My Resolution for the New Year - I will not be afraid

I resolve that in the new year i will not be afraid anymore.

I will not be afraid to think, I will not be afraid of letting my brain - my mind roam free, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid to question stuff, I will not be afraid to be curious about things, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid if someone challenges my beliefs, I will not be afraid to challenge others' beliefs, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid to speak up when I see a wrong being done, I will not be afraid to help others, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid to go with my gut feeling - my instincts, I will not be afraid to take a quick decision, I will not be afraid of the consequences, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid of accepting the truth, I will not be afraid of speaking the truth, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid to accept my own flaws, I will not be afraid to work on those flaws, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid of being alone, I will not be afraid of making commitment, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid of my past, I will not be afraid of my future, I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid of dreaming, I will not be afraid of pursuing those dreams, I will not be afraid.

I'm Not Afraid, by Eminem:

The Four (atheist) Horsemen

Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens discuss all things religion, only from an atheists' standpoint! This is one of the most thought provoking discussions on the topic that i've ever had the opportunity to attend. For anyone who seriously finds himself/herself questioning faith/belief/religion/prayer/worship should watch this.

The Four Horsemen, hour 1 of 2:



The Four Horsemen, hour 2 of 2:

Raising Awareness, 'The Yes Men' way

Ever heard of 'Culture Jamming'? I hadn't, until i watched 'The Yes Men Fix the World'. Irrespective of their methods the awareness that they raise about the issues that make people, especially the corporations and governments, uneasy, has to be priceless. This is a must watch, if not for the message, then for the entertainment value alone.



Here is the link to the website: http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/

What exactly is Wikileaks about?

I have wanted to understand for a while now as to what exactly Wikileaks is about. The recent developments as regards to the release of the "confidential" diplomatic cables by Wikileaks only precipitated this urge to learn more about them. After spending some time on the internet i came across a few different videos (including Noam Chomsky's comments on Wikileaks' recent reveal), and a (archived) blog/diary of sorts of Julian Assange. There is also a very impassioned plea by Ron Paul, a Republican Representative in the lower house of the US, for the establishment to start thinking straight about Wikileaks and what they are doing. I think these few videos and Julian Assange's blog/diary describe what Wikileaks does, and what the mindset/philosophy of the these guys is, beautifully.

1. Here is a video of a ~1hour presentation that Wikileaks made at the 26C3 (the 26th Chaos Communication Congress) held at Berlin, Germany last year. Irrespective of the opinion you have of Wikileaks, of what they have done, and of what they continue to do, I invite you to watch this video in its entirety - if nothing else then for its entertainment and informational value alone.



2. Julian Assange, the public face of Wikileaks, was interviewed earlier this year at TED!



3. For some further insights into the mind of Julian Assange you can read some of his (archived*)blog/diary entries here. Some of his entries are really thought provoking.



*Found this trove via Huffington Post and then Open Topic.

4. **Noam Chomsky talks to Amy Goodman about Wikileaks and their recent reveal of US Diplomatic Cables. He provides some interesting insights into what the Wikileak's recent reveal of the US Diplomatic Cables tells us about US Foreign Policy.

Part 1:


Part 2:


** Sourced from 'Democracy Now' of course.

5. Here is one of the Republican Representatives in the lower house, Ron Paul, trying to talk some sense into the US political establishment regarding the ongoing reveal of US diplomatic cables by Wikileaks: