RAMBLE AND BABBLE 9
It is often said that creative writers invent lies to tell the truth; historians invent truth to tell lies. Truth and lies are often so entangled to differentiate, except for the writers and historians. With the passage of time and cultural indoctrination/miseducation, hatred seeps in, and politicians become saints to deliver their sane messages. Critical political historiographies are getting harder to read and decipher.
The Israeli/Arab conflict will take ages to reach a peaceful settlement or negotiation; peace will require strong prayers by both sides, with big UN and American Joss sticks, which usually burn at both ends. Such disease has now spread to the East, with Western intervention. Even Buddhism was no longer that pacific in their own countries, such as Sri Lanka and Burma. In Malaysia, historians revise their texts for nationalistic and examination purposes, and school children just churn out the facts to score their As. Our novelists are not too good in telling lies, and the facts appear downloaded from somewhere, if you read Rain. Poetry is shunned by most who can read English, and any child who wishes to be a poet or a writer have to be psycho-analysed Perhaps easier to push drugs than listen). What are intellectuals (of non dominant groups) to do in a country who is neither secular nor religious, the politicians remind the other races they are truly peaceful but keep churning out threatening slogans? For retiree, it’s simple, take off the specs and hearing aids, and walk the talk, while the bones are still fit.
wonkywizard 
Religion does not cure the ills of the world.At its best, it’s an opiate for the masses.When the hallucinogenic effects wears off, the addicts are left distraught and crazy.
Kan,
It depends whether one’s faith is in the heart or in the tongue. There are many tongue twisters on all sides. Many battles were fought in the name of religion, but basically, they were economic-political hegemony. Faith makes serene, almost liked a sedative, if you see it that way. I think a lot depends on how religious knowledge is imparted, usually dogmatic and autocratic, as if truth comes from the preachers’ knowledge of the texts. The compassion and wisdom in action are often missed by the individual. The extremists thought their killing was protecting God. How vain for mortals to imbibe such ideology.