Join Sunny Sharma with his elder, insightful, and informative cousins in a discussion around some of the themes highlighted by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King's most famous piece of writing from 1963 called Letter from a Birmingham Jail. We discuss such ideas as the need to break unjust laws in a society, moral authority to confront societal despotism, and most importantly whether there is a place for organized religion in the world today when so many young people are leaving religious institutions.  Is the modern day world organized in a way to no longer need saints or social reformers ..read more

Whether it was on the Selma bridge, in Cairo, the stadiums of South Africa, the legislative chambers of England and India, or the executive halls of America, President Obama strove to reshape the mores of a globalized society away from separation, extremism, oppression, and bigotry towards a politic that stood for not only human rights, but also an understanding that rights can only be fostered through a sort of collective understanding of agency and responsibility that opened the door to future possibilities. Most importantly, President Obama not only acted as Uniter in Chief during a time of ..read more

Malcolm X not only reimagined the place of black people in America and around the globe, but he also told the truth about the political mechanisms and techniques in society that denigrated the poor and working class.  ..read more

Reform precedes revolution and in the words of John Adams the only true revolution is that which occurs in the minds of the people. Similarly in the words of the first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, just as revolution occurs in the mind so does peace as demonstrated by his declaration that, “Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people.” In the words of the Buddha our own internal state reflects the external worl ..read more

Quotation Themes:   Primary themes: Truth, risk, liberty and justice, morality, personal responsibility, conscience.  Secondary themes: Fragility of democracy, reputation/legacy, service, demanding rights, tyranny, duty and patriotism, societal and common welfare, fundamental rights, legality, reform, individual and collective agency or action, and constitutional liberties. In this 11-minute podcast, I highlight informative and insightful quotes by Enlightenment men as well as from Great men who inherit the spirit of Enlightenment values. Some of the men of which I highlight e ..read more

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, born in 1891 and died in 1956, was indeed a unique visionary who combined practical advocacy with his education as a Ph.D. in economics and his training as a lawyer. He tested his principals in the fiery chasm of social and political liberty in India through the development of political parties and the testing of his academic scholarship. We have his principals in the Constitution of India and his legacy and experience of starting political parties for the subaltern (underclass) because he chose to try hard and fail hard rather than to not try at all.  ..read more

If capitalism is predicated upon choice, why in America do we not see a multiplicity of political parties to cater to the diverse strata of viewpoints and perspectives for a population of over 300 million people. Just like America served as an example to the world in 1776, America again must be a beacon of hope showing their ability to reform themselves in line with the greater visions of their society. More importantly, we need an antiwar grassroots party and movement to counteract an ever increasingly dangerous world where war becomes more hazardous every day as nations are positioning them ..read more

In this podcast, we discuss what Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Dalit (untouchable), illustrious writer of the India Constitution in 1950, lawyer, anthropologist, economist, and political human rights defender, meant by radical social democracy which has its origins from first and foremost Buddhism and secondarily from the Enlightenment era specifically the French revolution (liberty, equality, and fraternity). Moreover, we highlight the institutional barriers to social democracy, progress, and liberation for all people in India especially the underclass ..read more

This is an English recording of a Letter written to FDR in September 1941.  Georges Bernanos, a Catholic French Novelist, (1888-1948)  was not only able to articulate unseen spiritual evil through his religious writings usually revolving around priests, but he also had profound insight into politics especially the relationship of the individual to the state. His writings are all the more important during a time of trial and tribulation for much of the world's governments against totalitarianism and failing democracies.  He challenges all complacent thought as a voice of an ave ..read more

In this podcast, we discuss the nature of the caste system and its inevitable destruction. We highlight, in the words of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the importance of social democracy to complement political democracy especially for the subaltern (underclass and Dalits). There is a drastic need for grassroots social reform to combat the evils of caste which are highlighted in the recent movie Origin released January 19, 2024. This movie is based on the book Caste: The Origin of our Discontents, a book that tries to draw parallels between the plight of untouchables (Dalits) in India with the pligh ..read more