Mereja Forum

[Horus]

ናጋ ቱማ፣
ባልካቸው ነገሮች ይቺን ላክል።
ኢትዮጵያዊያን ለብዙ ዘመናት ከብዙ ስልጣኔዎች፣ ሕዝቦች፣ ቋልቋዎች እና ካልቸሮች ጋር ተዋውቀው የኖሩ ጥንታዊ ሕዝብ ስለሆኑ ቋንቋችን እጅግ የበለጸጉ ጽንሰ ነገሮች፣ ንጥረ ሃሳቦች አሉት (እንዳልከው) ።

ለምሳሌ
ወግ፣ ከስተም የምንለው
ስነ ምግባር፣ ዘ ሳይንስ ኦፍ ቢሄቪየር ።
ግብረ ገብነት ፣ ተግባረ ስምም ። ዌል ቢሄቭድ እንጂ ተግባረ መልካም ማለት አይደለም ። መልካም ተግባር ያለው ስነ ምግባር ውስጥ ነው ያለው ።
ባህል፣ በትንሹ ካልቸር ቢመስልም ከካልቸር ጠበብ ይላል ።
ባህሪ፣ ካራክተር ቢመስልም ካልቸር የሚለውንም ይይዛል
ተፈጥሮ፣ ኔቸር የምንለው
ልምድ፣ ልማድ ፣ ሃቢት፣ ሶሺያል ሃቢት
ሕገ ምግባር?፣ ኮድ ኦፍ ኮንዳክት
ስርዓተ ባህሪ?፣ ካልቸር?

ይህን ሁሉ ያነሳሁት ያ የዱር እንሰሳ በልቶ በሽታ ያጋባው ተግባር ምን ይባላል ለማለት ነው? በእኔ ግምት የሰውዪው ወይም የዚያ ሕዝብ ስነ ምግባር ይመስለኛል ። አህያ መብላት ክልክል ነው ማለት ያ ነው። ስለዚህ አንድ ሕዝብ ምን መበላት እንዳለበት እና እንደ ሌለበት ማህበራዊ ስርዓት እንዲኖረው ግድ ይላል ።

ያንን ይመስለኛል እያስተማርክ ያለሀው፣ ብትክክል!

[Selam/]

Then you’re not a Christian.
“I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44–45

I am sure only a very few people will take essential lessons from the calamity that is taking over the world.

1. Humans shall not be so greedy like the Chinese.

2. Humans shall not eat everything and anything that exist between heaven and earth.

3. Humans shall practice religion, spirituality, moral constraints and civilized code of conduct.

4. Humans shall not worship blind connectivity and crass globalism.

5. Humans shall practice certain degree of ethics, esthetics, wisdom and sense of humility.

6. Humans must recognize and accept the power of one tiny germ over the fallacy of man's limitless greed and stupidity.

7. Humans shall celebrate the supreme Ethiopian wisdom of clean food, fasting, praying, fear of God and the sinfulness of greed.

8 Humans must recognize that a seemingly omnipotent material culture can be dismantled into nothingness by a single microscopic virus.

The fool can labor all his life gathering stuff only to lose it in a moment of folly !

አልጠግብ ያለ ሲተፋ ያድራል !!

Stay safe & Ker !!!

I have a dislike of unblievers(None Christians)

[Selam/]

You’re right. Bats are hated in Ethiopia because they carry all kinds of viruses and bacterias allegedly including yellow fever. And this has been scientifically proven. In fact there was a hilarious theatrical show about ye-Wof Beshita played by the late Wogayehu Negatu. Ironically, bats were also used for medicine although I don’t remember exactly for what purpose. People in rural areas used to dry and hung them outside their huts.

Someone can correct me if I presumption (memory) is wrong, but I am pretty sure that when I was young and stayed with my parents, I was always told by my parents to get home on time (before it gets late and becomes dark outside) and avoid any possibility of coming close to a bat (የሌልት ወፍ)። A bat comes out and start flying after it gets dark outside, for whatever reason.

This memory came to my mind after I read here and there that the current corona virus might have started (or transmitted) through a bat.

If this is indeed the case then people definitely need to go to Ethiopia nad start researching the cure of this devastating virus and rescue the world.

[Selam/]

Hmmm...high culture. Why is our prime minster unable to construct a single sentence without adding English words? 60% of his audiences or constituents are illiterate but listen to his latest news conference. It’s embarrassing. Mention any major politician who can speak our languages without mixing with foreign vocabularies. Basically none.

ናጋ ቱማ፣
ባልካቸው ነገሮች ይቺን ላክል።
ኢትዮጵያዊያን ለብዙ ዘመናት ከብዙ ስልጣኔዎች፣ ሕዝቦች፣ ቋልቋዎች እና ካልቸሮች ጋር ተዋውቀው የኖሩ ጥንታዊ ሕዝብ ስለሆኑ ቋንቋችን እጅግ የበለጸጉ ጽንሰ ነገሮች፣ ንጥረ ሃሳቦች አሉት (እንዳልከው) ።

ለምሳሌ
ወግ፣ ከስተም የምንለው
ስነ ምግባር፣ ዘ ሳይንስ ኦፍ ቢሄቪየር ።
ግብረ ገብነት ፣ ተግባረ ስምም ። ዌል ቢሄቭድ እንጂ ተግባረ መልካም ማለት አይደለም ። መልካም ተግባር ያለው ስነ ምግባር ውስጥ ነው ያለው ።
ባህል፣ በትንሹ ካልቸር ቢመስልም ከካልቸር ጠበብ ይላል ።
ባህሪ፣ ካራክተር ቢመስልም ካልቸር የሚለውንም ይይዛል
ተፈጥሮ፣ ኔቸር የምንለው
ልምድ፣ ልማድ ፣ ሃቢት፣ ሶሺያል ሃቢት
ሕገ ምግባር?፣ ኮድ ኦፍ ኮንዳክት
ስርዓተ ባህሪ?፣ ካልቸር?

ይህን ሁሉ ያነሳሁት ያ የዱር እንሰሳ በልቶ በሽታ ያጋባው ተግባር ምን ይባላል ለማለት ነው? በእኔ ግምት የሰውዪው ወይም የዚያ ሕዝብ ስነ ምግባር ይመስለኛል ። አህያ መብላት ክልክል ነው ማለት ያ ነው። ስለዚህ አንድ ሕዝብ ምን መበላት እንዳለበት እና እንደ ሌለበት ማህበራዊ ስርዓት እንዲኖረው ግድ ይላል ።

ያንን ይመስለኛል እያስተማርክ ያለሀው፣ ብትክክል!

[Naga Tuma]

Naga Tuma,

let me also put it this way: I do agree that we have a superb culture that we adore and wish to protect and keep it. I didn't deny that. It is our asset. Keeping the asset requires the foundational support that should be able to sustain and keep it running. If the foundational support gets shaky, then there is no guarantee that it can sustain the overlying asset (value).

Don't you think that our superb (objective or subjective) culture is standing on some shaky foundation in the recent past? Why was that?


Shouldn't you and Horus, who are two examples of part of the foundation and the carriers of the good culture (our value) contributing and reinforcing its supporting base from where you should have been, if the base was not shaky for some reason? In this case I am simply trying to call your attention to the phenomenon now commonly known as brain-drain, to avoid a misunderstanding here.

DefendTheTruth,

The following is your initial statement that I reacted to after I read it.

How and why we started the journey of downward spiraling trajectory from top to bottom while those who were at the bottom took the other direction and landed at the top, leaving us at the bottom?

In reaction, I asked you the following question.

Has Ethiopia lost the moral ground at any point in its long history?

So, it is not clear to me at all whether you think our people "have a superb culture" that "we wish to protect and keep" while you also think at the same time that our people "started the journey of downward spiraling trajectory from top to bottom."

I do not think these separately expressed views can be true at the same time. I also don't know if you think otherwise or if you now do not think in hindsight that your initial statement that temped me to react to can stay valid in light of your latest statement that I quoted above.

I will let you have the pleasure of reconciling these two expressed views.

From my vantage point, I don't wish to see the essence of my reaction lost here.

In the expressed views here, I have read two schools of thought when it comes to culture. One is that it is directional and the other is that it is directionless. I am not sure if these two schools of thought are decipherable to you and which expressed views here easily fall in each school of thought.

If we are on the same page about these schools of thought and which expressed views fall where, then we are on the same page.

Whether we are on the same page or different pages, I can explain to you the page I am on. I am from a school of thought that culture is directional, which means it has a trajectory and parameters. When it is directional, it progresses, whether it does so slowly or fast by veering one way or another.

When I am on this page, I react to those on a different page, which is in the school of thought that culture is directionless. Nearly 30 years ago, I heard a man say the following: ራሞን ወል ኛቻ ጅራት። It roughly means worms thrive consuming one another. Shocked after hearing the expression for the first time, I asked him this: ነምን አከ ራሞት ያደ ጄቹ ኬቲ? Roughly translated, I asked if he thinks humans and worms behave alike. I don't remember if he gave me an answer or had an answer at all.

That kind of outlook is as bad as that of the wild west, if not worse.

Directionless outlooks in a culture gravitate toward that with a direction. Except for what I expressed as a constructive input to Horus' initial post, I read it in its totality as directional.

Your subsequent expression of "journey of downward spiraling trajectory from top to bottom" didn't fit on the directional outlook, at least not for me.

My reaction is compounded by my experience of discussions about these two schools of thought. As a matter of fact, my call more than a dozen years ago for a directional outlook through Ethiopian renaissance was precisely after making this observation. This observation appeared to me a revelation of orphans of Ethiopia's rich culture.

In hindsight, I really think that the directionless outlook should be thankful for the directional outlook lest those in the former would in time fight one another if the outlook was left to its own vices. Recently, I got a chance to listen to a press release by a faction of the OLF that claimed to have formed an Ethiopian party. I remember its press release ending with an expression like the following: ዝግጁ ነን። My immediate reaction after hearing that was the following: ዝግጁ ነን ብለህ ኣትቀመጥ። ተነስተህ ተራመድ።

As I wrote earlier, when you take any step, that step necessarily has a direction. When you do not take any step, you are directionless. If you see a downward spiral when it comes to culture, I really do not understand what you are looking at after all.

Finally, notice that I have been trying to get across the idea of these two schools of thoughts in so many different ways. If you desire, we can discuss other topics separately instead of going in tangent from the main topic here.

Also note that when I say you, except in direct references, I mean in generic terms.

[Horus]

I am trying to grasp Naga Tuma's formulation which I agree with as follows. One conventional definition of culture is that it is a way of life of the people owning the culture. Well, Duhh, a way is a direction. We walk on a way because it guides our path. That is all.

We sit around a mesob to have communal meal. That round sitting, the form - the circle is the guide, the direction. If we were to sit in a long straight line, there would be no circle. beqa !

In my view, directionless culture, may be some kind of random behavior but it may not pass the test of culture. The essence of culture is that it is a pattern.

So, those who engage in random chaotic behavior might not even have the thing we are calling culture.

[DefendTheTruth]

Naga Tuma,

let me also put it this way: I do agree that we have a superb culture that we adore and wish to protect and keep it. I didn't deny that. It is our asset. Keeping the asset requires the foundational support that should be able to sustain and keep it running. If the foundational support gets shaky, then there is no guarantee that it can sustain the overlying asset (value).

Don't you think that our superb (objective or subjective) culture is standing on some shaky foundation in the recent past? Why was that?


Shouldn't you and Horus, who are two examples of part of the foundation and the carriers of the good culture (our value) contributing and reinforcing its supporting base from where you should have been, if the base was not shaky for some reason? In this case I am simply trying to call your attention to the phenomenon now commonly known as brain-drain, to avoid a misunderstanding here.

DefendTheTruth,

The following is your initial statement that I reacted to after I read it.

How and why we started the journey of downward spiraling trajectory from top to bottom while those who were at the bottom took the other direction and landed at the top, leaving us at the bottom?

In reaction, I asked you the following question.

Has Ethiopia lost the moral ground at any point in its long history?

So, it is not clear to me at all whether you think our people "have a superb culture" that "we wish to protect and keep" while you also think at the same time that our people "started the journey of downward spiraling trajectory from top to bottom."

I do not think these separately expressed views can be true at the same time. I also don't know if you think otherwise or if you now do not think in hindsight that your initial statement that temped me to react to can stay valid in light of your latest statement that I quoted above.

I will let you have the pleasure of reconciling these two expressed views.

From my vantage point, I don't wish to see the essence of my reaction lost here.

In the expressed views here, I have read two schools of thought when it comes to culture. One is that it is directional and the other is that it is directionless. I am not sure if these two schools of thought are decipherable to you and which expressed views here easily fall in each school of thought.

If we are on the same page about these schools of thought and which expressed views fall where, then we are on the same page.

Whether we are on the same page or different pages, I can explain to you the page I am on. I am from a school of thought that culture is directional, which means it has a trajectory and parameters. When it is directional, it progresses, whether it does so slowly or fast by veering one way or another.

When I am on this page, I react to those on a different page, which is in the school of thought that culture is directionless. Nearly 30 years ago, I heard a man say the following: ራሞን ወል ኛቻ ጅራት። It roughly means worms thrive consuming one another. Shocked after hearing the expression for the first time, I asked him this: ነምን አከ ራሞት ያደ ጄቹ ኬቲ? Roughly translated, I asked if he thinks humans and worms behave alike. I don't remember if he gave me an answer or had an answer at all.

That kind of outlook is as bad as that of the wild west, if not worse.

Directionless outlooks in a culture gravitate toward that with a direction. Except for what I expressed as a constructive input to Horus' initial post, I read it in its totality as directional.

Your subsequent expression of "journey of downward spiraling trajectory from top to bottom" didn't fit on the directional outlook, at least not for me.

My reaction is compounded by my experience of discussions about these two schools of thought. As a matter of fact, my call more than a dozen years ago for a directional outlook through Ethiopian renaissance was precisely after making this observation. This observation appeared to me a revelation of orphans of Ethiopia's rich culture.

In hindsight, I really think that the directionless outlook should be thankful for the directional outlook lest those in the former would in time fight one another if the outlook was left to its own vices. Recently, I got a chance to listen to a press release by a faction of the OLF that claimed to have formed an Ethiopian party. I remember its press release ending with an expression like the following: ዝግጁ ነን። My immediate reaction after hearing that was the following: ዝግጁ ነን ብለህ ኣትቀመጥ። ተነስተህ ተራመድ።

As I wrote earlier, when you take any step, that step necessarily has a direction. When you do not take any step, you are directionless. If you see a downward spiral when it comes to culture, I really do not understand what you are looking at after all.

Finally, notice that I have been trying to get across the idea of these two schools of thoughts in so many different ways. If you desire, we can discuss other topics separately instead of going in tangent from the main topic here.

Also note that when I say you, except in direct references, I mean in generic terms.

Naga Tuma,

I think I am someone who would like to admit my own shortcomings for the sake of settling a discussion point so that lessons learned and a progress is made in that sense.

Yes I reacted to Horus' post where he essentially said we are better (because we don't eat donkey's flesh etc) and wrote the sentence you qouted above and pointed out that we are still dependent on them, not the other way round. You supported his position adding that we are better and have been superior all along even during those days when we lost the battle defending the soverignity of our nation (citing the plea the leader of the nation made in order to solicit support for his case else where).

You have not yet clearily said from you if those who are said to eat donkey's flesh are dependent on us or we are dependent on them today. That would have helped us to follow the flow of the logic more closely.

It could still be said that I contradicted my own statements but in my last post I also tried to point out (or asked) why are Naga Tuma and Horus are not where both should have been and defending the superb value (by being part of the sustaining support foundation) that we have today, if we are better than those whom we also claim they are infrior to us?

Answering just these two questions could have helped us in deciphering how much I contradicted myself in this discussion.

As far as the direction and directionless propositions are concerned, I think these could be said at the level of controlling (steering) something on the underlying level below it. If the underlying level is missing then there is also nothing to steer at the "governing" (control) level. And all my claims here are about the shaky foundation (the underlying level), and it seems to me now your position is that no there is nothing that is shaky.

Looking at things objectively and trying to understand what is missing would help to fix the missing part in time (for the future) instead of trying to keep one's own attitude of we are superior (even in the face of known deficiencies) and that is why I commented on Horus' remarks.

[Naga Tuma]

I am trying to grasp Naga Tuma's formulation which I agree with as follows. One conventional definition of culture is that it is a way of life of the people owning the culture. Well, Duhh, a way is a direction. We walk on a way because it guides our path. That is all.

We sit around a mesob to have communal meal. That round sitting, the form - the circle is the guide, the direction. If we were to sit in a long straight line, there would be no circle. beqa !

In my view, directionless culture, may be some kind of random behavior but it may not pass the test of culture. The essence of culture is that it is a pattern.

So, those who engage in random chaotic behavior might not even have the thing we are calling culture.

Horus,

Do you have a grasp of what Dark Age was or could be? Do you know how long it lasted? Do you understand renaissance and how it came about and how long it took to make it a reality? Long before there was renaissance, there was this: A philosopher in ancient Greece lit a lamp in broad daylight and said, as he went about, "I am looking for a human."

If you don't understand them, don't act like you do. I had hopes that you could be one of those who have risen to understand them well enough. It doesn't come easily. Neither is it cheap like your not well done Difo Dabo that you can enjoy at your table.

One more question, do you see direction in the way of life depicted in the following video clip? Where in the world was your highness when direction was thrown into the middle of it?

[Naga Tuma]

Naga Tuma,

I think I am someone who would like to admit my own shortcomings for the sake of settling a discussion point so that lessons learned and a progress is made in that sense.

Yes I reacted to Horus' post where he essentially said we are better (because we don't eat donkey's flesh etc) and wrote the sentence you qouted above and pointed out that we are still dependent on them, not the other way round. You supported his position adding that we are better and have been superior all along even during those days when we lost the battle defending the soverignity of our nation (citing the plea the leader of the nation made in order to solicit support for his case else where).

You have not yet clearily said from you if those who are said to eat donkey's flesh are dependent on us or we are dependent on them today. That would have helped us to follow the flow of the logic more closely.

It could still be said that I contradicted my own statements but in my last post I also tried to point out (or asked) why are Naga Tuma and Horus are not where both should have been and defending the superb value (by being part of the sustaining support foundation) that we have today, if we are better than those whom we also claim they are infrior to us?

Answering just these two questions could have helped us in deciphering how much I contradicted myself in this discussion.

As far as the direction and directionless propositions are concerned, I think these could be said at the level of controlling (steering) something on the underlying level below it. If the underlying level is missing then there is also nothing to steer at the "governing" (control) level. And all my claims here are about the shaky foundation (the underlying level), and it seems to me now your position is that no there is nothing that is shaky.

Looking at things objectively and trying to understand what is missing would help to fix the missing part in time (for the future) instead of trying to keep one's own attitude of we are superior (even in the face of known deficiencies) and that is why I commented on Horus' remarks.

DefendTheTruth,

Don't project your misreading and assumption. If you haven't read or forgot a statement that I wrote in my initial reaction to Horus, here it is again: "It is hard for me to reach a conclusion that sea food seeking might be the source of a microscopic virus." I don't think that I need to be saying more in order to show you that you are making another mistake after rectifying your first mistake.

[Horus]

I am trying to grasp Naga Tuma's formulation which I agree with as follows. One conventional definition of culture is that it is a way of life of the people owning the culture. Well, Duhh, a way is a direction. We walk on a way because it guides our path. That is all.

We sit around a mesob to have communal meal. That round sitting, the form - the circle is the guide, the direction. If we were to sit in a long straight line, there would be no circle. beqa !

In my view, directionless culture, may be some kind of random behavior but it may not pass the test of culture. The essence of culture is that it is a pattern.

So, those who engage in random chaotic behavior might not even have the thing we are calling culture.

Horus,

Do you have a grasp of what Dark Age was or could be? Do you know how long it lasted? Do you understand renaissance and how it came about and how long it took to make it a reality? Long before there was renaissance, there was this: A philosopher in ancient Greece lit a lamp in broad daylight and said, as he went about, "I am looking for a human."

If you don't understand them, don't act like you do. I had hopes that you could be one of those who have risen to understand them well enough. It doesn't come easily. Neither is it cheap like your not well done Difo Dabo that you can enjoy at your table.

One more question, do you see direction in the way of life depicted in the following video clip? Where in the world was your highness when direction was thrown into the middle of it?

Naga Tuma,
You misread my point. I agree with you, that culture is guide for those who own it. And, I gave two examples - the road and Mesob. And, I added that directionless social behavior might not even be considered as culture. Do you disagree with this last assertion?

Culture is knowledge - bad or good; and all culture is a form of competence, That is all. So, to say that culture is a direction is a correct observation. That is my point.

[Naga Tuma]

Horus,

Pardon me if I missed your point. I have been trying to get across two schools of thought about culture and then I read your expressed view that I think reduced it to directionless culture. I see a difference between the two. Instead of taking more time and space here, I will start a new thread to elaborate and I hope you will understand where I am coming from about the difference.

[sun]

Often times we see events and phenomena in black and white, meaning simply bad or simply good. But in reality nothing is absolutely bad nor absolutely good. Fore example Bats are blamed for spreading viruses and causing sickness and death and are as such very bad animals.

But in reality Bats exist for a reason and as such are very useful creatures in their own rights.

Usefulness of Bats

This lesser long-nosed bat is covered with pollen. This species of bat lives in the desert and sips the nectar of cacti and agave flowers.

Sure, it's interesting that bats navigate by echolocation and that they're nocturnal. But do they really matter? The short answer is "Yes!" These flying mammals bring many benefits to their ecosystems. More than 50 unique species of bats live in national parks, and different species provide different benefits. Some pollinate plants, others eat insects, many serve as prey to other animals, and they all inspire scientific discoveries.

* Supporting Cave Communities
Caves are complex and unique ecosystems that provide homes for a diversity of creatures from insects to amphibians and fish as well as mammals like wood rats and bats. Many of these creatures can only survive within the cave, and they rely on nutrients carried into the cave by water or other animals. Bats benefit caves by providing important nutrients in their guano (better fertilizer than cow manure!) that support the growth of communities of cave organisms.

* Insect Control
Bats that eat insects are called "insectivorous." They feast on insects each night, adding up to more than $3.7 billion worth of pest control each year in the U.S. When bats are around to eat insects, there are fewer insect pests causing damage to crops, and farmers don't have to invest as much in pesticides. Imagine a teenage boy eating 200 quarter-pound burgers -- that's how much a bat eats in insects in one night!

* Pollinators
Several species of bats in tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas eat nectar. Many types of plants in these regions rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal, such as the blue agave. In some southwestern parks, long-nose and long-tongue bats are perfectly adapted to pollinate these plants, and they provide extensive value to the agricultural industry. So next time you sweeten your coffee with agave nectar, remember to thank a bat.

* Seed Dispersal
Fruit-eating bats play important roles in distributing seeds to maintain plants and forests. These species of bats, often called "flying foxes" because of their larger body size and big eyes, live in tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World (Africa, Asia and Australia). Fruit-eating bats are also found in some Pacific islands, Latin America, and the Caribbean and live in national parks in Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands!

* Prey
Just as some bats rely on thousands of insects each night for survival, other animals in the ecosystem rely on bats for their calories. Hawks, falcons, and owls eat bats, and mammals like weasels, ringtail cats, and raccoons sometimes attack bats while they roost.

* Inspirational animal
Some of bats' unique features like membrane wings and echolocation have inspired technological advances in engineering. Drones that have thin and flexible bat-like wings are are in the works as well as tiny, more efficient sonar systems for navigation. The wingsuits used by basejumpers take more than a few cues from bats' aerodynamic bodies.

"I speak my mind because it hurts to bite my tongue.
The worth of a book is measured by what you carry away from it.
It's not over till it's over.
Imagination is everything.
All life is an experiment.
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the bVtterfly.” ~Pat F., Topaz and the Evil Wizard

[sun]

I am trying to grasp Naga Tuma's formulation which I agree with as follows. One conventional definition of culture is that it is a way of life of the people owning the culture. Well, Duhh, a way is a direction. We walk on a way because it guides our path. That is all.

We sit around a mesob to have communal meal. That round sitting, the form - the circle is the guide, the direction. If we were to sit in a long straight line, there would be no circle. beqa !

In my view, directionless culture, may be some kind of random behavior but it may not pass the test of culture. The essence of culture is that it is a pattern.

So, those who engage in random chaotic behavior might not even have the thing we are calling culture.

Horus,

Do you have a grasp of what Dark Age was or could be? Do you know how long it lasted? Do you understand renaissance and how it came about and how long it took to make it a reality? Long before there was renaissance, there was this: A philosopher in ancient Greece lit a lamp in broad daylight and said, as he went about, "I am looking for a human."

If you don't understand them, don't act like you do. I had hopes that you could be one of those who have risen to understand them well enough. It doesn't come easily. Neither is it cheap like your not well done Difo Dabo that you can enjoy at your table.

One more question, do you see direction in the way of life depicted in the following video clip? Where in the world was your highness when direction was thrown into the middle of it?

Naga Tuma,
You misread my point. I agree with you, that culture is guide for those who own it. And, I gave two examples - the road and Mesob. And, I added that directionless social behavior might not even be considered as culture. Do you disagree with this last assertion?

Culture is knowledge - bad or good; and all culture is a form of competence, That is all. So, to say that culture is a direction is a correct observation. That is my point.

Hmm...

And now may I ask you as to who is to define whether a certain social behavior is directionless or on the right correct direction to be considered as as culture or not be considered as culture? Is it to be defined and considered by democrats, dictators, communists, fascists or other ideological variants? What would be their criteria to do the definitions and the conclusions.

In your case you have clear and clean self loving Ethnocentric chauvinist assumptions of culture and values of society which assumes that your social behavior and culture is the only correct and right one. Where us you think that others' social behaviors and cultures are inferior and bad ones. Such were the values and cultures in Nazi Germany under the great dictator, Adolf Hitler , where the dictator built killing factories in order to eliminate the inferior and "bad culture owning useless folks." You need to reassess your position.

Do you think that lots of others may totally disagree with you about your wild assumptions with regard to the so called directionless social behavior you consider to be far from being culture since every one else except you may think that their own social behavior is full of direction and as such very old and very relevant culture on the planet. What would you do to them to force them to accept your self serving assumptions.? Or else what should they need do to you in order to convince you or force you to accept their their self assumptions and cultural self definition?

Last but not least, culture can be defined as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.

To be concrete "Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things," ~Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and South gate College in London.

The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. "It shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering growth,"

Cultures are diverse, meaning, Western Culture, Eastern culture, Latin Culture, Middle eastern culture and African culture. And within these very broad categories there lots of diverse cultures that are specific to the groups and families.

[Selam/]

The same is true with viruses. For example, hepatitis G virus offer some protection against AIDS. And generally, there are lots and lots of viruses in human bodies, infecting the bacterias in the gut, rather than our cells. In other words, they protect us from gastrointestinal diseases. Its fascinating how viruses and bacterias are always fighting against each other. Since viruses are incapable of reproducing themselves, they penetrate into bacteria cells and use their DNA to multiply themselves, eventually exploding the bacteria inside out.

They also go into some plant seed cells, improving the longevity and drought resistance of the infected seeds. That works in favor of farmers when the infection occurs on crop plants.

Often times we see events and phenomena in black and white, meaning simply bad or simply good. But in reality nothing is absolutely bad nor absolutely good. Fore example Bats are blamed for spreading viruses and causing sickness and death and are as such very bad animals.

But in reality Bats exist for a reason and as such are very useful creatures in their own rights.

Usefulness of Bats

This lesser long-nosed bat is covered with pollen. This species of bat lives in the desert and sips the nectar of cacti and agave flowers.

Sure, it's interesting that bats navigate by echolocation and that they're nocturnal. But do they really matter? The short answer is "Yes!" These flying mammals bring many benefits to their ecosystems. More than 50 unique species of bats live in national parks, and different species provide different benefits. Some pollinate plants, others eat insects, many serve as prey to other animals, and they all inspire scientific discoveries.

* Supporting Cave Communities
Caves are complex and unique ecosystems that provide homes for a diversity of creatures from insects to amphibians and fish as well as mammals like wood rats and bats. Many of these creatures can only survive within the cave, and they rely on nutrients carried into the cave by water or other animals. Bats benefit caves by providing important nutrients in their guano (better fertilizer than cow manure!) that support the growth of communities of cave organisms.

* Insect Control
Bats that eat insects are called "insectivorous." They feast on insects each night, adding up to more than $3.7 billion worth of pest control each year in the U.S. When bats are around to eat insects, there are fewer insect pests causing damage to crops, and farmers don't have to invest as much in pesticides. Imagine a teenage boy eating 200 quarter-pound burgers -- that's how much a bat eats in insects in one night!

* Pollinators
Several species of bats in tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas eat nectar. Many types of plants in these regions rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal, such as the blue agave. In some southwestern parks, long-nose and long-tongue bats are perfectly adapted to pollinate these plants, and they provide extensive value to the agricultural industry. So next time you sweeten your coffee with agave nectar, remember to thank a bat.

* Seed Dispersal
Fruit-eating bats play important roles in distributing seeds to maintain plants and forests. These species of bats, often called "flying foxes" because of their larger body size and big eyes, live in tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World (Africa, Asia and Australia). Fruit-eating bats are also found in some Pacific islands, Latin America, and the Caribbean and live in national parks in Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands!

* Prey
Just as some bats rely on thousands of insects each night for survival, other animals in the ecosystem rely on bats for their calories. Hawks, falcons, and owls eat bats, and mammals like weasels, ringtail cats, and raccoons sometimes attack bats while they roost.

* Inspirational animal
Some of bats' unique features like membrane wings and echolocation have inspired technological advances in engineering. Drones that have thin and flexible bat-like wings are are in the works as well as tiny, more efficient sonar systems for navigation. The wingsuits used by basejumpers take more than a few cues from bats' aerodynamic bodies.

"I speak my mind because it hurts to bite my tongue.
The worth of a book is measured by what you carry away from it.
It's not over till it's over.
Imagination is everything.
All life is an experiment.
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the bVtterfly.” ~Pat F., Topaz and the Evil Wizard

[kibramlak]

My take and the key point that gives sense to me is that, as said in the Bible (most likely in the qoran too), there are a clearly stated food chains humans should eat. When we take the case of Ebola, monkeys are not cited as food source. Bats, pigs, snakes, and many other unknown food sources are not cited as food sources.
This calamity maybe the result of our transgression against the rules of nature as stated in the Bible/Qoran.

Now we are in big and deep hole that no one knows when we would be out. Some scenarios say that the virus will be circulating around for two years at least, during which several millions will lose their dears. Its real and Scarry.

In an ideal situation all countries stop activities at ones, force their respective citizens to test one by one, then take treatment measures for those found I'll. Otherwise, the virus may keep spreading and the two years propagation scenario could hold true.

The situation in Ethiopia is troubling because of the following reasons:

- Use of cash money
- Use of public transport
- lack of awareness ,(I still see people people walking holding hands, shoulders, even sharing bottled water

I bet, unless radical measure is taken, in Ethiopia, tens ofillions can die

Finally, I would find it immoral to accuse and insult (even beat) foreigners as the cause of this virus.