Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Note
The last few posts have all been on related issues and have been of a quite serious nature. So as to not bore to death the few readers I have (I think there are a few), I'll try to make the next one completely different from these on both those counts.
"They"
I guess shifting blame and shirking responsibilities comes naturally to all of us. We're so good at it that even we don't catch ourselves doing it. There are some commonly used expressions that I wish to discuss in this context.
The first two are expressions that refer to those who are the cause of all of the world's misery - 'THEY' or 'PEOPLE'. The mysterious 'THEY' are everywhere and at the root of every problem but are surprisingly invisible to us, or so it would seem. We are quick to blame everything from bad roads to global warming on 'THEIR' apathy. Yet if any of us should be asked to name 'THEM', we'd be hard pressed for answers. The fact of the matter is that 'THEY' is a subconscious euphemism for 'WE'. It's a means of dissociating ourselves from wrongs and therefore from the responsibility of righting those wrongs.
Another commonly misused expression is "in the good old days". Truth is there were never better or worse times. In the larger context of human history, the world has always been just as bright/dark a place as it is today. Granted that there were fluctuations now and then but those are merely temporally localized events...a product of the randomness that characterizes the universe (of course, I'm glad to have skipped the historical times of the world wars and other such world-shaping disasters). However we use phrases such as "in those days" to imply that our predecessors lived in a better time than ours and hence we have a tougher prospect on our hands when it comes to making changes. Another excuse for our laziness!
In fact, we've become so comfortable within our myopic cocoon that should one of us be willing to try and change things, we ridicule him as a fool and an idealist.
The first two are expressions that refer to those who are the cause of all of the world's misery - 'THEY' or 'PEOPLE'. The mysterious 'THEY' are everywhere and at the root of every problem but are surprisingly invisible to us, or so it would seem. We are quick to blame everything from bad roads to global warming on 'THEIR' apathy. Yet if any of us should be asked to name 'THEM', we'd be hard pressed for answers. The fact of the matter is that 'THEY' is a subconscious euphemism for 'WE'. It's a means of dissociating ourselves from wrongs and therefore from the responsibility of righting those wrongs.
Another commonly misused expression is "in the good old days". Truth is there were never better or worse times. In the larger context of human history, the world has always been just as bright/dark a place as it is today. Granted that there were fluctuations now and then but those are merely temporally localized events...a product of the randomness that characterizes the universe (of course, I'm glad to have skipped the historical times of the world wars and other such world-shaping disasters). However we use phrases such as "in those days" to imply that our predecessors lived in a better time than ours and hence we have a tougher prospect on our hands when it comes to making changes. Another excuse for our laziness!
In fact, we've become so comfortable within our myopic cocoon that should one of us be willing to try and change things, we ridicule him as a fool and an idealist.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Welfare state
A friend of mine sent me this story about a successful corn farmer who would share his seeds with his neighbours even though they were his competitors at the annual agricultural contest. When asked why helped his neighbours, he replied that it was important for his neighbours to grow good corn so that his crop would be cross-pollinated with good pollen. A simple allegory with deep implications.
This simple allegory reminded me of debates with my friends over the kind of economy that is preferrable, especially in a developing country. I am of the opinion that it's better to have high taxes that pay for welfare measures for the people (such as free education for everyone, subsidized medical care etc).
There are those who feel they'd rather the government left things alone and didn't tax people much. In my mind, such a model would only result in continued widening of the gap between rich and poor. The consequences of such a disparity between classes can only be violence and unrest. These would in turn lead to mass histeria - the people will willingly allow themselves to be controlled, desperate for security or at least an illusion of it... even at the cost of their lierties. Attempts to quell the violence without alleviating the misery that spring is it will only result in its perpetuation. End result: FASCIST POLICE STATE or ANARCHY - either way, it will ultimately lead to a downward spiral. This is a point I've alreay made in my previous post - Cycle of Violence.
Only by sharing the fruits of development equally among all levels of the socio-economic spectrum can equality be attained. Growth will be sustainable only if everybody benefits from it equally. To achieve this, taxation is a viable and ultimately fair means of redistributing wealth. Ultimately everyone has to be happy for anyone to be happy. There will always be the dissatisfied among us, but we can at least eliminate the desperate. We must remember, great deeds are accomplished when mortals strive for ideals.
PS. I am, by no stretch of imagination, an alarmist. There are things that we should be concerned about and our concern must result in action, in change. There is no point in getting scared and running around flapping.
PPS. I'm no commie either. I'm all for supporting individual achievement and to hell with state ownership...nobody's comin near my stuff...ever! All I'm saying is that the spirit of philanthropy in us (those without it must change, if at least for selfish reasons) must be reflected in the system of our economy.
This simple allegory reminded me of debates with my friends over the kind of economy that is preferrable, especially in a developing country. I am of the opinion that it's better to have high taxes that pay for welfare measures for the people (such as free education for everyone, subsidized medical care etc).
There are those who feel they'd rather the government left things alone and didn't tax people much. In my mind, such a model would only result in continued widening of the gap between rich and poor. The consequences of such a disparity between classes can only be violence and unrest. These would in turn lead to mass histeria - the people will willingly allow themselves to be controlled, desperate for security or at least an illusion of it... even at the cost of their lierties. Attempts to quell the violence without alleviating the misery that spring is it will only result in its perpetuation. End result: FASCIST POLICE STATE or ANARCHY - either way, it will ultimately lead to a downward spiral. This is a point I've alreay made in my previous post - Cycle of Violence.
Only by sharing the fruits of development equally among all levels of the socio-economic spectrum can equality be attained. Growth will be sustainable only if everybody benefits from it equally. To achieve this, taxation is a viable and ultimately fair means of redistributing wealth. Ultimately everyone has to be happy for anyone to be happy. There will always be the dissatisfied among us, but we can at least eliminate the desperate. We must remember, great deeds are accomplished when mortals strive for ideals.
PS. I am, by no stretch of imagination, an alarmist. There are things that we should be concerned about and our concern must result in action, in change. There is no point in getting scared and running around flapping.
PPS. I'm no commie either. I'm all for supporting individual achievement and to hell with state ownership...nobody's comin near my stuff...ever! All I'm saying is that the spirit of philanthropy in us (those without it must change, if at least for selfish reasons) must be reflected in the system of our economy.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Cycle of violence
With all the talk of fundamentalist threats and conspiracy theories in the air right now, terrorism is on everyone's mind...well almost everyone. But why is terrorism such a big problem in today’s world? How do we find a solution? Here's my take on the issue.
Violence is inherent in nature and malice and covetousness have been the cause of untold bloodshed since the dawn of man. Therein lies the root of the matter. Despite all the talk of equality, it's in human nature to crave the opposite. On the one hand each one of us wants to 'be better' than others, have more than others. On the other, we crave larger-than-life figures to follow, heroes and leaders - so that we may avoid the burden of searching for a vision, a purpose in life. This very laziness to seek the truth is also the why people choose a myopic view of life and limit their goals to success as defined by the norms of a material society - fame, fortune, whatever. So people, out of their moral laziness, resign themselves to lesser pursuits and become consumed by the trappings of their chosen paths - be it religion, money, power. Once trapped by such pursuits, people use the very limitations of their vision to justify immoral acts.
In the context of today's world, there are the economically strong, the worshippers of Mammon, who care only about enriching their coffers and insulate themselves from the consequences of their actions through their elitism. The consequence that such 'men' remain blissfully ignorant of is the economically weak majority being deprived of basic human needs and rights. The oppressed are pushed to a point where they are so bereft of dignity that they are more than willing to believe in any cause which offers that little hint of hope. For many, holding on to such hopes is the only way to survive through hard times. Often, such people are captivated by false messiahs who need do no more than point their finger and give people a target, real or imagined, to blame their troubles on. Instead of helping people work towards solving their problems, these leaders merely perpetuate the pointless venting of anger through violence and hatred. Violent crimes, perpetrated by desperate men, in the name of their beliefs, spread fear that drives the very machinery of oppression which lies at the root of the problem. 'Terrorists' and their like merely provide a pretext for the greedy and power-hungry to retain their grip on people and continue sucking the sap out of society.
Thus we are left with a vicious circle of greed, desperation, lies, fear and violence that perpetuates itself by feeding on innocent lives. Such a society can not be sustained indefinitely. Unless we recognize the root of the issue and right the fundamental wrongs, a lasting peace can not be achieved.
Violence is inherent in nature and malice and covetousness have been the cause of untold bloodshed since the dawn of man. Therein lies the root of the matter. Despite all the talk of equality, it's in human nature to crave the opposite. On the one hand each one of us wants to 'be better' than others, have more than others. On the other, we crave larger-than-life figures to follow, heroes and leaders - so that we may avoid the burden of searching for a vision, a purpose in life. This very laziness to seek the truth is also the why people choose a myopic view of life and limit their goals to success as defined by the norms of a material society - fame, fortune, whatever. So people, out of their moral laziness, resign themselves to lesser pursuits and become consumed by the trappings of their chosen paths - be it religion, money, power. Once trapped by such pursuits, people use the very limitations of their vision to justify immoral acts.
In the context of today's world, there are the economically strong, the worshippers of Mammon, who care only about enriching their coffers and insulate themselves from the consequences of their actions through their elitism. The consequence that such 'men' remain blissfully ignorant of is the economically weak majority being deprived of basic human needs and rights. The oppressed are pushed to a point where they are so bereft of dignity that they are more than willing to believe in any cause which offers that little hint of hope. For many, holding on to such hopes is the only way to survive through hard times. Often, such people are captivated by false messiahs who need do no more than point their finger and give people a target, real or imagined, to blame their troubles on. Instead of helping people work towards solving their problems, these leaders merely perpetuate the pointless venting of anger through violence and hatred. Violent crimes, perpetrated by desperate men, in the name of their beliefs, spread fear that drives the very machinery of oppression which lies at the root of the problem. 'Terrorists' and their like merely provide a pretext for the greedy and power-hungry to retain their grip on people and continue sucking the sap out of society.
Thus we are left with a vicious circle of greed, desperation, lies, fear and violence that perpetuates itself by feeding on innocent lives. Such a society can not be sustained indefinitely. Unless we recognize the root of the issue and right the fundamental wrongs, a lasting peace can not be achieved.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Galt's ire
Why is society so fond of mediocrity? Why has excellence become a curse? Not only are the excellent few forced to carry the burden of the world’s mediocrity, but they are judged by that very mediocre majority who possess no qualification save their number. Why must everyone be deemed deserving of the same fruits regardless of merit, all in the name of equality?
How did we get here? Blame the weak who lack confidence in their deeds…who crave to approval of the masses to reassure themselves of their own worth.
By perpetuating this injustice, we are driving ourselves ever closer to extinction. When the end is upon us, then the mediocre shall be weighed upon evolution’s unbiased scales and found wanting. The Galt in me shall only then find peace, at least some measure of it.
How did we get here? Blame the weak who lack confidence in their deeds…who crave to approval of the masses to reassure themselves of their own worth.
By perpetuating this injustice, we are driving ourselves ever closer to extinction. When the end is upon us, then the mediocre shall be weighed upon evolution’s unbiased scales and found wanting. The Galt in me shall only then find peace, at least some measure of it.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Nostalgia
Some call it Madras, some Chennai. To me, it's home. Every time I think of it, I'm flooded with memories good and bad. The first things I noticed upon moving to Madras were the heat, the terrible water, the stench of the Kuvam and the impolite (at first look) people and they did not do much to endear the city to me. But as time passed, the place just grew on me. Having spent nearly a year away from home, I am surprised by how vivid the memories still are. So, permit me to get nostalgic for a moment - these are some of the things that come to mind when I think of Madras.
- 'Working' (vernacular for being engaged in a pointless pursuit) on my computer (aka my pride and joy) in my room with its walls adorned with posters of superheroes. Being suddenly albeit pleasantly jolted back to reality by the delicious aromas emanating from the kitchen and by the sound of my mom's voice sneaking in from the outside world past the wall of heavy metal music.
- The sound of the waves at Bessy/Marina beach, the salty air blowing through my hair with the taste of hot grilled corn, sundal or bajji tickling my tongue - be it in the company of friends or in solitude (the kind you experience when you are a silent spectator to the chaotic mass of humanity that surrounds you).
- Speeding on my Honda Activa on Mount Road - weaving through the wall of traffic, trying to run away from the oppressive heat or enjoying the quietness of the wee hours. Trying not to end up having to grease the pockets of our beloved "uncles" in uniform.
- Spending a lazy afternoon at home with a bunch of friends and watching movies, listening to music, doing silly things (the kind you do to reassure yourself that you're still only 5 years old) until we realized that the afternoon had stretched far into the night and into the next dawn.
- Eating out... trying to decide on one from an endless list of options, each as good as the next.
-The countless street food stalls - podi dosai at T.Nagar's Kaiyendhi Bhavan (our saviour when we were hit by those late night hunger pangs) or roti-channa at the little hole in the wall in Saidapet - sitting on the platform hogging till we could walk no more
- Small & cheap restaurants (who could forget the veg biryani at Delux or the rava dosa at Mylai Karpagambal mess). It would be a sin not to mention the all-you-can-eat buffet at Dhaba Express (yes, the one on Cenotaph Road).
- Coffee pubs a la Barista where we'd chat for hours over a cup of friazzo.
- Pizza joints - only to be considered when there's an all-you-can-eat offer going (I wonder if our visits had anything to do with these offers being closed down the very next day...every time ;) )
- Chaat shops ranging from Gangotree and Shree Mithai to the little places in Saukarpet - tastes to die or even kill for.
- And of course the proper restaurants - Wang's Kitchen, Eden... infinite options to satisfy every palate. (I take this chance to pay tribute to my hero, Mr.Mahadevan...praise him for all his amazing restaurants that introduced many of us to diverse cuisines never before heard of in Madras.)
In the interest of brevity (chuckle!), I choose to elaborate no more on the topic of food in Madras. It would suffice to say that Madras is a foodie's paradise.
- Watching the sky lit up in bright hues on the night of Deepavali. And agonizing over all the pollution the day after.
- Feeling a tide of emotions - joy, sorrow, hope, despair, dreams and aspirations, love & hate - all come rushing back at once when I step into the PSBB KK Nagar campus.
- Rebellion welling up deep within at the very thought of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, in particular the department of Chemical Engineering - the fascist head of the department Dr.P.V.R.Iyer a man with limitations in every respect save his arrogance. Bun aka R.Parthiban, a man/thing with a vindictive streak as big as his shapeless physical being - a monument to mediocrity.
- Drinking tea from a tiny cup shared among 3 or more people at the pathetic excuse for a canteen at SVCE. Bunking college, jumping the fence and getting home via diverse modes of transport often under dubious conditions of safety (the milk van, the tractor and the brick lorry) when unable to secure passage on one of those moffusil buses stuffed to twice its capacity.
- Sipping sherbet soda or sugarcane juice at that little corner shop on a hot summer afternoon.
- Visiting a friend's house and watching their parents instructing them to follow my example (yes, parents can be THAT myopic!).
- Headbanging till we dropped at gigs at the Unwind center or the IIT-OAT.
- Listening to friends jam.
- Getting together with friends to prepare for an exam and ending up having a lot of fun while still managing to accomplish the goal (a much watered down version of the initially stated one).
- Playing snooker/pool with friends and trying to explain to parents the smell of tobacco smoke permeating one's clothes.
- Watching a movie (often a night show) at one of many cinema halls (including the one and only Sathyam Cinemas), recalling movies that we'd watched sitting in various seats (yes, we watched a lot of movies...yes we were that jobless).
- Celebrating birthdays - mine or a friend's - just another reason to party, really.
Looking back at all those fun years, one thing stands out. Madras is a great place. But alas, he was right who said "The wine doth taste sweeter and the moon doth shine brighter in the company of friends." So I am too close to the truth for my own comfort when I call those the good old days.
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