The oppressor is oppressed.

It is only human nature to seek freedom. In order to substantiate one’s freedom, one needs to be educated. Without learning, it is impossible to know what opportunities are out there. Providing quality education should thus be the foundation of any civilized society.

It is then enigmatic why some people would try to suppress opportunities for education, the very basis of an open and dynamic life. I think the key is to be found in the fact that those oppressed often try to oppress others in turn, rather than liberate themselves. Moreover, those who oppress others without any good reason (was there ever a “good” reason for oppression?) often take criticisms from outside in a partisan context, rather than allowing themselves to be inspired by the words of good intentions.

It seems to me that the only way to improve the difficult situations is to convey the bright ideas, without necessarily criticizing those who is in the business of oppression. We need to acknowledge that those who oppress are actually oppressed themselves. The only logical way to liberate the oppressed is by liberating the oppressors themselves.

All too often, we apply the north wind approach. There is not enough sun. Pointing of fingers and keeping the records are sometimes necessary, but liberating people should be more fun and joyous. Smile on the face is often the telltale sign of liberation.

Of course I am talking here about the wonderful works of Ms. Malala Yousafzai. It was wonderful that a small girl (even now only 17) had the courage to stand up to the oppression.  She deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, even though her work (and her own education perhaps) is far from over.  Malala is already a great teacher to the world. She taught us what an individual could do in this complex modern world if he or she had courage and a vision.

Through the news, we see the inner light emanating from her face, which, I sincerely hope, would shine even on the oppressors. I wish that the oppressors (and the cynics among us too, perhaps) would see their own image in the light, and turn away from the dark, vicious circle.

More fascinating than the results of the Scottish Independence Referendum.

With the final counts of the Scottish Independence Referendum expected within the next few hours, it is only human to anticipate the results with excitement. The U.K. betting houses have been collecting tens of thousands “votes” before the real votes were cast. The developing drama full of uncertainties in the Scottish (and U.K.) destiny is certainly a great attention grabber.

The real fascination, however, resides in the very fact that this referendum is taking place at all. The historic Edinburgh Agreement (Agreement between the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland) signed by David Cameron, Michael Moore, Alex Salmond, and Nicola Sturgeon on 15^th October 2012 is a Nobel Peace Prize material in retrospect. 

The very fact that a sovereign state can take the devolution process to such an extreme so that a part of the union would be allowed to go its own way, in a more or less peaceful manner (one would hope), provided the results of the referendum is a yes, shows how mature the U.K. democracy has become. Such would not be the case in many parts of the world, where similar issues have been raised.

It is also very interesting how the wording of the referendum has been discussed and prepared. The originally proposed question  "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" has been found leading, and it has been changed to "Should Scotland be an independent country?" The process of the Electoral Commission comparing various wordings of the referendum question and deciding on the most neutral concise one is a case of applied cognitive science.

Thus, although the results of the votes would be certainly exciting, more interesting and fascinating perhaps is the process leading to the referendum. 

I would like to propose a toast to the people concerned, even before the results come in, for having come all the way to this historic vote.