Inane Babble

Relentless Din

2011-12-30T17:47:00.001+05:30

Convenience and elimination of Boredom are attributed as the most important reasons for innovation of content, connectivity, and contraptions. This ease of use has opened up the space to a large user-base which both consumes as well as contributes to the information available. Everywhere you turn today, you see loud and screaming content; be it Breaking News on News-channels, Wall-Updates on Facebook, or Tweets and Re-tweets.

Writing or posting has become a very casual and everyone just wants to contribute banality rather than wait for some deeper-thought, analysis, or important events. News channels and websites want to attract traffic so would like to scream Breaking news and also add provoking opinions to news items which will ensure their viewers are hooked on.

There used to be a time when you could pick and choose the news articles you wanted to read; this was touted as the difference between the traditional news sources (TV & Newspaper) and the build your own newspaper (using Internet sources). But off late the Internet is flooded with articles and blogs containing overt or covert sponsored information. Searching for news articles on topics of interest has become a tiring chore in itself let alone reading and learning from them. Today when you hit the search button you are sucked into the world of ad-word manipulation and sponsored pages. You have to carefully sift through the results to ensure you pick out the articles you have been looking for.

Social Networking sites started off as a way to stay connected with Friends and Family. But using Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ is no longer a pass-time. Everyone wants to post updates about everything they do however trite they may be: "I landed in Amsterdam", "It is raining", and "I am bored!".

Facebook statistics reports: More than 800 million active users. Average user has 130 friends. On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day.
Twitter statistics reports: Average number of tweets per day is 140 million. Tweets generally spike during a significant event: 456 Tweets per second (TPS) when Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009.

The overload caused by this relentless noise has ensured wiping out of introspection and personal space. I am sure we all have realized that we no longer have the time and energy left to look at life in a larger context. With things coming at us in volumes and at a fast pace, it is natural that we have lost touch with ourselves.

Blaise Pascal wrote: "The only thing that consoles us for our miseries is distraction, yet that is the greatest of our wretchedness. Without it we should be bored, and boredom would force us to search for a firmer way out, but distraction entertains us and leads us imperceptibly to death."

It is critical that we realize and break the paradox created when the gadgets which made our lives convenient and easier have also seemed to have blinded us to the larger context.

Driving force of the current times: Appraisal by the Society

2010-02-07T15:22:00.008+05:30

Every individual has a minimum of two forces driving them. The first one is their inner desire and the second is the Society. The evaluation given by the Society impacts the individual's decision making either consciously or subconsciously. Subconsciously impact is because the Society's review impacts the individual's spouse/children/parents which in-turn impacts the thought-process of the individual.

The Society reviews and categorizes everyone as either Dim-Wit, Average, or Exceptional; only the criteria for this classification changes based on the age group of the individual.

For the age group of 5-25, the evaluation is purely based on their Academic abilities. Some might argue that that is not true and excelling sport is also a criteria, but if you observe closely an one who excels at sports but is academically dim-wit is remembered only as a dim-wit whereas an academically exceptional who excels at sports is remembered as an exceptional kid with a bright future.

For the age group of 25-35, the Society reviews and categorizes the individual based on the the job and academics (in that order). An academically brilliant individual pursuing PhD or working for a start-up is considered inferior to a college-dropout with a job at GM/IBM/Microsoft/Shell/Goldman. In some cultures the Society also places importance on girlfriend/boyfriend for this age group; the lack of one is detrimental to the overall score as adjudged by the society.

For the individuals between 35-50, the criteria changes to money and family (in that order). Society does not care if you are a researcher or social worker, if you do not have Money and a family at this age, you are definitely considered a dim-wit. To be considered Exceptional in this age-group you must have above average income/savings, assets (home, cars, etc.) and a family.

For the age group of 50-75, the criteria remains similar to the earlier age groups, but in addition the evaluation of the individuals' children is added to their scorecard. Just to illustrate, an individual whose children are exceptional gets an automatic boost in their personal scorecard; similarly an individual whose kids drop-out of school would drop down a spot in the final scores.

Post 75, health of individual and their spouse is added to the earlier age group's criteria.

Both the driving forces act independently propelling the life into different directions. If one follows his dreams, it is very likely they will regret or will be made to regret due to the evaluation of the Society. This fear acts as a dampener to the self-driving-force.

Although the exact definition of the age groups might be different for every culture, such an evaluation exists everywhere.

Individuals who move down in the Society scores because of change in their age-group and hence change in criteria find it very difficult to cope. We have to be watchful throughout our life and be aware of the sometimes divisive nature of the two forces. We must also strike a balance between the two forces to ensure we do not become cynical towards the society as we progress through our lives.

Stench of hope

2009-09-10T14:28:00.011+05:30

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). If I am to take this literally: “meekness” suggests the idea of passivity, someone who is easily imposed upon. It indeed appears logical; one who does not fight back and readily accepts fair/unfair changes as their fate, definitely does not risk losing their life in the fight to do what is right and fair.

Everyone has a conscience, the degree to which one respects the words of their own conscience varies. People who listen to their conscience feel outraged when they see crimes being committed, laws being flouted, injustice meted out, etc. Most of the time, such people can make no difference to the state of the society; and the crimes and injustice would continue. At the end, by listening to their conscience, these poor conscientious fools just end up losing their sleep as they feel helpless and frustrated.

Some of us are fortunate to have known elevated souls who have been able to snuff out their conscience. Such people live a life free of guilt and also receive immense respect and adulation from people around them. One can even find their own family and close friends valuing a person on the basis of the wealth they accumulate and not if they lead a life based on ideals.

In the times we live in, a vocal conscience and ones mind paying heed to it, should be considered a medical disorder. People with such disorders are easily recognizable as one of the symptoms they exhibit is the stench of hope. The only cure known for this is Pessimism. Blaming the times we live in and believing that it will continue to deteriorate till "judgment day" or the "next earth cleansing cycle", absolves us from the guilt and remorse of not trying to bring change.

This entire article is written in a sarcastic vein, which should tell anyone reading this, that I of course reek of hope; a hope that people and society in general will change for the better. I consider my condition chronic and in an advanced incurable stage.

Auction of Mahatma Gandhi's Possessions

2009-03-05T15:17:00.001+05:30

James Otis of Los Angeles, USA claims to have a few of Mahatma Gandhi's possessions (trademark wire-rimmed glasses, a pair of worn leather sandals, a pocket watch and a metal bowl and plate). Mr. Otis has decided to put these items up for auction.

This has caused a section of India to raise a hue and cry about how Gandhi's possession belong to Indian people and that these should be returned back to India. Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi had earlier appealed to Indians for money to buy his great-grandfather's belongings that are up for sale because they are part of India's heritage. After failing to mobilise sufficient funds for the auction, Tushar Gandhi persuaded the Indian Government to intervene in the matter. The Indian Government is reportedly holding talks with the Antiquorum Auctioneers to take the items off the auction. Some non-resident Indians have also offered to buy back the items, amid concern that time may be running out for the government to persuade the owner or the auctioneers to sell them the objects.

My view

Mahatma Gandhi's sacrifice for the country is unsurpassed; there is no argument about that. He was a great man and he gave everything he had for the betterment of his countrymen. His legacy is remembered even today and not just by people of India but also by many emminent leaders across the globe.

India, Indian leaders, and the people of India have always spoken highly of Gandhi and Gandhian ways. But no one has ever given anything more than lip service to his ideals. No one has cared to continue his ideology. Immediately after independence of India, when riots broke out across India between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi decided to go on a fast-unto-death protesting against the ways of his own people. And finally he was assasinated by his own people. After Gandhi every leader has taken care of their own interests and have been completely callous about the state of the people. This is not very different to approach of the British.

It is not Gandhi's possessions that we need to be worried about. It is his ideology of selfless service and caring for your countrymen that needs to be given more importance to. Moreso I am not sure how the current India can claim to the rightful heir to Gandhi's possession. If Gandhi were to be alive today, he probably would not want to be called an Indian. India and Indians have never walked on the path he prescribed, and today there is discrimination and strife across the country. The worst part is the fact that all of this horror is being perpetrated by the Indians themselves. One wonders if it was better when the British were ruling, atleast then they could blame the foreign rulers' apathy for the state of affairs.

Bring Gandhi's possesions back or not; unless we care for the country and countrymen and live by our conscience we would not be respecting Gandhi.

Put the Politicians' skin in the game

2008-12-05T10:36:00.003+05:30

The Politicians today have nothing to lose; be it when the terrorists strike, or even if an inept minister makes glaring blunders. By carving out separate set of facilities for themselves, they have created a safety net and thus insulated themselves from the incompetent system that exists today. Only by removing this safety net we can compel the Politicians to better the system and improve the facilities offered to the common man.

The agenda for the people should be three pronged:
1. Ensure the Politicians get the same facilities (especially security) as the common man.
Today by allowing them to allocate special security for themselves, we have let them subvert the improvement of security of the masses. Since they get 24-hour water supply and unlimited power, they do not see the need to improve these facilities for the common man. If the Politicians get the same facilities as everyone else, they will make it their prerogative to stem the rot and work towards betterment of the infrastructure.

2. Ensure the Politicians retire after the age of 60.
There is no retirement age for a Politician; they stay in politics till they die. Precisely for this reason, it is impossible to get legislation which curbs the Politicians' powers. By putting an end date to their Political career, we will make it imperative for them to put limits on their powers. Else they will bear the brunt of such limitless power when it goes into someone else's hands. This will ensure the Politicians themselves bring the accountability issue to fore as they will be a part of the masses when they retire.

3. Ensure the people have a right to recall the representatives they have elected.
If people are given the right to elect someone, they should also be given the right to recall that person. The lack of such a rule elevates the elected representatives to a higher pedestal and they become unassailable and a law unto themselves. Since the people pay for their salaries, they are our employees; but unfortunately we do not have a right to fire them if they are incapable of serving the people they represent. The people today are requesting for Accountability from their representatives; with this additional power, the people can demand it.

Simple solution to break the Politicians' stranglehold

2008-12-04T22:52:00.004+05:30

We expect the Politicians to honestly perform the jobs they were elected to do. We also expect they improve the existing system. To do so, we give them complete authority to create laws and use the bureaucracy to enforce the laws. While we do this, we expect the politicians to act honorably and not misuse this authority. Over years we have observed that our trust in their honesty is misplaced. Today we need the Politician to enact laws that curb this authority and also provide the ability to the people the right to dismiss the politician if he does not perform.

In the current system, no politician today will put curbs on his power or allow his disqualification. There is no incentive for him to do so.

There is a way to achieve this: the Politicians will do that only if he sees that someday in the future he will become one of the common people. And he will not have any special powers to extract favors from the governing establishment.

Today they do not care about changing the rotting system because they know how to get fast-track processing of their requests. They can circumvent the system and get extra facilities in a jiffy. The common man on the other hand has to suffer and bribe to get his basic necessities and other facilities.

If the politician sees that someday he will have to stand in a queue with the common man and endure the same hardships the common man faces, he will definitely work towards improving the system. He will ensure there are enough checks and balances put in place that future politicians do not run amok. Since he will not have unlimited powers he will ensure the Politicians are servants of the public and not the other way around.

Achieving this is easy; we need to put an upper limit to the age of a Politician. Similar to all other professions, Politicians should also have a retirement age of 60. In my view this should be 50; this will help in getting younger people involved in Politics, and also ensure the Politicians will have to work for at least 10 years of their life like common people. Having to live a good part of their retired life as a common man is the best incentive for them to do their job well today.

Coming Soon... - Private Armies

2008-12-04T22:36:00.003+05:30

In the wake of the recent events in Mumbai, everyone is visible scared and agitated. The politicians are being targeted as the main culprits and the trust in the government establishment is running thin. The people are thinking about protecting themselves and their communities on their own. Everyone has started discussing the best way forward in securing their residences.

If the security of the residential areas will be beefed up to meet future terrorist attacks of the kind the city saw on November 26th 2008, it will definitely resemble a Military Platoon. These kind of security units have been emerging and can be seen in many residential as well as commercial areas. But soon they will start getting armed with weapons making them resemble like military units.

All this shows a lack of trust towards the existing civil defense system, which has been lacking and now been proven to be useless in protecting the citizens. The government will react very naturally to reestablish their authority by disallowing the use of private armies, but it needs to be seen if they move towards revamping the security infrastructure to reestablish the trust in the citizens.

Improving the Security Establishment

2008-12-01T19:28:00.005+05:30

The politicians have created a state within a state where separate laws are applied to the people and separate laws for the politicians. Even the facilities available to the people are different than what the politicians enjoy.

In cities such as Mumbai one can see the sorry state of the infrastructure available to the people. Travel is a nightmare for the people of the city, but the politicians have ensured their place of residence is close if not right next door to the place of work. If they do have to travel, they either stop the traffic to ensure they reach their place of destination comfortably. Or take a helicopter ride to ensure they do not have to go through the same hardships as the common man.

In case of the security apparatus this is clearly evident. The service that is made available to the common man from a security standpoint is the Police which is not well-equipped to handle the current day scenario. They are at best an investigative agency which would track down culprits only after the crime is committed. The Police neither has the right training nor has the right numbers to preempt crime from happening.

The political class is well aware of this situation and has decided that instead of improving the service; they built a new service for their brethren; the "Z Class" security. Why is the Politician unhappy with the security provided by the Police? Is it because they do not trust the capability of the Police to do the job satisfactorily? If that is so, why is this incompetent setup assigned the responsibility of providing security for the common people. This gives a sense that lives of the common people are expendable and lives of the Politicians and their families are more precious.

Since the politicians salary and the infrastructure is being built using the tax paid by the common man, the common man is the employer and the politician is the employee. So how is it that the employees' safety is more important than the employer's. It has to be equal. The political class has decided to term itself as the leaders of the country to explain the special treatment, when they are not even the representatives of the common people.

If a common man reports a threat to his life, the Police provides him with a havaldar who might carry a stick or might carry a World War I .303 rifle; and nothing more. In a similar scenario the Politician would get a team of NSG personnel adequately equipped with the latest weapons. The politician's life is no more important than the common man's; he should be provided the same protection than is available to the common man or vice-versa.

When we take away the special privileges of security from the Politicians; their own personal security will become dependent on the State's security establishment. This will automatically compel them to improve, upgrade, and maintain the security infrastructure. Else it will bite them where it hurts the most; there is no better incentive for the Politicians to act.

This is a democracy, we do not need to provide our representatives with special facilities and hope for them to return the favor. If they fear attacks they need to do something as the common man on the streets feels the same fear. If they fear they might be knifed, shot, or mugged without their additional security cover, the same fear exists in the common man's mind as well. Unless we have the politician using the same system as the common man; there will be no incentive for the political class to improve the facilities.

Figuring out how to improve the Policing system is the job of the Politicians and that is why the common people have elected them. They need to ensure it is improved to suffice their own as well as the common people's needs.

Way forward

In my view we need to ensure the following:
1. Ensure there is a one year deadline on the special security being provided to the politicians and their families. This will give enough time for them to improve the security establishment.
2. We need to ensure we have a mechanism in place (perhaps a legislation) that will act as a control. Today, we have no control over such special privileges taken for themselves by the Politicians.

Arguments against the plan

Argument #1: There is bigger threats to politicians. If the Special Security is taken away they become easier targets for attacks.
Defense: The Security establishment is supposed to be managed by the politicians, thats precisely the reason in a democracy we elect our representatives. Threats exist for everyone today; but to execute the threat one needs to have the right weapons and local support. As per law in India no one can own weapons; which either has to be bought locally or smuggled in. Without access to local support no criminal can procure or perform the necessary reconnaissance. The Police needs to be geared up to stop both these activities; the procurement can be easily stopped and so can the smuggling activity. The local support can be broken by Intelligence. Thus if the Police is strengthened not only the Politicians but also the common man will be protected.

Argument #2: Enemy states can target the Politicians by launching penetration attacks deep into India soil.
Defense: If this is possible today, it means the defense establishment needs to be beefed up if not revamped. Enemy states have been offloading equipment on Indian shores using the regular smuggling network which is working hand-in-glove with the customs. If the Border Security Forces, Coast Guards, and Customs is strengthened it will solve this attack problem not only for the Politician and the common man, but also solve the problem of smuggling which is destabilizing the nation's economy.

Argument #3: It is not that easy to secure the Politicians with the Police force. And if this is done, the entire Police force will be redirected to this activity, leaving no one to protect the common man.
Defense: This is not really an argument that should be entertained. This means that the current quality and quantity of the Police force is not enough to protect the Politicians and the common people. This is exactly what the Politicians have been elected to correct, inability for them to achieve this cannot reward them with extra security specifically for them.

None of the above

2008-08-27T14:48:00.004+05:30

In the current state of Democracy, most of the voters vote not because they like a candidate, but because the dislike the other candidate more. Although I agree it is not totally wrong to have that criteria, but that cannot be the choice for long term. I had come across some Student Unions in Colleges which had "None of the Above" (NOTA) listed as one of the ballot choices. In the event of NOTA receiving the majority of votes, all the existing candidates would be disqualified and new nominations would be opened. In my view this gives a tremendous power to the voters and will definitely ensure more serious and sincere agenda to be proposed by the candidates.

Since this choice is absent today, many of the voters choose not to cast their vote as they consider all the candidates equally bad. The other reason cited is that it will make no significant difference if one or the other candidate wins the election. These voters will definitely come back and get involved in the voting process and thus strengthening and shaping the society as a whole.

Today's election process is undemocratic as it does not hear the voices of the people. There is no distinction made between a person who has cast and illegible vote and a person who does not want to vote for any of the candidates. This situation is more like a monopolistic fruit vendor who sells only rotten apples; and the customers due to lack of choice choose the least rotten apples. But introducing NOTA as a ballot choice, the stranglehold on the democracy held by the few powerful political parties will be broken.

There are a few organizations active in promoting this idea:
Committee Against Mediocrity in Politics (CAMP)
NOTA.org

Life in current times

2008-08-27T11:04:00.001+05:30

In the society we live in, the people are continuously striving for two things:
1. To better their life
2. Secure their post-retirement life

What the objective to better their life, really means is that they want to have a better life than what they are leading today. Or it might mean a life better than what their friends, neighbors, and relatives are leading. The same applies to their contribution for their children; the parents want to give their children a better life and education than what they had gotten. And also they want to give their children better everything than what their friends, neighbors, and relatives are giving. This is to give their children the edge in this competitive world.

Securing their post-retirement life really means chasing the horizon but what else can one do. In 1980 a person who must have been 40 years old, would have retired right now. His current requirement would be easily over three times than what he used to earn when he was 40. Everyone today runs by the calculation that they would need around 1x when they retire, and it is impossible to make that kind of money from deposits, etc. when they retire. So everyone needs to have multiple plans to ensure they secure their future, with the assumption that some of these plans will work and some will fail. There is no fool-proof way for doing this and never will be.

These perspectives although completely correct, make it difficult for people to escape the urban rat race. The only time they get out of it is when they are no longer useful for turning the wheels. By this time the person is too old and tired to savor his life. It is important for everyone to find out what is really important for them and do that without feeling the sense of duty. The sense of duty is what makes life frustrating; on the other hand if one quits the rat race on one’s own and chooses to do what he enjoys life becomes more peaceful.

In my view the bottom line is that future is too difficult to guess, and trying to predict it is futile. Everyone should focus on the current; I know it is easier said and very tough to do, some might say it is foolish to do so as well. But I believe in the saying "The past is history, the future is still a mystery and today is a gift, that is why it is called the present".

The Fourfold Personality

2008-08-25T18:44:00.004+05:30

I happened to read a book by Swami Nikhilananda: The Art of Forgiveness. I found the book extremely interesting and if one believes in the philosophy, the contents definitely will be an eye-opener and will benefit the reader immensely. The book talks about the Philosophy of Life, the four levels of our personality, the laws of karma, demerits of non-forgiveness, merits of forgiveness, and the steps towards forgiveness. The following is a reproduction from the book.

The Four Levels of our personality

We have four levels to our personality - Supreme Consciousness, the unconscious mind, the subconscious mind, and the conscious mind. This cross section of layers is true for the totality and for each and every being.

The Supreme Consciousness is the very core of our personality. Like the sun or light it is self-luminous, conscious by itself and not dependent on anything for support. it is surrounded by a layer of ignorance which can be termed as the unconscious. It is a state in which we are not conscious of anything. Sleep is a part of this layer. This layer is surrounded by the layer of sub-conscious in which all our thoughts and emotions exist. This is the layer that projects the dream world and holds as it were all our ideas, philosophies, and visions about ourselves as well as the world. The conscious mind exists in the outermost layer of our personality.

All the negative tendencies lie at the unconscious layer. We try and remove our fear, pride, jealousy, and non-forgiveness at the conscious level through logic and rational thinking. We also try and change our gross habits through a similar process. But logical analysis does not affect the sadness and fears. Logically if you tell a sad person to give up sadness it will not have the required result because sadness rests at the level of the subconscious and not at the level of the conscious level of our mind. Unless we are able to reach the subconscious level of our mind the desired result will elude us and the negative emotions will remain unaltered.

Making changes

The subconscious level can be reached through faith: Deep convictions can transform the negativities stored at this level. But even faith cannot reach the unconscious level. Only grace can touch this layer - God's grace, or the grace of the Guru. Most of the time when we try and remove our sadness, fears or anger we concentrate on our conscious mind. All the thinking and decision making happens in the conscious state, when the individual is awake. We respond to the world at the conscious level and try to remove these negativities by using the tools of analysis, logic, and rational thinking. But rationalizing does not touch our fears and sadness. At the conscious level telling a person to give up sadness will not have the desired effect because the conscious mind is not sad. It is the subconscious mind that is sad. Unless something touches the subconscious there will be no change in the sadness.

Some of our behavioral patterns or personality traits can be transformed at the conscious level through logical thinking. People make cosmetic changes to their mannerisms. They learn to be polite, sometimes effusively grateful and apologetic or seemingly humble. These changes are only superficial and there is no intrinsic change in the personality. The deeper levels remain untouched and the problem persists. Logical thinking produces temporary changes at the conscious level. Faith brings about permanent changes at the subconscious level and grace eliminates or annihilates ignorance at the unconscious level and we understand ourselves. Through logical thinking we take the first step and cleanse ourselves through karma yoga. The second stage is arrived at through faith in the Scriptures and the words of the teacher. This is jnana yoga. Finally by the grace of the teacher and God we come to know ourselves completely - bhakti yoga.

The subconscious mind needs to be told what to do because it accepts everything as it is. If it is told to forgive, it forgives. Hypnotists use this faculty of the mind and help their patients to give up old hurts and heal deep scars through suggestion made to the subconscious mind. Auto suggestion can help cure the physical and mental illness and even change the personality completely.

The words of the Guru affect the personality of the student at all levels. The benefits to the student depend on the sincerity and the degree of faith he/she has, or the importance given to the words of the teacher. We can either listen to the words of the teacher at the conscious level, or the subconscious level, or allow His grace to function at a deeper level. The guru like the hypnotist makes suggestions and it is up to the student to accept them.

If we listen with the conscious mind analyzing the words and thoughts of the teacher some change may take place but it will only be at the superficial level. All the negative emotions we have within us are a result of our delusory powers. Through our interaction in the world we come to possess the negative tendencies of greed, jealousy, or anger, as the case may be.

All of us go to the level of the subconscious. This is the state where we are alert, yet the attention is withdrawn from the world. This state is experienced just before we go to sleep and just before we are fully awake. It is a dream-like state, but different from dream, because in this state we are conscious of our thoughts. In withdrawn from the world and yet conscious of it. In this state instructions given to our mind with faith and conviction go deep within Even when we come out of this state the thoughts in seed-form continue to grow.

Everyone's philosophy of life, conditions or regulates their responses to the world. A holistic philosophy which sees the world as one integral whole, ensures responses which include every aspect of any given situation. A limited view will only give a limited response - one which excludes certain aspects of the whole.

We have all God's powers of creation, sustenance, destruction, delusion, and grace, or the power to give up delusion. We find that the moment we decide to give up our negative tendencies God's grace begins to work. The grace is also in us. We do not have to look outside for help. All the virtues mentioned in the Scriptures are a part of our personality at a deeper level. Love twisted, becomes hatred; humility denied, becomes pride; and forgiveness suppressed, becomes non-forgiveness.

Doing what is easier

2008-05-09T21:57:00.003+05:30

I would like to recount an interesting story from Indian folklore which most of us might have heard or read about.

The story is about Birbal was one of the most popular figures in Indian history. Birbal was a minister at Akbar's court and was regarded as a close friend of Akbar because of his wisdom, wit, and subtle humor. One day Akbar asked Birbal to get him ten fools from his kingdom and Birbal set about doing that. I would like to narrate one of the ten stories which I think is quite remarkable:

One evening Birbal was coming back to the palace when it was very dark. He saw a man searching for something under a street lamp, and stopped to help him.
'What have you lost?' asked Birbal.
'A ring from my finger.' said the man.
Birbal started looking for the ring, and after a few minutes as they could find nothing, Birbal naturally asked: 'Are you sure you dropped it here?'
'No,' was the answer. 'I dropped it over there, but it's dark there and light here. I am searching where I can see.'
Birbal of course put him on the list and took him to Akbar.

I have found this to be a remarkable story. At the outset the man Birbal meets appears to be simple village idiot, but if you look closer to how he acted you might recall quite a few incidents where any of your acquaintances or better still, you yourself might have acted like him. You might think it is outrageous to suggest that we would have acted like him. But think about it, if we are missing some item would we not look at the most easily accessible place first. I have seen so many of my fellow workers make the mistake of looking for problems in lines of code which they understand even if the problem is not occurring in that segment of the application. It is interesting that there are so many of the old tales that are still relevant in the current time. Some wise-man rightly said that foolish behavior is resilient and it adapts well to the changing times.

Growing up in a Process-oriented world

2008-05-04T11:10:00.002+05:30

As I was growing up I was given the ability to chose what I wanted to do, I was allowed to read what comics/story books interested me, go out and play with friends, allowed to pack for lunch whatever I liked to eat (mostly what my mother cooked that day, but as a kid loved that anyway), did whatever I chose to during my vacations. We were not taught innumerable languages such as French, German, Spanish just because it an essential skill and "might" be required in the future. I do not think my school taught me anything that was directly useful in my life today. But each of the teachings that were taught helped me in becoming the person I am today.

These days the schools and parents have hijacked the lives of their kids. You hear a lot about helicopter parents who are hovering over their kids’ lives and trying to control whatever they do. And whatever little space is left out for the kids is being taken over by the schools. The schools these days have started dictating the lunch that should be packed for the kids, the kids schedules are so well managed that they do not have any time for going out to play with friends, even the vacations are being taken over in the name of being better prepared for the next schooling year. Excellent isn't it? We have successfully ISO certified the upbringing of our kids. We have report cards for the progress of the kid, vocational trainings to prepare them for the working environment (from the time they are in grade 5), summer trainings for ensuring the kids are prepared for the next year, etc.

One can almost predict the way a kid will turn out once he/she is enrolled into one of these process-oriented schools. They most definitely will become an Engineer and then an MBA, or go into the Medical field (definitely do some specialization as General Physicians have no social standing anyway). Some of these schools have started boasting of the fact that none of the students who join their school becomes anything less than an MBA or an MD. I think the day is not far when these schools can claim they can turn not only humans but also dogs and crows into Engineers and vice-versa.

Anyone who has worked in both process-oriented as well as non-process-oriented organizations will agree with me that there is more creative output in non-process-oriented environments. I definitely agree that quality of work is more defined and predictability increases in process-oriented organizations and thus helping their businesses. But life does not have to be all predictable, there needs to be a lot of creativity and some uncertainty for it to be exciting. Parents and schools today are ensuring that the kids careers are predictable, at a point in the kids’ lives where they do not know what is good for them. But who is to say that it will help in the future, as the future itself is unpredictable. Remember a few years back becoming a MD was the only future the parents wanted for their kids. I also remember about 15 years back everyone used to advice against taking up Computer Engineering as there was no future or "jobs" for that skill, I took it up because I really enjoyed working on computers, I could choose because my parents allowed me not only to choose but also to think. We must allow the kids to think and choose and refrain from molding them as per our limited thinking.

A Case for Decentralization of Military Decision Making

2008-04-09T11:19:00.005+05:30

In one of my earlier blogs I had mentioned about how our liberty is being trampled upon in the current times. The current structure of democracy does not seem to be achieving the results expected by the citizens. If you observe the decision making process in the Military organization, one can easily see the utter lack of liberty. Does it make sense for democratic governments to continue such a serious breach of the core fundamentals of a democratic country.

Liberty and Military
Liberty for the masses from repressive authorities has been gained mostly militarily or by mass uprisings. Protection of Liberty against external and internal forces has been the duty of the military. Historically these military units were built using the resources of the society they protect, so most if not all of the members were volunteers joining the military of free will. Men historically would formed small military unit to ensure protection of their values and freedom. These small units appointed their leader to make decision on their behalf and everyone in the unit owed their allegiance to this leader. This leader now had the responsibility of ensuring protection of the values and freedom of the Society, and his decisions would be made in accordance of this responsibility. Everyone in the unit has a right to question the decision of the leader and could choose to stop being a part of this unit if they disagreed.

Todays definition of military discipline means obeying orders from superior officers, without questioning. Unwillingness to execute an order is called Dereliction of duty or in severe cases Mutiny, which can be punished by death. Todays organized military does not have place for practice of Liberty in its own ranks. The soldiers who go through any war are most definitely very brave. But they have no option of not fighting for a cause and it is not for them to judge if the cause is Just or simply Blunders. This decision is being made for them and imposed on them by higher ranking officers.

Lord Tennyson wrote a poem memorializing the events in the Battle of Balaclava which was fought as a part of the Crimean War. This Battle involved British, French and Turkish troops against the Imperial Russian Army. The Russians had charged and had defeated the Turkish troops in Number One Redoubt. The Russian were preparing to remove the naval guns captured from the Turks in the redoubts. So the Commander in Chief, Lord Raglan gave the order for the Light Brigade to advance rapidly to the front, and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns. The text did not make sense to Lord Lucan in-charge of the Light Brigade, as the preparations for the removal of the guns from the redoubts could not be seen from the valley floor. Lucan asked the message bearer Captain Nolan which enemy and which guns Raglan was referring to. Nolan is reported to have incorrectly pointed out in the direction of the Russian cavalry force now positioned behind its guns at the end of the North Valley. The rest of the story has been immortalized by Lord Tennyson's poem.

The Charge of the Light Brigade
by Alfred Tennyson.

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

There is no doubt in my mind about the bravery of the 676 horsemen of which only 195 managed to return back. The total number of men fallen was 294, of these 113 were killed, 134 wounded and many fell prisoner. There is no greater act of Bravery and Courage than honoring ones commitment to your fellow soldiers in the face of imminent death.

But should and could Lord Nolan have questioned the order and used his judgment?

One might say if obedience is not mandated the cannot be any army. I disagree with that, I think large armies cannot exist without the laws of blind obedience. Armies should and are built in small groups, with the soldiers giving their allegiance to their immediate regiment and regiment leaders. These regiment leaders have to ensure the safety of their soldiers, they do not serve this primary purpose by leading in front and being the first to die for a blunderous decision made by a higher ranking officer. They must question and strive to ensure the cause and the decisions are just and appropriate.

The American War of Independence (information as gathered from books) was fought by such leaders who ensured that the soldiers in their armies were volunteers. All in all, it was fought by soldiers who decided by their free will to fight for liberty. Some leaders fought legal battles in English courts and also ensured help from larger powers by some shrewd tactics. Conscripting soldiers for a fight for freedom makes no sense. So when we have countries selling wars for liberty by conscripting soldiers, their arguments seem like an oxymoron if not simply moronic.

Cunningness equates to Smartness

2008-04-05T14:13:00.003+05:30

When we see a person cutting into a line to get a movie or train ticket we get agitated and rightly so. But consider this incident: you and a group of friends go to a movie; one of your friends decides to go get tickets. Your friend cuts in line and gets the tickets in record time, what would you and your friends do? I am sure this has occurred to everyone some time or the other. Everyone these days commend such behavior if it benefits them, and frown on it if it is done by someone unrelated. This kind of hypocritical behavior has crept into our society to such a degree that cunning people are being treated as being smart.

Driving wildly without any civic sense, Earning money through unlawful means, Cheating on resumes, Lying to get jobs, are all condoned today by most families. The explanations given to these are generally inane such as "everyone else does it, so if we do it what is wrong", or outright ridiculous such as, "this is the order of the day, if you need to get ahead you have to do things like these".

It seems like ethics and morals are no longer considered important to be implemented in one's own life. These are being treated as futile virtues which slow people down. So they are being viewed as great things to preach to others so it ties them down and we can surge ahead of them!

New class system

2008-04-05T13:13:00.004+05:30

As we look around us today we see that there is a lot of discrimination and it seems there has been a new class system established. Sometimes we are the ones on the receiving end of this, but many a times we are perpetuating it knowingly or unknowingly. Discrimination does not have to be racial or on the basis of caste, but it can be on any basis, if you consider yourself or any one person better than the other for any reason other than ability of performing the same job it is discrimination. Today this discrimination is being perpetuated under the name of Educational Degrees. Education and the teaching institutions started off being the places where one could go to learn the skills required to get jobs. But today it has transformed into becoming a branding order.

Let me take the example of India and the Management graduates from the reputed Indian institutes such as IIMs, Bombay University, etc. Managers from these institutes are automatically considered to be better skilled than the managers who have learnt their management skills from the industry itself or even the managers who have attained the same education and degrees from distance education. A fresh MBA graduate from these management institutes would be paid more and also is more likely to get a better job than a Manager who has been performing well at the same job for 2-3 years.

Discrimination during hiring

Skill is no longer the key factor in getting employment in white-collar jobs. One should have the right degree from reputed institutes to get these jobs and it does not matter if you have gained the knowledge needed to execute your responsibilities by experience or studying on ones own. Employer either are not confident anymore or interested in investing effort in evaluating the candidates for a job. Initially the reasoning proposed was that degrees are used as the basic criterion for filtering the numerous candidates applying for jobs, today this has become the norm.

Discrimination during assessments

This discrimination can be seen even after one lands a job. Appraisals are a process of evaluating existing employees on their performance during the course of the year. Appraisals also means upgraded salary package, which definitely are awarded on the basis of what the same person might be entitled to at the competitor's firm.

Role of Alumni

Alumni initially started as way for students to keep in touch with their classmates and be able to give something back to their Alma Mater. Today it is being used for mentoring, networking, and also for promoting hiring from ones Alma Mater!!! Why discriminate students getting educated from other institutes and ensuring help to your own Alumni? Isn't this discrimination?

Social hypocrisy

The jargon of Equal opportunity is being dished out an incredible frequency by the society. But this is mere lip service as there is no opportunity available for poor individuals who do not have the access to the funds required to get themselves branded by reputed institutes, but have gained the same or at many times better education. There are innumerable skilled candidates who have for some reason been unable to put themselves through expensive institutions to get the degrees, but have gathered the requisite knowledge through hard work and dedication.

A degree from reputed institutions and not education has become qualification criterion for employment. Being self-educated, degree from non-reputed institute, or distance education degrees are considered equal to stigmas. Such candidates are automatically considered not as good as the ones with degrees from reputed institutes. The society thus has not eliminated discrimination but has merely moved to a different form of discrimination.

Basic Criterion should be evaluation exams or certifications (similar to GMAT, GRE, CAT) which available to everyone, these can determine if the candidates have the requisite knowledge for the job. But since this takes effort from companies while hiring, they are not used.

Viva Liberty!

2008-03-19T12:12:00.021+05:30

Liberty and Society
Liberty is the unrestricted freedom to perform activities required by a person for his normal life without infringing the rights of other person or the society. In other words, Liberty is defined as the ability to act in accordance with one’s own true self or values and be able to use one’s own judgment. It is the state of a free person; exempt from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; and opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection.

Historical evidence suggests that a majority of the wars were fought to ensure freedom and preservation of one’s values. Everyone respect their freedom and values, and hence strive to keep them intact. Humans are social animals; they have always stuck together as a community. This meant there needed to be laws for smooth functioning and prosperity for the community and also so that no one infringes on the liberties and values of the others. These required a level of obedience from the members to the laws of the community as a whole.

Obedience is defined as the act of obeying orders from others. It is the compliance with that which is required by authority; subjection to rightful restraint or control. This by definition indicates actions denoting submission to authority and being dutiful.

If Liberty for all members is the core value of a community, it cannot impose laws which curb this basic right of every individual. This means laws can be enacted by the consent of every individual and not by a majority or a representative. This was never practical, so the form of democracy we live in was introduced. But over years of progression, the core value of Liberty has been eroded and it is almost non-existent today. Today the people live in a state of compliance either through lawful/unlawful force, job-contract, or on the basis of religion. This clearly infringes on the basic right of free will, as everyone is bound by visible or invisible force to submit to a higher authority. Hence expectation of obedience towards the law without freedom to judge the validity of the law is clearly an infringement of Liberty.

One can see that blanket laws favoring one section and penalizing another being enacted as a act of appeasement to sections of community. One can see the frustration among most of the people as they are adversely affected by these laws but cannot do anything about them. The reason for the current state is due to the fact that governments do not necessarily represent the people's core values. This state has come about primary due to the fact that most societies are very large with people of varying core values. For electing ones representatives, groups are created purely on the basis of place of residence. This ensures one does not have a choice of the group they belong to.

As election of representatives is on the basis of the place of residence, if one wishes to chose representatives truly representing their values, they need to reside with similar thinking people. This is not possible in today’s times where one moves from one location to another in the same country based on their individual place of work.

There is also no control on the decision making of their leaders as the accountability is restricted to the re-election year. Today every law stands enacted unless explicitly questioned and repealed by a judicial process. This gives a supreme power to the band of leaders who have managed to get elected based on the current absurd system of election. The inability of people to band together has ensured the small section of elected representatives have successfully enacted laws giving them powers giving themselves the authority of law-enforcements and thus establishing an repressive regime which stifles any form of protest.

What are we to do?
Changes in the democratic process are a must in most of the democratic countries to ensure representation of likeminded people. Electing representatives based on the majority votes and place of residence in countries with large population base and in the current age of communication seems absurd. One should be able to band together with similar thinking individuals and elect leaders truly representative of one’s values no matter where they reside in the same country.

There must be a system of continuous non-invasive monitoring of the functioning of the government and also provide with a simple mechanism of bringing about change. Simpler and Legal form of protests should be established, which actually matter without having to take to the streets in protest of one’s own elected representatives.

Obedience and conformance is a regressive thought and should be discouraged vehemently. Freedom of thought is the key for progress of humanity. Free will and liberty is the only way nature has designed everything and everyone to be. One must actively watch out for intellectuals who can sway the masses and assume power and impose laws which curb freedom and lead people towards a certain order or thought process.

Mediocre is good enough

2008-03-18T22:12:00.013+05:30

Times are changing. In other words, things are not how they used to be. Also means there is nothing you can do about it. Whenever someone says this, they also mean things are going from bad to worse. If you want to sound like your grand-father, you can say that things used to be better before. Of course they were, it always has been like that. I am sure his father would have said the same.

Death of the Intellectual Aspirations

There used to be a time when we were growing up when everyone tried to learn more out of curiosity than out of compulsion. Although Nature has built in the firmware into Humans to be curious, it has also given them a brain which might override the curiosity in favor of being outright lazy, 'What difference does it make?'. Over years as the physical energy vanes, laziness takes over, and humans do not act on their intellectual curiosity. It can be observed that this intellectual laziness seems to be setting in even before one gets their college degree. Everyone seems to be interested in learning and gaining knowledge in what might earn them more money.

This is visible in the quiz competitions. There was a time when only highly intellectual quiz competition were held, these used to have questions which the mass audience did not know. Remember Brittania Quiz Competition, BBC Master-mind, and Jeopardy. At the time, everyone in the audience who did not know the answers would strive hard to learn more so they could increase their level to be able to answer them.

One could also see informative programming on television, people would go to lengths to listen to news and views on MW and SW channels on radio, and increase ones vocabulary to understand the excellent analysis by insightful writers in newspapers. If this is compared with today, it seemed a time of the upward trend in intellectual progress.

At some point in time, some of the business houses realized that by lowering the difficulty levels of quiz competition and churning out pointless drivel attracts more audience as they can understand it without having to 'think too much'. This seemed like a masterstroke which took their advertisement revenues off the roof. So this soon became the order of the day.

Today, the excellent content on Radio, TV, and newspapers has been replaced with programming that feeds the stagnating intellect. These are the times of never-ending soaps and sms-centric reality shows, annoying radio jockeys with their loud songs interspersed with advertisements on radio, and newspapers with most of the pages sold to different brands as advertisement slots and the rest occupied by articles which reeks of yellow journalism. The unfortunate part of all of this is people are lapping this up, ensuring more such "entertainment" are being prepared to fill up the spaces which are not already been occupied with such junk.

Thanks to the lack of stimulus and free availability of the pointless drivel, no one strives to improve upon their knowledge. So today we have generations of individuals who refuse to engage into serious rational discussions which could improve the thinking of everyone involved. The thrust today is on trivial, superficial knowledge, and entertainment. The population of such people has today increased to such large proportions that all the business who cater to such people are flourishing, and thus ensuring the remaining few firms who want to continue with highly intellectual programming are losing revenue. No viewer-ship means no advertisement revenues, which mean they must change to cater to the masses or shut shop.

Majority Wins! Weed out the Specialists

The mass population today has been successfully dumbed down to appreciate trivial shows such as “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” and other never ending soaps. Since they are being fed more and more of the same junk, they have become comfortable and do not see a need to change. Specialized programming by definition caters to specialized audience and hence a subset of the entire audience base, this is not lucrative from a business point of view. Population in generally has stopped expecting specialized services for their needs, they are very much willing to adapt their tastes to big business houses. Gone are the days where one would go to restaurants because they liked the food and ambiance there. These days everything is preprocessed, cooked just-in-time, and served hot. To ensure the mass produced food is catered to larger audience, the tastes are kept neutral. The population at large have adapted to these neutral tastes and thus ensuring the demise of specialized caterers.

This lack of appreciation of specialization and excellence has crept in to all aspects of our lives. Take simple household furniture, the price point is the most important aspect today, thus telling the manufacturers that do whatever it takes to keep the price low. Creating something above average and specialized costs more money, this in turn increases the price of the product. Thus Chinese and Malaysian mass produced furniture sells more than locally handcrafted furniture. Mass produced furniture is lower in quality due to the lower quality of the raw material, but that is not a factor when the end price is much lower.

Thus today the mass population in general does not expect excellence if the price is right, and is not willing to pay extra for better quality. It has come to a point that these days everyone is just concerned about getting the job done, not well done! Businesses have understood this and have moved out of all the areas where innovation is required and have started focusing on areas where things can be mass produced. Thus specialists are being weeded out and are being replaced by resources that are expected to push predefined buttons. By doing this we are telling the population in general that it pays not to specialize, and stay at a level where you are not required to think too much.

All in all we are saying excelling is not required, mediocrity is good enough. Since we are asking the majority population to not worry about improving themselves, they are readily getting comfortable with their intellect or lack of it and do not have the desire to improve it. To take a totally pessimistic view: eventually all the remaining aspiring intellectuals will be weeded out or converted to mediocrity. As one thing is true in this age, Mediocrity sells!

Natural Progression - Going from bad to worse?

2008-03-16T16:15:00.003+05:30

Over the years the humans have roamed this planet, we have been trying to make things better for ourselves. We have stayed true to this underlying sentiment, but hope we all can agree that things have gone from bad to worse.

Every single invention or discovery of humans has lead to balance of the planet being tilted towards the worse. Take from the discovery of fire or invention of weapons, all that we ensured was that humans were able to destroy more and more easily than naturally required. Natural requirement for man has been survival and pro-creation. From the day life is born, it is going steadily towards its inevitable destruction. Sure the humans have discovered and invented ways of delaying the destruction, but have not been able to stop it altogether from happening. Let me try to analyze the inventions and discoveries humans have made in different areas to see if we have actually progress towards the better:

Medicine

There have also been many inventions in the medical field that have been counted towards leading us towards a better form of life. All these inventions have done is, reduce the mortality due to relatively weaker forms of bacteria or viruses. None of the inventions have been able to change the inevitable; at best they have been able to delay it by a few years.

Engineering

This industry is credited to most of the inventions which have apparently made our lives simpler. There cannot be a much bigger oxymoron than that statement. Although it is true that traveling long distances has been made simpler, moving heavy materials which earlier was impossible has been made possible, more such activities which earlier could not be dreamt off has been done with ease thanks to the engineering industry. But like many wise men earlier have said: For What. None of these inventions were absolutely necessary for basic human necessities. Invention of engines and cars has taken this to a further higher level of destruction.

Over time many wise people have said, the only thing that is certain is change. Change by definition means the existing has to go and something new will take its place. If we agree that nature has a built-in mechanism for change, it would mean that everything that we see around us is in a process of evolving and headed towards eventual death.

My question in this regard is, is this the natural progression? Is it possible that this is the natural progression; going towards destruction? Could this be how nature has intended everything including itself to be?

Humans and the effects of the basic elements

2008-01-31T17:22:00.002+05:30

Almost everything on Earth can be defined as being made of the 5 basic elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and ether. This holds true for human beings, animals, trees, fruits, etc.

We humans are formed due to a simple joining of two organisms from two different individuals and this thus formed organism would grow up into a individual human being. We derive our energy and growth requirements from the food we eat, which inturn can also be broken down to be formed by the 5 basic elements. So every pound/kilogram of the mass that the human being puts on from being the tiny joined organism and till he/she becomes the 150 pound individual, is being derived from the 5 basic elements.

In my view it is possible that the basic elements have different characteristics depending on their location on the earth. For example, Earth from Asia could have different qualities as compared to Earth found in North America. This could potentially lead to the difference in qualities of the individuals growing up in the two continents. Also it could be possible the basic elements grow an affinity towards other elements with similar origin, in other words human beings would have an affinity towards the food, air, water available in the country of their origin and upbringing.

Any expatriate can second the fact that they are always more comfortable in the country of their origin and upbringing. They would almost never feel at home in a foreign country especially if it is across continents. I agree that it could be the brain that is causing this affinity, and my contention is that the brain causes this affinity because it too is made of the basic elements and hence it has formed the affinity due to that.

There could be a social angle to this as well; most expatriates might feel out of place due to the difference in their social life. This again is something that might have an aspect of the brain thinking in a certain way. Social life has many different aspects: friends, family, and general ambiance. My contention is that one’s social life changes even when one moves from one city to another in the same country, but at that the individual does not reject the new surroundings as fervently as he/she does in the case he/she moves across continents. So the social angle must contribute a small percentage and cannot be the only reason for the homeland affinity.

Water forms about 60% of the human body. Much of the human body is also made of Earth. Much of our mental drive, energies, etc is attributed to chemical and magnetic triggers in our body. Heavenly bodies such as Moon, Sun, and other planets are known to affect Earth in general; tides can be a case-in-point. If Heavenly bodies affect Seas and also cause Earth to revolve in a defined orbit, it could be possible that these do cause certain imbalances in the human bodies.

My views should in no way be construed that I support the validity of astrology and its predictions. I am simply suggesting that it is possible that humans since are a part of the Earth's ecosystem, the effects that can be observed due to moving of trees from one continent to another could also be applicable to humans. Also it could be possible that other effects observed on Earth due to celestial occurrences could also be affecting Humans. And also, the extent of the effects could vary based on the constitution of the individual.

Monetary Policy and Inflation

2007-10-21T20:25:00.002+05:30

Being a novice in the financial world I find it incredibly difficult to understand the ongoings. I always hear big/heavy words being used to describe the situation; Monetary Policy, Fiscal Policy, Exchange rate fluctuations, Inflation, etc.

No one seems to completely explain the meanings of any of these terms and the relation between them which leads to higher interest rates or higher prices. So I set about hunting for simple explanations of the same. (Much of the following text is a reproduction from variety of websites.)

I started with trying to understand the relationship by starting from the very beginning understanding the concept of money and trade in general.

Trade and International Trade
Trade is the voluntary exchange of goods, services, or both. Trade is also called commerce. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and services. Modern traders instead generally negotiate through a medium of exchange, such as money. As a result, buying can be separated from selling, or earning. Trade exists for many reasons. Due to specialisation and division of labor, most people concentrate on a small aspect of production, trading for other products.

Trade exists between regions because different regions have a comparative advantage in the production of some tradable commodity, or because different regions' size allows for the benefits of mass production. As such, trade at market prices between locations benefits both locations.

Exchange Rate
Every trade expects monetary benefits; the buyer will always pay in the currency he understands and this not necessarily is the same as the seller's currency. The exchange rate between two currencies specifies how much one currency is worth in terms of the other.

There are two basic ways the exchange rate is defined: free-float or pegged. If a currency is free-floating, its exchange rate is allowed to vary against that of other currencies and is determined by the market forces of supply and demand. Exchange rates for such currencies are likely to change almost constantly as quoted on financial markets, mainly by banks, around the world. A movable or adjustable peg system is a system of fixed exchange rates, but with a provision for the devaluation of a currency.

A market based exchange rate will change whenever the values of either of the two component currencies change. A currency will tend to become more valuable whenever demand for it is greater than the available supply. It will become less valuable whenever demand is less than available supply (this does not mean people no longer want money, it just means they prefer holding their wealth in some other form, possibly another currency).

Increased demand for a currency is due to either an increased transaction demand for money, or an increased speculative demand for money. The transaction demand for money is highly correlated to the country's level of business activity, gross domestic product (GDP), and employment levels. The more people there are out of work, the less the public as a whole will spend on goods and services. Central banks typically have little difficulty adjusting the available money supply to accommodate changes in the demand for money due to business transactions.

Inflation
Inflation is measured as the growth of the money supply in an economy, without a commensurate increase in the supply of goods and services. This results in a rise in the general price level as measured against a standard level of purchasing power. Mainstream economists' views on the causes of inflation can be broadly divided into two camps: the "monetarists" who believe that monetary effects dominate all others in setting the rate of inflation, and the "Keynesians" who believe that the interaction of money, interest rates and output dominate other effects. Keynesians also tend to add a capital-goods (or asset) price inflation to the standard measure of consumption-goods inflation. Other theories believe that inflation results when central-banking authorities increase in the money supply (Monetary inflation).

At this point one can easily see that the availability of money in the system needs to be controlled to ensure the inflation is in check. This is the key responsibility of the central banks of every country. The process by which the central banks manipulate the quantity of money in the economy is called the Monetary policy.

Monetary Policy
Monetary policy is categorized into two types: contractionary and expansionary. Contractionary (or "tight") monetary policy aims to reduce the amount of money circulating through the economy, and reduce short-term economic growth in exchange for higher (hoped-for) long-term growth.
Expansionary ("loose") policy, on the other hand, aims to increase the money supply and increase short-term economic activity at the expense of long-term economic activity.

Tools of Monetary Policy
Interest Rates
The tools used in monetary policy hinge on manipulating variables that either directly or indirectly change interest rates. If the Central Bank believes that the economy is overheating (if the supply of money is outpacing production of goods), it will raise interest rates and bring money supply down to what it perceives to be the "equilibrium" level. By the same token, if the Central Bank believes economic growth is outpacing money supply (causing deflation/ less inflation), it will reduce interest rates. When interest rates are lower, it's cheaper for individuals to take out loans to start new businesses or buy goods and services. It also discourages them from keeping their money in a bank account, because they would make less interest.

Cash Reserve Ratio
The government can exert regulatory control on the amount of reserves as a proportion of total assets that banks must hold. This number is called the "cash reserve ratio". The private incentives of banks mean that they want to keep reserves as low as possible, so that they can loan out as much money as possible. If reserves at a bank drop too much could mean that the bank does not have enough reserves to meet the demands of its depositors. Were that to happen, the bank would go bankrupt, and other depositors would lose most of their money, go bankrupt themselves, causing other banks to go bankrupt, etc.

Bottom Line
Academically speaking, inflation relates to the money supply as follows:
M * V = P * T
M = total amount of money available in the economy for circulation.
V = velocity of circulation. A good way to conceptualize this is "the amount of times a dollar bill changes hands over a specific period of time."
P = price level of the economy for a specific period.
T = "the real value" of aggregate transactions.
Assuming T and V stay constant, an increase in the money supply will increase prices. This means that the government can use open market policy or change the reserve requirement to tweak M, so that P will change. Increasing interest rates has the effect of reducing M, because most people tend to deposit funds to receive the higher rates of interest. This is the most common method of combating inflation.

Absurdism, Myth of Sisiphus, & Beliefs

2007-06-05T16:45:00.002+05:30

Absurdism is a philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail (and, hence, are absurd) because no such meaning exists, at least in relation to humanity. The word Absurd in this context does not mean "logically impossible", but rather "humanly impossible".

According to Absurdism, humans historically attempt to find meaning in their lives. For some, traditionally, this search follows one of two paths: either concluding that life is meaningless and that what we have is the here-and-now; or filling the void with a purpose set forth by a higher power, often a belief in God or adherence to a religion. However, even with a spiritual power as the answer to meaning, another question is posed: What is the purpose of God? Absurdism believes that there is no human-comprehensible purpose of God, making faith in God absurd.

In Albert Camus's literature, The Myth of Sisyphus, he considers absurdity as a confrontation, an opposition, a conflict, or a "divorce" between two ideals. Specifically, he defines the human condition as absurd, as the confrontation between man's desire for significance/meaning/clarity and the silent, cold universe. He continues that there are specific human experiences that evoke notions of absurdity. Such a realization or encounter with the absurd leaves the individual with a choice: suicide, a leap of faith, or acceptance. He concludes that acceptance is the only defensible option.

According to Camus, man's freedom, and the opportunity to give life meaning, lies in the acknowledgment and acceptance of absurdity. If the absurd experience is truly the realization that the universe is fundamentally devoid of absolutes, then we as individuals are truly free. "To live without appeal," as he puts it, is a philosophical move that begins to define absolutes and universals subjectively, rather than objectively. The freedom of man is, thus, established in man's natural ability and opportunity to create his own meaning and purpose, to decide himself. The individual becomes the most precious unit of the existence, as he represents a set of unique ideals that can be characterized as an entire universe by itself.

In The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus outlines the legend of Sisyphus who defied the gods and put Death in chains so that no human needed to die. When Death was eventually liberated and it came time for Sisyphus himself to die, he concocted a deceit which let him escape from the underworld. Finally captured, the gods decided on his punishment: for all eternity, he would have to push a rock up a mountain; on the top, the rock rolls down again and Sisyphus has to start over. Camus sees Sisyphus, who lives life to the fullest, hates death and is condemned to a meaningless task, as the absurd hero.

Camus is interested in Sisyphus' thoughts when marching down the mountain, to start anew. This is the tragic moment, when the hero becomes conscious of his wretched condition. He does not have hope, but he also figures out the truth and Sisyphus, just like the absurd man, keeps pushing. Camus argues that Sisyphus is truly happy precisely because the futility of his task is beyond doubt: the certainty of Sisyphus' fate frees him to recognize the absurdity of his plight and to carry out his actions with contented acceptance.

My thoughts on this:

Truly speaking I don't know if I can agree or disagree completely with Albert Camus. But I definitely am intrigued with the theory he puts forth. It is very difficult for me to completely agree with the duality theory of God and His creation, in the same breath I cannot find enough courage to disapprove of it either. I can though theorize that the nondualism theory can hold water based on the arguments cited by many philosophers.

The problem here lies more so with my inability to completely agree with either of the theories. The problem is more with the availability of choice and in the ability to recognize the choices. Choice has never lead to happiness and hence I believe the proverb "Ignorance is bliss" holds a lot of relevance. But that should ideally be a discussion topic in itself. So let’s stick to the discussion at hand.