By Dr Charles Leyman Kachitsa
Nature is very interesting in that there can not be the existence of one element without the recognition of the other. For instance noise can not be there if we do not have recognition of silence. It is the the absence of noise that we then recognise the phenomenon called silence, all being quiet.
In the same line of thinking, I read a book recently that extended the above in saying that we only recognise space because we are aware that objects must occupy, be put somewhere we have called space. The absence of any objects give as the illusion of there being empty space. Illusion because scientifically we all know there can not be any empty space as the void we deem to be unoccupied is so full of air and other substance. This air has density or weight only that in a normal space, the measure of the weight is negligible perhaps that’s why we take such space as unoccupied, empty space.
Humans since time immemorial have taken it upon themselves to try and understand natural phenomenon and label it according to their deduction of the situation or what they see. In some cases this may have been done in a hurry and only then to be pointed out contrary by others who would have studied the situation deeper.
The fact is that since creation, our knowledge though progressing has always shown that we can not in any way surpass the creator, God. Otherwise we would have defeated death which we consider the absence of life. But we cannot say for sure that life dies, for life continues way beyond the death of the body. At least most who have experienced near death acknowledge that.
The quotes this week are a continuation extraction from a book that looks at racial relationships. Diversity has always been an instituted design since the time of creation which bring splendour and makes life interesting. I am sure the selected quotations below from this book will enlighten you to one or two life lessons, read and enjoy:
ETHNICITY, RACE AND INEQUALITY IN THE UK – STATE OF THE NATION by Bridget Byrne Et. al.
“The proportion of people of different ethnicities prosecuted and then convicted of a crime provides one measure of ethnic inequalities in convictions administered by the justice system.”
“This too colloquial approach to ethnic minority people – wanting them to work where ‘natives’ wouldn’t or couldn’t, and not wanting so many living and working in Britain – was perhaps best exemplified by Enoch Powell who in 1963, as the Conservative Health Minister, launched a campaign to recruit trained doctors from overseas to fill the labour shortages in the NHS.”
“…. Related to this, there is also evidence that the aggregation of ethnic minority people in areas with those of similar ethnicity is beneficial, particularly for mental health, once the effects of area deprivation are controlled for (Becares et al, 2009). This is likely to operate through a combination of feelings of increased security (lower exposure to racial harassment and discrimination) and increased social support. Indeed, there is some evidence demonstrating that ethnic minority people rate the areas where they live much more highly than would be implied by official indices of deprivation precisely because these are locations where a sense of inclusive community for people like them has developed (Bajekal et al, 2004). “
“However, beyond the involvement of communities and vague calls for holistic services, there is a need for attention to be paid to the impact of discrimination and racism and their impact of health. While there are some academic texts and third sector race equality organisations which do recognise this, there are no policies that adequately focus on this issue.”
