Sometimes, the directions change!

5 min readFeb 5, 2025

I made a mistake

A few days back, I posted an article on the strangest January ever, an article I also posted to my Substack site. After thinking this act over, I realized that posting the same content on two platforms is terrible. Each must stand independent of the other, proudly speaking in their voices.

My Substack Publication. Tramping in India.

I dedicate my Substack publication to travel writing and photography, photography, a spot of history, ruminations, photographs, Delhi, and the weather. Anyone reading the last line may know why I used the word, ‘weather,’ instead of ‘climate.’ Climate change takes place over decades but people freeze, burn, feel thirsty, choke on pollution, and experience everything related to climate. When I speak to people about climate change and emphasize the changes we can expect in the next few decades, their eyes glaze over, and they look away. Climate change is a topic too complex for the average person. Talk to them about the weather, and they wake up. We experience weather, not climate.

I call my Substack publication ‘Tramping in India.’ You can follow along by clicking the link in the title, this link, or at the end of this post.

Climate Change, Society and Change.

I am also not motivated to write only on climate change. This last statement does not mean I will abandon the subject: we treat our planet shabbily, living in the insane hope of colonizing Mars and escaping the mess we are creating with our planet.

We didn’t have dial phones when I was a child: we’d call the telephone operator. Now, every businessperson I talk to gushes about the immense productivity impact we are experiencing and will experience because of AI. Almost no one knows anything about AI or the explosive effect super-intelligence, robotics, and synthetic biology will have on society. We have sunny and dark predictions rubbing shoulders, screaming for an audience. I don’t have answers; however, I will share my views whenever I encounter interesting insights.

“Technology” makes us visible to everyone and everything: we provide data and become the raw material for ‘social media giants,’ to use this term to cover the likes of people like Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, and the rest of their ilk. We live in a panopticon and remain blissful in our ignorance. I’d like to explore the impact of constant surveillance.

How does or will society deal with change? No one has a clue. Politicians are busy trying to stay in power (read: Netanyahu, Modi, Starmer, etc.); business people are busy making money and buying government (read Elon Musk); the middle class gets screwed and distracted; and the poor and oppressed only wish to survive (Xinjiang, Palestine, Manipur, lower-caste people in India, Native American Indians).

Religion and Society

Religion should take us to heaven but divide us. We sing songs to the rivers and trees but pollute rivers and the air and cut trees down to make way for buildings, roads, and anything the rich can flaunt. Summits, like the COP, host many people speaking pious words about sustainability and future generations–words that hold no meaning for them, words they trash as soon as the summit ends.

War contributes to climate change, yet no one speaks of war and climate change. The connection impinged my consciousness first while reading ‘The Nutmeg’s Curse’ by Amitav Ghosh. Read the book. I may reread the book before moving to the following two books he wrote. Therefore, I will continue to write about climate change, but I wish to study and write about war and conflict, especially as it leads to societal changes that bother me.

The Palestinians have a voice in the world, and I rejoice that the world (except politicians and business people) is waking up to their plight, and the brutality perpetrated by the Israelis. However, the Xinjiang Muslims, the Manipuris (of India), the Dalits, Native American Indians, and other oppressed people are invisible. The ‘Global North’ wishes to expel immigrants, and they should deport illegal immigrants. Yet, their colonial mindset is alive and well, so I have little sympathy for them.

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Therefore, I’d like to write about politics, religion, human stupidity, and societal issues. Of course, I will give my perspective and do not claim to be unbiased.

Poking fun at the business world.

I write about business issues on LinkedIn, but LinkedIn is becoming like the “Facebook for business professionals.” Everyone I follow posts self-congratulatory messages and pretends to be at the top of their profession. Almost no one writes articles that make you think or add value to you. However, I will continue to write on LinkedIn at rare intervals and explore specific topics relating to innovation and change. I’ve been away from the corporate world for a decade, and I hope my ex-colleagues will forgive me and share a laugh when I poke fun at their world. Some of my articles here will be sharper than others and more critical than some may enjoy.

Photography & AI Art

Finally, I will write about photography and AI art. I used Midjourney AI to create the banner image at the top of this post. A role for AI art exists, but it is becoming more challenging to define a photograph, and it will be almost impossible to determine what a human being is. If you can change clouds at will, warp and twist sections of a photograph, remove distractions, and add elements, are you creating digital images or pictures? Most photo-editing software uses artificial intelligence, so an AI artist can challenge snooty photographers to define and defend their art.

Book Reviews

Before I forget, I will also review books and include Amazon India affiliate links. I will contain affiliate links in my articles and append a list at the end of this post. I won’t include every link in every post, but I will use them selectively.

I will use my natural voice.

Most importantly, I realized my language was artificial, and I complained when I wrote about climate change. Of course, I will continue complaining, but I will reduce the frequency. I intend to write in my voice, allow my thoughts to traverse great distances, and cover as many topics as my brain allows.

Ultimately, I hope you join me as I explore the world, writing about everything and nothing.