The fight over Kashmir has origins which go back to the divide-and-rule politics of the last days of the Raj. Pakistan is almost single-handedly the creation of the very Westernized Jinnah, who died within a year of its creation. The British played Jinnah off the Muslim leaders in the Indian Congress to create their ill-fated “two state” solution, which directly led to the blood bath of partition.

The jihadis who are behind terrorism today were brought to center stage and funded by none other than the US, under President Carter (thanks to Carter’s foreign policy guy, the virulently anti-Russian Pole, Z. Brzezinski). In all the years that terrorism (and Islamic terrorism is only one of several kinds on all fronts on the subcontinent) has been taking its toll of India (several decades, and to the tune of 60,000 plus), where was the US? Propping up the very governments (eg. Pakistan)behind terrorism.

The hypocrisy and ignorance is astounding.

Every Indian (and Chopra lived in India before coming to the US) is well aware of this history. Rabinowitz, I will wager, knows nothing about it.

As for Chopra’s platitudes - well, it’s better to encourage introspection and soft-speaking than belligerent ignorance, if the reputation of the Bush administration has anything to say to us.
We have plenty of political”scientists” on TV every day, if its social-science jargon
that you need.

If you are going to quarrel with Chopra’s science, or lack thereof, that’s a different question….but you still have problems. You’d need to place your scientific and medical credentials against his and become more specific. Especially, a lot of the “snake oil” you claim he is peddling - and there might be some, I don’t have an opinion one way or other - is fairly respectable in medicine. For eg., take the reference to “happy molecules,” well, emotions do in fact affect our immune system and our health.
Chopra is a popularizer of traditional ayurvedic, yogic and Hindu concepts. He is also a very well-trained Western physician. He has now become a prolific and popular writer and an extremely successful businessman. His writing - whatever you think of it - is very influential. I have seen his responses in a variety of settings to quite mean-spirited and ignorant attacks on him and am favorably impressed by his restraint. If he is a snake-oil salesman, and he might be, he is one who shows a great deal of character. More than the snake-oil salesmen at the Wall Street Journal who’ve been selling their snake-oil (junk bonds, anyone?) for decades without any criticism.

“The rest of the world breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the neocons’ attempt to create an American military empire.”

CREATE an American Military Empire? I guess they mean there was plan afoot to use the American Military to LITERALLY take over the world. It’s a stupid notion, but not surprising considering the source.

Man does not live by bread alone. I write what I write because I want to - not because every word that pours forth from my rather large but somewhat empty head is destined to alter the course of history or solve the financial crisis or cure conservatism or comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable nor even unlock the mysteries of Area 51.

I write what I write because I want to write about it. You can read it or go away. Telling me or anyone else what to write about is idiotic. If you want to write about something, get your own damn blog.

ed.

“The first self-help book i ever read was Conversations With God,” you say.

If it’s a “self-help” book, why did you need someone else to write it?

Good essay, Rick. But Chopra’s not a first-class idiot. It takes a lot of training to get to Idiot, First Class. You have to learn to see the obvious, and Chopra’s nowhere near that.

“Better not take a dog on a space shuttle, because if he sticks his head out when you’re coming home, he might burn up.” SNL Character Jack Handy

The final word on Deepak Chopra comes fittingly from a cartoon:

“What a maroon!” Philosopher Bugs Bunny