

4. The employee must have the authority to hire or fire other employees, or in the alternative, the employee’s suggestions and recommendations as to the hiring, firing, advancement, promotion, or any other change of status of other employees must be given particular weight.

See 29 C.F.R. § 541.100. Various positions in higher education institutions might qualify for the executive exemption, including deans, department heads, directors, and any other manager or supervisor whose job duties and compensation satisfy the above criteria.

Student-Employees

As a general matter, most students who work for their college or university are hourly non-exempt workers and do not work more than 40 hours per week. The following, however, are examples of students who often receive a salary or other non-hourly compensation:

· Graduate Teaching Assistants. Graduate teaching assistants whose primary duty is teaching are exempt. Because they qualify for the teacher exemption, they are not subject to the salary basis and salary level tests.

· Research Assistants. Generally, an educational relationship exists when a graduate or undergraduate student performs research under a faculty member’s supervision while obtaining a degree. Under these circumstances, the Department would not assert that an employment relationship exists with either the school or any grantor funding the student’s research. This is true even though the student may receive a stipend for performing the research.

· Student Residential Assistants. Students enrolled in bona fide educational programs who are residential assistants and receive reduced room or board charges or tuition credits are not generally considered employees under the FLSA. They therefore are not entitled to minimum wages and overtime under the FLSA.

An employment relationship will generally exist when a student receives compensation and his or her duties are not part of an overall education program. For example, students who work at food service counters, sell programs or usher at events, or wash dishes in dining halls and anticipate some compensation (for example, money or meals) are generally considered employees entitled to minimum wage and overtime compensation.

Compensatory Time at Public Universities

Public universities or colleges that qualify as a “public agency” under the FLSA may compensate non-exempt employees with compensatory time off (or “comp time”) in lieu of overtime pay. A college or university is a public agency under the FLSA if it is a political subdivision of a State. When determining whether a college or university is a “political subdivision,” the Department considers whether (1) the State directly created the entity, or (2) individuals administering the entity are responsible to public officials or the general electorate.

If the public university or college qualifies as a public agency, non-exempt employees generally may not accrue more than 240 hours of comp time. However, employees engaged to work in a public safety activity, an emergency response activity, or a seasonal activity may accrue as much as 480 hours of comp time. See 29 U.S.C. 207(o)(3)(A). Private higher education institutions may not pay employees comp time in lieu of overtime pay.

Where to Obtain Additional Information

This publication is for general information and is not a regulation. For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.wagehour.dol.gov and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone at: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243).

Note (added January 2018): *

The Department of Labor is undertaking rulemaking to revise the regulations located at 29 C.F.R. part 541, which govern the exemption of executive, administrative, and professional employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime pay requirements. Until the Department issues its final rule, it will enforce the part 541 regulations in effect on November 30, 2016, including the $455 per week standard salary level. These regulations are available at: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/regulations.pdf.

In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.
In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.
In my analysis, FLSA is fundamentally flawed for it divides workers into categories such as “White Collar” and “Blue Collar” without understanding the basis for the man’s existence in the natural world.
The American Workplace lacks a holistic environment for employees

World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self

World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self

Brahmin, also spelled Brahman, Sanskrit Brāhmaṇa (“Possessor of Brahm”), highest ranking of the four varnas, or social classes, in India.

World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self

Brahmin is a varna as well as a caste within the Hindu society. In Vedic- and post-Vedic Indian subcontinent, Brahmins were designated as the priestly class as they served as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and spiritual teachers (guru or acharya)

World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self

The term Knowledge is intimately associated with Brahman. Hence, the person identified as Brahmin is the Seeker of Knowledge, is the Teacher of Knowledge and the discoverer of his own true or real Self with the guidance of Knowledge.

World Brahmin Day, June 01, 2023. Who am I? Why am I like this? The Discovery of Self. Animate vs Inanimate Dualism. The separation of Man into perishable Body and Imperishable Soul is flawed.

The Discovery of Real or True Self:

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. The Great Banyan Tree of Kolkata has lived for over 250 years. This tropical fig tree known as Ficus benghalensis is native to India; ‘adventitious’ roots that grow from its branches go downwards and take root to form new trunks over a relatively wide area. In the Sanskrit language, the Sacred Fig or Ficus religiosa is known as ‘ASVATTHA’. In my opinion, Hindu Scriptures refer to Banyan tree as ‘ASVATTHA’. It is cherished for its everlasting or imperishable nature. If the tree is living, we need to know the nature of its substance that keeps it living.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. The Banyan Tree offers an unusual appearance. It has roots that appear growing from its branches and the roots are located up in the air and away from the ground; it has trunks and branches growing downwards apart from the normal branches that grow upwards and outwards. Because of its adventitious roots, Banyan Tree spreads to cover a wide area and lives for a long time. Knowing and understanding this Asvattha Tree is important to gain the Knowledge of Vedas, the Hindu Scriptures that reveal the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self or Adhyatma Vidya.

The Knowledge of the Banyan Tree:

The Hindu Scripture, The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XV known as  Purusottama Yoga speaks about the nature of the Supreme Person. It metaphorically compares the Supreme Being to the popularly known Fig Tree or Asvattha.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Ficus religiosa or the Bodhi Tree is often worshipped in India. The tree is also described as “Sthaanuu” which means immovable.

I ask readers to visualize the Banyan tree called Ficus benghalensis rather than the holy tree called Ficus religiosa, or the Bodhi tree under which Lord Gautama Buddha experienced Enlightenment.

PRAYER BANYAN TREE sri-bhagavan uvaca   urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham   asvattham prahur avyayam   chandamsi yasya parnani   y...
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of Spiritual Self. The Knowledge of Banyan Tree.

The first verse reads as follows: Sri Bhagavan Uvacha: “Urdhva-Mulam adhah-sakham Asvattham prahur avyayam,    Chandamsi yasya parnani yas tam Veda sa Veda-vit.”The Supreme Lord Krishna said: There is a (Banyan) Asvattha Tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and metaphorically it is imperishable, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this Tree is the Knower of the Vedas (the person attains the Knowledge of the Ultimate Reality or the Supreme being).

When we know the Banyan Tree and its apparent imperishable quality, we may understand the true nature of man. The man is a spiritual being. The truth or falsity of this proposition depends on the fact of man’s having a substance that is of spiritual nature. Such a substance of spiritual kind is perceptible to the senses, is amenable to direct observation, and could be subject to verification by experimental science. To establish the fact of man’s spiritual nature, it needs reasoning based upon scientific validity.

The structure and the behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. If the man has a set of defining features based upon his structure (Human Anatomy), function (Human Physiology), and behavior (Human Behavioral Science), the spiritual nature of man could be proved on theoretical and practical reasoning and could be verified by scientific experiments. I am not seeking to discover a soul or spirit that could have an existence independent of man’s physical being. However, it will be important to note that it is not possible to conceive of a soul or spirit if it is never associated with its human body. My purpose is that of describing the spiritual nature of the human organism and of other living beings. To understand the true nature of human being, we need to ascertain the validity of Knowledge that pertains to the Spiritual Self. 

Man is a Mortal Being: 

The man’s greatest need is not only to know the world around him but also to know himself better. The man must understand what it is to be a substance and what it is to exist. The man is a physical being or thing with matter and form. The corporeal body of man is composite of two principles; matter, and form. What is called matter is a potentiality, and what is called form is the actuality. The corporeal substance or matter called protoplasm becomes an actuality and is recognized as a living person because of the uniqueness of its genome that operates its living functions and defines its size, shape, color, and external form or morphological appearance. However, life comes into existence only when matter or substance has the ability to acquire energy from its external environment. The human being comes to life when his corporeal substance uses its ability and power called ‘Nutrition’ to acquire energy and matter from its environment.

Life begins with fertilization, the union of sperm with an egg cell, and this event called conception proceeds to develop a human being after an important event called implantation. The life journey after conception continues if there is a connection between the energy seeking embryo and its maternal energy provider. To exist means that the living entity is maintaining a relationship, a partnership, a connection, or association with its source of energy.

The man leads energy-dependent existence deriving energy and matter from nature which supports other living forms with a similar corporeal substance called protoplasm. The mortality of man must be understood as the dissolution of man’s physical form. The dissolution of a living man into non-living molecules and chemical elements would not alter the potentiality of protoplasm to acquire energy and matter to create its own substance.

Things in Nature change with Time, but what is called Human Nature remains unchanged even under the influence of Time. As per the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy as described in classical Physics, mass or energy remain constant. The potentiality of living substance to acquire energy and matter to form its own kind of substance has remained unchanged or unaffected by major natural calamities and other cataclysmic events. Life forms perish and yet life continues as new life forms. During the billions of years of existence, planet Earth has experienced several minor, and major Extinction Events described in its geologic history.

The Science of Paleontology offers information to support a hypothesis based upon theoretical and empirical evidence to propose that the substance called protoplasm is eternal, immutable, and indestructible as the Chemical Elements that constitute protoplasm have those defining attributes such as immutability and imperishability. At a fundamental level, it could be stated that the man is a mortal, physical being who derives his physical form because of its association with an imperishable substance. During any stage of its existence, the form called man cannot be separated from the eternal, immortal, and imperishable nature of its chemical elements.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. California State Tree known as Redwood includes Sequoia sempervirens and the Giant Sequoia is known as Sequoia gigantea. The Redwoods are the most massive trees in the world and could attain a trunk diameter as large as 30 feet. They also include the tallest trees in the world averaging about 300 feet high. They include the oldest known living trees and may reach ages of over 3,000 years. What is that corporeal substance that is living apparently in an imperishable manner?
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.Sequoia sempervirens. The man has officially designated this tree as the State Tree of California State. What is the connection between man and plants or trees? What is the corporeal substance shared or common to all living entities?
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Sequoia gigantea is a massive tree. A living thing has a form and has matter. We often recognize the form and give it a name. What about the “MATTER” that constitutes the substance of this living thing? We need to understand the ‘potentiality’ of the Matter to know the nature of the Form. The Form has no independent existence of its own. The Form lives if and only if it has Matter that is living.

 What is Soul or Spirit?  

Traditionally, man has been divided into two parts; body, and soul. In common usage, the term soul represents the immaterial aspect of a human being. The soul is further defined as that part of the individual which is considered to survive the death of the body. The term spirit is often used to describe a disembodied soul. On separation from the human body, the soul or spirit has a life of its own, a capacity for independent existence or self-subsistence which describes its immortality. I inform my readers to evaluate the possibility of immortality by understanding the immutable attributes of the Chemical Elements constituting the Living Matter.

The conceptions of Soul: 

There are a variety of conceptions about the soul or spirit. Some of the traditional conceptions of the soul are the following:

1. The soul is the immaterial substance, form, or principle of self-motion, vitality, life force, or life in living things. The insentient body is completely distinct from the sentient soul. 

2. Soul describes the Doctrine of the Self and is considered to be synonymous with the True-Self. In a human being, the soul confers the Individuality and its Human Nature.

3. The soul is often described as a thinking substance and is often equated with the mind. The soul has knowledge of itself by the reflection of its acts. The soul is the knower and it knows the physical, and mental acts of the human body where it resides. 

4. The soul is important to maintain and to preserve life. The soul may not directly participate in the activities of the human body. However, the activities of the human body may have a polluting effect on the soul. If the soul is tainted or contaminated by the sinful acts of the body, the soul may obtain purification by its release from the body. Some form of human effort, activity, attitude, and behavior is essential to keep the soul in its natural, pure, and perfect condition. 

5. The soul that has experienced the polluting effects by its association with a human body would be forced to experience perpetual reincarnation by a process called transmigration. The soul continues to reside as a prisoner in different bodies until such time it attains its original state or condition of purity and perfection. 

6. The soul is a transcendental or noumenal object that is real but not visible and could not be detected by human sensory perception. The human body that is visible is, in fact, unreal or is a product of sensory illusion. 

I ask my readers to attach a simple meaning to terms such as the soul or the spirit. It would be sufficient to describe the soul or the spirit as the vital, animating principle found in all living things.

The relationship between Soul and Human Body: 

Most religions and cultures speak about the soul and describe it as some incorporeal or immaterial substance/principle of human life that is distinct from the body. Despite the frequent acceptance of the existence of a soul, different religions and philosophers have developed a variety of theories as to the nature of the soul and its relationship to the human body. There are divergent views about the origin of the soul, when and how it gets implanted into the human body, and the mortality or when and if the soul dies. I would like to share the view that is attributed to Lord Krishna, the avatar or reincarnation of Hindu God Lord Vishnu.

Adhyatma Vidya – The Bhagavad Gita: 

The word ‘vidya’ is related to acquired knowledge or learned experience derived from studies or from instructions given by a teacher. The term ‘adhyatma’ pertains to the individual soul, Atma, or atman which describes the Spiritual Self. The phrase ‘Adhyatma Vidya’ could be described as the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. 

The legendary Indian Sage Veda Vyasa known as Krishna Dvaipayana was the author of the epic poem ‘The Mahabharat’ (Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty). Veda Vyasa is recognized as the compiler of ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas. The Book VI of Mahabharat narrates Lord Krishna’s conversation with Prince Arjuna while the warring parties of Pandavas and Kauravas had assembled at the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna reveals His views about the soul, the human body and their relationship in “The Song of the Lord” known as ‘The Bhagavad Gita’. These poems of The Bhagavad Gita give a synopsis of the religious thought and experience of Indians through the ages.

Spirituality Science. The Knowledge of Spiritual Self. Adhyatma Vidya. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10, text 39.

Chapter X of The Bhagavad Gita is titled ‘Vibhuti-Vistara Yoga’ and it describes the divine or transcendental attributes of the Supreme Lord. In verse #39, the Lord claims, “I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving( “Chara-acharam” ) that can exist without Me.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.

Verse #32, the Lord proclaims, “….of all the branches of Learning and Knowledge, I am the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self (Adhyatma Vidya).

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. In all living beings, I am consciousness.

In verse #22, the Lord describes the nature of His connection with the living beings that He has generated, “…. and in living beings, I am Consciousness (“Bhutanam Asmi Chetana”).” He also clarifies that Consciousness or Chetana as a different characteristic and separates it from the mind, intellect, and organs of sense perception. The mind is traditionally viewed as the major organ of sense perception, the seat of thoughts, intellect, emotions, feelings, and self-ego. Consciousness or Chetana is associated with the characteristics of a living being.

The Lord also cites The Vedanta Sutra to make the distinction between the body, the soul, and the Supersoul. The Vedanta, the insights from Vedic Scriptures describe three manifestations of the Supreme Lord’s Energy. These are 1. Annamoya or dependence upon Food for existence, 2. Pranamoya or the manifestation of the living symptoms and life forms, and 3. Jnanamoya or the Knowledge of the distinction between the body, the field of activity and the Knower who resides in the body. If a living being needs food for its existence and performs its living functions in a state or condition called awareness or consciousness, it could be described as the manifestation of the Supreme Lord’s Energy.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. I am ‘LIFE’ or “JEEVANAM” in all Living Entities.

In Chapter VII titled ‘Paramahamsa Vijnana Yoga’ or Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth, in verse #9 Lord Krishna claims: “I am the life (“Jivanam”) of all that lives.” He demonstrates a connection between life and consciousness to describe the spiritual nature of Self.

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.Tat Asmi Prabhu – Fifth Mahavakya – Existence Precedes Essence.

The Chapter XIII of The Bhagavad Gita titled ‘Kshetra – Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga’ deals with the dichotomy or distinction between the material body, immortal soul, and the Supersoul. It states the view that the material body is called the field of activity or Kshetra. One who knows this body, the field of activity is called the Knower of the Field or Kshetrajna. The Knower of the Field is the Owner of the body. The Supreme Lord is also the Knower of the field of activity in all bodies( verse #3 ).

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते ।
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदः ॥ १३-२॥


śrībhagavānuvāca
idaṃ śarīraṃ kaunteya kṣetramityabhidhīyate
etadyo vetti taṃ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tadvidaḥ


The Blessed Lord said: This body, O Kaunteya is called KSHETRA (the Field) and he who knows it is called KSHETRAJNA (the Knower-of-the-Field) by those who know them (KSHETRA and KSHETRAJNA) i. e. , by the sages .

In this human body, there is another indwelling Observer, a Sanctioner, a Preserver, an Enjoyer, and indeed ultimate Controller called ‘Paramatma’ or Supersoul. The Supreme Lord or Paramesvaram is residing equally in all living entities (verses # 23, 27, and 28).

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Body, Soul, and the Supersoul.

The final Chapter XVIII of The Bhagavad Gita titled ‘Moksha-Upadesa Yoga’ comes to an interesting conclusion about the Single Reality that pervades all existence that is divided into innumerable forms. Verse #20 reads as follows: 

“Sarva bhutesu yenaikam bhavam avyayam iksate  avibhaktam vibhaktesu taj jnanam viddhi Satvikam.”

Understand that Knowledge by which one undivided, imperishable (Avyayam) reality is seen within all diverse living entities is in the nature of goodness (Satvikam).

Adhyatma Vidya, the Knowledge of Spiritual Self. The Self is constituted by a Spiritual Substance, Matter, or Material that is found in all living things.

What is that undivided reality that is imperishable that connects all the diverse, living entities? 

The Body-Soul Dichotomy: 

In the Indian tradition, the individual soul is known as Atma or Atman. The Supreme Soul or the Supersoul is known as Paramatma, Paramesvaram, or Brahman, the Ultimate Truth, and the Reality. However, the concepts about Atma or individual soul vary and the Hindus belong to different schools of thought. While the concepts about the individual soul are different, there is general agreement among various Indian thinkers and philosophers about the distinction between the material, insentient, and perishable human body and the immaterial, sentient, and imperishable or immortal soul. The soul is independent and is not attached and it still requires the substance of the corporeal body.

However, I am not able to make the distinction between the Body and it’s embodied Soul as I am not able to make that separation from the substance and its function. To describe a function, I need the substance. Man lives and functions with consciousness because of the fundamental nature of the corporeal substance called protoplasm, and this substance is apparently imperishable, indestructible, and immortal. We could destroy the physical form of man and of several other living forms, but man or nature and the influence of Time have not demonstrated an ability to destroy this living substance which has survived on planet Earth continuously over billions of years. Man cannot create life and man cannot destroy life. Man can only live or exist because of the spiritual nature of his corporeal substance with which he can not seek separation until the time of dissolution of his physical form after an event called death. After physical decomposition, the chemical elements get eventually taken up by other living things. The substance has a life of its own and continues to create the new substance of its own kind and becomes visible as a living life form with a different identity or morphological appearance.

Man is a Created Being:  

Adhyatma Vidya. Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Man is a created being. Spirituality explores the connection between man and his Creator. The Trimurti at Elephanta Island Cave Temples near Mumbai, India represents God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).

The status of man in nature describes the man as a created object; a new object, one of its own kind, distinctive, and unique which cannot be duplicated by using any known reproductive technology such as cloning. Genetically identical twins can still be separated as Individuals with Individuality.

The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality:

Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra State, India, Fresco-type wall paintings. Man’s spiritual dimension describes man’s humanity, moral nature, individuality, and Consciousness.

Religious thinkers have further defined Soul as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity. People of all races, cultures, and religions would like to investigate the nature of this God-Connection as they perceive the world and the universe in which they exist as a fact of Creation. I have not discovered evidence that would fundamentally deny the fact of Creation.

 Man is a Social Being:

French philosopher Auguste Comte(1798-1857) coined the term Sociology. He believed that the scientific study of social organization would make possible a reconstitution of the social order based on principles of moral progress.

Apart from being a created Physical being, the man is recognized as a Social being as he displays social instincts and social behaviors in all of his activities. A rudimentary understanding of Sociology or Theories of Social Science would clarify this matter. Social instincts and Social Behaviors are seen in all animals including bacteria.

At a cellular level, the social function is called ‘Association’. Man is an association of trillions of cells. Each human organ and organ system represents an association of cells that display functional subordination to perform selective tasks. Life is just impossible without social structure and organization.

Matter, Energy, and Knowledge:

The Greek philosopher  Aristotle had observed that corporeal substances are composite of two principles, form and matter. What is called matter is a potentiality, what is called form is an actuality. The totality of things has been divided in various ways. The three fundamental distinctions are 1. the distinction between the natural and the supernatural, 2. the distinction between the material and the spiritual, and 3. the distinction between the lifeless and the living. When we make the distinction animate/inanimate, living/non-living, and inorganic/organic, a question arises about the nature of that distinction. The difference, is that one of kind or degree? The Mechanistic View claims the continuity of nature in terms of the universality of purely mechanical principles. 

I define Life as the organization of matter with implanted supernatural Knowledge. The establishment of supernatural Knowledge in matter describes the operation of ‘God Principle’, Spirit, or Soul. Life comes into existence when matter and energy come together with the establishment of ‘God Connection’.

Life and Consciousness:

Amoeba proteus, the unicellular, protozoan organism is conscious or aware of its own state of existence. It has the abilities of Motion, Nutrition, and Reproduction. All of its living functions are goal-oriented. It responds to its environment and survives adverse environmental conditions by a process called encystment.

The basic characteristic of a Living Cell or organism is the presence of consciousness. I recognize a cell as a Living Cell if it displays functions that characterize the presence of awareness or consciousness. The Living Cell or Living Object need not be aware or conscious of the Subject who may be investigating or observing the properties of that Object. The Living Object needs to be aware of its own existence and its condition called Living. Atoms and molecules display their properties and interact according to the Laws of Physics and Chemistry. Living organic molecules show individualistic behaviors under experimental conditions that could be repeated and be verified. The Living Cell is very selective and it responds in a variable manner to physical and chemical stimuli. It can communicate or send signals to other Living Cells present in its environment. It responds according to its internal condition in relation to the environment in which it exists. The interactions of non-living physical matter are not goal-oriented. The interactions of Living matter are goal-oriented and they specifically achieve the purpose of sustaining, preserving, defending, and continuing the Living functions.

Life and Death is a continuous process:

When does Life begin? When does Life end? Life always comes into a state of existence from a previously existing Living Cell. Life and Death is a continuous process and is recognized by the presence of Consciousness and Individuality.

When does Life begins? When does Life ends? Every Living Cell is derived from a previously existing Living Cell. Life has not experienced the final event called DEATH. Life continues its act of Living through a function called Reproduction. A given species is considered to be totally extinct only if there is no surviving member to represent that particular species. In spite of numerous major and minor extinction events, Life exists on planet Earth as if Life is imperishable.

The Soul and God Connection: 

All types of Living Cells with or without nucleus represent thermodynamically unstable systems. Without a continuous input of energy, a Living Cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. Biological existence is possible because of an association or connection, or partnership between energy seeker and energy provider.

 There has been no clearly defined and universally accepted metaphysical conception of the term Soul. It is a term often used without a precise definition in philosophy, religion, or routine conversation. In this discussion, I face the problem of using words to which no definitive meaning is attached. If I make an attempt to define the word ‘God’, my readers may even speculate that I may belong to a new religious order. We need to come to a consensus even if an entity called ‘God’ does not exist.

Life is a condition that describes Synchronized Existence, the synchronization of activities, the connection between energy dependent life functions and its Source of Power.

A majority of life forms have synchronized their state of existence with an event that produces alternating periods of light and darkness while that source of light is not being turned ‘on’ and ‘off’. Rather we are forced to experience the effects of an illusion. Sunrise and Sunset is the reality that governs a majority of Biological Rhythms that control the life processes. The illusion is the necessary condition for the biological existence of Life.

WHO HAS ESTABLISHED THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AUTOTROPHS AND HETEROTROPHS? The creative mechanism to trap Solar Energy describes implanted Knowledge to formulate the connection between autotrophs and heterotrophs.
In mitochondria, many substances(food) are oxidized and ATP, the energy-storing chemical of the Cell is produced. The most important equations for living things are mutually inverse. Respiration of humans and Cellular Respiration represents the reverse of Photosynthesis.

Soul and Death:

The idea of ‘Soul’ always comes in the context of Death. If the man is immortal, we will not be spending our time and energy to verify the existence of an immortal principle.

Red Blood Cells display functional subordination to serve the purpose of the Whole Organism. Functional differentiation and Functional Unity are important to support the existence of the Subject or Individual who is, in reality, an association of trillions of cells.

In a multicellular organism, the consciousness works both at the level of each individual cell and to establish the functioning of the organism as an individual unit. Without functional unity, the organism cannot maintain its biological existence. Cell differentiation is the process by which the individual cells use adaptation to perform specific tasks. Red Blood Cells perform specific tasks.

The neurobiological aspects of Consciousness:

Reticular Formation of Brain Stem has connections with almost all other parts of the Central Nervous System and it helps to coordinate and integrate actions of different parts of the CNS. It is important for Behavioral Arousal and the Capacity for Consciousness.

In the Human Brain Stem, several neurons, and nuclei which are in an area called Reticular Formation are functionally adapted to compose the contents of human consciousness. The Reticular Formation gives the Capacity for Consciousness. The contents of this consciousness are read in the cortical areas of the cerebral hemispheres and described as Cortical awareness.

Consciousness is awareness of existence, the facts that relate to the state or condition of existence. Behavioral Arousal and Cortical awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations is an important component of total Biological Existence.

Identity and Individuality:

The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality is described in The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, verse 12. Lord Krishna spoke to the Pandava Prince Arjuna: “Na tv evaham jatu nasam na tvam neme JanadhipaH; Na chaiva na bhavisyamaH, sarve vayam ataH param.”
Image result for bhagavad gita chapter 2, verse 12

For each of us, our Individuality existed in the past and our Individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Certainly, never did I not exist, nor you, nor all these Kings and certainly never shall we cease to exist in the future.

The issue of spirituality, the nature of Soul and consciousness must be explored in the context of arriving at an understanding of man’s Identity and Individuality. If the man is viewed as an association of trillions of cells, we need to know the Identity of that Subject who lives because of the functions of the trillions of cells.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

Bhavanajagat

SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE KNOWER – THE KNOWING-SELF: THE MAN, THE ENTIRE HUMAN ORGANISM IS DERIVED FROM A SINGLE FERTILIZED EGG CELL . HOW IS THE IDENTITY AND INDIVIDUALITY IS ESTABLISHED AND IS KNOWN IN THIS COMPLEX MULTICELLULAR ORGANISM ?

Mental Health in the Age of Stress

Mental Health in the Age of Stress

May is Mental Health Month, a time to shine a light on the importance of mental health to personal wellbeing and overcome reluctance to seeking help. Mental health is key to positive relationships and feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment in life. Mental health is also closely linked with physical health. Just as with physical health, mental health problems can be successfully treated. Mental Health America, the sponsor of Mental Health Month in the U.S., offers information and tools on its website: https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month. You’ll find helpful information on maintaining mental health and dealing with mental health issues on this website, too, including the following:

Mental Health Is Real

What Is Good Mental Health?

Mental Health Support Is for Everyone

Take Care of Your Mental Health

1 in 5 people will suffer from some form of mental illness in any given year. Break the Silence, Break the Stigma.

Mental Health in the Age of Stress

Mental Health in the Age of Stress

Human Existence in the Age of Stress

The Age of Stress

Human Existence in the Age of Stress: Spirituality Science – Cyclical Flow of Time – HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN NATURE: IN INDIAN TRADITION, MAN DISPLAYS DIFFERENT KINDS OF BEHAVIOR DUE TO EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI THAT VARY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF TIME. INDIA’S SPIRITUAL LEADER AND MASTER GURU NANAK (c.1469 – c.1539) RESISTED THE POLLUTING EFFECTS OF KALI YUGA AND PREACHED ABOUT FUNDAMENTAL IDENTITY OF ALL RELIGIONS.

We live in an age of “Stress” and the Indian traditions refer to the present times as the age of “Kali Yuga” and describes the human behavioral disorders as the effects of pollution both mental and physical.

Human Existence in the Age of Stress.

The accelerated tempo of life brings forth stimuli of high velocity of action, magnitude, and impact that they stimulate a chain of psycho-physical reactions strong enough to cause manifest effects in the human body. A person experiences ‘strain’ when his life’s demands exceed his ability to meet those demands. Prolonged high intensity intellectual and emotional strain which involves fixation of motives to do hard work, achieve high standards, carryout a task against opposition, and aspiration for high professional, prestigious, economic and social career and status would produce ‘stress’. Stress is produced not so much by the efforts which have been rewarded by success but more often by the ones not ending in satisfactory achievement. The impact of modern living has a significant bearing on the genesis of stress-associated declines in health. Prolonged stress may result in increased levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, a decline in certain aspects of immune system which contributes to a decline in the immune system surveillance against viral infected and cancer cells, increases the rigidity of the vascular system which produces hypertension (high blood pressure), thickening of the coronary arteries that impacts cardiac health, aggravate breathing difficulties, disrupts gastrointestinal microbial balance, and a host of other problems. Depending upon the physical, psychological, and social environments under which the person has been brought up and is presently living; and depending upon the genetic and constitutional factors, stress affects a particular target organ or system. The problems associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco, and a variety of mind altering drugs and substances could be considered as an extension of a response to stressful stimuli and substance abuse further aggravates the ‘stress syndrome’.

The Biological Concept of Stress

Human Existence in the Age of Stress

The word ‘stress’ or ‘strain’ should be understood as a Stimulus-Response-Complex produced in an individual by hostile physical, psychological, or biological invasion. It also leads to the development of resistance to the stressful stimuli. Depending upon the nature of the hostile or invasive factor, the resistance produced may be physical, psychological,biological, or a combination of all. Thus ‘stress’ includes the chain of reactions which constitute the process of development of final resistance to extrinsic strains. Resistance produced may be general or specific. The reactions of stress may produce the ‘General Adaptation’ and ‘Specific Adaptation’ syndromes. Stress precedes and promotes all the resistance phenomena. Final resistance produced by any biological, physical, and psychological stress producing stimulus detremines the survival, or defeat/death of the man under the strain. Stress could be viewed as beneficial when it is produced in tolerable quantum and is spread over a tolerable period of time.

The types of Stressors

Human Existence in the Age of Stress. The types of Stressors.

The biological stress is caused by pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, animal bites and stings.

Human Existence in the Age of Stress. During the height of COVID pandemic, the US reported a high incidence of stress-related problems.

Physical stress is caused by physical factors like heat, cold, burn, injury, radiation or privations.

Human Existence in the Age of Stress.

In modern times the most important stress producing cause is that of sleep deprivation. Our biological existence is synchronized with the cosmic event that causes alternating periods of light and darkness. A biological clock manages a variety of biological activities such as the production of stress hormones. Body needs periods of relaxation and should stay tuned with the 24 hour biological rhythm which is popularly known as the ‘circadian rhythm’. We very often disrupt the functioning of this biological rhythm to accomplish one task or the other. Many of us just stay awake for the sake of enjoyment of life. If not at work, or preparing for an examination, we stay awake in front of TV, listening to music, watching sports, playing games, drinking alcohol, partying with friends, and in a myriad of other ways which would provide a sense of euphoria. While we are enjoying our time, the body still experiences stress and reacts to the stress of being in a wakeful stage when it should be resting without receiving any mentally exciting stimuli. Our desire to get away from the stress at work place or daily life, may actually enhance the effects of stress upon our body.

Human Existence in the Age of Stress.

The psychological stress is produced by an adverse situation, proximity of an aggressive or overwhelming personality, or an intellectual, emotional (such as anger or worry), or social challenge. We could therapeutically combat the stress due to biological agents and physical conditions. But the psychological stress is not amenable to an easy therapeutic approach. Stress as a disease producing factor very often refers to the psychological stress.

The Genesis of Stress

Human Existence. The Age of Stress. Hypothalamus, Pituitary and Adrenal glands play a central role in the Stress response.

The part of the brain known as hypothalamus, and the organs of the endocrine system, particularly the pituitary and adrenal glands play an important part in the body’s adaptation to stress. The hormones such as epinephrine (Adrenalin) and cortisol produced by the adrenal glands help to protect the body and raise its resistance against stress irrespective of the nature of the stimulus.

Human Existence in the Age of Stress

After sudden exposure to stress stimulus, in times of anger, fright, fight, and flight, the initial ‘Alarm Reaction’ produces epinephrine that increases the heart rate and blood pressure. When the stress continues, the adrenals are again stimulated via the hypothalamus-pituitary axis and release hormones such as cortisol which is important for providing glucose, a source of energy for the body. If the stress further continues, body tends to develop resistance against prolonged stimuli. If the stress stimuli are very aggressive and are sustained over a very long period, the ‘General Adaptation’ mechanism of the body could fail, a ‘Stage of Exhaustion’ may follow and the individual could be overwhelmed. Pre-existent resistance against stress reduces the requirement of immediate response of an “Alarm Reaction.” Stress is reduced by pre-existing resistance. The defeat, imperfect production of resistance, or premature arrest of the process of its production gives rise to disease. Heredity, environment, physical and mental health, and social support detremine our ability to resist stress situations. The development of a well integrated personality to face life squarely determines the extent and quality of the resistance. By proper education and training, the threshold for physical and emotional stress could be increased.

Resistance to Stress

Human Existence in the Age of Stress.

A psychological stress stimulus may not cause a similar reaction in all individuals. All individuals have different capacities to perform and adapt when faced with stress. People will react differently depending upon the preformed resistance they have. Five different types of reactions are possible. 1. The stress stimulus acts like an inspiration and becomes a source of healthy pursuit. 2. The stimulus is accepted as a reasonable strain and the individual takes it up as a healthy challenge. 3. The situation appears to be overwhelming and the stimulus becomes either a source of depression, and breakdown or a source of ‘stress syndrome’. 4. It may cause anxiety and becomes a source of an anxiety state or neurosis. 5. The stimulus does not elicit any reaction at all as the individual is apathetic.

Depending upon their response or reaction to stress, we can distinguish five different categories of people.

GROUP I: Persons highly resistant to stress. They have superior preformed resistance and often display an ability to develop resistance within a short time of exposure to stress. They master the stressful event and overcome the stress triumphantly. They do not suffer from any negative consequences while they carry out the task even while under great stress. They have dominant will power and have a great power of endurance.

GROUP II: These persons have enough preformed resistance to overcome the stress partially. They do not show overt ‘stress syndrome’ but suffer to a lesser extent in their attempts to master the stressful situation and achieve success. The task does not suffer. Such persons are likely to suffer from precipitation of internal conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery disease if they have other predisposing risk factors.

GROUP III: These persons have very low preformed resistance. If a stressful situation continues such persons may develop resistance which carries them through for some time but sooner or later they succumb to the situation and show evident ‘stress syndrome’. The task may not always suffer but the individual suffers from physical manifestations of stress.

GROUP IV: These persons have no preformed resistance and their ability to create immediate resistance is low. These persons abandon the task and tend to get away from the stressful situation. The task suffers and the individual could be punished for failing to perform his task.

GROUP V: These persons are Non-Resistant to stress. They have no preformed resistance. They are not capable of favorably reacting to a stress producing situation at all. They succumb and become psychiatric casualties and cease to exist as an organized entity. Sometimes, they may not be able to maintain their biological existence.

Armed Forces consistently strive to select and recruit only Resistant personalities and weed out the vulnerable ones by careful monitoring of the health of the troops.Over fifteen years of military service, I had conducted several thousands of medical examinations to assess the physical and mental fitness of people and was actively involved in preserving their health and promoting the quality of their health.I recruited several thousands of young people for service in the Indian Army and also recommended the removal of people whom I had detected to be falling short of our expected standards of fitness. With proper nutrition, physical training, personal hygiene, clean habits, and immunization, without any doubt we could make people ‘resistant’ to a variety of biological, and physical stress stimuli. The stress imposed by psychological stimuli is also important and the resistance to such ‘stress’ could also be improved. Understanding the phenomenon of stress is important for our existence in the modern times. By improving ‘Stress Resistance’, we keep the men ready for a batlle at all times, maintain the level of Stress Resistance during the most stressful moments of the battle, and protect their well being after the stress of the battle is over. The psychological preparation for batlle includes an effort to increase the stress resistance level by proper motivational techniques used routinely in the medical fitness examinations of men. To sustain productivity in education, and at work, we need to lay emphasis on the concept of stress resistance.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, A.P., India.,

M.B.B.S., Class of April, 1970.

 

Human Existence in the age of Stress.

Mental Health demands the knowledge of Body, Mind, and Spirit Connection

Mental Health demands the knowledge of Body, Mind, and Spirit Connection.

May is Mental Health Month, a time to shine a light on the importance of mental health to personal wellbeing and overcome reluctance to seeking help. Mental health is key to positive relationships and feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment in life. Mental health is also closely linked with physical health. Just as with physical health, mental health problems can be successfully treated. Mental Health America, the sponsor of Mental Health Month in the U.S., offers information and tools on its website: https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month. You’ll find helpful information on maintaining mental health and dealing with mental health issues on this website, too, including the following:

Mental Health Is Real

What Is Good Mental Health?

Mental Health Support Is for Everyone

Take Care of Your Mental Health

1 in 5 people will suffer from some form of mental illness in any given year. Break the Silence, Break the Stigma.

Mental Health demands the knowledge of Body, Mind, and Spirit Connection

I ask my readers to add the knowledge of Temperance to promote their Physical and Mental Health.

What is Temperance?

What is Temperance? The Fruit of Spirit.
What is Temperance?

The Law of Temperance

What is Temperance?

John Milton (1608 – 1674), in his greatest poetic achievement of ‘PARADISE LOST’ describes Man’s First Disobedience of God, and the loss thereupon of Paradise wherein Man was placed. Adam, the first Man who was created in God’s image and likeness brought Death into the World. God declares that Adam and Eve could no longer abide in ‘Garden of Eden‘, the Paradise. God sends Angel Michael with a Band of Cherubim to dispossess them. Michael reveals to Adam the ‘Law of Temperance’ which could help him to live for many long years.

The Law of Temperance: The Rule of Not too much

Angel Michael also comforted Adam by assuring him that if he observes the ‘Law of Temperance’, Death would be like the gentle act of gathering a ripe fruit when fully mature.

Paradise Lost, Book XI ( 520-540):

What is Temperance?

In John Milton’s epic poem of Paradise Lost, angel Michael explained ‘The Law of Temperance’ to Adam, the first created man to face the threat of death.

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit.

But is there yet no other way, besides

These painful passages, how we may come

To Death, and mix with our connatural dust?

There is, said, Michael, if thou well observe

The rule of not too much, by temperance taught

In what thou eatst and drinkst, seeking from thence

Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,

Till many years over thy head return:

So maist thou live, till like ripe Fruit thou drop

Into thy Mother lap, or be with ease

Gathered, not harshly pluckt, for Death mature:

The Nature of Temperance

The Nature of Temperance includes things learned from Philippians 4:8-9

The essence of Temperance is choosing moderation and deliberately avoid excess. In Indian Culture and Tradition, living in moderation and living in virtue are almost identical. Socrates suggests that one should “choose that which is orderly and sufficient and has a due provision for daily needs.” He compares the intemperate man “to a vessel full of holes because it can never be satisfied.” Socrates describes the temperate man as able to satisfy his limited desires, whereas the intemperate man of boundless desire, can never pause in his search of pleasure. According to Freud, when “the ego learns that it must inevitably go without immediate satisfaction, postpone gratification, learn to endure a degree of pain, and altogether renounce certain sources of pleasure”, it “becomes ‘reasonable’, is no longer controlled by the pleasure-principle, but follows the reality-principle”, which seeks, “a delayed and diminished pleasure, one which is assured by its realization of fact, its relation to reality.”

Temperance and Courage

What is Temperance? SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274), ITALIAN THEOLOGIAN, PHILOSOPHER, AND FATHER OF CHURCH, ANGELIC DOCTOR CLAIMED THAT HUMAN LAW THAT VIOLATES NATURAL LAW IS NOT TRUE LAW.

Saint Thomas Aquinas and ‘The Law of Temperance’.

Thomas Aquinas defines Temperance as “a disposition of the soul, moderating any passions or acts, so as to keep them within bounds. Temperate refers to a man who abstains from bodily pleasures and delights in this very fact. A man not only acts temperately but is temperate in character, when his desires are themselves habitually moderated to be in accord with reason. A temperate man is not pained at the absence of pleasure or by his abstinence from it. Temperance contributes the virtue of Fortitude which strengthens men against “the enticement of pleasure” as well as against the fear of pain. A man who is able to stand firm against the onslaught of pleasures is more able to remain firm against the dangers of death. And so “Temperance can be said to be Brave.” The endurance of pain is central to the nature of Courage. Temperance and Courage are not distinct virtues as both are based upon an ability to stand firm against pain and danger.

What is Temperance?

Nine Years Long Service Medal – A Salute to the Law of Temperance:

What is Temperance? The Flag of the Indian Army Medical Corps

During my service in the Indian Army Medical Corps, I learned the values of Temperance, Fortitude, Courage, and delaying gratification of desires, and avoid seeking physical comforts and pleasures.

What is Temperance? 9 Year Service Medal to Salute the Law of Temperance
This Nine Year Long Service Medal was awarded to me in July 1979 and I salute the Law of Temperance for this Award.

During the first nine years of my Indian Army Service, apart from taking part in the War of Liberation of Bangladesh, I participated in a variety of Army Operations that keep the men ready and prepared for a battle. Military Training and Service can be best described as habituation for a temperate character.

What is Temperance? Nine Year Service Medal to Salute the Law of Temperance.

The nature of Army Operations and Tactics always demand to overcome the onslaught of sense pleasures and voluntarily delaying the gratification of personal desires. A lifestyle based upon physical ease and comfort and indulgence in food and alcohol is not compatible with the Army way of life.

What is Temperance?

The nature of Army Operations is influenced by terrain, climatic conditions, distances and the availability of transportation. There is no scope to cater for physical comfort, relaxation, and entertainment. The supply of rations and food provisions is limited because of the problems of their bulk and weight. Army Rules and the Code of Conduct would emphasize that men should honor their commitment to serve more than anything else. Such commitment to Serve with Honor would only be possible only when the man in uniform lives in accordance with the Law of Temperance.

What is Temperance?

Bharat Darshan. The Celebration of Narasimha Jayanti or Narasimha Chaturdashi on Thursday, May 04, 2023.

Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity What’s in a Name? My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place of my birth. Even the LORD’s incarnation was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place predetermined for the killing of the Demon King Hiranyakashipu.

Narasimha Jayanti is an important festival of the Hindu community. This auspicious day is grandly celebrated on Vaisakh Chaturdashi (14th day) of the Shukla Paksha or the Waxing Phase of the Moon. Also known as Narasimha Chaturdashi, this sacred festival will be marked on Thursday, May 04, this year.

Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place of my birth. Even the incarnation of Lord Vishnu was predestined, the Date, the Time, and the Place of destroying the Demon King was predetermined.

As per scriptures, on this day, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Narasimha, (half lion and half man) to kill Demon Hiranyakashipu. He appeared with the face and features of a lion but the body of a man. Lord Narasimha is the fourth incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? The Celebration of Narasimha Jayanti, Narasimha Chaturdashi on the 14th day of the Waxing Phase (Shukla Paksha) Thursday, May 04, 2023. The Date, the Time, and the Place of birth are predestined.

Narasimha Chaturdashi Tithi Begins – 11:50 PM on May 03, and Ends – 11.44 PM on May 04, 2023

Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? The Celebration of Narasimha Jayanti, Narasimha Chaturdashi during the Shukla Paksha or the Waxing Phase of the Moon on Thursday, May 04, 2023.
Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place of my birth. The Lord did not choose the Date, the Time, and the Place of His Appearance. The Demon King made his own fatal choice.
Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a name? My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place of my birth. What is Predestination? The Date, the Time, and the Place of Lord’s Appearance was predetermined by the choices made by the Demon King.

The name ‘ Indian ‘ is related to the great river SINDHU which is also known as Indus. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed westwards towards setting sun to reach the shores of India. He discovered people living on islands whom he had mistakenly named as Indians. Apart from those island dwellers, the natives of the entire American continent, the so-called NEW WORLD, were named Indians. In spite of concerted efforts to rename them as ” Native Americans ,” the name Indian is still in use.

Name is a very important tool to describe personal identity. The word name as a noun, describes a person, place or thing. It is also a word or words by which an object of thought is known. Indians did not choose the name India or Indian. However, the people of our Land of BHARAT, are extremely fond of choosing names. This fondness for selecting, using and remembering names is an important Cultural attribute which defines our identity.  

THE TRADITION OF GIVING NAMES:  

Lord Kapaleeswara Temple at Mylapore, Madras City, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The birth of a Brahman Spirit at House Number 2/37, Kutchery Road, Mylapore, Madras City is known to this Lord Shiva or Rudra. He presides over the Life and Death of this Brahman Spirit both in good health or ill health, and in Freedom or Captivity.
Lord Shiva is known as Rudra, Neela Kantha, Pasupati and several other names. This fondness for selecting, using, and remembering names is an important cultural attribute which defines Indian Identity.

The name “RUDRA” is one of the earliest names known to humanity. According to legend, the Vedic God Rudra acquired His name from His Creator Brahma. As per the story, a boy was seen crying and wandering. The Father asked the boy the reason for his ‘howling’. The boy answered that he was ‘weeping’ for he was not given a name. So, the Father created a name by bringing together two Sanskrit words, Ru and Dra which mean ‘crying’ and ‘wandering’. Thus the name Rudra was born. This legend is an example of our emotional dependence upon the need for names. The major Deities such as VISHNU and SHIVA that Indians worship are known by thousands of names and remembering those names is deemed as an act of devoted worship. The use of these names is a fundamental right and I understand the term religious freedom in the context of my freedom to choose the name that I would worship. The religious experience that I gained while growing up in India relates to the use of names as an act of worship. Worship would have no meaning or purpose and would not give me a sense of direction if I do not remember the beautiful names that I have come to know.

A PERSONAL NAME AND A PERSONAL STORY:  

Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? A personal name, and a personal story.
This landmark Temple of Kapaleeswara binds me to my birthplace of Mylapore, Madras(Chennai). The Presiding Diety of this Temple is chosen as my personal Protector and hence I am given the name of "RUDRA".
This landmark Temple of Kapaleeswarar binds me to my birthplace of Mylapore, Madras(Chennai). The Presiding Deity of this Temple is chosen as my personal Protector and hence I am given the name of “RUDRA.”

My personal name is very much a part of my personal story. The name is chosen entirely due to the circumstances of my birth and I remain connected to the persons and the places for the rest of my life. I describe MYLAPORE of MADRAS City (CHENNAI) as my birth place and I describe RAJAHMUNDRY of East Godavari District as my native place.

Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? My personal name was chosen under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place of my birth. A view of Kutcher Road, Mylapore, Madras, Chennai.

My mother gave birth to me at my maternal grandfather’s residence on KUTCHERY Road in Mylapore. I spent the years of my early childhood at my paternal grandfather’s mansion in INNISPETA of Rajahmundry. As per the traditional belief and the practice of Vedic Astrology known as ‘ JYOTISH ‘(Science of Light), my birth star predicted and warned about some forthcoming inauspicious events. The astrological calculations suggested that remedial action is needed to counter the negative aspects of the birth star. Accordingly, my father performed a ritualistic worship popularly known as ” RUDRA ABHISHEKAM ” and worshiped SHIVA at the beautiful KAPALEESWARAR temple of Mylapore. To ensure that I would always enjoy the blessings from SHIVA, my father decided to name me as RUDRA. Hence,this name of Rudra instantly connects me to my birth place of Mylapore and to KAPALEESWARAR as my personal protector. The birth star also forewarned about consequences that would impact my paternal grandfather. There was no easy escape from the influences and the second part of my personal name was carefully chosen to please my paternal grandmother, Srimati. Lakshmi Narasamma. Because of the gender variation, the name Narasamma transformed to Narasimham. This name immediately connects me to the “LAWS OF KARMA.” These names are well-known and particularly in the southern States of India, the name Narasimham or variations of that name are frequently used. As long as I remain a conscious entity, my grandparents live in my consciousness. Astrology or Jyotish may not be a perfect Science. Horoscopes may not predict the future course of events in a person’s life. I exist in this world and I am known by a name which was specifically selected for me because of the predictions cast by my horoscope and the prediction came true and I find enough justification for this Indian Cultural Tradition called Jyotish.

My paternal grandfather. The family astrologer who had prepared my horoscope predicted an inauspicious event and the prediction came true five months after my birth. But the prediction did not deter my grandfather in any manner. My grandmother whose name I had acquired  told me that my grandfather had loved me with all his heart without any concern about the astrological prediction.
My paternal grandfather. The family astrologer who prepared my horoscope predicted an inauspicious event and the prediction came true five months after my birth. But the prediction did not deter my grandfather in any manner. My grandmother whose name I acquired told me that my grandfather loved me with all his heart without any concern about the astrological prediction.

 A UNIQUE NAME AND A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE:  

In 1965, I joined Kurnool Medical College after I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad. At Kurnool, a batch of B.Sc., degree students were directly admitted into the Second Year of the medical education program that awards the M.B.B.S degree. Professor Rama Murthy of the Anatomy Department was very fond of knowing and recognizing each of his students by their personal names. On the first day of our Anatomy Class, the attendance register was not ready and Professor Rama Murthy decided to call out names from the list of selected candidates. He very solemnly announced to the Class that the roll call begins with a very angry and fiery name. We were intently listening to know what that name could be. Apparently, the list of selected students was prepared according to merit and my name was placed at the top of the list. He called my name and expressed his sense of disbelief. He asked me to verify my name and told the Class that it was the first time in his life that he encountered a person with the given personal name of Rudra Narasimham and both of those names are personifications of extreme anger and fiery temperament. You can easily visualize the angry personality depicted in the images of Lord Narasimha. His statement appears to be right and I have not known any other person who may have the same name. It is one of its own kind and is unique and special.

Socrates implored people to ‘know thy self’. He had stated that the unexamined life is not worth living. Understanding life involves understanding personal identity and name is a word by which an object of thought is known.

The name Rudra is related to SHIVA who is recognized as the God of Learning. Shiva is like Socrates. Socrates of 5th century B.C. is claimed to be the father of western thought. He implores people to “know thy self”. Socrates states that the ‘ unexamined life is not worth living ‘. Shiva guides me to reflect upon life. Shiva encourages introspection, reflecting upon one’s own mind and thoughts. Shiva defines that the purpose of learning is to acquire the ability to think for oneself. The name Narasimham represents to me a person who defends my right to select the Name for my God whom I choose to Worship. The story about Prince Prahlad represents the Cultural importance attached to personal choice in matters of religious worship. Names of persons, places and the legends form a part of Cultural legacy of our Land and define Indian Identity.

A view of the eastern Gopuram from inside the ...
Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Madras. A view of the eastern Gopuram from inside the temple. My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the Place of my birth. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the place of my birth. So also, the LORD’s Appearance was predetermined and the Demon King chose the Date, the Time, and the Place for his own death.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,  

Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India, M.B.B.S.,  Class  of  April 1970.

Bharat Darshan. Defining Indian Identity. What’s in a Name? My personal name was decided under the influence of the Date, the Time, and the place of my birth. The LORD’s Appearance on Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi, the 14th Day of the Waxing Phase of the Moon during the month of Vaisakha was predestined.

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India
Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India – KARGIL WAR 1999: Indian Army Personnel salute the Kargil War Memorial in Drass, Jammu & Kashmir, India on August 12, 2012 in celebration of 65 Years of Independence. The photo insert shows the winner of Gallantry Award of Param Vir Chakra, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.

Essence and Existence in the Land of India:

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India: On August 15, 2012, Indian people are celebrating the 66th Independence Day in commemoration of 65 Years of Independence. The Red Fort in New Delhi is the traditional venue for this celebration and the Indian National Flag is hoisted by the Prime Minister of India, the elected representative of People of India. In this context we have to explore the relationship between Spiritualism and Nationalism.

Today, on August 15, 2012, people of India also known as ‘BHARAT’ are celebrating the 66th Independence Day in commemoration of 65 Years of Independence. In this context, we have to examine the relationship between Spiritualism and Nationalism. In the ancient Land of India, human beings have lived continuously for thousands of years. But, it was a Land divided into several hundreds of small and large kingdoms until Indian people joined together in a Nationalist Movement to win their Freedom from foreign rule and occupation. Indians won this Freedom on August 15, 1947 when Great Britain ceased its occupation of India.

What is Nationalism?

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India: This National Flag of India known as ‘Tricolor’ has infused a sense of new ‘SPIRIT’ called Indian Nationalism, a sense of Devotion to one’s Nation.

Nationalism is the state of mind in which the individual feels that everyone owes his supreme loyalty to the Nation-State. Nationalism is a modern movement and it belongs to the modern world. Before the 18th century, people gave their loyalty to their communities, tribes, feudal lords, princes, or religious groups. The historical sense of attachment to the native soil, to social and cultural traditions, and to established territorial authorities has changed by the end of the 18th century when Nationalism began molding public and private life. Since then, Nationalism has become an important factor of modern history. The American Revolutionary Wars (1775-1783), and the French Revolution (1789) could be regarded as the first manifestations of Nationalism. It led to the formation of modern National States in Europe. The 19th century has been called the Age of Nationalism in Europe. The World War I, and World War II resulted in the spread of Nationalism in Asia and Africa and has manifested itself as a struggle against European Colonialism.

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India: Indian Nationalism won Freedom at a huge cost in human lives. The British Empire while leaving India during 1947 had divided the Land creating new National entities. The disorder that followed the Partition of India caused the loss of over one million human lives. The concept of Cultural Nationalism cannot and will not defend and preserve human life in the Land of India.

Nationalism began to appear in India after World War I. The Indian National Congress founded in 1885 began a new political process in the private and public lives of Indian people. It had produced leaders such as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) who joined the Nationalist Movement for Indian Independence during 1915. The people of India started replacing the king as the center of the Nation. The State had become the people’s State, a National State, and a Motherland.

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India: Mahatma Gandhi is correctly recognized as the Father of the Nation called the Republic of India. This concept of Nationhood emerged in the 19th century. He won a huge political battle and won Freedom for millions of Indian people. Did he secure Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the living experience of the People of India? The Past is Never Dead. Spiritualism is the potency generated by Consciousness; the Consciousness or Awareness of the fact of existing in a given physical environment. Spiritualism demands the existence of a Living Soul or Spirit.

Nationalism is not a political program or ideology; it is a perspective on such programs or ideology. Nationalism can be described as a sentiment that places the existence and well-being of the Nation highest in the scale of personal loyalties.

In political terms, it signifies a person’s willingness to work for the Nation against foreign domination. It reflects a person’s willingness to resist foreign political, economic, and cultural domination. Nationalism implies a group’s consciousness of shared history, language, race, and values. Its significance lies in its role in supplying the ties that make the Nation-State a cohesive, viable entity. The terms such as nation, state, or country describe a political entity in which people are united under a particular political organization and are occupying a defined territory. However, the term ‘Nationalism’ demands more than the existence of boundaries or political institutions. Nationalism includes the feelings or thoughts of patriotism, zealous love of one’s country, advocacy of national unity or independence and it involves the creed that fidelity to one’s State or Nation is more important than fidelity to individual interests.

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Land of India. The Cultural Unity of the people of India was not enough to stop the foreign aggressors who ruled over India

We, the people of India and of Indian origin have to truthfully examine if ‘Nationalism’ has ever existed in the Land of India. We have to truthfully explain as to why the Land of India exists as an easy target for foreign invasion, foreign conquest, foreign occupation, and foreign political, economic, and cultural domination. The Cultural Unity of the people of India or the Civilizational Unity is not enough to stop the foreign aggressors who ruled over the Land of India.

Indian Nationalism won Freedom at a huge cost in human lives. The British Empire while leaving India during 1947 had divided the Land creating new National entities. The disorder that followed the Partition of India caused the loss of over one million human lives. The concept of Cultural Nationalism cannot and will not defend and preserve human life in the Land of India.

The Problem of National Unity and the role of Cultural Nationalism in India:

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Land of India. In the ancient Land of India, human beings have lived continuously for thousands of years. But, it was a Land divided into several hundreds of small and large kingdoms.

There is a fundamental problem with the experience of life in the Land of India. The Nation – State was nonexistent during the greater part of Indian history. People did not give loyalty to the Nation – State but to other, different forms of feudal states. Before 20th century, political allegiance was determined by mostly local and regional factors such as that of a local princely ruler, regional language or regional culture.

Indian Cultural Nationalism mainly consists of expression of some national characteristics through nonpolitical activities such as art, literature, music, dance, and other forms of culture such as the performance of Temple Worship and Pilgrimage. A vast multitude of people may come together at a particular place in celebration of an event and return to their native places. India did not exist as a large, unified territorial state with political, and economic centralization.

The political, and economic centralization that existed in India was largely a product of foreign rule and foreign occupation of the Land of India. This lack of National Unity and the lack of a National identity and Individuality made India an easy target for foreign, military attacks.

The History of Jihad in India

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Land of India

Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a former Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University, a historian, reviewed the records kept by Al- Utbi, the Secretary of Sultan Yaminu -d- Daula Mahmud bin Subuktigin known as Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna. The Secretary in the Persian document called the Tarikh -i- Yamini recorded the details of several episodes of bloody campaigns waged by Sultan Mahmud between 1001 A.D. and 1027 A.D. Persian historian Ferishta (“Tarikh-e- Fereshteh” work by Ferishta about Mahomedan Power in India) also recorded the military conquests of India by Sultan Mahmud. The Sultan of Ghazna directed his military attacks on places of spiritual pilgrimage in India. He attacked the temple towns of Nagarkot, Thanesar (1011), Mathura (1018), Kannauj (1019), Kalinjar (1023), and Somnath (1024-25). He also attacked the holy places of Varanasi, Ujjain, Maheswar, Jwalamukhi and Dwaraka. These attacks were witnessed by Persian writers such as Al-Biruni (Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Biruni) and Ferdowsi (Abu ol-Qasem Mansur or Firdawsi/Firdusi). All of these historical records and documents reveal the scale of loss of human life. It is estimated that about two million people died in the Land of India during Sultan Mahmud’s repeated attacks. Asaru -l- Bilad, a Persian geographer had also described some of the foreign conquests of India.

K.S. Lal, an Indian historian estimated that about sixty to eighty million people in India may have died between 1000 and 1525 CE due to foreign invasions. It clearly demonstrates that the idea of Cultural Nationalism did not play a significant role in defending Indian people and had failed to preserve human life. Apparently, Cultural Nationalism did not generate the cohesiveness or Unity that is needed to resist and to defeat foreign military campaigns.

Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism – The Clash at Kurnool Medical College, Andhra Pradesh:

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of IndiaThe Clash at Kurnool Medical College: The clash at Kurnool Medical College is a consequence of my participation as a student delegate in a National Student Seminar on National Integration that was sponsored by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, International Youth Centre, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India during June 1967. In an essay on National Integration, I described the concept of Secular Nationalism to openly advocate and promote the idea of formulating marital social relationships neglecting traditional cultural values based upon religion and caste.
Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India: Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Superintendent of Kurnool Government General Hospital worked at Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool City, Andhra Pradesh, India from January 1957 to August 1968. He represents the face of forces opposed to the idea of Secular Nationalism. I was a student at Kurnool Medical College who had advocated the need for a National Identity and National Individuality and promoted the idea of formulating marital social relationships neglecting traditional cultural values based upon religion and caste. He had actively opposed my personal initiative and had encouraged my paternal uncle, Dr. R. Anjaneyulu, M.D., Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, B. J. Medical College and Sassoon Hospitals, Pune City, Maharashtra State, India to sabotage my career in the Indian Army Medical Corps by using his influential contacts with senior Officers of Indian Army Medical Corps.

I submitted an application to Chief Minister Office, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, India on September 02, 2012. The request made by me is registered by the Secretariat Departments of Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Application Number is shown as : SR 12014477 and it reads as follows:

“I was a student of Kurnool Medical College from November 1965 to June 1970. I represented the State of Andhra Pradesh as a student delegate at the four-week long National Student Seminar on National Integration sponsored by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, New Delhi during 1967 to promote the need for developing a National Identity and National Individuality for National Unity and National Integration. I encouraged students to ignore any identity that is derived from region, religion, language, and caste as India needs Secular Nationalism and not Cultural Nationalism. This was opposed by Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, M.D., who then served as the Professor of Medicine and the Superintendent of Kurnool Government General Hospital. Since he had actively opposed the principle of Secular Nationalism, I would request you to reconsider the decision made by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to name a building on Kurnool Medical College/General Hospital Campus to honour him.”  

ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE IN THE LAND OF INDIA:

The ideas about human soul or spirit (Atman or Atma in Sanskrit language) find their profound expression in the oral and written literature of India. Indian thoughts about the nature of man and his existence can be traced to the ancient texts of Vedas (the Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, and the Atharva-Veda) which were compiled from c. 1500 B.C. to c. 500 B.C. The Sanskrit texts known as the Upanishads (c. 900 – 500 B.C.) have systematized Indian philosophy. There are six classical systems of Indian philosophy that accept the authority of the Veda and the Upanishads; 1. Nyaya (6th century B.C. ) is a school of logic and epistemology, 2. Vaisheshika (3rd century B.C.) posits a sixfold classification of Reality (Substance, Quality, Activity, Generality, Particularity, and Inherence), 3. Samkhya (6th century B.C.) expounds two basic metaphysical principles; Purusha or Soul and Prakriti or Material Nature, 4. Yoga (2nd century B.C.) of Patanjali accepts Samkhya metaphysics, presents an eight-stage discipline of self-control and Meditation, 5. Purva-Mimamsa (2nd century B.C.) sets forth principles of interpretation of the Vedic texts, and 6. Uttara-Mimamsa or Vedanta which includes different schools of thought based on the Brahma-Sutras of Badarayana (early century A.D.) which summarize the Upanishadic doctrine and explain the teachings of the Upanishads. The most important schools of Vedanta are 1. the non-dualist (Advaita) Vedanta of Shankara (A.D. 788-820), 2. the qualified non-dualist Vedanta of Ramanuja (A.D. 1017-1137), and 3. the dualist Vedanta of Madhva (A.D. 1197-1276). Buddhism and Jainism are two important schools of thought that do not accept the authority of Veda and Upanishads. To a great extent, Indian traditions claim that man is an embodied soul. The mind, and body that represent the physical person is an illusion as the human body is thought to be “Asat”, or unreal, perishable, full of ignorance, and not happy. The real or true man as represented by soul or spirit is unborn. The real person is viewed as an eternal person who is not subject to change called life and death. Indian tradition considers that the Objective Reality of man or Essence of man is soul or spirit.

We must note that it is impossible to describe this mental concept called soul or spirit if it is never associated with its human body. The separation of man into body, mind, and soul is not supported by scientific study of man. Man comes into existence from a single, fertilized Egg-Cell. This man cannot be separated into distinct entities like material or physical body, thinking substance called mind, and an immaterial principle called soul. These three aspects of man have no independent existence of their own. There is no life and there is no human existence if body, mind, and soul are separated. Who you are describes your Essence and it is defined by What you do to establish the fact of your Existence. In other words, the Essence (Who you are) is preceded by the reality of Existence (What you do). Thus, Existence is the precondition to recognize Essence. Hence, I describe man as a living soul and not as an embodied soul.

In my impression, the traditional Indian views about human soul or spirit have failed to recognize the importance of human Existence as a precondition to define the nature of human Essence. Indian people have to give due recognition to the problems of human existence and must realize that Essence has no value if its meaning is not attached to the condition called Existence.

In my opinion, Spiritualism demands the existence of a Living Soul or Spirit to understand its characteristic functions that generate peace, harmony, and tranquility as a living human experience. Indians must define the concept of Spiritualism in the context of Self-Preservation.

The Concept of Bharat Mata or Mother India:

The Indian Concept of Bharat Mata or Mother India is derived from the Indian Concept of Mother Earth. MOTHER EARTH, ‘PRITHVI’, OR ‘BHUMI’ IS DEDICATED TO PRESERVE THE COSMIC BALANCE AND UNIVERSAL ORDER.

Mother Earth symbolizes the qualities of Patience, Tolerance, Perseverance and Endurance which is the ability to withstand pain without any complaint.

The Concept of Bharat Mata or Mother India is derived from the Concept of Mother Earth which is an aspect of Mother Nature or Prakriti. In Hinduism, Nature (Prakriti) is known as the Mother Goddess. Energy or Force (Shakti) is her essential nature. She is the source of all movements and modifications. Prakriti means that which is found in its natural state.

In the ancient Indian scripture of Rig Veda, Mother Earth or Prithvi Mata is described as the primordial goddess. She is also known by the names of Bhumi, Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, and Dharani all of which refer to her sustaining beneficence as “that which holds everything.” Akasha (Sky), Vayu (Wind), Agni (Fire), Jala or Varuna (Water), and Bhumi or Prithvi (Earth) are described as ‘Pancha Maha Bhutas’ or the Five Great Elemental States of the Material Nature or Prakriti. She is the consort of Lord Vishnu, the Divine Protector of the Hindu Trinity. Earth represents the female principle of fertility and is the source of all vegetation and is responsible for precious and bountiful crops and fruits that it yields. She is the sustainer and the preserver of the Cosmic Balance. She stands up to the rights of the living entities and defends them from Cosmic Forces and Energies. She symbolizes  the concept of a just and stable universe. She represents dedication to  maintenance of ‘Dharma’  or Righteous Action which defines the Universal Order. She bears witness to all of our actions and particularly the actions of miscreants and evildoers who transgress the rights of weak and innocent denizens living in her domain. She mutely observes the acts of depredations and oppression. She endures all kinds of suffering with calmness and displays a great quality of patience. However, there are natural limits to her forbearance.When stressed beyond her limits of threshold and particularly to uphold the vital principle of Dharma, she cries out aloud, calls for  attention of all gods, and insistently demands for  intervention of Lord Vishnu, the Divine Protector.

Earth is the natural home for all humans, plants, and the animals that inhabit this planet. Existence of man is conditioned. Man is dependent on an external source of energy and matter during all the days of his life’s journey on planet Earth. Indians find encouragement  in developing perseverance while confronting trials and tribulations of many kinds. The idea that Mother Earth is a witness to their pain and suffering provides man a sense of comfort and enables man to endure suffering with a sense of hope and  expectation of deliverance. Indians are culturally driven to face calamities with calmness as they hope that Mother Earth would intervene on their behalf. Being patient is a quality t imparted to the human character by Mother Earth.

Bharat Darshan – The role of Cultural Nationalism vs Secular Nationalism in the Defense of the Republic of India. Man is a terrestrial organism and his conditioned existence connects the man and the place of his residence in a very intimate and personal manner

All said and done, the man is a terrestrial organism and has a natural sense of attachment to Land, his natural home. This sense of attachment to Land is reflected in all the concepts with or without any concern for either religion or culture. In its essence, the concept of Bharat Mata or Mother India is a secular concept for it connects the man and the place of his residence in a very intimate and personal manner.

If Indians seek their existence as a Nation, they have to forget the parochial differences to develop national individualities and the primary focus of allegiance must be the Republic of India and not that of the local language, religion, or culture.

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Danavaipeta Municipal/Corporation High School, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India,

S.S.L.C.  Class  of March/April, 1961.

BHARAT MATA OR MOTHER INDIA REPRESENTS THE COUNTRY AND THE LAND OF MY ORIGIN. SHE IS THE CULTURAL AND SECULAR ICON OF THE LAND FOR SHE IS THE OWNER OF THE LAND,

World Health Day 2023. My health status – Living a Life with a broken heart

World Health Day 2023. My health status – Living a Life with a broken heart

World Health Day 2023 – Health for All

World Health Day (WHD), held every year on 7 April, marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 and each year focuses on a specific public health concern. In addition to focusing on the journey to achieving Health For All, which is this year’s theme, WHO will observe its 75th anniversary under the theme 75 years of improving public health.

World Health Day 2023. My health status – Living a Life with a broken heart

In 1948, countries of the world came together and founded WHO to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health and well-being.  WHO’s 75th anniversary year is an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved quality of life during the last seven decades. It is also an opportunity to motivate action to tackle the health challenges of today and tomorrow.

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health.

In my analysis, there can be no ‘Theory of Health’ without sharing a ‘Theory of Man’. The question, “What is health?” cannot be asked without raising the question, “What is man?”

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health.

In my view, ‘ the existence of a man always precedes the essence of the man’. For that reason, the biological basis of the man’s existence must be identified to define the living entity called man. The natural event called ‘death’ precedes the natural event called ‘birth’ which heralds the arrival of newborn Life. The newborn always arrives after several programmed cellular death events.

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health.

The man’s existence in any condition, good health or ill-health, at any age, at any given time and place, depends upon Mercy, Grace, and Compassion (Sanskrit. KRUPA or KRIPA) of LORD God Creator. The man does not exist in the natural world because of his physical and mental work. The man needs input of matter and energy, from an external source, from the moment of conception to the conclusion of his entire life journey. The man’s existence is always conditioned as he cannot regulate either internal, or external factors that determine the fact of his existence.

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health.

I invite my readers to review the article titled “What is health?” published in Microbial Biotechnology by Dr. Harald Brüssow. I took the freedom to add a few comments to his article to help my readers to examine the topic in a critical manner.

Rudra Narasimham Rebbapragada

BHAVANAJAGAT

What is health?

Clipped from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917469/

Microbial Biotechnology. 2013 Jul; 6(4): 341–348.

Published online 2013 May 6. doi:  10.1111/1751-7915.12063

PMCID: PMC3917469

PMID: 23647782

Harald Brüssow*
Summary

The Medical Science fails to define the term ‘health’ for it fails to define the term ‘man’. To attach meaning to health, I must attach meaning to the word called ‘man’.

Classical medical research is disease focused and still defines health as absence of disease. Languages, however, associate a positive concept of wholeness with health as does the WHO health definition. Newer medical health definitions emphasize the capacity to adapt to changing external and internal circumstances. The results of the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study provides keys for a quantifiable health metrics by developing statistical tools calculating healthy life expectancy. Of central social and economic importance is the question whether healthy ageing can be achieved. This concept hinges on theories on the biological basis of lifespan determination and whether negligible senescence and the compression of morbidity can be achieved in human societies. Since the health impact of the human gut microbiome is currently a topical research area, microbiologists should be aware of the problems in defining health.
Introduction
The man represents a biological or biotic community of trillions of individuals; independent, living cells with individuality. The Man is also a natural host to trillions of microbes. Human life must be defined in terms of biotic interactions; both intraspecific, and interspecific biotic interactions.

Science has its fashions. Suddenly the leading science journals are full of articles about a specific topical research area. Sometimes, this wave of popularity follows a technological break-through which permits asking questions that were previously impossible to tackle or at least very hard to address experimentally. At other occasions, this cumulating of top-level research reports is the consequence of large international research efforts where grant agencies provided large amounts of money, which attracted many scientists to the field. In still other situations, the scientific community realizes that a certain field of scientific inquiry has simply been overlooked or neglected and the view offered by the new insights is exiting theoretical interest and promising practical applications. The human microbiome is currently such a fashionable field. Novel DNA sequencing techniques combined with new bioinformatic tools and the general progress of ‘–omics’ technologies offer the methods; major research grants on both sides of the Atlantic provided the money and the field has been an eye-opener for microbiologists which might be compared with the time of Leeuwenhoek when microbes in our mouth were first seen in the microscope and the time of Koch when the first isolated bacterial colonies were seen by the naked eye and linked to human disease. We perceive the human microbiome metagenome as our second human genome, as a source of human genetic variability (Schloissnig etal., 2013) and as a factor influencing human health (Clemente etal., 2012). The human gut microbiome has been associated with health issues of central importance such as obesity (Turnbaugh etal., 2006), healthy ageing (Claesson etal., 2012) and most recently cancer (Arthur etal., 2012), to quote only the most prominent fields. Probiotic bacteria have also been fashionable for a while (Thomas etal., 2010) and were judged to have a scientific basis (Neish, 2009), but scientific reports aroused less attention than gut microbiota research. Probiotics carry in their definition as ‘live health-promoting bacteria’ the concept that microbes can influence our health. But what is health? If you want to boost health, you must know what it is and how to measure it.
Health: ask the experts
I ask the Medical Science to apply the principles of Clinical Medicine not only to diagnose ill health but also to diagnose good and perfect or ‘Whole Health’ for the man is created by entity called God who is always Perfect and Whole.

At school we heard of Socrates who asked people who are supposed to be experts and to get an answer from a dialogue with them. Therefore, I first went to health authorities like medical doctors and their authoritative textbooks that guided generations of medical students like Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (Longo etal., 2011). In the 18th edition you find ample material on pathogens, even a chapter on the human microbiome (Gordon and Knight, 2011), a chapter on women’s health, but no definition of health. Overall, one gets the impression that medicine deals with disease and not health. In a recent meeting, one of my colleagues said that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) should correctly be called National Institutes of Diseases reflecting this disease focus of medical research. Health is currently fashionable as ‘Global Health’, but again scientists working at institutes called like this or in such programmes deal mostly with diseases. After this disappointment, the author turned to PubMed with ‘health’ and ‘definition’ as search terms and got less than 20 papers – a quite surprising outcome for such a central question of the human society. Clearly there is a problem with the definition of the term ‘health’.
Health: ask the languages
None of the living functions performed by a man involve the use of any known human language.

When a term is so self-evident and at the same time so elusive that no definition is provided in the scientific literature, it is frequently helpful to investigate the words we use when speaking about it. Naming is the first activity of human beings when trying to make order of things surrounding us. Words reflect the experience of many generations and words constitute a collective subconsciousness that determines still today our unexpressed thoughts and actions, more than we are aware of consciously. In the Oxford Dictionary ‘health’ is defined as ‘the state of being free from illness and injury’. It is obviously a negative definition. Such a definition reflects the current use of the words in the spoken language, but not necessarily its development over time. The English ‘health’ derives from Old English ‘hælth’, which is related to ‘whole’ ‘a thing that is complete in itself’ (Oxford Dictionary) derived from Old English ‘hal’ of Germanic origin (the addition of the w in whole/hal reflects a dialect pronunciation of the 15th century). In Middle English ‘hal’ also became ‘hail’ with the meaning of health in greetings and toasts. ‘hal’ is related to the Dutch ‘heel’ and the German ‘heil’. In German the connections between health, wholeness and salvation becomes even clearer than in English. ‘Heil-kunde’ and ‘Heil-kunst’ are still common German words for medicine, ‘Heiler’ is a traditional or alternative health provider; ‘heilfroh’ means wholly happy and refers to a relationship between health and happiness. ‘Heil’ has also religious meanings as seen from the German word ‘Heiland’ for the Christ as Savior (or for false prophets as in ‘Heil Hitler’). The German word conserved clear links with the religious and cultic realm in ‘heilig’ (English: holy) where ‘Heil’ is equivalent with salvation in the religious meaning (‘Seelen-heil’). These connotations are still vibrating consciously or unconsciously in native speakers when using these words. In fact, from this quasi-religious context the constitution of the WHO adopted in 1948 becomes understandable when stating ‘the following principles are basic to the happiness, harmonious relations and security of all peoples: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. The definition has not been revised but was variously challenged for its ‘complete wellbeing’ as reflecting a fundamentalist view, referring to an ideal world of messianic expectations. Some scientists have therefore asked for redefining health to make it a realistic, measurable quantity (Saracci, 1997).

Since this language approach turned out to be revealing, let’s follow the relationship between health and wellness (are they synonyms or do they express distinct concepts?) and between health and disease (are they antonyms?). Disease is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘disorder of structure or function in an organism that produces specific symptoms and is not the result of physical injury’; ‘dis-ease’ derives from the Old French ‘desaise’ (lack of ease). Wellness and illness is clearly a pair of antonyms. Illr is a Norse word for evil and was taken into Middle English with the meaning of wicked, malevolent. ‘Well’ (German: wohl) derives from a word common to many Germanic languages and means ‘in a good way’, initially as a contrast to wicked. As an adjective one of the meaning of ‘well’ is specifically ‘in good health’ (Oxford Dictionary). In German ‘wohl’ goes beyond good health, it alludes to psychological and emotional aspects (‘Wollust’: English: lust, but in Old English as in current German still in the sense of ‘pleasure’ and ‘delight’) and material wealth (‘Wohlstand’). Wellness thus goes beyond physical health and has a strong connotation of happiness, but also of hedonism (where pleasure is the chief good).

One might argue that these are linguistic associations restricted to Germanic languages. However, this is not the case: the Latin word pair ‘salus’–’malus’ has very similar connotations which were transmitted into modern Romanic languages (French: salut–maladie). In Latin ‘salus’ means health, rescue, redemption and wealth. It derives from ‘salvus’, Old Indian ‘sarvas’, which meant initially nothing else than ‘whole’. We see here again the notion of completeness with health. Malus which leads then to malady shares with the Germanic word ‘small’ a common root and thus refers to incompleteness. Malus has also moral connotation (Eritis sicut deus scientes bonum et malum – the snake in Genesis: you will be like God knowing the good and the evil). Disease has long been regarded as a celestial punishment for moral failing. In many traditional societies, health surveys should not miss to ask about ‘the evil eye’, underlining the widespread magic concepts on disease.
Redefining health: medical approaches
What is Spiritual Sickness? Lust, Avarice, Anger, Arrogance, Jealousy, Infatuation, and Miserliness are symptoms of Spiritual Sickness. Spiritual well-being is an integral component of Whole Health.

Recently the need for a new definition of health was expressed by the British Medical Journal (Jadad and O’Grady, 2008). A discussion via global blog conversation was initiated on ‘How should health be defined?’ The participation rate was weak: only 38 communications were counted. In an influential blog, R. Smith (2008) confessed that this issue is for most doctors an uninteresting question since they are interested in disease and not health. Medical textbooks are a massive catalogue of diseases. Health is an illusion and according to the strict standards of the WHO definition, most people are unhealthy for most of the time, so far, his comments. Research-oriented doctors complained that the WHO definition has no direct operational value – it is so widely formulated that health outcome cannot easily be measured. Health like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It turned out that redefining health is an extremely ambitious and complex goal. A conference held in 2009 in the Netherlands (‘Is health a state or an ability? Towards a dynamic concept of health’) (Huber, 2010), an editorial by the Lancet (‘What is health? The ability to adapt’) (Anonymous, 2009) and an analysis in the BMJ (‘Health: how should we define it?’) (Huber etal., 2011) proposed a few conclusions. The preferred view on health was the ability to adapt and to self-manage. With respect to physical health the term of ‘allostasis’ was introduced – the maintenance of physiological homeostasis through changing circumstances. In the field of mental health, a sense of coherence was identified as defining criterion. Social health included people’s capacity to fulfil their potentials and obligations, the ability to manage their life and to participate in social activities including work. R. Smith summarized this into the phrase ‘health is the capacity to love and work’ attributed to Sigmund Freud. The Dutch conference highlighted a few important aspects. When applied to ‘successful or healthy ageing’ only a very small percentage of people would fit the WHO definition. When self-rating of well-being was used a much higher percentage rated themselves as successfully ageing and this rating was roughly constant over lifetime. With an ageing population chronic disease become a life condition to many people. The Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Programme uses strategies to enhance self-efficacy which resulted in fewer healthcare requests. Also, the WHO has added to this discussion. In preparation of the Ottawa Charter of 1986, the WHO defined health as the ability of an individual to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to cope with the environment. Health was thus seen as a resource for everyday life. The WHO has also developed an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health assessing the performance of a task in real life situation. WHO surveys assessed an individual’s health state by asking for mobility, self-care, pain, cognition, interpersonal activities, vision, sleep and energy and affect. The answers go into a single metric reaching from death (0) to perfect health (1). The abovementioned Lancet editorial quoted the French physician G. Canguilhem who perceived health in his 1943 book The Normal and the Pathological not as something that can be defined statistically or mechanistically. Health is the ability to adapt to one’s environment and its own limitations. At the Dutch conference, a participant asked for the concept of ‘salutogenesis’ (becoming healthy) and more concrete research work in a field dominated by studies of pathogenesis (becoming ill). In practical terms it means that instead of carefully observing the conditions that lead from the healthy to the diseased state, research should also be conducted for the opposite process, i.e. the transition from the diseased to the healthy state. In some diseases the transition from health to malady is a way of no return and its inverse process of ‘salutogenesis’ is obviously difficult to study. However, for microbiologists the situation is easier. Many acute infectious diseases show a transition from health to disease followed by a return to the normal. Here ‘salutogenesis’ is commonly studied and had practical outcomes. For example, understanding the immune response to an infectious agent which led to the resolution of the disease was often instrumental for designing vaccine strategies.
Scaling health levels?
The scaling of health fundamentally relates to the experience of satiation, satisfaction, or contentment from one’s own living condition. Dissatisfaction or a lack of contentment is absence of health.

A fundamental question not yet addressed in our discussion is whether health is a state as opposed to the alternative state of disease. There are medical conditions that allow only two alternative conditions; a frequently quoted example is a woman in childbearing age who either is pregnant or is not pregnant. There is no condition where a woman is a bit pregnant, pregnancy is an all-or-nothing event allowing only a ‘plus’ and a ‘minus’ state and no transitions between both of them. At first glance, one might also take ‘health’ and ‘disease’ as alternative ‘plus’ and ‘minus’ states. The self-perception of a subject is a relative reliable measure differentiating a healthy state from a diseased state. In a prodromal phase of an infectious disease, we feel lousy before any overt disease symptoms are evident. During convalescence we feel the reverse process of returning vigor and strength. This distinction finds expression in our outer appearance allowing not only an experienced physician, but even an attentive layperson to differentiate these two states with a single look at a person. This experience speaks for health and disease as two alternative states. However, medical doctors use scoring systems to assess the health and disease status of patients to decide on medical interventions. To quote just two examples: the Karnofsky score runs from 100 (perfect health) to 0 (death) in steps of 10 and assesses the independence or dependence of patients on assistance for everyday activity or survival; its main purpose was to quantify the capacity of cancer patients to cope with chemotherapy. Another score rates the status of newborns: the Apgar score attributes up to two points each for the appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration of the baby (despite this mnemonic, Apgar is named after an anesthesiologist). Apgar expresses the need for medical intervention by the pediatrician. Apgar scores of 7 or higher characterize healthy babies. These scoring systems are interesting since first, they put health and disease into the same measurable category and second, they anticipate that both health and disease states can be graded. By their design as indicators for medical intervention, these scoring systems have more graded disease levels than graded health levels, but this point can be quickly remedied by introducing a scoring system that depicts in analogy with the number line increasing positive integers to the right as indicators of a graded health level and increasing negative integers to the left as indicators of graded disease levels.

Theory of Man precedes Theory of Health.

Around 0 is an indifference zone where the subject feels neither particularly healthy nor definitively ill. While numerous scoring systems exist to describe severity grades for many diseases, less scoring systems exist for assessing health levels. This situation could quickly be corrected: Physical strength or mental fitness could be measured quantitatively by performance tests on the subject or functional reserves could be measured by physiological tests on individual organ systems of the subject. Such physical types of test are frequently used in geriatric medicine.

This grading concept – oversimplified as it is – has interesting consequences. When physicians speak about health interventions, they speak mostly about disease interventions where a treatment shifts for example a person from disease level −7 to disease level −3 to remain in the analogy of this fictive scale. Over recent decades medical treatments were also increasingly applied on apparently healthy subjects, who show, but do not suffer, from pathophysiological states (e.g. hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) in order to prevent for example a shift from health level +3 to disease level −7 when the pathophysiological risk factor transforms into actual disease (e.g. myocardial infarct or stroke) (again in this fictive scale). However, physicians and the pharmaceutical industries have much less considered the possibility to increase health levels from for example health state +4 to health state +7 which increases physical and mental performance of the person or the functional reserves of the person’s organs. These health interventions were largely left to fitness centers and sport clubs and private activities of the individual. The aim of such nutrition and health interventions would be a better performance in everyday life, more pleasure (quality of life), but not necessarily disease prevention. However, increasing the functional reserve of the body necessarily creates a buffer such that extrinsic factors decreasing the health level do not result that quickly in disease as without this intervention.
Health: ask the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 survey
Burden of Disease, and Rewards of Health must be estimated after stating the purpose of human existence.

One might argue that health of an individual or a population is to a certain extent a lip service of the medical profession and the true interest of medical doctors is to cure or to prevent disease. Language-wise this focus is expressed by the now frequently used term of ‘ill health’ in the columns of leading journals like ‘Nature’ and ‘The Lancet’, which is of course a clear contradiction in terms and reflects the disease focus of medicine. One might suspect that economists and sociologists have a greater interest in the health of a population when focusing on the productivity and social ‘functioning’ of people. However, such an evaluation does not do justice to the epidemiological, statistical and intellectual efforts of the medical community to come to grip with these terms. The Herculean effort of the medical research field is illustrated by a whole issue of the Lancet describing the GBD Study 2010 in a series of articles (Das, 2012). Over 5 years 486 scientists from 302 institutions in 50 countries have collected data on ‘ill health’ and evaluated the data by using the most sophisticated statistical data treatment methods (Murray etal., 2012a). The results are stunning. It is here not the place to review these studies, but I want to share with the reader some excitement. From 1970 to 2010 global life expectancy at birth rose by 3–4 years every decade. The resolution of the data set is astonishing: you can for example compare life expectancy per region and per sex. You see then that women in Bangladesh increased their life expectancy from 47.5 years in 1970 to 71.0 years in 2010 (not a printing error). Or you get global life expectancy per 5-year intervals for both sexes, e.g. 80-year-old men had in 1970 a life expectancy of 5.8 years compared with 7.2 years in 2010 (‘the older you get, the healthier you have been’) (Wang etal., 2012). Or you get information on 235 leading causes of death separated by age and sex based on files compiling vital registrations, verbal autopsies and various surveillance data from 187 countries. You learn that mortality from communicable diseases has decreased over this time following major ameliorations in mortality from diarrheal diseases, measles and tetanus, but less so for respiratory infections and increases for HIV/AIDS. When the global years of life lost (YLL) is displayed separately for the causes and individual years between 1990 and 2010, the data analysis was so well performed that you see the 1995 famine in North Korea as a sudden increase in global death due to nutritional deficiencies and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda as an intentional injuries increase (Lozano etal., 2012).

In the context of our discussion another GBD 2010 report is even more interesting. Salomon and colleagues (2012) start their paper with the statement: ‘Improvement of population health means more than simply delaying death or increasing life expectancy at birth’. They continue: ‘With the trend of population ageing, the need to prioritize healthy ageing is increasingly recognized’. The authors of this paper focus on the description of ‘healthy life expectancy’ as a summary measure of population health. While this term has no philosophical or biological foundation, it is based on a lot of sound statistical reasoning. In fact, it goes back on a method developed 40 years ago by D. Sullivan. Healthy life expectancy is the number of years a person at a given age can expect to live in good health considering age-specific mortality, morbidity and functional health status. While health is here still largely defined negatively as the absence of disease, it becomes a measurable quantity and thus a simple logically appealing summary measure of population health. The GBD 2010 study goes even further by analyzing a composite metric that captures both premature mortality and the prevalence and severity of disease leading to the term of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) (Murray etal., 2012b). Health status was measured in other studies by the absence of disability expressed as activity restriction, or absence of dementia, or on a broader basis as a multidimensional expression of functioning. However, with a sufficiently large raw data set one can calculate the ‘healthy life expectancy’ in years. Then the difference between life expectancy minus healthy life expectancy can be interpreted as the average number of years of potentially healthy life lost to poor health. To get back to the above Bangladesh women who had in 2010 a life expectancy of 71 years, they had a healthy life expectancy of 59 years, for Canadian women the two figures were 83 and 68 years respectively. Despite different absolute numbers, women from both countries spent more than a decade with poor health. Interesting trends emerge: both for men and for women global healthy life expectancy has increased by about 4 years between 1990 and 2010 keeping with the overall trend of life expectancy increases. The gains in healthy life expectancy over the past 20 years have mainly been through reductions of child and adult mortality and not through reductions in years lost to disability (YLD). When looking into a study from member states of the European Union, larger variations were found for healthy life expectancy than for life expectancy (Jagger etal., 2008). These results are not just about statistics, they represent important elements for political decisions. The UN Millennium Development Goals have focused on the reduction of mortality from major killers like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. With that focus life expectancy will (hopefully) increase, but it will have minor impact on healthy life expectancy. The computation of healthy life expectancy has changed over the years. Some used dichotomous weighting schemes categorizing people into either healthy or not. The new calculation accounts for the severity of disability calculated for 289 named diseases (Murray etal., 2012a) allowing thus a quantitative, gliding disability scale.

Ageing concepts
Every change or natural phenomenon such as aging is operated by an underlying ‘Unchanging Principle’. For example, Chemical Compounds are operated by ‘Law of Definite Proportions’ or Proust’s Law of Definite Composition. The man experiences aging changes while Chemical Elements and Chemical Compounds of his body remain unchanged.

The structure of the world population is dramatically changing with an increasing percentage of the human population living to old and very old age (Suzman and Haage, 2011). This phenomenon is not limited to the classical industrialized countries, until 2050 China is expected to reach 440 and 101 million inhabitants older than 60 and 80 years respectively (Shetty, 2012). This change in the population pyramid has not only important socioeconomic consequences (healthcare, pension funds), but affects also the health and disease discussion in an interesting way.

Like for health, everybody knows what ageing means, but definitions are again less obvious, and biologists have not yet developed a generally shared theory of ageing (Martin, 2011). Part of the problem might be that different organisms might have their own modes of ageing. Languages are not of much help: ‘age’ is something which can be very simply counted on a timescale. Different languages reflect a different attitude towards ageing: while in English ‘ageing’ implies deterioration, in Japanese it means just the advancement of age. A Japanese researcher has therefore defined ageing as a ‘regression of physiological function accompanied by advancement of age’ (Imahori, 1992). Medical doctors consequently differentiate a chronological and a physiological age of a person.

Medical gerontologists perceive ageing as a progressive decline in structure and function of the body (Ferruci and Studenski, 2011). Most prominent and very visible are the effects of ageing on body composition: lean body mass from muscles and visceral organs decrease steadily, muscle strength decreases (sarcopenia) and is a good predictor of mortality. Progressive demineralization leads to decline of bone strength that together with neurodegeneration induces unstable gait, poor balance and slow reaction times leading to falls and fractures resulting in increasing frailty. Memory decline and dementia are other neurological observations in some, but not all ageing persons. Decline of the sensory system is frequent (vision, hearing, taste). Another physiological change is declining resting metabolic rate with ageing, which is also a marker of illness. Homeostasis pathways (hormones, inflammatory mediators, antioxidants) change progressively with age inducing a lower resistance to stress. Normal ageing is also associated with a decline in food intake particularly in men which leads to malnutrition.

While ageing leads ultimately to death, great biological differences exist for lifespan and ageing process between different organisms. While the lifetime of fly’s measures in days, some ticks survive for decades and lobsters were reported to survive for more than 100 years without any apparent loss in fertility. Similar data have been reported for turtles, where older females lay more eggs than younger females, show no loss of vigor and no increase in mortality rate with increasing age (Finch, 2009). These observations led to the concept of negligible senescence and the Centenarian Species Project (Guerin, 2004). Negligible senescence contradicts Hamilton’s influential theory that natural selection shaped senescence (Hamilton, 1966) and ideas that late survival was sacrificed in evolution for reproduction (Kirkwood and Rose, 1991). Even today, Hamilton’s Forces of Natural Selection described in his 1966 paper were compared by evolution researchers to what is the Lorentz transformation for relativistic physics (Rose etal., 2007). Of course, working with long-lived animals which might have lifetimes longer than that of the researcher is not to the taste of geneticists who prefer short-lived animals like flies and worms or mostly mice where results are obtained within a grant period. However, negligible senescence would fit other theories, for example that of the French zoologist Buffon who suggested in the 18th century that the duration of life in animals corresponded to six to seven times that of the period of growth for the given animal. An animal which has undetermined growth like some reptiles (crocodiles for example grow as long as they live) could have a very long lifespan. Those zoologists might in fact be right who claim that lobsters die from predation, accident and infection but not as a consequence of ageing.

Many ideas have been developed by biologists on ageing: for example, Hayflick developed 40 years ago an argument that the finite number of cell doublings determines the lifespan of a species (Hayflick, 1968). Molecular biologists have added arguments to this idea by highlighting the importance of telomere length shortening with increasing cell divisions. Several other mechanisms and pathways have been revealed by molecular biologists and geneticists for the ageing process. Caloric restriction and longevity is another of the fruitful fields of ageing research. Whether it applies to monkeys as our closest relatives is currently the focus of much discussion (Mattison etal., 2012).

However, all what we have discussed so far fit more the fundamental interest of biologists than that of the medical doctor. For the present review let’s therefore focus on the human condition and the medical view on healthy ageing.
Healthy ageing
The man’s experience of time and its consequence called aging is operated by sensory experiences that are fundamentally false. The man’s existence demands the influence of grand illusion that protects the man from experiencing the speed of planet Earth.

Thirty years ago, Fries (1980) published in The New England Journal of Medicine a seminal paper on ‘Ageing, natural death, and the compression of morbidity’ which heavily influenced the medical discussion on ageing. He starts with the statement that the length of life is fixed; speculations on immortality are rooted in human hope. The medical field assumes that death is always the result of a disease process, but due to his hypothesis of a set human lifespan, death might occur without overt disease when the normal span is lived. In his paper he depicted the ‘ideal’ human mortality curve in the absence of premature death: it is a sharp peak around the ‘naturally set’ human lifespan of 85 years. He arrived at this value from the extrapolation of life expectancy data at birth and at age 20 and 65 measured over the last century which intersect in his graph at 85 years. With that idealized model the survival curve of humans has a sharp rectangular form while the actual survival curve for humans at 1900 looked more like a triangle with a continuous decline of survival with age. In 1980 the survival curve took already a substantial rectangular form: much of the 1900-typical attrition over increasing age had been eliminated and the actual survival curve started to approach the ideal curve. He admitted that the average length of life was increasing, but he argues that this was due to a decrease in childhood mortality, not to a secular trend for an increase of life expectancy at age of 75 years. He highlighted that acute, usually infectious diseases determined mortality in the USA at 1900 and that chronic diseases have now superseded acute diseases. In his view health improvement must address chronic instead of acute diseases, morbidity and not mortality, quality of life rather than duration of life. Postponement of disease is more important than cure of a disease. Weight control, regular exercise, treatment of hypertension, elimination of smoking and alcohol over-consumption (today we would add an equilibrated diet) were the practical measures. With that focus of medical interventions, one could achieve what he called the compression of morbidity. A postponement of chronic disease would also result in a rectangularization of the morbidity and not only the mortality curve. Since loss of reserve function represented his operational definition of ageing, one could theoretically also achieve a compression of senescence. He postulated a plasticity of ageing against a non-elasticity of the human ideal lifespan.

It is interesting to compare the Fries’ model with the actual data set from the GBD 2010 study. Already in an analysis of demographic data from 2002, the WHO reported that precisely the very old age groups are growing the fastest worldwide. A cornerstone of Fries’ model is the lack in increase of centenarians over one century of observation. The WHO projects in contrast a 13-fold increase in centenarians over the next decades (Kalache etal., 2002). Better hygiene, nutrition and healthcare have increased life expectancy as also seen in GBD 2010. When the life expectancy of females in the most advanced nations is plotted against historical time, a straight line is observed showing a steady increase of 2.5 years longer life expectancy per decade between 1850 and 2000 (Suzman and Haage, 2011). Humans in some industrialized countries have now nearly reached the lifespan limits of Buffon’s formula, but the asymptotic behavior requested by a genetically fixed life expectancy was not yet observed. One central tenet of the Fries’ model is thus not confirmed. What about the compression of morbidity? GBD 2010 showed that countries with high life expectancy had mostly also lower age-specific disability than countries with low life expectancy. While an analysis of disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALE) with data from the GBD 1999 study (Mathers etal., 2001) showed still ‘some evidence to suggest that compression of morbidity may be occurring in some low mortality countries’, later analyses did not concur with this interpretation. According to GBD 2010, years lived with disability (YLD) rose despite a decrease in the prevalence of age-specific disability (Salomon etal., 2012). Simply, the decrease in disability did not keep pace with the increase in survival. A compression can only occur if healthy life expectancy would rise faster than life expectancy.

Globally, YLD rose from 583 million in 1990 to 777 million in 2010 (Vos etal., 2012). The main contributors at the global level were mental and behavioral disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes and endocrine diseases. The leading specific causes were the same in 2010 as in 1990: low back pain, major depressive disorders, iron-deficiency anemia, neck pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, anxiety disorders, migraine, diabetes and falls. Rates of YLD per given number of people did not change, but since YLD rise steadily with age, population growth and ageing were the major drivers for the increase in YLD (Vos etal., 2012). The health system is thus confronted with a rising number of individuals with a range of disorders that largely cause disability but not mortality.

Outlook
John Milton in his epic poem of Paradise Lost, Book XI shares the golden principles of healthy aging. Nothing too much, the Law of Temperance helps the man to live to his fullest potential.

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit.
But is there yet no other way, besides
These painful passages, how we may come
To Death, and mix with our connatural dust?

There is, said Michael, if thou well observe [ 530 ]
The rule of not too much, by temperance taught
In what thou eat and drink, seeking from thence
Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,
Till many years over thy head return:
So may thou live, till like ripe Fruit thou drop [ 535 ]
Into thy Mothers lap, or be with ease
Gathered, not harshly plucked, for death mature:

In summary, GBD 2010 showed clear evidence of expansion, not compression of morbidity. An increase of the number of years lived in reduced health has implications beyond the person suffering from restricted health. Healthy ageing is a socioeconomic need since otherwise national health systems will not be able to stem the cost associated with managing increasing numbers of individuals suffering from various disease sequelae. If by preventive measures a healthy ageing could be achieved, the healthcare system could save cost and the individual could enjoy a greater quality of life for a longer period of life. This goal is quite ambitious though, but the incentive is great justifying the exploration of various associations with healthy ageing. In an accompanying review, I explore the data associating gut microbiota composition with healthy ageing and to what extent the gut microbiota composition can be changed by nutritional interventions (Brüssow, 2013).
Acknowledgments

I thank my colleagues Wolfram Brück for critical reading of the manuscript and Olga Sakwinska for stimulating discussions.
References

  • Anonymous. What is health? The ability to adapt. Lancet. 2009;373:781. [PubMed]
  • Arthur JC, Perez-Chanona E, Mühlbauer M, Tomkovich S, Uronis JM, Fan TJ, et al. Intestinal inflammation targets cancer-inducing activity of the microbiota. Science. 2012;338:120–123. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Brüssow H. Microbiota and healthy ageing: observational and nutritional intervention studies. 2013. Microbial Biotechnology doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.12048. [Epub ahead of print] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Claesson MJ, Jeffery IB, Conde S, Power SE, O’Connor EM, Cusack S, et al. Gut microbiota composition correlates with diet and health in the elderly. Nature. 2012;488:178–184. [PubMed]
  • Clemente JC, Ursell LK, Parfrey LW, Knight R. The impact of the gut microbiota on human health: an integrative view. Cell. 2012;148:1258–1270. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Das P, Samarasekera U. The story of GBD 2010: a ‘super-human’ effort. Lancet. 2012;380:2067–2070. [PubMed]
  • Ferruci L, Studenski S. Clinical problems of aging. In: Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, editors. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th edition. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill; 2011. pp. 570–586.
  • Finch CE. Update on slow aging and negligible senescence – a mini-review. Gerontology. 2009;55:307–313. [PubMed]
  • Fries JF. Aging, natural death, and the compression of morbidity. New England Journal of Medicine. 1980;303:130–135. [PubMed]
  • Gordon JI, Knight R. The human microbiome. In: Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, editors. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th edition. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill; 2011. pp. 526–535.
  • Guerin JC. Emerging area of aging research: long-lived animals with ‘negligible senescence. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004;1019:518–520. [PubMed]
  • Hamilton WD. The molding of senescence by natural selection. J Theor Biol. 1966;12:12–45. [PubMed]
  • Hayflick L. Human cells and aging. Sci Am. 1968;218:32–37. [PubMed]
  • Huber M. 2010. Is health a state or an ability? Towards a dynamic concept of health [WWW document]. URL http://www.gezondheidsraad.nl/sites/default/files/bijlage%20A1004_1.pdf.
  • Huber M, Knottnerus JA, Green L, Horst H, Jadad AR, Kromhout D. How should we define health? BMJ. 2011;343:235–237. [PubMed]
  • Imahori K. How I understand aging. Nutritional Review. 1992;50:351–352. [PubMed]
  • Jadad AR, O’Grady L. How should health be defined? BMJ. 2008;337:1363–1364.
  • Jagger C, Gillies C, Moscone F, Cambois E, Van Oyen H, Nusselder W, Robine JM EHLEIS team. Inequalities in healthy life years in the 25 countries of the European Union in 2005: a cross-national meta-regression analysis. Lancet. 2008;372:2124–2131. [PubMed]
  • Kalache A, Aboderin I, Hoskins I. Compression of morbidity and active ageing: key priorities for public health policy in the 21st century. Bull World Health Organ. 2002;80:243–244. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Kirkwood TB, Rose MR. Evolution of senescence: late survival sacrificed for reproduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1991;332:15–24. [PubMed]
  • Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, editors. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th edition. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill; 2011.
  • Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, Aboyans V, et al. Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2095–2128. [PubMed]
  • Martin GM. The biology of aging. In: Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, editors. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th edition. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill; 2011. pp. 562–569.
  • Mathers CD, Sadana R, Salomon JA, Murray CJ, Lopez AD. Healthy life expectancy in 191 countries, 1999. Lancet. 2001;357:1685–1691. [PubMed]
  • Mattison JA, Roth GS, Beasley TM, Tilmont EM, Handy AM, Herbert RL, et al. Impact of caloric restriction on health and survival in rhesus monkeys from the NIA study. Nature. 2012;489:318–321. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Murray CJ, Ezzati M, Flaxman AD, Lim S, Lozano R, Michaud C, et al. GBD 2010: design, definitions, and metrics. Lancet. 2012a;380:2063–2066. [PubMed]
  • Murray CJ, Vos T, Lozano R, Naghavi M, Flaxman AD, Michaud C, et al. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012b;380:2197–2223. [PubMed]
  • Neish AS. Microbes in gastrointestinal health and disease. Gastroenterology. 2009;136:65–80. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Rose MR, Rauser CL, Benford G, Matos M, Mueller LD. Hamilton’s forces of natural selection after forty years. Evolution. 2007;61:1265–1276. [PubMed]
  • Salomon JA, Wang H, Freeman MK, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Lopez AD, Murray CJ. Healthy life expectancy for 187 countries, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2144–2162. [PubMed]
  • Saracci R. The World Health Organization needs to reconsider its definition of health. BMJ. 1997;314:1409–1410. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Schloissnig S, Arumugam M, Sunagawa S, Maitreya M, Tap J, Zhu A, et al. Genomic variation landscape of the human gut microbiome. Nature. 2013;493:45–50. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • Shetty P. Grey matter: ageing in developing countries. Lancet. 2012;379:1285–1287. [PubMed]
  • Smith R. 2008. The end of disease and the beginning of health [WWW document]. URL http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2008/07/08/richard-smith-the-end-of-disease-and-the-beginning-of-health/
  • Suzman R, Haage JG. World demography of aging. In: Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, editors. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th edition. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill; 2011. pp. 556–561.
  • Thomas DW, Greer FR American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Probiotics and prebiotics in pediatrics. Pediatrics. 2010;126:1217–1231. [PubMed]
  • Turnbaugh PJ, Ley RE, Mahowald MA, Magrini V, Mardis ER, Gordon JI. An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest. Nature. 2006;444:1027–1031. [PubMed]
  • Vos T, Flaxman AD, Naghavi M, Lozano R, Michaud C, Ezzati M, et al. Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2163–2196. [PubMed]
  • Wang H, Dwyer-Lindgren L, Lofgren KT, Rajaratnam JK, Marcus JR, Levin-Rector A, et al. Age-specific and sex-specific mortality in 187 countries, 1970–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2071–2094. [PubMed]

My Health Status – Living a Life with a Broken Heart

Time and Seasons Change but Love endures for God created Light

I wish all my readers, ‘Happy First Day of Spring’. In 2023, the March equinox happens on Monday, March 20, at 5:24 P.M. EDT. In the Northern Hemisphere, this date marks the start of the Spring Season. At that time, the Earth will reach the point in its orbit where its axis isn’t tilted toward or away from the sun. Thus, the sun will then be directly over a specific point on the Earth’s equator moving northward.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures. THE ECLIPTIC DESCRIBES THE GREAT CIRCLE ON THE CELESTIAL SPHERE INTERSECTING THE CELESTIAL EQUATOR AND IT REPRESENTS THE CHANGING POSITION OF THE SUN WITH RESPECT TO THE BACKGROUND STARS AS SEEN FROM THE ORBITING EARTH DURING ONE YEAR IT HELPS MAN TO DETERMINE THE ONSET OF CHANGING SEASONS MARKED BY EVENTS LIKE VERNAL AND AUTUMNAL EQUINOX.

On the sky, it’s where the ecliptic and celestial equator cross each other. While the Sun passes overhead, the tilt of the Earth is zero relative to the Sun, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (Note, however, that the Earth never orbits upright, but is always tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees.)

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

After this date, the Northern Hemisphere begins to be tilted more toward the Sun, resulting in increasing daylight hours and warming temperatures. (In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite: the March equinox marks the start of Autumn, as the Southern Hemisphere begins to be tilted away from the Sun.)  Equinoxes are the only two times a year that the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth!

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

After the spring equinox, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun. Although in most locations (the North Pole and Equator being exceptions) the amount of daylight had been increasing each day after the winter solstice, after the spring equinox, many places will experience more daylight than darkness in each 24-hour day. The amount of daylight each day will continue to increase until the summer solstice in June, in which the longest period of daylight occurs.

Every Changing phenomenon in Nature is operated by an Unchanging Fundamental Force called Love

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

Man’s physical existence on surface of Earth cannot be fully accounted by physical force of Gravitation that explains Earth’s orbit or revolution around the Sun. Man travels about 67, 000 miles per hour during Earth’s yearly orbit around the Sun. But, man’s lifetime or lifespan on Earth is determined by alternating periods of Day and Night caused by Earth’s rotational spin. Physical Forces act mechanically without sense of purpose or goal. Earth’s rotational spin serves a specific purpose for it directs Biological Rhythms of Living Systems.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

Within our Solar System, no celestial object shares rotational spin characteristics of another object. Each planet spins at a different speed or exhibits different rotational axis. On each planet, we will experience Day and Night and Seasons in different manners as they orbit around Sun. Each planet is unique, distinctive, original, and one of its own kind of celestial object. Space Exploration discovered thousands of planets, but none of them share identical rotational spins, in fact each planet displays individualistic variation in its spin characteristics. So, we need to recognize existence of “UNKNOWN” Force that may have imparted energy to initiate rotational spin of each celestial object.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

I am using the term Love to define it as a Fundamental Force that brings Unity and Harmony in Interactions between Inanimate and Animate Matter to establish the Natural Order. Love is Fundamental to existence of Sensible or Living Matter and Living Things have ability to perceive Love which instruments developed by man cannot measure.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures. Time change concept with Sun and Moon above mountainous countryside. Valley full of rising fog. Green foliage on trees. Wonderful Nature scenery in Springtime
Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures
Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

Every changing phenomenon in nature is operated by an Unchanging Reality. Spring Season brings a change, and this change is possible for it is governed by an Unchanging Reality. The word ‘Spring’ describes the move upward or forward from the ground, it denotes resilience or bounce, and it means to grow or develop or come into existence quickly. Among the Seasons, the Spring Season is the time during which plants begin to grow after lying dormant all Winter. In the North Temperate Zone, the Spring Season includes the months of March, April, and May, the period between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures

The Spring Season is a time for rebirth, regeneration, renewal, and regrowth after a period of dormancy. Man derives a sense of joy and happiness when the plants start their growing process and quickly bear attractive flowers. It gives the experience of ‘Sweetness’ which is called ‘Madhurya’ in the Sanskrit language. It is a manifestation of a creative process, or operation of creative energy that makes human existence possible giving the man the sensation associated with consuming nectar, honey, or sweet wine.

Time and Seasons Change but Love always endures. Psalm 118:24

I seek the blessings of Lord God Creator to renew my creative energy and to guide expression of my thoughts using sweet words and to promote the well-being of all my readers and become a source of Happiness to all people.

The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet is due since March 10, 1959

#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  OCTOBER  19,  1973.  THIS  ARTICLE  ACCORDS  A  SPECIAL  RECOGNITION  TO  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER  FOR  HIS  ACTIONS  THAT  SHAPED  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  FROM  1969  TO  1977 .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: OCTOBER 19, 1973. THIS ARTICLE ACCORDS A SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER FOR HIS ACTIONS THAT SHAPED US-TIBET RELATIONS FROM 1969 TO 1977.

On behalf of Special Frontier Force (#SpecialFrontierForce), Establishment No. 22 (#Establishment22), and Vikas Regiment I acknowledge the role of Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger as that of #WholeVillain, WholeVillain, and Whole Villain in the history of the US-TIBET relations. I ask my readers to give special attention to some of the aspects of US-TIBET relations. These are:

1. From 1911 to 1950, for about 39-years, Tibet was an independent, sovereign nation. However, Tibet chose a political policy called ‘Isolationism’ and limited its interactions with foreign powers. Tibet had diplomatic relations with a few of its immediate neighbors like India, Nepal, and China. For Tibet had no formal diplomatic relationships with the United States, their relations always existed under the shadow of US-India relations. It should not be of any surprise for both India, and Tibet face a common external enemy.

2. People’s Republic of China as a national entity came into existence on October 01, 1949 following the Communist October Revolution that seized political power in China after defeating the nationalists or KUOMINTANG who fled mainland China to establish Republic of China popularly known as Taiwan.

3. The security threat posed by People’s Republic of China is the driving force that still shapes the US-India-Tibet relations. After Communist China’s illegal invasion and military occupation of Tibet since 1950s, the history of the US-India-Tibet relations is shaped entirely with the sole purpose of resisting China’s military occupation of Tibet.

4. During the long course of 66-years, the US-India-Tibet relations are primarily based on the principles on which the United States declared its independence from its rule by Great Britain. In the words used by US President Eisenhower, the US-India-Tibet relations represent a “Crusade for Peace through Freedom” in Occupied Tibet.

5. I am a witness to the history of US-India-Tibet relations on account of my affiliation with a military organization called Special Frontier Force (#SpecialFrontierForce) or Establishment No. 22 (#Establishment22) or Vikas Regiment. I have no particular need to cite any government documents to support my statements. However, I have to acknowledge the vastly superior intelligence capabilities of People’s Republic of China which gave it a clear insight about the US-India-Tibet relations. China expressed its displeasure by attacking India along its Himalayan Frontier during October-November 1962.  The US-India-Tibet relations survived and in this article I give special recognition to diabolic actions of  Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger, PhD from 1968 to 1977 with emphasis on his illegal/unconstitutional actions during 1969 to 1972.

#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS :  MARCH  17,  2015 .  GREAT  HALL  OF  THE  PEOPLE  IN  PEKING(BEIJING).  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER  WITH  CHINESE  PRESIDENT   XI  JINPING .  I  AM  ASKING  MY  READERS   TO  RECOGNIZE  THE  FACE  OF  #WHOLEVILLAIN  IN  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: MARCH 17, 2015. THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE IN PEKING (BEIJING). DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING . I AM ASKING MY READERS TO RECOGNIZE THE FACE OF WHOLE VILLAIN IN THE HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS :  MARCH  17,  2015 .  GREAT  HALL  OF  THE  PEOPLE,  PEKING(BEIJING) .  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER  WITH  CHINESE  PRESIDENT  XI  JINPING .  I  ASK  MY  READERS  TO  RECOGNIZE  THE  FACE  OF  #WHOLEVILLAIN  IN  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: MARCH 17, 2015. THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE IN PEKING (BEIJING).  DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER WITH CHINESE  PRESIDENT XI JINPING. I ASK MY READERS TO RECOGNIZE THE FACE OF WHOLE VILLAIN IN THE HISTORY OF THE US-TIBET RELATIONS .

Dr. Henry Kissinger is given due credit for initiating diplomatic relations between the United States and People’s Republic of China. I am asking my readers to recognize the faces of those Chinese leaders and the military dictator of Pakistan whom he befriended. Dr. Kissinger was appointed Assistant National Security Affairs in December 1968 and worked as National Security Adviser from 1969. During the years 1969 to September 1973, Kissinger had no constitutional power or authority to meet or engage foreign leaders and set the direction for the US foreign policy. 

#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  : 37TH  US  PRESIDENT  RICHARD  M  NIXON  WITH  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER .  TELL  ME  THE  NAMES  OF  YOUR  FRIENDS,  I'LL  TELL  WHO  YOU  ARE .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: 37TH US PRESIDENT RICHARD M NIXON WITH DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER. TELL ME THE NAMES OF YOUR FRIENDS, I’LL TELL WHO YOU ARE.

“TELL ME  THE  NAMES  OF  YOUR  FRIENDS, I’LL  TELL WHO  YOU ARE.”

“TELL ME  THE  NAMES  OF  YOUR  FRIENDS, I’LL  TELL WHO  YOU ARE.”
“TELL ME  THE  NAMES  OF  YOUR  FRIENDS, I’LL  TELL WHO  YOU ARE.”
“TELL ME  THE  NAMES  OF  YOUR  FRIENDS, I’LL  TELL WHO  YOU ARE.”

Dr Henry Alfred Kissinger PhD who served as National Security Adviser from 1969 to 1975 selected People’s Republic of China’s Communist Party leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou En-Lai to befriend China and to begin trade and commerce relations between  these two countries.

#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  WHO  IS  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER  PHD  ???  TELL  ME  THE  NAMES  OF  HIS  FRIENDS,  I'LL  TELL  YOU  WHO  HE  IS  .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: WHO IS DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER PHD? TELL ME THE NAMES OF HIS FRIENDS, I’LL TELL YOU WHO HE IS.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER  IN  HIS  BOOK  "ON  CHINA"  FAILED  TO  ACCOUNT  FOR  HIS  DIABOLIC,  VILLAINOUS  ACTIONS  THAT  RECKLESSLY  UNDERMINED  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: WHO IS DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER PHD? TELL ME THE NAMES OF HIS FRIENDS, I’LL TELL YOU WHO HE IS.

#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-TIBET RELATIONS: DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER IN HIS BOOK “ON CHINA” FAILED TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS DIABOLIC, VILLAINOUS ACTIONS THAT RECKLESSLY  UNDERMINED  HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS.

#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  THE  STATUE  OF  LIBERTY  SYMBOLIZES  THE  VALUES  THAT  GUIDE  AND  SHAPE  THE  US  FOREIGN  POLICY .  THE  US -  TIBET - INDIA  RELATIONS  AIM  AT  RESTORING  FREEDOM  IN  OCCUPIED  TIBET .  THIS  RELATIONSHIP  WAS  ESTABLISHED  SOON  AFTER  COMMUNIST  CHINA'S  INVASION  AND  OCCUPATION  OF  TIBET  IN  1950.
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: THE STATUE OF LIBERTY SYMBOLIZES THE VALUES THAT GUIDE AND SHAPE THE US FOREIGN POLICY. THE US -TIBET-INDIA RELATIONS AIM AT RESTORING FREEDOM IN OCCUPIED TIBET. THIS RELATIONSHIP WAS ESTABLISHED SOON AFTER COMMUNIST CHINA’S INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF TIBET IN 1950.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  I  ASK  MY  READERS  TO  REFLECT  UPON  THE  VALUES  THAT  GUIDED  THE  UNITED  STATES  TO  DECLARE  ITS  INDEPENDENCE .  THE  SAME  VALUES  SHAPED  THE  US  FOREIGN  POLICY  WHEN  IT  COUNTERACTED  THE   THREAT  POSED  BY  COMMUNISM .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: I ASK MY READERS TO REFLECT UPON THE VALUES THAT GUIDED THE UNITED STATES TO DECLARE ITS INDEPENDENCE. THE SAME VALUES SHAPED THE US FOREIGN POLICY WHEN IT COUNTERACTED THE THREAT POSED BY COMMUNISM.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  CRUSADE  FOR  PEACE  THROUGH  FREEDOM .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: CRUSADE FOR PEACE THROUGH FREEDOM .

The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet:

I ask my readers to explore the history of the US-India-Tibet relations formulated on the principles of Freedom and Democracy from 1949 by 33rd US President Harry S Truman (1949-1952). Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th President of the US (1953-1961) continued President Truman’s foreign policy of containing Communism. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the US (1961-1963) and Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the US (1963-1969) continued to checkmate Communist Cold War strategy. To gain a correct historical perspective, I have to mention that Richard Milhous Nixon served as Vice President (1953-1956, & 1957-1960) under President Eisenhower and was intimately involved in implementing President Eisenhower’s policy of containing Communism in Southeast Asia. I am pleased to share some of these photo images that help me to recapitulate the historical ties between the United States, India, and Tibet. Because of the “SILENCE and SECRECY” imposed by Cold War Era, the connections between these three nations are often misunderstood.

HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: 33rd US President Harry S. Truman (1949-1952)
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: 34th US President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: 35th US President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: 36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  BIRTH  OF  THE  RED  DRAGON  .  OCTOBER  01,  1949 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: THE BIRTH OF THE RED DRAGON. OCTOBER 01, 1949.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  FORMER  CIA  OFFICIALS  KENNETH  KNAUS  AND  JOHN  GREANEY  SHARED  THEIR  PERSONAL  EXPERIENCES  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: FORMER CIA OFFICIALS KENNETH KNAUS AND JOHN GREANEY SHARED THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  BRUCE  WALKER ,  FORMER  OFFICIAL  OF  CIA .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: BRUCE WALKER , FORMER OFFICIAL OF CIA. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  OCTOBER   11,  1949 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: OCTOBER 11, 1949. The Indian Prime Minister visit to the USA.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  OCTOBER  11,  1949 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: OCTOBER 11, 1949. The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the USA.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  OCTOBER  11,  1949 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: OCTOBER 11, 1949. The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the USA.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS .

THE HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS. The US President Eisenhower with the US Secretary of State. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.

HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  DECEMBER  16,  1956 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: DECEMBER 16, 1956. The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the USA. Both India and the US desired for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The history of the US-India-Tibet relations. #WHOLEVILLAIN Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  - APRIL  1958
The history of the US-India-Tibet Relations. #WHOLEVILLAIN – APRIL 1958. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  17  NOVEMBER  1954.
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. 17 NOVEMBER 1954. Vice President Nixon with the Vice President of India. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :  SEPTEMBER  1957 . PEKING .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: SEPTEMBER 1957. PEKING. Indian Vice President’s visit to Peking. Initially, both India and Tibet believed the assurances offered by Communist China and desired a peaceful resolution of Tibet’s Occupation.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  : SEPTEMBER  1957 . PEKING .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS : SEPTEMBER 1957. INDIAN VICE PRESIDENT IN PEKING. Initially, both India and Tibet believed the assurances offered by Communist China and desired for a peaceful resolution of the conflict provoked by the Chinese aggression in Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. Nixon-Kissinger #WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. The US policy of the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet was clearly understood by the Enemy.
History of the US-Tibet Relations-Kasturi-Sarvepalli-Eisenhower-and-Nixon-1960
The history of the US-India-Tibet relations.#WHOLEVILLAIN – 1960. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows the US policy of the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  DECEMBER  09,  1959.
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: DECEMBER 09, 1959. Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet. India was a free country and the call was for Freedom in Occupied Tibet. The US President’s visit to India.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  - DECEMBER  10,  1959
History of the US-India-Tibet Relations – DECEMBER 10, 1959. Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet. The US President’s visit to India.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet. The US President’s visit to India In December 1959.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet. The US President’s visit to India in December 1959.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  NIXON  EISENHOWER  JUSTICE  WARREN
#WHOLEVILLAIN – NIXON, EISENHOWER, AND JUSTICE WARREN. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows the US policy, Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet. The Prince of Peace, the US President’s visit to India in December 1959.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet. The Prince of Peace, the US President’s visit to India in December 1959.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :
THE HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows the US policy, the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in India on March 31, 1959 seeking political asylum as Communist China persisted with its brutal occupation of Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in India on March 31, 1959 seeking political asylum as Communist China persisted with its brutal occupation of Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  MARCH  31,  1959 .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in India on March 31, 1959 seeking political asylum as Communist China persisted with its brutal occupation of Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  LIFE  IN  EXILE .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in India on March 31, 1959 seeking political asylum as Communist China persisted with its brutal occupation of Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in India on March 31, 1959 seeking political asylum as Communist China persisted with its brutal occupation of Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  SEPTEMBER  04,  1959 .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in India on March 31, 1959 seeking political asylum as Communist China persisted with its brutal occupation of Tibet. SEPTEMBER 04, 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Ms. Indira Gandhi, daughter of the Indian Prime Minister. .
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  ARE  ALWAYS  A  REFLECTION  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS : INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS ARE ALWAYS A REFLECTION OF THE US-TIBET RELATIONS. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  THIS   PHOTO  IMAGE  OF  KENNETH  KNAUS  OF  CIA  WITH  HIS  HOLINESS  THE  14TH  DALAI  LAMA  SPEAKS  OF  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-TIBET RELATIONS: THIS PHOTO IMAGE OF KENNETH KNAUS OF CIA WITH HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA SPEAKS OF HISTORY OF THE US-TIBET  RELATIONS. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  1960
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain 1960. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :  APRIL  22,  1961. CAMP  DAVID, MARYLAND .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: APRIL 22, 1961. CAMP DAVID, MARYLAND. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the US in September 1961. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  : SEPTEMBER  1961 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: SEPTEMBER 1961. The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the US, The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  SEPTEMBER  07,  1961 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: SEPTEMBER 07, 1961. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  NOVEMBER 07,  1961.
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: NOVEMBER 07, 1961. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  SEPTEMBER  09,  1961 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: SEPTEMBER 09, 1961. The Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  CHINA-INDIA  WAR  OF  OCTOBER-NOVEMBER  1962 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: CHINA-INDIA WAR OF OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1962. China retaliated against the US-India-Tibet policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  THE  1962  INDIA - CHINA  WAR  FOR  ALL  PRACTICAL  CONSIDERATIONS  IS  THE  PHYSICAL  EVIDENCE  FOR  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  WHICH  REMAIN  SHROUDED  BY  SILENCE  AND  SECRECY  IMPOSED  BY  COLD  WAR  ERA  DIPLOMACY .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: THE 1962 INDIA – CHINA WAR FOR ALL PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS IS THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS WHICH REMAIN SHROUDED BY SILENCE AND SECRECY IMPOSED BY COLD WAR ERA DIPLOMACY.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  JUNE 03  1963
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet remains unchanged after the China-India War of 1962. JUNE 03, 1963, the Indian President’s visit to the United States.
HISTORY  OF  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS : JUNE  04,  1963.
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet remains unchanged after the China-India War of 1962. JUNE 04, 1963, the Indian President’s visit to the United States.
HISTORY  OF  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :  JUNE 03/04, 1963 .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet remains unchanged after the China-India War of 1962. JUNE 03/04, 1963, the Indian President’s visit to the United States.
HISTORY  OF  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS : JUNE 03/04,  1963 .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet remains unchanged after the China-India War of 1962. JUNE 03/04, 1963, the Indian President’s visit to the United States.
HISTORY  OF  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  JUNE 03/04,  1963 .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet remains unchanged after the China-India War of 1962. JUNE 03/04, 1963, the Indian President’s visit to the United States.
HISTORY  OF  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  JUNE 03/04,  1963 .
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet remains unchanged after the China-India War of 1962. JUNE 03/04, 1963, the Indian President’s visit to the United States..
HISTORY  OF  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  : 1964 . NEW DELHI .
HISTORY OF US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: 1964. NEW DELHI. Indian Prime Minister with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The US-India-Tibet policy of Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet persisted after the 1962 China-India War.

AMERICA’S 1971 OPENING TO PEKING (BEIJING):

#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. Nixon served as the US Vice President for two terms during the presidency of Eisenhower. He knows about the Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS : OCTOBER  24,  1970.  PRESIDENT  NIXON  BEFRIENDED  PAKISTAN'S  MILITARY  DICTATOR  GENERAL  AGHA  YAHYA  KHAN  IGNORING  HIS  CRIMES  AGAINST  HUMANITY  , THE  CRIME  OF  GENOCIDE  IN  EAST  PAKISTAN .
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: OCTOBER 24, 1970. PRESIDENT NIXON BEFRIENDED PAKISTAN’S MILITARY DICTATOR GENERAL AGHA YAHYA KHAN IGNORING HIS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE IN EAST PAKISTAN.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: Dr Henry Kissinger with Pakistan’s Military Dictator. Tell me who your friends are, I’ll tell you who you are.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS. The US President befriends Pakistan’s military dictator ignoring his crimes against humanity, genocide in East Pakistan.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  AUGUST  10  1971
The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy

#WHOLEVILLAIN AUGUST 10, 1971

#WHOLEVILLAIN  JULY 09 - 11  1971
#WHOLEVILLAIN JULY 09-11, 1971. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN – The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN  JULY  1971
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. JULY 1971. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy in 1971.
THE ORIGINAL SIN: The misuse and abuse of political power. Dr. Henry Kissinger had lacked Constitutional Power to conduct secret diplomacy on behalf of the people of the United States.
THE ORIGINAL SIN: The misuse and abuse of political power. Dr. Henry Kissinger had lacked Constitutional Power to conduct secret diplomacy on behalf of the people of the United States. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
THE CHECKS AND BALANCES IN GOVERNMENT BY LAW: What is the source of Power which Dr. Henry Kissinger may have used to usurp the role of the Secretary of State while he was employed at the National Security Council from 1968 to 1973???
THE CHECKS AND BALANCES IN GOVERNMENT BY LAW: What is the source of Power which Dr. Henry Kissinger may have used to usurp the role of the Secretary of State while he was at the National Security Council from 1968 to 1973? The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy in 1971.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN – The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy in 1971.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS .
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN.The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy in 1971.
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  INDIA'S  PRIME  MINISTER  MRS.  INDIRA  GANDHI  MADE  A  FUTILE  TRIP  TO  WASHINGTON  D.C.  ON  NOVEMBER  03,  1971  TO  GET  THE  US  SUPPORT  TO  STOP  GENOCIDE  IN  EAST  PAKISTAN .
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS : INDIA’S PRIME MINISTER MRS. INDIRA GANDHI MADE A FUTILE TRIP TO WASHINGTON D.C. ON NOVEMBER 03, 1971 TO GET THE US SUPPORT TO STOP GENOCIDE IN EAST PAKISTAN .
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :  LIBERATION  OF  BANGLADESH  ON  DECEMBER  16,  1971 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: THE LIBERATION OF BANGLADESH ON DECEMBER 16, 1971. India and Tibet worked together in support of this Liberation while the US opposed the Liberation
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  LIBERATION  OF  BANGLADESH  ON  DECEMBER  16,  1971 .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS: THE LIBERATION OF BANGLADESH ON DECEMBER 16, 1971. India and Tibet worked together while the US opposed the Liberation.
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The legacy of Dr. Henry Kissinger.#WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
The actions taken by Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger prior to September 22, 1973 to foment relations between United States and Communist China by conducting secret visits to Peking and by holding secret negotiations with the Head of State and Prime Minister of Communist China are illegal, and unconstitutional. These actions have undermined the trust placed in the office of the Secretary of State and reveal Dr. Kissinger’s mockery of the United States Constitution.

Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger takes credit for the relations between the United States and Communist China that he had helped to shape following his secret visit to Peking (Beijing) during 1971. Dr. Kissinger published the book, “On China” on May 17, 2011 and most recently this book got reviewed by N. Narasimhan, the former Chief of India’s External Intelligence Agency. I am publishing the guest column that has appeared in Southasiaanalysis.org paper dated 31 December, 2011. Both Dr. Kissinger and N. Narasimhan fail to address a fundamental question about the legitimacy of the actions taken during 1971-72 that paved the way for normalization of U.S. – China relationship. Dr. Kissinger’s mischief began with his appointment as Assistant for National Security Affairs in December 1968. While working on behalf of National Security Council, Dr. Kissinger conducted secret negotiations with Heads of State and Prime Ministers without  participation of Mr. William P. Rogers, the Secretary of State. Dr. Kissinger was sworn in as Secretary of State on September 22, 1973. Dr. Kissinger had grossly misused his position as an adviser and his actions during 1971-1973 prior to his appointment as Secretary of State were illegal and unconstitutional. The United States Constitution demands that the U.S. Administration is held fully accountable for all of its actions, and the U.S. Congress acts on behalf of the people to demand that public accountability. The actions of Dr. Kissinger during 1971-72 were a clear violation of  trust placed in the office of the Secretary of State. For Constitution is the source of Power, it has provisions to check the use of power. The abuse of power is accomplished by separation of powers. A system of checks and balances limits the power of each branch of the Government and permits the Law of the Constitution to be applied when its officials usurp powers not granted by the Constitution or otherwise act unconstitutionally. Dr. Kissinger was not vested with powers to conduct secret diplomatic negotiations with officials of foreign governments while he was at National Security Council.

#WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLEVILLAIN  -  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-TIBET  RELATIONS  :  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER  WON  THE  1973  NOBEL  PEACE  PRIZE  FOR  MAKING  A  CEASE-FIRE  AGREEMENT  WITH  NORTH  VIETNAM  .  IT  WAS  SOON  FOLLOWED  BY  UTTER  DISASTER .  US  ARMY  WAS  BETRAYED .  SAIGON  WAS  CAPTURED  BY  NORTH  VIETNAM .
#WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLEVILLAIN – WHOLE VILLAIN – HISTORY OF THE US-TIBET RELATIONS: DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER WON THE 1973 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR MAKING A CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT WITH NORTH VIETNAM. IT WAS SOON FOLLOWED BY UTTER DISASTER. THE US ARMY WAS BETRAYED. SAIGON WAS CAPTURED BY NORTH VIETNAM .
#WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLEVILLAIN  WHOLE  VILLAIN  -  HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :  A  HISTORICAL  FALL  FROM  GRACE . PRESIDENT  RICHARD  MILHOUS  NIXON  RESIGNED  ON  AUGUST  09,  1974 .
#WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLEVILLAIN WHOLE VILLAIN: A HISTORICAL FALL FROM GRACE. PRESIDENT RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON RESIGNED ON AUGUST 09, 1974.The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
#WHOLEVILLAIN  APRIL  29,  1975  FALL  OF  SAIGON
The history of the US-India-Tibet relations. The legacy of Dr. Henry Kissinger #WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain, APRIL 29, 1975 FALL OF SAIGON
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The history of the US-India-Tibet relations. The legacy of Dr. Henry Kissinger. #WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain
#WHOLEVILLAIN
The legacy of Dr. Henry Kissinger #WHOLEVILLAIN Whole Villain. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :THE  LEGACY  OF  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER .
THE LEGACY OF DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy
HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS :  THE  LEGACY  OF  DR  HENRY  ALFRED  KISSINGER .
THE LEGACY OF DR HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy

THE LIVING TIBETAN SPIRITS:

HISTORY  OF  THE  US-INDIA-TIBET  RELATIONS SINCE  1949 .  THERE  IS  HOPE  FOR  FUTURE  AND  THERE  IS  HOPE  FOR  VICTORY  IN  THE  CRUSADE  FOR  PEACE  THROUGH  FREEDOM .
HISTORY OF THE US-INDIA-TIBET RELATIONS SINCE 1949. THERE IS HOPE FOR FUTURE AND THERE IS HOPE FOR VICTORY IN THE CRUSADE FOR PEACE THROUGH FREEDOM IN OCCUPIED TIBET .

I speak on behalf of the Living Tibetan Spirits, the spirits of the young Tibetan men who live in my consciousness. Myself, and the Living Tibetan Spirits feel dismayed by Dr. Kissinger’s book “On China”, and its review by the  former chief of India’s External Intelligence Agency. Both of them fail to speak about the United States-Tibet relations that established the multinational defense pact or alliance called Establishment Number. 22 (1962) and later named as Special Frontier Force (1966) to secure Freedom, Liberty, and Democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet. There was a basic and fundamental understanding between the people of Tibet and the United States to defend the Freedom of Tibet. Dr. Kissinger has caused a breach of trust between these two parties which have agreed to work together to defend the rights of Tibetan people to regain their lost freedom. The ideological rift between the US and Communist China is as wide as it was during 1949. The US-India-Tibet Relations survived the test of times and there is hope for a better future. There is hope for victory in the ‘Crusade for Peace through Freedom in Occupied Tibet’.

Rudra N. Rebbapragada,

Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.

SERVICE INFORMATION:
Service Number: MS-8466/MR-03277K; Rank: Major; Branch: Army Medical Corps/Short Service Regular Commission/Direct Permanent Commission (1969-1984); 
Medical Officer, South Column, Operation Eagle (1971-72),
Headquarters Establishment No. 22 C/O 56 APO (1971-74),
Directorate General of Security,
Office of Inspector General Special Frontier Force,
East Block V, Level IV, R. K. Puram,
New Delhi – 110 022

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers49/paper4837.html
Dr.Henry Kissinger’s Book “ON CHINA” – An Indian Perspective

Guest Column: By N. Narasimhan 31/12/2011

“ Relations Between Great Powers cannot b sustained by inertia, commerce or mere sentiments” Aaron Freidburg in New Republic, August 4, 2011.

That this Book is unique in many ways is quite obvious. Not just because of the Statistics. that Dr.Kissinger has counted having made about 50 trips to Beijing and the sheer mental and physical stamina on display. Hypothetically, someone can beat that in numerical terms. Or can conceivably even carry out missions of comparable importance in future. But there is not even a “ghostly” chance of any one replicating the meetings he has had with Mao, Deng, and the successor Chairmen of CPC/CMC/PRC; or the meticulous manner he has kept a record of these and shared them with the world.

For good or bad, this review will be understandably in the nature of lessons to be learnt, in the light of where we are now, our system and other deficiencies, and that have contributed calling for remedial action with urgency, to safeguard long and continually being neglected vital national interests.

India – China Border Dispute and War:

The India – China border war of 1962 has been covered here more in the perspective of a major illustration of Dr.K’s basic thesis on China’s “exceptionalism” and “singularity”, as characteristic style of statecraft distilled in which principles of “deterrent co-existence”, and “offensive-deterrence”(being defined as “luring in the opponents and then dealing them a sharp and stunning blow”) are important components.

Parenthetically, the India – China Border War has also been given dubious pride of place, as a dramatic opening prop for the Prologue with which Dr.K has begun the book ! Not being a critical element to his main purpose of the Book, in Dr.K’s broad brush treatment of the history and actual developments preceding the October – November 1962 Chinese attack on India, the facts are smudgy and a number of crucial issues have been glossed over. In fact, there are arguably many historic inaccuracies.

The Chinese Attack was a well planned meticulous attack
This Book has done yeoman service to the Indian cause by conclusively demonstrating that the Chinese attack was a well planned and meticulously executed “malice aforethought”, which was personally handled by Mao himself. The quotes attributed to Mao in this Section almost all have been sourced from an article by one John K.Garver.

Some of Dr.K’s assessments of Chinese working and decision-making style described in this Section, which get repeated often in different forms, throughout the Book are worth reproduction for ready perusal.

“It was not yet an order for military confrontation; rather a kind of alert to prepare a strategic plan. As such, it triggered the familiar Chinese style of dealing with strategic decisions: thorough analysis; careful preparation; attention to psychological and political factors; quest for surprise; and rapid conclusion“.
(Page 188, Chapter 7 – from an account of Mao’s meeting with Chinese Military Commanders in 1962)

Dr.K goes on to mention two specific points which demonstrated the comprehensive way in which Chinese policy was being planned. The Chinese leaders were concerned that the U.S might use the Sino – Indian conflict they were preparing for to unleash Taiwan against the Mainland. Also the U.S may start some mischief in Indo – China, in the developments of the then current edition of the Vietnam War, and use it for an American attack on Southern China through Laos.

They used a simple subterfuge to obtain quick reassurance on the first point. At the routine Ambassador level meetings then under way at far away Warsaw, they got the U.S. Representative to deny any American intention of armed action in Taiwan by making a false allegation that the U.S. had amassed troops for this purpose, and getting it refuted by him. Remarkable in itself, Dr.K also highlights this to additionally emphasize the difference between a comprehensive approach to policy making (Chinese model) and a segmented one (by others).

Then Chinese Ambassador Wang Bingnan at Warsaw had claimed in his Memoirs that this information played a very “big role” in Beijing’s final decision to proceed with the operations in the Himalayas. (Page-189, Chapter -7).

The role of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev and the Cuban missile crisis finds a mention in this Section, with references to Soviet flip-flops. But Dr.K does not make a specific point that the then raging Sino – Soviet ideological war may have played any significant role in the Chinese decisions and actions leading to the 1962 war – the point (the cruciality of the Soviet/Russian factor and role) he has made in every other of the three major comparable international conflicts/crises he has elaborated on, namely, the Korean war, the Taiwan Straits crises and the third Vietnam war (“We touched the Tiger’s buttocks”), to exemplify China’s use of armed action as a policy tool in its international relations. (Page-340, Chapter-13).

It needs to be noted though that Dr.K has graphically/gleefully, but briefly, described, in different places, caustic /acerbic exchanges between the Chinese and Soviet leaders and their publications, to show China’s irritation and indignation at different aspects of Indo-Soviet relations. But not as significant factor in China launching the Border War.
The so-called 1961 “Indian Forward Policy/Nehru’s Forward Policy” gets mention, as occasion to quote Mao epigrammatically telling the Central Military Commission (CMC) and top leaders, “a person sleeping in comfortable bed is not easily roused by someone else’s snoring”. (Page 187, Chapter 7). (What or whom, did he have in mind in this allusion?!)

Tibet, Tripartite Agreement and Neville Maxwell’s Thesis”

Neville Maxwell who had made much of this “Forward Policy” as the main reason for “India’s China War”, in his eponymous Book sponsored by the PRC, (he was a State guest in Beijing writing the Book) gets a small foot note reference (Serial # 7, Page-545, Notes), in the early tracing of the history of the Simla Tripartite negotiations leading to the McMahon Line Agreement (1914), to quote the Emperor’s then Representatives in Calcutta, Lu Hsing – Chi on the Middle Kingdom’s positive attitude to the Simla Meeting; “We must exert muscles to the utmost during this Conference”, (Page-186, Chapter 7)

Dr.K, however fails to note that the main reason for the then Chinese Central Government’s refusal to fully “sign” the Tripartite Agreement was their non acceptance of the border between “Inner” (Sichuan and Yunnan provinces) and “Outer” (present Autonomous Region area) Tibet, and not the India – Tibet segment of the Line, while he elaborates on the significance/ difference in Diplomatic Practice between “initialling” and “signing” an International Agreement.

Though mentioning Tibet in the context of the evolution the McMahon Line aspect of the border dispute, Dr.K briefly refers to HH the Dalai Lama (DL) taking asylum in India in 1959 in this Section, only to the extent of China beginning “to treat the issue of demarcation line increasingly in strategic terms”, not as a significant trigger for the Border War China launched three and a half years later. (Page 187, Chapter 7).

There is an amazing passage of brutal frankness, in a book replete with breath-taking dialogue scripts, on the 1959 Tibetan Revolt and the D.L’s escape – a verbatim record of a macabre exchange between Mao and Khrushchev during the latter’s visit to Beijing in October, 1959, that has to be highlighted . (Page-171, Chapter-6)

Three Mao quotes given by Dr.K in this Section on India – China 1962 War are worth reproducing, as they unambiguously establish the “malice aforethought” of Mao to unleash the War on India, as supplementary Diplomacy, with meticulous preparedness.
(i)“You (perhaps referring Nehru) wave a gun, and I will wave a gun. We will stand face to face and can each practice our courage.” Mao defined it as policy of “armed coexistence” (to the CMC – page 188, Chapter-7).
(ii) “Lack of forbearance in small matters upsets great plans. We must pay attention to the situation”. (to the CMC – Page 188, Chapter-7)
(iii) “We fought a war with old Chiang (Kai-shek). We fought a war with Japan, and with America. With none of these did we fear. And in each case we won. Now the Indians want to fight a war with us. Naturally, we don’t have fear. We cannot give ground, once we give ground it would be tantamount to letting them seize a big piece of land equivalent to Fujian province……Since Nehru sticks his head out and insists on us fighting him, for us not to fight with him would not be friendly enough. Courtesy emphasizes reciprocity”.(In early October 1962 – “to assembled Chinese leaders to announce the final decision, which was for war” – Page 190, Chapter-7)

Other Aspects of Indian Interest

It is somewhat disappointing for the Indian observer that Dr.K. had not found time and space to cover China – Pakistan relations despite their having been found to be crucial in U.S – China bilateral talks, and had apparently been dealt with as such at top leadership meetings, from two important perspectives, namely, nuclear/missile proliferation and international terrorism, during the Clinton and George W.Bush, Presidencies.(On Terrorism, Dr.K evocatively describes China as an “agnostic bystander” – till America’s “9/11”)

However, all that he has to say on the bilateral, collusive violations of international agreements and commitments on nuclear and missile non proliferation areas by the two “rogue” friends of the U.S. is :–

“Finally, the experience with the “Private” proliferation network of apparently friendly Pakistan with North Korea, Libya, and Iran demonstrates the vast consequences to the international order of the spread of nuclear weapons, even when the proliferating country does not meet the formal criteria of a rogue state.” (Page-496 – Chapter-18).

The following passage from Huang Hua’s harangue to Brzezinski in the segment relating to the third Vietnam War (page 352, Chapter 13) has something India can ponder over, in the light of its so far ineffective responses to Pakistan’s long persisting Low Intensity War strategy, to expose the fallacious perceptions it is based on.
“As for the argument that the Soviet Union would not dare to use conventional arms for fear of nuclear attack from the West, this is only wishful thinking. To base a strategic stance on this thinking is not only dangerous but also unreliable”. (citation # 15, page 352, Chapter 13 and page 555 of Notes ).

The suggestion is that India needs to drastically change the ambiance of bilateral equations in Subcontinent, and gain “strategic space and strategic autonomy”, by appropriate actions and responses to periodic provocations by Pakistan, so that its “all weather friend” China, as ever pragmatic, finds it prudent to read the wisdom of the above quote to its permanently parasitic neighbour – with two small changes, inserting “India” in place of “Soviet Union” and “you” in place of “the West”, as highlighted in passage above.

Four major Historic Occurrences in US-China Relations: Principled?

These figure repeatedly in the context of the four major historic occurrences, marking the evolution of U.S – China bilateral relations, post October 1949, namely; the triangle of U.S – Soviet Union – China, Cold War era and beyond, the tortuous negotiations over Taiwan, the Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as the domestic convulsions engineered by Mao in revolutionary zeal.

Behind the facade of fiery militancy bordering on nuclear war mongering/of “principled” ideological firmness/political toughness/historic Civilizational patience, drawing inspiration from Confucius, Sun Tzu, and so on, the PRC leadership is capable of extreme elasticity and pliability, surpassing the marvels witnessed in the fantastic physical contortions of the famed Chinese Circus Gymnasts.

The only principle of their “Principled stand” is pragmatic achievement of the desired goal, by hook or crook, which may be battle for survival against, or keeping at bay, the Polar Bear time and again, checkmate the U.S. Imperialism in Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and of late, the East Pacific, or determined pursuit of pulling the country out of backwardness, poverty, towards economic domination of the world.

It looks like the hoary Middle Kingdom Statecraft culture held the concept of “consistency” at arm’s length and use of the ideograph to depict this. Or that it had been banned along the way by Emperor Chin Shi Huang Di, with the writings of Confucius and other Chinese wise men.

Dr.K’s dramatic, ‘blow – by – blow’ account of how the Chinese Leadership desperately sought to settle the crisis precipitated by Fang Lizhi, (China’s Andrei Sakhrov sans the Noble and perhaps the Hydrogen bomb), suddenly seeking refuge in the US Embassy in Beijing with his wife on June 4 1989, fearing the worst to his safety following the Tiananmen (TAM) crack down, is a vivid, “no-holds-barred” play out of most of the above “Chinese characteristics” (pages 428-432, Chapter 15). It is also the high point of the trust Chinese Leaders had in Dr.K and his (brain) power to deliver them from the most awkward of situations (they were many) when he specially undertook this mission (November 1989) as a non official. The passage “At this point Deng got up from his seat and unscrewed the phones between his seat and mine as a symbol that he wanted to talk privately” (page 430) and what followed to a happy, face-saving package deal end, epitomizes the quintessential spirit and substance of Dr.K’s Book, on himself, China, and all in between. Point to note:- When the chips are down, there is no scale to measure the depth of a Chinese climb down.

The Chinese Leadership of all generations practices with consummate success all verbal and physical feints, duplicity, outright lies, wrapped in deliberate studied ambiguity, grandstanding calls for World Revolutions against Imperialism, Revisionism, Hegemonism, Brinkmanship in readiness to risk nuclear war annihilation, as a tool of blackmail, and so on, to achieve well planned, meticulously executed, long-range objectives of domination, even from an intrinsically weak position – Wei Qi style.

The “Chinese characteristics”- the world should take note of:

The known history of the 1962 India-China Border War, and the “unknown” developments in this area of the past three decades since the resumption of the dialogue between the two countries, post the 1962 War hiatus, (dealt with in detail elsewhere in this Paper), are the close-to-home, hurtful, demonstration of these “Chinese Characteristics”.

Most of the time they have succeeded in pulling the wool over the eyes of “friends” as well as “foes” at the given point of time. (many times the same entity is simultaneously invested with both the roles and dealt with).

PRC’s ‘cohort’-ing with impunity with “rogue”countries and their discredited leaders, shunned by most the world at a given point of time, like those of Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Somalia, Cambodia, Myanmar and many despots of later America, inter alias  for crass material benefits like access to oil and other commodities, or for diplomatic purposes, uniquely sets them apart as unafraid of isolation or widespread unpopularity. Eventually they have the last laugh.

There have been, inevitably, a few misfires and failures, in this approach, and the PRC has taken the tumble, at times grievous hurt, on the chin, and continued to march forward.

Now the Chinese involvement with Col. Gaddafi in Libya and the temporary set-back in their oil fortunes there are the latest illustration. Their cozy relationship with Bangladesh after a short interregnum, despite their support to the hilt to Pakistani suppression in the East, prior to and during 1981 war, is another classic of adroit, nimble footwork, turning 180 degrees, sans any qualms.

All along, the Chinese Leadership has demonstrated extraordinary capacity to mobilize resources, man power, material and what have you, on a stupendous scale, and concentrate these to tackle the tasks on hand, be it the Korean War, Taiwan Straits crises, border show downs with the Soviets in Siberia, or the ill-conceived, force-marching of the country to instant economic Utopia, through the Great Leap Forward steroid administration, the Societal Purification and perpetual Revolution sought in the GPCR and dazzling achievements in putting up modern Infrastructure show pieces or disconcerting cyber attacks on strategic assets of countries all over the world with uncanny ease which can poise them to the role of Hitler of the future e-universe.

Aggressive Postures of Chinese Diplomacy:

To illustrate (one of many) the confidence and aggressive facet of Chinese diplomacy, even when in a hole of relative weakness, Dr.K cites detailed accounts of meetings of not only Deng, but also of second tier leaders like Foreign Minister Huang Hua, where they passionately hector his successor NSA, Zbig. Brzezinski, on the wrong line of policy and approach, in their view, adopted by the U.S towards the Soviet Union, (in the backdrop of the 3rd Vietnam War) which, inter alias  allowed the Soviets various concessions in areas of trade and technology, instead of putting military pressure on it, that would rebound to haunt the U.S. through competition and challenge in future (Page 351- 353 Chapter 13).

It is ironic that, now, the shoe is on the other foot. The accommodative policy adopted by the U.S towards China in the past two decades, 1990-2010, in trade and technology transfer areas, have made China a major challenge to U.S, while the Soviet Union had withered away.
Throughout the Book Dr.K gives invaluable insights into the PRC and CPC inner working, and thought – cum – decision-making processes at the highest levels from extensively researched authentic records, mostly of U.S provenance, but also plenty of Chinese and Soviet origin. It is felt that China watching scholars and diplomats will reap adequate dividends if they strive to access similar archival records of Albania, under Enver Hoxha / Mehmet Shehu the only country which PRC/CPC had kept close relations with during its decades of “revolutionary” isolation, including the domestically turbulent GPCR years, when it strove to be the center / leader of World Revolution and Communist Orthodoxy. In particular, significant keys to the mystery of Lin Piao’s death and the rise and fall of the Gang of Four may be available here.

“Insistent Posture” of the Chinese:

The most important take for me personally from Dr.K’s Book, in dealing with China is the phrase “Insistent Posture” (IP). This occurs obscurely (Page 508) in the last brilliant Chapter-18, “The New Millennium”, in the context of Dr.K comprehensively analyzing a December, 2010 seminal, authoritative Statement on PRC Foreign Policy by State Councillor Dai Bingguo in its multifaceted aspects. It has apparently been used by the “Triumphalist” school in the ongoing “The National Destiny Debate”, exemplified by two very popular, “deeply nationalistic” Books, “China is Unhappy”, a 2009 collection of essays, and “China Dream” a 2010 publication by PLA Senior Colonel Liu Mingfu, both of which advocate that China should stand up and follow aggressive measures “to become the number one in the world”. One ostensible purpose of Dai Bingguo is to distance the PRC leadership from this popular, almost militarist posture, carry conviction with and reassure the world about the bonafides of the Official policy, namely, “peaceful rise” – since revised to “peaceful development” – and “harmonious world”. (Pages 504 onwards, Chapter-18).

All the above three offerings have been expertly summarized and analyzed by Dr.K, with appreciable objectivity and thoroughness, as well as realism of an American strategic thinker. Hence, one should refrain from seeking to gild the lily, as it were, but recommend that this Chapter should be read in full, along with the succeeding, equally brilliant, “Epilogue”, where, after drawing parallel from the developments leading to World War-I, with the help of a U.K. diplomatic study, “The Crowe Memorandum”, he weighs in, ever so gently, in favour of a non-confrontationist development of U.S – China relations, in future, in the face of real, strong, inevitable challenges.

I have plumbed that “Insistent Posture” should be the watch word hereafter which should guide India’s approach to all aspects of bilateral relations with the PRC.

Obiter on India – China relations The Indian Public Should be taken into Confidence:

The nitty-gritty of the post Nehru era India – China border dispute negotiations have been marked by near total secrecy. This has been plainly proven to be purposeless, self-defeating, counterproductive, and arguably much worse. This has given rise to lot of unhealthy speculation about various proposals proffered by either side.

One of these is a “swap”, attributed to different Chinese Leaders including Mao, Chou, Deng, at different points of time. In essence this amounted to a Chinese offer that they would allow India to keep the disputed area in the Eastern sector, in return for India’s acceptance of the Chinese claims in the Western (Ladakh) sector.

Dr.K’s Book refers to this Swap in suitably authentic tone, as having been offered by Chou Enlai, and its non acceptance by India, without however any specific official level citation at this point (page 187, Chapter 7). Other references allude to this subject else were in the Book in general terms, basing on the secondary source, Mr John Garver.

Ambassador C.V.Ranganathan Book, “India and China, The Way Ahead”, second edition, 2004, (herein after referred to as “CVR – ICWA”), gives strong credence to this thesis, with a detailed narrative of the 1979 talks in Beijing between Deng and the visiting then Indian External Affairs Minister, Mr. Vajpayee, wherein the Swap had figured (Pages 166 – 168, CVR – ICWA). No documentary authority has however been cited. The narrative also shies away from authoritatively spelling out details of the Swap. It however avers that India rejected the PRC proposals on Constitutional legal, technical grounds, again without citing any authority.

“CVR – ICWA” nevertheless speculates that difficulties envisaged in “selling” any line of territorial compromise to the Indian public to settle the Border issue would be electoral hot potato. Does this mean that India just kept mum without any response, beyond, “Sorry we cannot accept this for domestic political reasons”?. Or they discussed their problems with their counterparts, in whatever fashion, but had chosen to hide it from the Indian public?

Whichever way, even if essentially correct, this premise is a totally fallacious, escapist, if not a “cop-out”, showing poor appreciation and judgement of the dynamics of India’s domestic polity.

India’s relations with the PRC is one area which can be safely postulated as extrinsic to, and fairly well insulated from the vagaries of domestic electoral politics, which can be safely kept that way unless violently mishandled.

Whatever the assessed obstacles, these will not go away with time, but only assume more dangerous dimensions, eventually bringing greater grief to the country, through the tactics of “seeping aggression” being successfully pursued by the PRC, through more frequent, enlarging, and growingly emphatic references to their claims to Tawang and “South Tibet”, which had not been seen till recently.

Recently, there was an article in Chinese media in which the author discussed in detail the relative merits of China handing over to India areas claimed by it in the Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh), in return for India agreeing to China’s retention of the area under its occupation in the Ladakh Sector (Aksai Chin).

Probably for the first time, this author claimed at length that Chairman Mao had himself convincingly advanced in detail (obviously before his death) the strategic advantages of China retaining Aksai Chin, compared to lesser purchase in keeping Arunachal Pradesh. This seemed to indicate the existence of an ongoing debate, or its recrudescence, on the subject within China and a serious attempt being made by some section of the leadership to gain wider acceptance among the country’s population for this move, in the face of internal opposition.

This clearly calls for India to have a goal and a strategy to take advantage of such debates in China by appropriate, adroit modifications in negotiating positions / postures.

India Should produce a White paper on Border Negotiations:

In view of these developments, it is time that Government of India sets all speculation on this at rest without further delay, with an authentic, comprehensive report on Border negotiations held so far since 1963-1964, on the lines of the White Papers published prior to 1963 events. Simultaneously, Government of India should make public every aspect of what all has transpired in bilateral negotiations between the two countries covering all subjects, beyond the Border Dispute too.

The paradox and contrast with Government of India in keeping its “Aam Admi”( general public ) in total darkness on momentous external relations issues affecting national security, thereby denying itself the strength and support of the masses, needs to be taken note of and corrected.

Issue of River Waters:

There is a special urgency to do this immediately in respect of negotiations on the exploitation of waters of international rivers flowing out of Tibet for which both the Governments have constituted the “India – China Expert Level Mechanism on Trans – Border Rivers” which holds annual meetings.

The potential long-term adverse effects of the River Waters issue are much more damaging to the future of the Nation and its population, than even the dispute over Border territorial claims, whose (mis) handling over the years has proved dangerous enough to National security. The absence so far of any meaningful detailed disclosures on this subject, covering Government of India’s attitude and actions, if any, as well as PRC’s responses, if any, evoke an eerie, nightmarish feeling of replay of the Border dispute tragedy of the 1954 – 1962 vintage.

In the absence of more detailed information, the PM’s recent statement on the River Waters, in the current Parliament Session, gives the impression that Government of India may be following a wrong course of action intending to domestically down play the problems with the PRC, in the misplaced assessment that this is either necessary, or will lead to maintaining over all, friction – free, “friendly” relations with the PRC. If so, there has been a culpable failure to learn the lessons from the tragic experiences of Mr.Nehru which led to his refusal to a January, 7 1963 oral message of Chou Enlai requesting to meet personally and discuss the six (Non-Aligned Movement) nation Colombo proposals, with the observation “matters are gone too far and the people of India could not be persuaded to accept Chinese ‘bluff and nonsense’ any more”. (Pages 99 – 101 of India’s CDA in Beijing, Dr.P.K.Banerjee Memoirs of the Chinese Invasion of India).

White papers published by Government of India on the 1962 War graphically show the background for Mr.Nehru’s above frustration. That it is fatal to second guess PRC’s intentions and meanings from their cleverly ambiguous statements, especially from a self-induced, preconceived naive mind-set, resulting in make-believe or wishful interpretations of what one wants to see and hear, rather than nailing the PRC in writing on what they had specifically intended or wanted say.

Two letters exchanged between the two Prime Ministers, one of Mr Nehru dated May, 22, 1959 where he sought it interpret Chou Enlai on having accepted the McMahon Line during his visit to India in January, 1957 (letter written after a lapse of two years after the visit!) and Chou Enlai’s flat contradiction of the same in his reply dated September, 8, 1959 are prime examples of the failure to adopt the methodology of “Insistent Posture” (refer Para 73).

An extract of Diplomatic Note dated 31 May 1962 by the Chinese Foreign Ministry to the Indian Embassy in Beijing at Appendix – II is another shining illustration of the dangers of the preconceived mind-set in dealing with the PRC (Page-142, CVR – ICWA).

There was no Dr.K in the 1950s to wise up the world with experience to share in dealing with latter-day Middle Kingdom Mandarins who have carried the same Imperial DNA for millennia, mutated for good measure with dyed – in – the wool , Marxist – Leninist Revolutionary ambitions.

Government of India will be well advised even now to go over with fine tooth comb what all have been officially exchanged with the PRC, on the subject of River Waters, what replies the PRC had given in writing, including the record of exchanges at annual meetings of Experts. ( hopefully they are comprehensive.

The Concept of “Line of Actual Control”:

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is a crucial concept, which unfortunately has remained only that, for decades now, in India – China Border negotiations. The PRC has successfully evaded giving any meaningful idea of their version of this LAC, in spite of undertaking to do so in solemn bilateral undertakings in Agreements signed by Heads of States and Governments of the two countries periodically. Absence “Insistent Posture” on Government of India’s part, the PRC has merrily gotten away without giving any concrete description of the LAC, so that they can draw it any time in future South of Tawang and tell Government of India that they have never said anything contradictory before officially and they cannot be proven wrong. And they will get Neville Maxwells of 21st century (perhaps some Indians too!) to paint them as paragons of all Celestial virtues, attributed to Confucius, Sun Tzu etc.

Singularity and Exceptionalism:

Dr.K devotes time and space in the Book to highlight China’s “Singularity” and “Exceptionalism”. One salient aspect emphasized is the great influence of China’s ancient Civilizational history, Culture, and writings of Philosophers like Confucius, Sun Tzu as the bedrock and guiding force throughout the many millennia, to the cataclysmic contemporary developments of 20th/21st Century, and the strength and sustenance Mao and his successors had drawn from this, to the extent of even using the same ancient elliptical, allegoric, epigrammatic, vague circumlocutory verbiage to hide and fudge, so as to thrive and succeed.

India too has a great History:

India has also been blessed with ancient history and civilization and great philosophers and thinkers whose teachings had served generations of Rulers and the Ruled for millennia. Except that in Indian case there seems to be a disastrous break in the past couple of centuries under British colonialism, and contemporary Rulers seem unaware of and unwilling to draw strength, sustenance and guidance from their Heritage, in meaningful, practical ways.
This is an important point to ponder over while learning from the successful Chinese experience, so rivetingly told in the Book by the master practitioner of International Diplomacy.
Another noteworthy/mentionable fact is that the PRC has been most successful in educating and sensitizing the entire country without significant distinction among populations in rural and urban areas, on the major aspects of its Foreign Policies and external relations with important countries at any given point of time, (dealt with in the Book), both in broad strategic long-term perspective and nuances, as well as immediate tactical moves, as situations develop, so as to be able to demonstrate massive support on the street, especially when it concerns countries like Japan, Soviet Union, Vietnam and the U.S.

Even allowing for the differences in the systems of government, control over media etc., this gulf is a major, self-inflicted failure which is regrettably and totally unjustified.
(The writer is a former chief of India’s External Intelligence Agency)

Dr. Kissinger's diplomatic initiatives had totally failed the US Policy in Southeast Asia. Communist China remains a huge military threat in this region and United States had failed in its mission to curb the expansion of Communist Power.
Dr. Kissinger’s diplomatic initiatives totally failed the US Policy in Southeast Asia. Communist China remains a huge military threat in this region and the United States failed in its mission to curb the  expansion of Communist Power. The History of the US-India-Tibet Relations. The problem of Freedom in Occupied Tibet was placed on the Back Burner while Nixon-Kissinger changed the Course of the US Policy