Slavery

Sume has written about modern day slavery here.

Indeed I have often thought we are all slaves in one way or another. What has changed since Voltaire proclaimed man is born free but everywhere he is found in chains.
Inspired by what Sume wrote , I wrote this..needs improving but maybe DITH or some other gifted person can help me out with it.

I keep saying it I know, that making things right is the responsibiliy not of the helpless but of those who have the advantages and priveleges and therefore the means to be empowered to set things right.
I will tell you about a game we did while doing the Rights At Home training in Lebanon.
We did not know it was a game of course , we thought we were doing some reporting .
The organizers dividied us into 4 groups .
One group was treated very well, they were given chairs and tables, and served food and drink and they ended up not doing much work but demanding more and more things.
The next group was treated well but not as well as the first group and they were looking at the first group and asking why weren't they given the same treatment but since they were treated quite well they did their work , stealing a glance now and then at the well to do group. The 3 rd group was mixed , some were given chairs and others had to stand . None of those in the chairs offered their chairs to those standing and those standing started to demand better treatment but were told to do as they were told.
I was in the last and least priveleged group. We were standing, and we were not given any paper and whenever we wanted to speak our minds our *facilitators* refused to listen to us.
I was really fed up with it and was at the back , and we at the back started a clapping campaign, we started shouting , we want our rights,and soon all the least priveleged were shouting and clapping in rythm , we want our rights. Then the less priveleged groups started to join us starting from the ones standing in the less priveleged group and of course the most priveleged group just watched in disdain surprised at our demands.

Well yes, it was just a game but, there we were , mostly activiists acting like most people.
As the Malay saying goes

Gendang Gendut
tali kecapi
Kenyang perut
Suka Hati

And here is my poem on

Modern Day Slavery

My body you may imprision
And claim control over
But you cannot have my reason
My mind you cannot buy over!

Bilal, Ammar, slaves you were
Yet free
But now what have we here?
Slaves who think they are free!


The worker in the factory
Exploited underpaid
Working for someone's glory
No future ahead

Cheap labour ,
Slave labour
For capitalist's gain
for ladies' vain

People whose minds are enslaved
And made to think they are free
Whose paths in life are paved
No choices for them, really!

For long since past ,their lives were bought
No permission sought
No means to ends
No chance to mend

Unless you and me dare
To break the chains
And all who care
Make peace and justice rule again

Friend, are you tired of my serious posts?
My gloom my doom ?
Go then my friend go eat your pot roast
One day this ease may go Boom

For our ease my friend is like the ship with two floors
And the down below thirsty
A hole may soon bore
And soon there is no need to be witty...

DITH's addition:(which I have edited a bit for brevity , which I like)

Materialism,
Money and more money,
Fame and more fame,
Power and more power,
Name and positions,

That's why we have people who are:

So engrossed in the material world that they've lost all humbleness,
So hard-up for money, they're wearing dollar signs as contact lenses,
They'd forgo their comfort to seek fame but alas, fame wrecks them to death!
The yearning for power overwhelms all else, killing the innocents is like exterminating ants!
Wanting names and positions that you 'd ass-lick people of high-places
(and then back-bite them behind their backs!)