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Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Damaging words and their meanings

It has become  a trend to highjack terminologies that are perceived traditionally to have an aura of respectability and reverence.

Afterwards, assign them or affix them to chosen/pet biases or ideologies.

Then ensure that they go on to become 'the predominant or only connotation' that gets fixed into assigned slots.

These are, then constantly and repeatedly used to peddle  perverted interpretations and excreted extrapolation. 

The process is usually carried through media networks and certain academic outfits  till the targeted gullible majority start to endorse such connotations in all contexts to silence the other side.

Importance of information

 The most famous definition of information is, "a difference which makes a difference".( In the book Life in the Universe).

In present day warfare, more than equipment, information is more important, perhaps, it has always been for any real achievement in any field. However, how we interpret, understand and use that information may vary.


Information, in this context of conflicts, between two nations, involves first accepting factually what are one's strengths, weaknesses and then taking practical positions. This one can be sure of at least 90 % whereas, information about the adversary culled from various sources, may not be that much.


Importance of information can never be underestimated. This is where the constant surveillance mechanism of Israel and the USA have an advantage.
 
Broadly, and in general, scientifically, information is of two kinds one that is universal like ' laws of gravity, motion etc'( " Information begins with the laws of physics,the basic operating system of our universe" followed by the dynamic and evolving aspects of biology and chemistry most of which may decoded and explained through mathematical patterns) the other information is one that keeps arising to adopt to more complex and changing circumstances, like different natural environments ( even the law of gravity is different in different planets and some parts of the earth itself) and socio-cultural systems.

That's why the philosopher Daniel Dennett even says​​ ,"Animals are not just herbivores or carnivores . They are ....informavores". "In fact all living organisms consume information and use different mechanisms to use that information".

Vegetarianism and animals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQCe4qEexjc

Philip Wollen: Animals should be off the menu debate

I have listened to it many times and every time it stirs up one's emotions.


Every time, we can feel the way he delivers his speech with real concern and the gory details send​​ chills down our spine. 


Rewinding any habit his tough, we may not have consciously opted to have them but we may have imbibed them through our years innocent childhood, impressionable and vulnerable years of adolescence, enforced ignorance due to letting our minds crawl in the caves of certain societal pressures which go around under various labels like good disciplined life, very adjusting ( read as compromise and hypocrisy), obedient faithful follower of traditions etc.


To start with we did not choose our birth or the environment or the cultural milieu. 

But the sign of growth and maturity is to observe the world around and try to understand it from various perspectives and  experience it as it is  rather than try to perceive it through ideologically ( be they religious, political, economic, cultural, psychological) indoctrinated interpretations and justifications ( called as brain washing or character building). 


Real scholars are those who manage to have such experiences, live by what they learn and feel honestly and more importantly express eloquently and share such experiences to create an impact which stirs the hearts and brains of a few, who can rethink and rewind certain habits. Make slight micro modifications which can collectively lead to some change. 

I have been collecting a mixture of  info from  various domains in the form of biographies of individuals, inventions, ideas, institutions, issues that have impacted the world.

They could be a single encounter , a small incident, a single speech, a single institution, a single idea. 

This speech is one such.

MAP of Life

1. Life cannot be caged and lived through any single ideology/system /concept or philosophy however great and accommodative it may be.


2. Life is just a part of the churn of the planet where all species live their own way but humans seek special privileges and make a big fuss presuming that the planet is human centric.

MAP of life draws  the atlas of living, i.e. 

Mindset, 

Attitude and 

Perspectives.

We draw our borders through our limited frames of references and define our nationality through some ideological identities. 

3. There is no panacea nor permanent trends or taboos but only contextually relevant rational and humanitarian approaches which can make us enjoy living without much of inhibition, without creating unnecessary divisions, as far as possible , without harming or injuring others physically and mentally, and most importantly without damaging the environment .

4. Chronologically life is mortal and it is just a part of evolution.

5. The human mind at best can transcend classifications and divisions in the form of or name of nationalities, ideologies of all sorts [ religious, political, economic, class, race, gender, linguistic, cultural, regional etc.] .

6. Being mortal it has to live through all sorts of ever changing choices and decisions  prioritizing based on contextual relevance.

7. However, despite that the human mind at times delivers too many theories, concepts and ideas  trying to grasp and to explain absolute and eternal truths or values.

Media the greatest virus

Most unfortunate thing for the whole world is the pollution created by the prefixed ideology driven, hidden agenda based, paid mass opinion generating narratives peddling industry of media.

Theories can get into a great pool of uncertain depths as Fritjof Capra

In my opinion any wild academic and theoretically woven concepts are hypothetical conjectures at best, but backed by authentic scientific principles. 


However, it is tricky to predict how evolution spans out and moves ahead. 

It  is too complex to be confined by any oversimplified concept or idea irrespective of whether they emanate from religion or politico economic ideas or scientific theories, the last one may be accepted as the nearest possible blueprint to what may unfold as it is based on certain fundamental principles which are universally applicable and objectively observable.

Most of these theories are, even to those who study the subject in detail, can throw them into a great pool of uncertain depths as Fritjof Capra writes often.  For example:-

1906 JJ Thomson gets Nobel prize for Physics for saying electrons are particles.


1933 Schrodinger gets Nobel  prize for Physics for stating for stating we can't  know what state or place an atomic particle is in until it is observed which means they ( particles) could have been , hypothetically, in all states and places till then 


1937 G.P. Thomson son of JJ Thomson gets Nobel prize for physics for saying that they are Waves



Thus for, so good. At least science is willing to accept the nuances that exist beyond even some of the experimentally well proven  theories and to change to new positions.


Whereas, the adherents of religious sermons and scriptures and political ideologies think that what they know and they follow are the ' one and only truth or best path', even when they are exposed squarely about their inadequacies.  


So, everyone following or belonging to any system of social upbringing must realize that there is no single best meaning or definition or way of perceiving life and its meanings or interpreting them with axiomatic certitude. 


All aspects of life, like the planet in which it is living, is always moving, though imperceptible to us.


I feel it is ridiculing the importance of certain inventions especially microscope and telescope when people say, our seers, knew it, even when those instruments were not there ( well very laudable ESP, imaginations which took centuries to be deciphered as a actual facts or which turned out to be real facts), especially when written or spoken in a tone and tenor demeaning the importance of those inventions. 

Without the invention of  a microscope, we won't know the forests and species that are on our skin.

Anti ​-​West​ attitude is becoming an empty and impractical neo​-​snobbishness

Mass frenzied anti ​-​West​ attitude is becoming an empty and impractical neo​-​snobbishness. 


Everything boils down to atoms, molecules, particles etc. Where these molecules/ atoms with their chemical structure/ coding / composition originate from and what processes are required to make them into the following few main aspects:-

1. Universally available
2. Easily consumable and gets ingested into the system and reaches the part of the body where it is required.
3. Offer maximum relief/ remedy with minimum side effects.

All over the world for type 2 diabetes there is only medicine called metformin which comes with various brand names with different combinations.

This is extracted basically from a plant. Similarly, the basic medicine for BP is from a plant.

Having said these the chemicals​ ​in Fenugreek or lady's finger may be very good for health but to get enough potency of those chemicals to give appropriate effect to the body requires increasing the potency. What one may get from eating one kg of Fenugreek one may get in a tablet. The processes that increase the potency matter a lot.

It is like saying kanchipuram idli is the best rice item. From cooked rice ( saadham ) the momo / kozhukotai exterior to kozhama upma to arisi upma all are made out of rice. The processes that go to make different edible stuff out of these decide the shape, taste, purpose etc.

So, all these hyperbolic debates  against allopathy are plain stupidity.

Even all these anti​- allopathy campaigners when they have a fracture or heart attack need to resort to only allopathic treatment.

At the same time other alternative systems are not to be ridiculed. But they have limitations in fulfilling all the three factors indicated earlier.

Of late, there is this excess of noise in favor of our system of medicine, gurukul education over Macaulay's etc.

India has a ​student ​population of some 45 crores. So, one may need at least 30 crore Gurukuls, when we are struggling to provide even 30 thousand proper educational institutions. Certain things may have reached their expiry date for a reason to adopt some new things to synergistically move ahead in life especially in a globalized environment.

Certain old systems may have worked well in the remote past but may not be suitable now. 

I think this mass frenzied anti ​-​West​ attitude is becoming an empty and impractical neo​-​snobbishness.