Power of Culture and Symbols

I have always been fascinated and inspired by the power of culture, rituals and symbols. Hans Rosling ends a fantastic presentation that talks about poverty in a very non-traditional way. The presentation talks about how the world is just not industrialized and developing world. The non-traditional but fascinating ending goes like this -
"Sword swallowing is from ancient India. It is an cultural expression that for thousand of years have inspired young men to think beyond the obvious. And I will now prove to you that 'seemingly impossible is possible'...."

You can check the video here.

Cheers !

Logic alone is a poor substitute for intelligence

It is when I slide down into my unintelligent self, I take refuge in logic for staying above the water. But logic ensures only survival, ah! that is so unimaginative, so ineffective ;), Relying only on logic is like making a building stand on one pillar. You can probably construct a ordinary structure, but never a monument :)

Some funny stuff--
Credits - Aniruddha P. N.

->> South America + Africa = T-Rex
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1102/1208561702595cs5.jpg

->> Kids:
http://www.shootthestupid.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/stupidkids.jpg

->> The tunnel at the end of the tunnel:
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/KeefeM/2008/KeefeM20080413_low.jpg

Q without A

Right now, I am happy; but is happiness enough?
I am at peace right now; is peace enough?
I have enough to lead a good life and I am sure I will always have enough to lead a appreciably good life; but is this sense of enoughness enough?
What is it that a human really wants, searches for?
Is it a sense of having done something, that is much bigger than his/her existence?
Is it about a sense of achievement? What is achievement? How big is big enough?
Is it finding the so called 'love' and getting busy?
Is it knowing the truth of the universe?
Is it sensual pleasures?
Is it about having done something more meaningful and lasting than his/her mundane struggle to find his/her little space in the crowd?
Is it about the pleasure that comes from giving or more accurately by being the medium through which the giver gives?

The questions can be many. And right now I do not have any answers to offer.

Objective reality

If my observation is coloured by my experiences, then have I ever seen the truth? Can I ever be objective enough to see the truth, because unless I see the universe as it is, how am I supposed to do anything about it? Will I ever be able to see the truth? And is there a singular reality? Is there anything called 'the absolute truth'? Is not the reality that you see is as real as the one that I observe?

I was watching a video which resonated with the ideas expressed in Hindu Mysticism and the profound science of yoga and personal evolution and I tended to like it because of this resonance. Is not this itself a bias? Irrespective of how great and profound this science is, was not my experience coloured because I happened to take birth in a Hindu family, where I got this kind of conditioning, and external environment that I passed through subsequently? Or did I have it all planned and I will-fully took birth in such environment; because it suited my evolutionary needs so I chose the set of circumstances. How am I supposed to know this without doubt?

The mystics say that one has to understand one's experiences, and resolve the unresolved reactions/fruits of our actions to see the objective truth. It is as if things always existed for you to see, but you had turned too insensitive, too busy to observe. Reaching this state, they say, is the first step to be able to see and program the quantum space - the sub-nuclear, the "suxam" (in Sanskrit) realm.

David Foster Wallace on Life and Work

Those of you who like thinking about 'what and how to think' and how to get into a conscious habit of doing it will enjoy reading this article.

Though Mr David talks about only the emotional, moral and human aspects of 'thinking' here and not necessarily about problem solving and more action-oriented applications of this 'art', nonetheless it is worth reading and pondering over.

Rajat Gupta on India

One of the good podcasts I happened to listen to recently.
Enjoy listening to it here