Ayo Olaore's Blog

If the sky speaks of anything  It speaks of rain  An anxious whispering of the wind  The dark clouded brow of sky  A chance raindrop before its time  Surely, these are auguries if anything is.  Thunder reverberates overhead  Through the backyard  Through my soul  My actions are a tumult of hurry  Feed the dogs  Bring them in  Stow the lawn chair cushions inside a weather-proof bin  Watch for the wind  Preparations before the rain.  I did not know for sure it would rain  It was a guess, a conjecture  Instinct told me more than the weatherman could  And when it came, there was no mistaking it  That glorious onslaught against the window panes  Rain like the patter of children's feet  Like soldiers' drums  Like lovers' voices, rising and falling through the dark.  Thunder like a parent's voice, low and reproving  Welcoming even if it heralded lighte...

The Blind Men and the Elephant, by John Godfrey Saxe, is a metaphor for how we treat our incomplete understanding of complex systems. Having limited information, we draw conclusions and argue extensively for our “opinions.”  The poet was a native Vermonter, born in Highgate, in 1816, who attended Middlebury College. Early on, he practiced law in St. Albans, northwestern VT, near Canada. Then, by 1850, he focused more on literature, publishing, and the lecture circuit THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT. A HINDOO FABLE. I. It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. II. The First approached the Elephant, And happened to fall Against his broard and sturdy side, And began to brawl; “God bless me! But the Elephant Is very like a wall!” III. The Second feeling of the Tusk, Cried, “Ho! What have we here So very round and s...

Mahatma Gandhi Biography Mahatma Gandhi was a prominent Indian political leader who campaigned for Indian independence. He employed non- violent principles and peaceful disobedience. He was assassinated in 1948, shortly after achieving his life goal of Indian independence. In India, he is known as ‘Father of the Nation’. “When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it–always.” – Gandhi Short Bio Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Gandhi was born, 1869, in Porbandar, India. Mohandas was from the social cast of tradesmen. His mother was illiterate, but her common sense and religious devotion had a lasting impact on Gandhi’s character. As a youngster, Mohandas was a good student, but the shy young boy displayed no signs of leadership. On the death of his father, Moh...

BRAH MAN The term 'Brahman' originally stood for the cosmic power present in the vedic sacrifice and chants which the priest has control over. It is a Sanskrit word that comes from the root meaning, 'to be great'. In the Upanishads, the word Brahman was expanded to mean a divine reality at heart of things. Brahman, according to the Upanishads, ' is the sun, the moon and the stars'. He is the fire, the waters and the wind. It is ' the God who appears in forms infinite'. Brahman is also referred to by three words that helps to describe its nature: 'Brahman is sat, reality itself;chit, pure consciousness; and ananda; bliss'. ATMAN It originally referred to the whole interior mental world that shows itself in consciousness, thought, imagination, trance and dream. In the Hindu belief each person has an indiv idual soul ( jiva ) but the Upanishads teach that all human beings share the same Atman. RELATIONSHI P BETWEEN BRAHMAN AND ATMAN Atm...

1. Sociology is a social science and not a natural science. This distinction is by content not by method. That is, sociology simply serves to distinguish those sciences dealing with the physical from the social universe. 2. Sociology is a categorical and not a normative discipline. By this is meant that sociology confines itself to statements of what is, not what ought to be. 3. Sociology is not an applied science but a pure science. Its main goal is the acquisition of knowledge about human society, not the utilization of that knowledge. For instance, sociology is mainly concerned with acquiring the knowledge about society that can be used to solve some of the world’s problems, but it is not itself an applied science. 4. Sociology is not interested in the concrete manifestations of human events but rather, in the form they take and the patterns they assume. 5. Sociology is a generalizing, not a particularizing or individualizing science. It looks for general laws about human g...