Open Emporium

Afghanistan is no stranger to conflict. For over forty years, the country has been invaded by a number of powers such as the Soviet Union and the United States with its allies in NATO. Like what has happened before, the country has once again returned to the hands of a group that know the country better than anyone else, the Taliban. Of course, the Taliban did not exist when the Soviets invaded from the North. Their predecessors were there but like the USA, the Soviet Union withdrew. How did this happen this time with the USA and its allies? Let's take a look. There are many reasons why the War in Afghanistan failed. Firstly, the Afghani military which has been funded, supplied, and trained by American forces and her NATO partners since 2001, was deeply corrupt and incapable of large-scale warfare. Many officers weren't capable of supplying their forces logistically, and give them any form of support. There was hardly any communication and long-term goals the high command wante...

Technology has improved our lives greatly. Coupled with medical and hygienic advancements, it has increased our life expectancy, gave us luxurious living standards, and more opportunities professionally, socially, and economically. But there is a disadvantage of technology as it permeates through lineages and lifestyles. It has gradually encompassed everything we do and we have a hard time living without it. Let's dive in. As I just mentioned, technology is everywhere. We can't live without it and that is the first big problem. Our lives have transformed radically in the last fifty years. Even more so with the introduction, development, and presence of engrained tech giants that have revolutionized the way we gather and understand information, plan vacations and trips, grocery and online shopping, and communicate with each other. The fact that each introduction is the "next great trend", socially you were forced to go along with this phenomena to be a part of a massiv...

Our society is marked with consumerism. It is essentially the backbone of capitalism. Both consumerism and capitalism go hand-in-hand in keeping the economy afloat and strong. The more you buy, the better the business does. Strong buying power is the key to consumerism. Without it, the economic performance of a nation will stagnate and recede. But there are a lot of disadvantages to excess consumerism in Western society that can widespread implications to us and everything around us. Let us explore them. The Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th century laid the foundation for consumerism. For the first time in human history, everyday products were manufactured for the mass population. Suddenly, more people found themselves in the position to acquire items that were so distant to them economically for centuries. The lines between rich and poor started to fade. Wages went up gradually which also meant a noticeable increase in buying power. This did not happen overnight of course. I...

I find when a student reaches high school level he/she will start making important choices regarding their adulthood. I believe the high school system should be responsible in nurturing developmental desires in adolescent students and guiding them to make appropriate decisions that will greatly benefit them in the future. Of course, there will always be students who won't take this seriously and take it as a joke. Naturally, this period of their lives will the most carefree months ever. After they graduate from high school, they will be forced to look at career prospects, post-secondary institutions, paying bills and so on. As I attended high school, I took cooking, sewing, and computer classes. There wasn't enough room for mechanics and other things. But they should make room. As I attended these classes, some of my classmates fooled around, thinking they will never need the knowledge they acquire from these classes. They are obligated to be taught the most important necessiti...

The rise of the Western world occurred due to capitalism. In fact, the notion of businesses, companies, and large corporation uses this customary bread and butter design of capitalism to make money, contribute to the economy and employ workers, skilled or unskilled. Because of this, the Western world rose in the Industrial Revolution and continued to rise amid corporatism and consumerism in the 20th Century and beyond. Due to developments and changes, capitalism has in many cases got out of control and became extreme in its measures to make profits. How did this happen? Let us look at its history. A healthy dose of capitalism is to make money quarterly, bi-annually, and annually while guaranteeing the rights, security, and safety of its workforce. Essentially, a moderate form does this well since many long-term workers stay with the business throughout their careers, earn money to buy a home, raise a family, and live the dream they have always wanted. This is the typical duration of th...

Dictatorships are one of the oldest style of government in human history up to present day. It is found all over the place and historically more often in specific continents than others. A variety of components must be present for it to develop such as sociopolitical, geopolitical, economic and political means. Generally, violence and extreme criminal behavior are harnessed for a dictatorship to establish itself. Over time, this term has been watered down extensively due to fears of its power. Understandably so. So what does it actually entail? Let us find out. If we go back, you will see that ancient and medieval kingdoms have thrived with dictatorships. Their reasoning that a mighty deity is responsible for granting a particular person to rule is a classic example. "I was chosen by our God or Gods to rule over this land, therefore, I shall rule as I so please." The divine right of Kings was the bread and butter foundation for medieval leadership in the feudal system in whic...

To be proud of your country is a good thing. Who said it wasn't? After all, when you are born and raised in that country or born elsewhere and immigrated to the next one, pride in your home has a profound psychological impact on your psyche. You contribute by paying your taxes, work, and build up a life that can be a positive addition to the community on a big scale. But one question remains: how much patriotism is too much? To answer this, I find there are two different types of patriotism that must be looked at to determine how much is too much and can be seen as detrimental.  Let's take a look at the good form of patriotism. Like I mentioned earlier, being proud of your country is good. You are part of something big, you help contribute to the country's grand master plan of future development and interaction in global affairs. There are different types of good patriotism. For example, if your share ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic traits with fellow citizens, y...