Three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food—those are the survival rule of threes.

On Monday, October 9th, 2023, Israel, which controls the electricity, food, fuel, and water to Gaza, issued a complete siege. Meaning no food, no water, no electricity, and no fuel is to enter the region.
 
How did we get here?
 
To understand what is going on today, we need to look at what has been happening historically and over the past few months. The culmination of what we are seeing today is highly complex. Please note, I am not a political commentator, but I am trying to make this as simple as possible, so please be patient and feel free to add constructive criticisms in the comments.
 
Key actors and factors:

• Israel – For the past months, Israel has been going through a judicial reform process which has been dividing the country of Israel. This reform process, which Netanyahu has been advocating, has split the country. Generally, Northern Israelis are more agreeable to the reform process whereas folks in the South are less agreeable. Especially, the areas that were attacked. It is worth noting that Egypt warned Israel 10 days before the attack. Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance and is infamous for its army, surveillance technology, and military superiority. Surprisingly, it took the IDF 6 hours to respond to civilian requests for help.
  
• Palestine – After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Palestine was under British control and in 1917 the British issued the Balfour Declaration which included provisions for establishing a “Jewish homeland in Palestine”. The Nakba otherwise known as the catastrophe for Palestinian people sparked the creation of Israel in 1948. Since 1948, Zionist and Jewish Settlers have violently displaced Palestinians and progressively stolen 77% of what was originally Palestinian land. With each progressive land grab, Palestinians are displaced and forced to either leave their homeland with no right for return or steered into the West Bank and or Gaza.
  
• Hamas – This is a fringe group in Palestine that has been challenging the Palestinian Liberation Movement (PLO).  In early 1980s, the Israeli government was funding Hamas which very similar to how the CIA was involved with Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. In 2006, which is when the last elections occurred on the Gaza Strip, Hamas won. 
  
• Gaza Strip – Densely population, these 140 square miles are home to ~2.3 million people.  In 2007, Israel issued a blockage and restricted the movement of people which essentially isolated Gaza from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories. This restriction of movement and supplies in and out of the strip includes key infrastructural measures like electricity, water, construction materials, etc. For 15+ years, Gaza has been trapped in what Human Rights Watch calls "an open-air prison.” Israel is in complete control of Gaza's access to food, fuel, water, electricity, and humanitarian aid.
  

What is happening right now?

Right, this open-air concentration camp known as Gaza is being carpet bombed by the state of Israel for horrendous and heinous actions committed by Hamas. These actions and claims include some war crimes—some claims are true, and some claims are false. It is worth noting that some of the claims are egregious and must be investigated further. Regardless, this was and is a terrorist attack. It is the largest terrorist attack on Israel. Viewer discretion is advised, but please watch the video below which shows some of the carnage.

My heart goes out to all the victims and their families, to those individuals’ held hostage, to all those stranded beneath rubble, and to all those missing. This is an atrocity. Collective punishment is not, nor will it ever be the answer. It is not going to bring back lives lost. It is not going to solve the problem. It will only bring death and destruction.

Israel currently is punishing the people of Gaza. Collective punishment that is condoned and funded by the United States. The POTUS and VP have stated their unconditional support for Israel’s right to defend itself. This is concerning because Israel is launching retaliatory attacks against a captive population. As a US citizen, taxpayer, and voter, I have never been more disappointed and disgusted. I have always believed all life is sacred and am deeply concerned by the violent response.

I am deeply concerned by the genocidal language used by Netanyahu, the Israeli War Ministries, by members of the US Congress, and by individuals who are advocating for further death and destruction. For context, Article II of the Genocide Convention defines genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

1. Killing members of the group;
2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
   
   

It also should be noted that the people of Gaza have nowhere to go. These are babies, children, mothers, daughters, etc. These are civilians. These are noncombatants. Furthermore, Israel is using white phosphorus which is a violation of international humanitarian law. The only border exit to Egypt was bombed several times rending the roads inoperable. On October 12/13, Israel told all the residents of North Gaza to evacuate.

Where will they go?

This should never be acceptable. This should never be condoned. This should never go non-questioned.

Sensationalism and misinformation are making this entire situation worse. It is playing on emotions and blinding people to their core beliefs, values, and what they inherently know is true. Being angry at injustice and murder is fair and acceptable; being so blind with rage that you willingly subject innocent parties to atrocities is unacceptable. This goes for both Hamas and Israel. I would like to think the majority of rational people would agree with that statement.

The challenge is that for the past few years there has been a critical effort to conflate criticizing Israel with Antisemitism (Antisemitism like Islamophobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, Racism, etc. is unacceptable). Furthermore, there has been conceited efforts to ban all dialogue that criticizes Israel and or support the right of Palestinians to freely live without oppression.

In France, there is a ban on Pro-Palestinians protests. In the United States, there are anti-BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) laws that oppose boycotts of Israel, the proponents of this law believe BDS is antisemitic. Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions started as a non-violent form of protest that used to combat apartheid in South Africa. Human Rights Watch instead suggests that “states should encourage, not sanction, companies that avoid contributing to human rights abuses”. Amnesty International in “a damning report” found that Israel’s apartheid over Palestinian people is cruel.

Language is important and it is imperative to speak out against injustice. This includes injustices that are unfairly targeting Israeli citizens. This also includes injustices that have historically and currently are unfairly targeting Palestinian citizens. This history and the existing power dynamics must be acknowledged, examined, and contextualized. But right now, Gaza is at the brink of genocide.

I will not silently watch, and neither should you.

What should we do going forward?

Here are a two actions you can today:

1. Advocate to your governments and your leaders for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation
   
2. Educate yourself and your friends/ family on the history of Israel, Palestine, Gaza, antisemitism, and Islamophobia
3. Take care of your family and loved ones, all this inflammatory language has increased Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and violence. Recently, a 6 year old boy was stabbed 26 times because of this violent rhetoric and a Synagogue leader was murdered
   

While it can seem like a complex situation to solve, problems must be taken one at a time. It is clear that the current state of Israel and Palestine is not favorable to either population, both must come to the table to create a peaceful future together. Ideas must advocate for:

• Freeing of Prisoners
  • Israeli hostages must be released
  • 1,264 Palestinian administrative detainees and Palestinian children in Israeli prisons must also be released
• Palestinians Sovereign Rights
  • Palestinians must be able to hold elections, the fact that the last election was in 2006 is ridiculous
  • Palestinians must have control over their public utilities like water, electricity, and fuel
• Tribunal for War Crimes
  • Hamas must be held accountable for their war crimes
  • Israel must be held accountable for its war crimes

Things not included in my analysis include Iran, the potential of a wider escalation in the region, Israel's border tensions with Lebanon and Syria, US interests in the Middle East and a historical analysis of US energy policy which has historically driven US presence and policy in the region.

Kindly note, I may come back and update this article periodically as new events and information unfolds.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un
(To God we belong, to God we return)

First and foremost, my heart, thoughts, and prayers go to my brothers and sisters we lost in the Bronx Fire, to their families, to their loved ones, and to our shared communities. I am praying for you, I am praying for your families, and I am praying for our communities. I am praying for forgiveness for our failure as a society.

"The condition in which they lived caused their death"

Those were declared by Sheikh Musa Drammneh at the Bronx 2022 Funeral Service for those 17 individuals, 8 of whom were children, the youngest of whom was a 2-year-old named Ousmane Konteh. Less than 75 years ago, Mamie Till declared those same exact words at the open casket funeral of Emmett Till on September 6, 1955. In 75 years, what conditions have changed?

On the day of the funeral Sheikh Musa stated:

We, as a society, must ask ourselves, what are these conditions? What are the laws? What are the regulations? What is the enforcement of regulations? What are resources or lack thereof contributing to these two disparate worlds?
This pain and this memory reminded me of similar incident. An incident that was also preventable. An incident that impacted people of colors. An incident that impacted immigrants. An incident that was caused by the condition in which people lived. An incident that resulted from willful negligence.

Grenfell Tower.

On June 14, 2017, in London, a flat caught on fire in Grenfell Tower that resulted in the death of 72 individuals. A public investigation is underway and Phase 1 of the Executive Summary of the report found “compelling evidence that the external walls of the building…did not adequately resist the spread of fire…on the contrary, they actively promoted it.” A similar investigation and inquiry must be launched for the Bronx 2022 Fire. We must understand that these conditions and remove the circumstances that perpetuate them.

We must understand the geography of inequity. We must understand how our global society can create similar circumstances on two opposing sides of the Atlantic Oceans. We must recognize that our actions or lack thereof impact our most vulnerable peoples. I find it quite ironic that this incident took place in the Bronx, which is a part of New York City. 

On the Statue of Liberty it reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”

What are we doing with these huddle masses?

This past year, I have had the privilege of working on a couple initiatives, which I consider to be relevant to the future we wish to create. The first is curating, hosting, and facilitating and discussion on Black Finance Matters: Uncovering the Dark Side of the Finance Industry. The second, a first for me, is writing a policy piece for titled Metrics that Matter: Figures That Foster Multilateral Prosperity for the Values 20, a new group focused on creating human centered. And finally, external to me, the announcement at COP26 on the creation of the ISSB with a few reflections on that specifically as it relates to the previous two initiatives.

Fun fact, my debut on the NSFM Bright Talk ESG Channel was hosting our first all-black panel.

A privilege which I am thrilled to hold. This conversation covered a plethora of topics ranging from reparations to unconscious bias to how we can create a more inclusive financial system. And whether we need to reconsider how our financial systems fundamental operate! A stellar conversation, which I would highly encourage you all to check out. Here were a few of my key takeaways:
1.    Financial inclusion is imperative at the individual, venture capital, and global financial levels
2.    Unconscious bias exists in organizations, training on these biases can be a significant first step
3.    Creating an inclusive financial system should start from the inside out

My next adventure involved a world I never really thought I would end up in—policy.

By chance, I stumbled across the V20 and submitted a proposal titled Metrics that Matter. The proposal resonated and fortunately, a couple coauthors kindly joined me on this journey. We discussed, debated, wrote, edited, re-wrote, and co-created this piece which petitions G20 policymakers to champion the use of metrics that matter when it comes to measuring people, planet, and prosperity. Our recommendations included:
1.    specific metrics which we believe will more fully account for externalities at the national and supra-national levels in addition to expanding ESG disclosures at the business levels
2.    partnering with multinational organizations to better understand how global capital flows and philanthropic dollars are being distributed
3.    leveraging new technological advances to support and simplify the collection, measuring, and use of metrics

Based on the information above, you could only imagine how elated I was when I heard the announcement of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) at COP26. The advancement of ESG Disclosures is something I think is critical to creating a better future. Additionally, I think inclusivity is also critical to creating a better future as well. While I agree this is a step in the right direction, what concerns me most with the ISSB is the governing structure. In the IFRS Constitution section 46, sub-points A, B, C, and D—there is already a geographic imbalance embedded in the standards.

It is time we raise our standards.

On January 6th, a group of domestic terrorists formed by White Nationalists and their counterparts in the Capitol Police department stormed Capitol in Washington DC. Their insurrection aimed at undermining democracy in the American Republic by overturning the results of the 2020 election. This planned and deliberate fascist attempt amounts to treason. And all those involved in this treasonous attempt should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. A judge and jury can determine the appropriate course of action.

That being said, this powder keg of events has been nurtured over time. In fact, domestic terrorism from right wing terrorist groups like the ones we saw yesterday were identified by the FBI as one of the greatest threats to America. The following testimony from the FBI Archives in 2002 talks about this matter in greater depth. To put in blankly, the actions of domestic terrorism from these particular groups should come as no shock.

How do Conservative and Radical Christians relates?

They are funding and fueling these terrorist groups. That is not to say that all Conservatives and Christians are bad or complicit. In fact, I have several Conservative and Christian friends myself. I respect them and their views. I even agree with them on certain topical issues, which I will not address here. But I am calling for all the moderate, liberal, and any reasonable Conservative and or Christian to condone these attacks.

Let us by very clear, you cannot place the blame at "Antifa" or Anti-Fascist groups. The actions of yesterday align for too well with Fascism to encourage the involvement of Anti-Fascist groups. The red flags were everywhere. In fact, there were "a large assortment of flags: American flags, Confederate flags, and Trump 2020 flags; the Christian flag, QAnon flags, and Don’t Tread on Me flags."

It is also worth noting that this insurrection was planned. In fact, the Black Lives Matter movement and its leaders advised their members, people of color, and others not to come out on January 6th because of these planned actions by these domestic terrorists. And went so far as to warn law enforcement that there were plans. Given the warnings, it makes the lack of security on that day very suspect and questionable. Which ought to be investigated.

An attempted coup on the Capitol should not be taken lightly. Americans need to wake up and understand what is going on around them. Read and understand your history. Know who your friends are, know who your enemies are, and know who the hypocrites are.

Make sure your actions write a historical narrative you can be proud of. To anyone who recognizes their mistakes and changes for the better, you have my deepest respect.

Be on the right side of history.

For the past year and a half, I have been on 3 continents and visited over 10+ countries in addition to engaging with individuals from 100+ countries throughout my masters program at Hult International Business School. The moment our courses got moved online, I booked a one way flight from Boston to California with several of my classmates booking similar flights globally.

What started in Wuhan has since spread infecting over 100+ countries and impacting the lives of millions. Most recently, the stock market collapsed dropping 20% and even with an injection of 1.5 Trillion Dollars by the Fed--it is still maintaining its downward course. We are facing a global recession. It is worth noting that the issues and problems that arise are not simply the result of COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. The problems, especially in the United States, are the result of severe disinvestment in the people and the very institutions that maintain and manage public health. This virus is merely exacerbating the problems you were already facing.

I want to use this opportunity to point of the failure of business and the utter lack of a social safety net for a vast majority of the population. Most Americans are one paycheck away from being on the streets. And the vast majority of student are burdened with debt and the limited job prospect make education an unattainable alternative. Our elderly lack the care they need. Hospitals, doctors, nurses, and caregivers are overburdened. But someone is profiting off of this and that is the problem I have. That 1.5 Trillion the Fed gave--who does that benefit?

This system is broken. I am bitter. I am angry.

But I am still hopeful.

The idea of borders being closed and social distancing being practiced means that we as society still care deeply about one another. I know that within this madness and what some may view as malarkey--people still care. And that is important to remember, because the reality is COVID-19 is just a baby test and how we react to this will have huge implications for future problems.

The real test is yet to come--climate change.

Recently, I had a chance to visit the Pygmy Forest in Mendocino. For my fellow geography buffs, it is about 2-3 hours north of San Francisco, close to the coastline along Highway 1, and just south of Fort Braggs.

The Pygmy Forest is over one hundred years old and filled with trees that are hardly taller than you and me. Just a stone’s throw away are these colossal redwood trees which in comparison clamber into the sky. As I scanned along this tree line and smelled the sea seasoned air surrounding both forests, I could not pinpoint anything that could conceivably cause such a drastic height different.

Intrigued I decided to dig a little deeper and read the signage at the trailhead pictured below:

For whatever reason, this unique landscape could not escape my mind and reminded me of a dichotomy seen elsewhere. A dichotomy I had seen walking the streets and neighborhoods of San Francisco. A dichotomy I had seen crossing under and overpasses in Silicon Valley. A dichotomy I had seen flying and roaming the heartland of the United States. This was not limited to differences in melanin, but rather differences in incomes with a growing inequity. A dubious dichotomy whose tentacles extend into classrooms, schools, and American Dreams. A difference that has manifested in the contrasting legacy of Nairobi College to that of Stanford University. A difference that I have a difficult time explaining.

Similar to geography, the inequities in education piqued my interest. At first, it was a simple reflection of my experience within education and comparing and contrasting it to that of my peers. But there were a few concerning patterns I noticed which I decided to explore it further after graduating from UC Berkeley. Like any good Berkeley graduate, I approached it with an academic rigor reading academic articles, books, and attending lectures. While I learned a lot, there was no way to succinctly describe the problems I saw and what I believe. Well that is, until now. After some reflection, I concluded that the pygmy forest is the perfect analogy for the American education system.

How?

Well, it is important to first recognize that the current American education system did not spring up overnight. It has developed over time, and the “achievement gaps” we see today are a result of lapsed time and frankly, bad policy. While some communities and areas were uplifted by the system, others were ignored. As a result of these decisions, positive feedback loops were created for both communities with very divergent outcomes. On one side, the soil is rich and fertile, allowing the redwood trees to reach great heights. On the other, the soil in the pygmy forest was systematically stripped of nutrients and resources, resulting in poor and inhospitable conditions which indiscriminately restricted the growth and thus height potential of each tree in that region.

No scientist, or any sane and rational person really, would look at the trees in the pygmy forest and claim, “The reason that you, pygmy tree, are not growing as tall as the redwood tree is because you are not as smart, intelligent, driven, talented, or gifted as those redwood trees.” In this context, it is laughable. So why then is it deemed remotely reasonable when this same “logic” is applied to students? It is absurd. It does not consider students environment, context, and experiences and takes a singular approach to what is obviously an extremely complex multifaceted issue. Instead, what we ought to do is question everything and dare I say—dig a little deeper.  

Some questions that come to mind are: Is height in fact a fair metric of comparison for pygmy and redwood trees? If not, what is? In schools, academic success and “intelligence” are measured by grades, test scores, IQ, SAT scores, etc.—are these fair metrics of comparison? If not, what are? Better yet, why do we even need metrics of comparison? What value do they add? Are they indicative of intrinsic characteristics? If not, what impact and or unintended consequences could stem from attributing a lack of growth to a supposed inherent flaw? Are we doing more harm than good by using metrics? Are we measuring what matters? What can we do to redefine success so that it is no longer based on your roots? If there is a problem, what can we do to reshape the environment? What policy level changes can we make to address the “achievement gaps”? Can we create an environment where all trees and students can reach their potential, whatever that may mean to them? What are our responsibilities and obligations as members of this ecosystem and society to these trees and students? More importantly, what can we do to fulfill them? This is just a brief window to my brain at 3:00 AM.

Furthermore, how can we encourage a positive learning environment for our students? Several plant studies have demonstrated that positive affirmations and encouragements boost plant growth while negative statements and condemnations stunt it. Humans are also living breathing beings who feel as well—can you imagine how negativity impacts us?

Fortunately, we have some answers to a few of those questions. Claude M. Steele is a well-renown social psychologist explores some of these issues in his book Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. While there is no denying that we live in a society filled with stereotypes, his analysis reveals that these biases can be internalized and result in real tangible impacts that can be both positive and negative. The language we use has an impact, but fortunately there are ways in which we can mitigate the impact. Another book that addresses some of the aforementioned questions is Ungifted: Intelligence Redefine by Scott Barry Kaufman which brings to question how we measure intelligence or success and explore the unintended consequences of creating false binaries. That being said, academic success, perceived intelligence and even wealth bode no relationship with whether or not a person is ethical, moral, or generally lives a happy life—I am sure you can find several examples within your own life or on the news to support this claim.

Last time I checked, you and me, we are not trees and therefore are not limited to and deeply rooted in the environment in which we were brought up. We have feet, we have hands, we have eyes, and hopefully, we have some ability to think (or some variation of the aforementioned). More importantly, we have the ability to change the environment around us. It might be a herculean task, and we may not be able to change things single-handedly. But if we cannot do it alone, we sure as hell can do it together. We can roll up our sleeves to reshape the environment and reshape our environment into one where everyone can thrive and be uplifted.

That vision is something my team and I care deeply about at Major Probs and are actively working to address. Call me naïve, but I truly believe that we can and need to change things, but before we do that we need to dig a little deeper.

*You can read the article here as well: 
http://relieflab.irusa.org/orville-disaster-response-reflections/
​
A few weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege of volunteering as a part of a Disaster Response Team aiding those impacted by the Orville Dam evacuations and the San Jose flooding. This experience opened my eyes and made me realize a few things—here are a few of my reflections and thoughts.
​

​I have always believed in this notion, but it is something that I have rarely seen in action. Here I am defining religion as a way of life. A way of life which may or may not conform to a set of certain set of principles, rules, regulations, guidelines, regions, and/or identities. While volunteering, I had the privilege of meeting people from different religious backgrounds and walks of life. People who, on a regular basis, I would not have the opportunity to associate with. This included former members of the military, congregants of the Southern Baptist Church, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, Atheists, Muslims, and everything in between. The only thing that these folks appear to have in common is their desire to help others. A duty which was not taken lightly.
​

The response to these disasters was truly a village coming together. Our team brought up donations from the South Bay and the surrounding regions. People flew in from all over the country, leaving the comfort of their family and homes to sacrifice their time and energy. Supplies brought in from all over the USA provided food and shelter. Each person who donated an item, resources, or their time is a hero. What I realized is this: people have good intentions and even if they cannot physically be there, their spirit and well wishes can. I just want to give a shout out to all the volunteers who worked 12 hours shifts. It is mentally and physically exhausting, and they all have my utmost respect and admiration for doing it day after day.

While it is great seeing the community coming together like this, the real question is how can we prevent things like this from happening? Climate change will only worsen the impact of events like this and if we do not take precautionary measures, more people will be impacted in the future. From conversations I had with those who were impacted, I learned that there were very few alternatives. If we can come together to aid these people in disasters, what is preventing us from aiding them before these disasters occur? How can we work to provide alternatives?

These are not million dollar questions, these are the questions for over a million lives.

Cooped up, tied down
About forgotten.
Shared sentiments severed
By miles and miles of dust and roads.
 
Those paths less traveled
About forgotten.
 
Crumbling infrastructure--
Stranding each on opposite sides
So close yet so far
What can be done to fill this divide?
 
False promises, cheats, and lies
Triumphant losses suffered on both sides.
Could we, instead, throw out a line—?
 
Building bridges to help walk the line
The keystone being an open mind.
Have faith and pray, do not lose hope today
For tomorrow will be another difficult day.
 
The challenging task is yet to come:
Listen carefully before you are done;
Listen carefully to everyone;
Listen carefully for what is to come
 
Carefully listen as we may not see
Not zi, na see, Nazi…
 
Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.
 
Here we are suffering.
Here we are in pain.
Hear, we all need change
 
Settling for pennies and dimes,
Poisoning us is part of an elaborate design.
 
Let us educate and not hate.
 
Start by addressing a rural urban divide:
Without both, our nation will not survive.
United we stand, divided we fall
 
Yet, we fear one another—like a cancer
Killing our nation from the inside out
Here we are on the cusp of collapse.
 
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself
 
Some fear for their livelihood—others fear for their life.
Their liberty and lives have been stripped, whipped…
Woefully ill-equipped
Yet still they rise.
 
I am amazed by you and your resilient sides
America, vow to give faith a fighting chance
And join me in our healing dance.
 
We could rewrite our wrongs seeing
Our left and our right to find what was
Left behind, bringing it all into the light
Doing what is right.
 
What is right is not always popular and
What is popular is not always right.
 
So choose your battles wisely
Be prepared to reap what you sow
One never knows how the wind may blow
 
Hurt no one, so that no one hurts you and do not
Commit injustices against yourself.
It is in our hearts and in our hands,
Reckon awakening complacent heads?
 
I know somewhere in between a heart skipped a beat,
Shh, listen carefully, can’t you see? It’s not just black and blue--
If we just open old wounds, our hearts, and our minds, only then
Can we get to the heart of the matter
 
Break. these. mental. chains.
 
Here is a thought—why not use our brains.
We keep thinking that we are ahead of the game…
Eventually the curtain will close, it was just an act
And all for show, our prayers and players
 
Could simply be played.
So remember we
 
Are judged by the content of our character:
Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight,
 
This could be solved within a minute.
Within a heartbeat, if all would listen
Then maybe, just maybe a renascent could rise
A new birth of freedom
 
A government of the people
By the people for the people
Could be for all the people.

Disclaimer: This article is primarily written for myself any of the advice or solutions given are first and foremost things that I am working on implementing within my life. You can think of it as me talking in a mirror to myself reflecting on society.

Within our society we have a system established that literally abuses the vast majority of us. These systems lie all across the board ranging from racism, police abuse, education and access to education, insurance policies, resource distribution, pollution, climate change, water quality, water distribution, our tax system, our current government practices, and even our internal reactions to those around us. What I mentioned does not even begin to scratch the surface. When was the last time you walked through a "ghetto" neighborhood and felt at ease, when was the last time you saw a homeless person and acknowledged their existence as a fellow human being, when was the last time you empathized with those less fortunate rather than blaming them for their circumstances, when was the last time you thought about where your tax dollars go, and when was the last time you had time to think about these things rather than worry about your simply surviving and providing for your family, and...the list goes on and on.

In my opinion, the main issue here is that we do not care about one another. It is basically like we are all fighting over pennies, while others sit on their stacks of money passing a cigar around enjoying the spectacle. Finding amusement in our misery. One thing that they do better than us is look out for one another. There is constant lobbying and reform promoted by them to protect them and their vested interests. And part of what they do is work to turn the rest of us against ourselves.

While reading the Qur’an, verse 73 of Surah Al- Anfal (Chapter 8) stood out to me and highlights the problems that we are seeing.

Everything I mentioned above falls into the category of oppression, persecution, confusion, and mischief. This is what we are seeing and the solution is right there.

We need to start being allies of one another.

We need to start being protectors of one another.

We need to start caring about one another.

And in order to do that, we must start by asking ourselves difficult questions. Why we hold the opinions we do? Why we act in certain ways? Why is that we do not care about one another? After asking why, we move on to addressing what. What is wrong with us? What does it mean to be an ally? What does it mean to be a protector? What would we want in an ally or protector? And finally how.

How can we be one?

          Thanks for the question. The short answer would be no. A more thorough answer would involve a deeper analysis of what morals mean and how one would define breaking or crossing morals. There are different perspectives that can be used to define morals, the definition I will use and that seems most applicable to the question defines morals as “a person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do.” Personally, I tend to view morals as a guideline by which one lives their life. As long as you understand where your personal boundaries are and what those limits are—you would not need to break or cross them. Also, as you go through life you learn more and your perception of things changes and consequently your morals and values may change or shift. My philosophy is to live with minimal to no regrets, if I do not feel comfortable doing anything I will not do it. Hope that answers your questions.