Rationality, Religion and India

This is actually a comment written on E=mc^2 as response to the author's "Rejection of Rationality" Series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5). Since I took such a long time writting the stuff, I thought I might as well include it on my blog.

It is really sad that majority of our population has been blind to rationality from many centuries. But yes, we do have our Vedas that are said to be based on scientific observations (I haven’t read them myself, but many intellectuals have who say they are indeed scientific - and I have taken their word; including Carl Sagan, who in his Cosmos has beautifully summed up the astronomical history of mankind and includes ancient Indian scriptures as evidences along with many other civilization's texts – I mention Carl Sagan’s opinion as worthy not because he is from the "west" but because he was a noted scientist famous for his science books).

I think the issue is, where and how in history was this kind of thinking or the Vedic legacy lost?

One reason could be its inapproachability to common man due to the complicated language (Sanskrit was spoken and read by only some elite few) and complexity of thought. Some of the elite few would have tried to preach and spread the message but knowingly or unknowingly misinterpreted/skewed facts vs. opinions during the process. Some could have deliberately attached religious tags with practices to make masses understand and follow the point. The rulers could have observed that people are generally God-fearing and would do what is told whole heartedly if everything is associated with religion and God – and it got filtered down generations in a completely twisted form – in the form of rites and rituals. Starting of Sati/Johar could have been the act of one fanatic maniac female absolutely in blind love with her man and found suicide a better idea than widowhood; and then was martyrized so much that it became a ritual. This was an unfavorable hypothetical analysis – a favorable one could be about vegetarianism, where some intellectuals found its advantages and coupled it with religion to make it a generally acceptable practice. Just a thought – and I am not at all suggesting that this is what actually happened or the “west” is spiritually imitating or following us. But there is no denying that our ancient culture did have traces of science and rationality.

Today the agenda/manifesto of our political parties also includes religion and related stuff. Our leaders want us to remain blind about facts and glamorize religion. This could have begun centuries ago and since we did not embrace the "Age of Enlightenment", we have remained ignorant on the whole.

My point is - it is not about "west" or "east" or their religion or our religion or their science or our science. Yes, there are cultural differences which are bound to come and have evolved as huge rifts because of different geographies, climates and historical circumstances.

Masses everywhere are the same. Its not that people of the "west" are not superstitious - the number 13 is a prime example – there is no 13th floor in some hotels in the "west" – where is their rationality now? Isn’t the floor numbered 14th actually 13th then? Or is this their shedding of "excess rationality"? Its not that they don’t use phrases like "Fingers crossed" or "Touch wood" or "Thank God" or words like jinx, voodoo, taboo – they do, sometimes more than we do. Superstition in itself is irrational, not that ‘we’ or ‘they’ are ‘more’ or ‘less’ irrational. It has to be got rid of. Everywhere. In our country specially because it’s our country and we want it to improve.

Rulers and the way of they rule is different. It’s a shame that ours are still using religion and "ritualistic Hinduism" is being promoted. I think the "west" learnt this the hard way during holocaust and American civil war (racism should also not be the basis of any rule). And have moved on to other ways of uniting people and making them pay taxes, like promoting and advertising science (NASA and its missions); their role as international policemen, etc. It’s high time we learnt it too.

My Latest Resolution

Before I write what my latest resolution is, I think there is a need to shed some light on why to make resolutions (and publicize them).

Its just that some things are so so undoable that no matter what amount of motivation you dig up from within, you cannot do them (that must be the case with everybody – or you are just not human). But the point is, you desperately want to improve and do that very thing and you come to loath yourself for avoiding it and for continuously finding excuses to keep away from it – things like not wasting food or oiling your hair or controlling your anger and so on. That’s when resolutions come to your rescue – of course you can forget about them – that’s when your blog can help you out. And again you can conveniently shut your eyes to the blog entry as well and sleep soundly, but this is one thing I am yet to discover. Hope this explains the purpose of this absurd piece of crap I am writing now.

Given my love of books, it seldom happens that I have to force myself into reading something – but when it does happen I normally buy the book – that’s reason enough to make me read it. Not that I am an overly stingy scroogy person – but I do have a value for money – if you are spending your hard-earned-meticulously-saved (!!! – that’s an average software engineer’s expression on the statement) funds somewhere – you gotta make good use of it. But this time nothing’s working. So this is my last refuge. Now one might ask what’s so important in a book that you want to force yourself to read it. Well, it’s a classic, and it’s a must read, and when you have decided it’s a must read, it’s a must read – ANY WHICH WAY – if you can’t, you are a coward, and an escapist.

Enough digress. Here goes the resolution –

I hereby solemnly swear to God and all that is holy, by my life and the love of it, that I shall read DON QUIXOTE and will not touch any other book before it is finished. (er…wait a minute God….before you jot it down in your goodness book, a little clarification here – just in case you consider it a sin – by touch I mean touch literally, online books are exempt from this self imposed conjecture).

And I promise the next book review I am gonna write would be of Don Quixote.

A Beautiful Mind - Book review and afterthoughts

A beautiful mind is the biography of a genius mathematician and Nobelist John Nash - who was at his mathematical best till thirties, then became paranoid with schizophrenia, was hospitalized, suffered shock treatments, pseudo-recovered (forced rationality on himself), was hospitalized again and again, recovered fully with passage of time, and was awarded the Nobel at the age of 58 for his work on game theory that he had done in his late-twenties - and now continues to work in the field of mathematics. Meanwhile, he also had a child, married (at 29), had another child, divorced, and re-married (with the same woman at the age of 60).

What a life. And what a mind. Really beautiful. All geniuses are somewhat insane, but this one beat insanity with a concious effort - and - without medication. (he gave up all psychotic treatment at 42). He himself, with the power of his will alone, very carefully avoided delirius thoughts from coming to his mind. To exert such a control over one's own brain must have required tremendous strength and will power. Hats off. Hats off for his wife as well. Alicia had such great belief in this man's genius, that even after getting divorced, she remained with him.

So the question that obviously comes to our un-genius-not-so-beautiful-minds is that is it really possible to control mental illness with the mind itself while it itself is sick? i think we are in an infinite loop here - control your own mind with your own mind by programming your own mind to function properly using your own mind - when it is going out of control. Guess i'll now stop writing in case my own mind goes out of its premises...

Getting bored on a wednesday afternoon...

Getting bored is the worst kind of humiliation one can offer oneself - of course its not me who has said this..but some other greater personality (ha!).

Coming to think of it, its really the worst mortification that one doesnt have the ability to entertain oneself..but still everyone keeps getting bored everytime. So some write blogs - and when they have nothing to write, then too they just keep writing. Like i have got loads of work to do, but since i dont feel like doing it, so i m writing.....crap!

Some people say work is fun (i'd really like to meet such people). In this respect, one has to agree with Mark Twain - Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and...Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. That makes me wonder whether players, actors, singers, etc also get bored of their work. Guess they must be more frustrated than bored..thats y so many of them r also blogging :-) and actually using their blogs to gain publicity and fight their frustration off with so-called rivals - its really ironic that they want to avoid media and connect directly to their fans via their blogs, but ultimately its the media that is gaining the most...what AB writes in his blog is the latest page 3 headline, that AK named his dog shahrukh is all over gossip magazines and news channels.

So the point is, blogging is surely a near perfect away to pass time, express or explain yourself and in some cases, gain publicity. That ways, i m dying to read Rakhi Sawant / Mallika Sherawat / Sidhhu / Sajid Khan's blogs. May God give them the wisdom to start blogging soon - what better way to pass time than reading them :-)

Is life a flashback?

Sometimes i get this weird thought...one day when i'll be very very old....i'll be sitting in a rocking chair on my terrace garden, thinking nothing (for a change) and then suddenly i'll realize....life has come full circle...today past meets present!! so this was the past....the flashback of my life (or the flashback of the life i dreamt??) - and i wont be myself then - > that is, i wasnt myself all along my life - > that is, i am not myself now - > that is, this is all a dream - > that is, i am actually living my dream (!) - > that is, that day, i'll meet reality - > that is, this is all unreal (maufactured maybe - by the real me) - > so which is really the real me????

(i've already mentioned this blog is gonna be full of crap..if u're still interested....read on)

Like they show in Indian mythological television shows - we've got some god telling his wife.."you are not aware...in such and such incarnation, i was so and so and you had this role to play then, currently i am going down to earth to play another role and you too will come after sometime"....and the wife still doesnt know what exactly is her role going to be this time. She goes to the earth, plays her part, comes back and then this fellow will tell her....."you know what were you in the previous incarnation?"...and again..the poor thing's clueless.

In the same fashion, could it be that we ourselves have made up our roles? But..oh..please...dont let it be that someone else has written my script...i want to be myself yaar...or least what i want myself to be...or is it what i am dreaming...or is it just happening, without any plan/purpose/role/script whatsoever...there i go again...just plain confused....to be or not to be....are you too?

Nothing is absolute

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity. (an explanation of relativity which Albert Einstein gave to his secretary Helen Dukas to convey to non-scientists and reporters)

Theory of relativity applies everywhere. Not only in the laws of physics, but every damn thing is the world is relative..the grass is greener at the other side; success does not count unless one is more successful than one's neighbor; happiness and sorrow are also measured by comparison...its always about being fastER, highER, strongER - better - better than the best - bester than the bestest - its limitless.

Even morals can be relative. Dr Isaac Asimov once said (and i agree to it) - "Never let your sense of morals stop you from doing what is right" - so if one wants to do what (s)he thinks is right, then relative to the situation ethics change. Honesty is the best policy - but is it? is it always correct to be honest whatever the circumstances be? doesnt dishonesty become the best policy at times? We say the Sun rises from the east - but does it? Isnt it the earth that rotates from west to east? A mother gives birth to a child - but wait - isnt it a child that gives birth to a mother? Theft is immoral - but is it really? even when Robin Hood is the thief?

Perspectives matter. Opinions matter. Situations matter. Justifications matter. Contradictions do not exist - but are there some exceptions here as well??? ;)