India and Pakistan share serene embrace in a Nasa photograph

[indiatester]

Is the photograph authentic? I'm surprised the border lights are visible from space.

 

[scorpionx]

But then isnt that weird that on this whole speck and dot of a planet...those ppl who live on it,those that u know, ur frnds ,relatives...they are what make ur universe.

In a little thicker sense, yes. Families, friends or say the entire human civilization is bound to be perceived as 'universe' to one. Some never forget the patting of their fathers on their back, some remember the taste of their mother's milk till the very end of their lives and who knows better than me how it feels to see when one see his/her children smiling and screaming in joy? But, if one ponders a little more deep, these things are not all. At least, not in philosophical sense. The discussion, if we much delve into it, will sound very boring, sister.

 

[insight-out]

I have flown over Afghanistan.

It is shocking how dark it is compared to the lights over India and Pakistan or even Iran.

I feel really sorry for our ancient civilizational brothers to be honest.

While it may be true that Afghanistan has fewer lit areas, you should also take population density into account. India's population density per square km is 389, Pakistan's is 238 and Afghanistan's is only 39. So that definitely makes a big difference.

List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density

 

[VCheng]

I have flown over Afghanistan.

It is shocking how dark it is compared to the lights over India and Pakistan or even Iran.

I feel really sorry for our ancient civilizational brothers to be honest.

There is a sequence of satellite images showing how the lights are going away in Syria as the war goes on. Pretty striking.

 

[Shamain]

In a little thicker sense, yes. Families, friends or say the entire human civilization is bound to be perceived as 'universe' to one. Some never forget the patting of their fathers on their back, some remember the taste of their mother's milk till the very end of their lives and who knows better than me how it feels to see when one see his/her children smiling and screaming in joy? But, if one ponders a little more deep, these things are not all. At least, not in philosophical sense. The discussion, if we much delve into it, will sound very boring, sister.

Yes very true when you say 'these things are not all'. Even when i wrote the post earlier i knew im overlooking many things. But it was a thought that came to my mind and i shared.

 

[vsdoc]

Do not patronize! Things do come in time and ones who don't have certain luxuries are not missing anything. It is pretentious self satisfied and me me crowd who feel sorry or rather smug on what others are missing. I have seen this behavior quite a bit in Indians who always seem to be measuring weiners.

You are mistaking sincere goodwill and concern for patronizing. There is zero smugness.

Its a fact. The difference from the air is stark as one crosses over Afghanistan. Its an unnatural like sudden darkness.

Almost like when you are flying over water.

And why would an Indian ever patronize Afghans or feel smug about Afghanistan? Are you aware of the amount of goodwill there is in the common Indian populace for Afghans? Like the Iranians, we see the Afghans as civilizational cousins. And will always help where we can.