unity

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Himachali_people_celebrating_Holi_on_the_streets.jpg

Holi is a vibrant and colorful festival celebrated by Hindus across the world. Also known as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi is celebrated on the full moon day of Phalguna, the last month of the Hindu calendar (1). The festival signifies the victory of good over evil and welcomes the spring season.

History of Holi

Holi’s history can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts, such as the Puranas and Bhagavata Purana. The festival is said to have originated as a harvest festival celebrating good harvests and fertility. According to Hindu mythology, Holi also celebrates the victory of good over evil (2).

One of the most popular stories associated with Holi is that of Prahlada and Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was a demon king who was against Lord Vishnu and his followers. His son, Prahlada, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to worship his father. This angered Hiranyakashipu, who plotted to kill Prahlada. He asked his sister, Holika, who was immune to fire, to hold Prahlada and enter a blazing fire. But Holika was burnt to ashes while Prahlada emerged unscathed. The story of Prahlada and Holika’s sacrifice is commemorated by burning bonfires during Holi (2).

Celebration of Holi

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Holi is a lively festival that is celebrated across India and other parts of the world with much enthusiasm and energy. The celebrations begin on the night before Holi with Holika Dahan, the ritual burning of a bonfire, which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. People gather around the bonfire, sing and dance to the beat of traditional music, and exchange sweets and savories (3).

The main day of Holi is known as Rangwali Holi or Dhulandi, during which people smear and douse each other with colored powder and water. People play with natural, non-toxic, and eco-friendly colors made from flowers, herbs, and spices like turmeric, henna, and sandalwood. The colors represent love, joy, and unity, and are a symbol of forgiveness, friendship, and renewal (4).

Significance of Holi

Holi is a significant festival that celebrates the arrival of spring and new beginnings. The festival also marks the end of winter and the onset of a new season of harvest and fertility. Holi is celebrated as a time to forget all grudges and embrace love and unity. The colors used in the festival are a symbol of joy, positivity, and harmony (5).

Customs and Traditions

Holi is a festival that is rich in customs and traditions. One of the most popular traditions is the Holika Dahan, which involves lighting a bonfire to commemorate the story of Prahlada and Holika. The ashes of the bonfire are considered to be sacred and are believed to have healing powers (6).

Another custom is playing with colors and water, which is considered to be the main ritual of Holi. People smear each other with colored powder, water, and flowers, and play with water guns and balloons. They also dance to the beat of traditional music, eat traditional food, and exchange sweets and gifts (7).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Holi is a colorful and lively festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, and love and unity. The festival is celebrated across India and other parts of the world and is known for its vibrant colors, lively music, and traditional customs. The festival has evolved over time and has become a symbol of India’s rich cultural heritage.

Sources:

“Holi.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 Sept. 2021, www.britannica.com/topic/Holi-festival.
“Holi – Festival of Colors and Love.” BBC, 15 Mar. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43421494.
“Holi.” India Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, n.d., www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/about-us.html.
“Holi 2022: How to Celebrate the Festival of Colors Safely and Sustainably.” National Geographic, 1 Mar. 2022, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-to-celebrate-holi-festival-of-colors-safely-and-sustainably.
“Holi Festival.” Times of India, 22 Mar. 2019, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/events/happy-holi-2019-wishes-messages-quotes-images-facebook-whatsapp-status/articleshow/68410443.cms.
“10 Fascinating Traditions of Holi Festival in India.” Culture Trip, 2 Mar. 2022, theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/10-fascinating-traditions-of-holi-festival-in-india/.
“Holi: What is the Festival of Colors and How is it Celebrated?” The Independent, 1 Mar. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/holi-what-festival-colors-and-how-celebrated-a8232176.html.

http://masksofsanity.blogspot.com/

A few days ago, we looked into the coming rise of a new species being developed by the technocrats; it’s nigh. Spectacular as this notion is, as it turns out, the next stage in human development has already arrived, interlaced inconspicuously amongst us, as though “They Live” were a documentary.

Doesn’t anyone have a goddamn stick of gum?!
http://www.releasedonkey.com

You see, everyone loves a good ethnic slur, but under our thin veil of cultural, linguistic, economic, and pigment differences, it’s understood that we’re all one collective unity of mankind. Hi, brothers and sisters. So with the utmost love and respect for all y’all round the globe (minus Canada, America’s ceaseless punchline), we can all join hands in an orgy of discrimination against the one group that’s not like the others. Proudly, I’ll stand on my soapbox of an anonymous keyboard and proclaim something we’ve all long suspected, but never voiced: “yuppies aren’t human.”

…Literally… Let me explain

If there’s one thing I’d gleaned from my last stint in the psych-ward (like you didn’t suspect), it’s how, like an uncured slab of beef, the lines between mental illnesses, unfortunately, are neither cut nor dry (consider the utter failure of the DSM). A great deal of consensus, however, stands in the psychologist community to where these muddied lines can be drawn, and the word “psychopath” is not a term bandied lightly, folks. A psychopath, apparently, is not always the image immediately drawn to mind of some knife wielding pariah, glazed in dried mustard and animal-semen (gross), prowling the subway adorned only in a single strategically-placed pool-floatie, who passes the day lobbing “Jesus saves” paper-airplane pamphlets at jaded urbanites. Nah, he’s probably wearing a silk tie, Gucci perhaps.

Psychopaths, in fact, while occasionally criminal masterminds, are masterful social chameleons, often indistinguishable from the crowd. Preconceived notions blown. A new theoretical analysis suggests that psychopathy is not merely a mental disorder, though, but rather the psychopath is a separate new sub-species of human altogether, a new animal. No joke. Sure, Patrick Bateman may lob revving chainsaws upon fleeing call-girls, but he wasn’t human, so it’s copacetic. Evolution, it seems, just won’t take a day off. Psychopathy is categorized with traits of:

glib and superficial charm

grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self

need for stimulation

pathological lying

cunning and manipulativeness

lack of remorse or guilt

shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)

callousness and lack of empathy

parasitic lifestyle

poor behavioral controls

sexual promiscuity

early behavior problems

lack of realistic long-term goals

impulsivity

irresponsibility

failure to accept responsibility for own actions

many short-term marital relationships

juvenile delinquency

revocation of conditional release

criminal versatility

To sum all that up, psychopaths (henceforth redubbed Homo Psychopathius^TM) are highly-intelligent, calculating, manipulative machines of self-interested ambition, lacking the capacity for conscience due to the inability to feel emotion. They are a manifestation of the cliché wolf in sheep’s clothing as a predator in white-collar work clothes, and these things aren’t human.

With an untappable spigot of raw uninhibited self-interest at its disposal, Homo Psychopathius often rises to the top of whatever organization/ field it sets its aim at. They are natural visionaries, innovators, and leaders of men, so it just makes sense that, statistically, the career with the highest propensity for psychopathy is nothing less than the CEO.

Over the last few decades, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed, the global power regime has shifted reigns from the uber-nation to the empire-corporation being the vaster colossus of influence. Our ruling class, then, are the highly-competent next stage in evolution, being more adapted for the major-leagues without the nuisance of those silly outdated oddities called feelings. Further still, note this list of the top ten careers Homo Psychopathius are found in, not forgetting the psychopath, more often than not, is at the forefront head of his field:

1. CEO
2. Lawyer
3. Media (Television/Radio)
4. Salesperson
5. Surgeon
6. Journalist
7. Police officer
8. Clergy person
9. Chef
10. Civil servant

Wait! Wait! Wait! Holy shit! What are you saying?

This thing is smarter than you, vastly more driven to power. It controls the companies you work for; it represents your legal system, decides what news you hear, tells you what to consume (down to a science), holds your life in its hands, arrests your deviants, propagates your religions, and it dominates your politics… oh yeah, and cooks your food (never trust a guy with a set of personally engraved knives, I guess).

We’re not alarmist here. Rather, I propose a happy compromise over this news: as successful as these things have proven themselves to be, rising to the apex of society, I offer that we humans dutifully permit this new animal to take the reins (cause it already has) as the new dominant species of the planet. You win, psychopaths. Game over. Anyway, our outdated human machine doesn’t mind serving as the structural base for your mighty overlord will. We’re more suited for playing Minecraft, masturbating, and following your orders. It’s kinda what we’re good at. If it’s not overly presumptuous of me to assume the diplomat between our 2 great peoples, let me be the first of my kind to say, “I vow my allegiance. All hail the morlocks! (I’m on board, guys. Eat someone else’s kids.)”

Fellow sapians, kinda brings the whole “Occupy Wall Street” thing into a new light, huh? Looks like the X-Men comics had it right all along: the 1% with all the powers really were the next stage of human evolution.

Take it; leave it; use it as an excuse to embrace your inner asshole.

Either way, let the hate mail commence.