I am sure, that my answer does not help much, for practical purpose of getting rid of the emotion (negative emotion) called ‘fear’.
But it is worth looking at it, from the state of mind that we the ‘present day people’ have. May be we can come a bit closer to the issue, the aspects involved, and then perhaps, we may find ways and means of either adapting ourselves to the age old techniques, or try to remodel those techniques in a way that is more practical, to suit us the way we are presently.
Basically, we fear something that we don’t want to happen to us. Like death, injury, failure, disappointment, etc. But prior to that fear, there are two stages. Resistance and jealousy. Something that does not stay in those two sieves are the items that usually drop down below the fine mesh, and get precipitated! We are not afraid, at least initially, of being poor. We are envious of the rich, and then we may become jealous, and if it does not work, we start hating the rich. We become afraid of the rich only when we see that the rich can snatch away something else too from us, which we like to have, or we already have, using that money power!
What I liked about the question was that it asked about the fear itself, and not the source or problem that causes fear! That takes the question within, towards the ‘inside’ of us. To turn inwards, hunt for that fear, isolate that ‘fear’ and then face it, and then find out how it goes ‘away’ (where to?) is a very funny, abstract, fuzzy thing! (It is amusing to observe how children ‘slowly’ get used to those Diwali fire crackers, those that suddenly burst with a sound! There is a small length of sizzler that lights up, slowly burns out, taking the fire inwards, nearer towards that ‘actual’ packed power of powder, and then it ‘always’ takes us by surprise when the explosion happens! We do a lot of convincing, persuade the children to keep their eyes open, ears unplugged, and try to muster courage to ‘watch’ it and enjoy the thrill. They nod their head after great appeal, but when it actually happens, they wriggle free their arms out of our grip, plug their ears, squeeze their eyes tightly shut with eyelids compressed, and await for that fateful moment to pass by! I look at this example, because it is typical and unique. The fire crackers are not ‘exactly’ something that has passed the stage of ‘envy/jealousy/hate’ and then comedown as an object or source of fear. In fact they love to again go through the process (but of course with eyes closed, and ears plugged!). So elusive is that problem of driving out the fear! It is possible to explain the ‘process’ that happens in that child, which grows up and finds it easy to light the same cracker holding it between tips of fingers! This time, the problem of parent is other way around, to warn of the possible misfire, and health hazard! But the details of psychological phenomenon that causes the transformation is too elaborate and almost redundant. We have better ‘fears’ to deal with in our daily life!
Some items, about which we are clear that we cannot do anything about, right from the start, go down straight away, to evoke fear. We are afraid of, for example, the Policemen usually (that is what makes them suspect even the innocent people most of the times!). That is why the ‘authorities’ are now struggling to repaint the image about police in our minds (those people-friendly approaches etc). We nod our head and when we actually confront them in a ‘situation’ we just do what those kids did about fire crackers, close our minds, logic, emotions, etc and try to run the hell out of their view! Trust takes a long time to build up indeed, and gimmicks don’t work! Yeah! Trust, when it deepens, way beyond all its known forms, attributes, and meanings,……. simply dissolves all negative emotions, and we become ‘pure’!
Psn(28th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101017204010AA5TRTJ
How exactly fears go away when you face them?
how exactly that process works? I'm very curious cause I think that's one of the most common, but unsaid, things people gotta live with and don't know what to do about them.
My answer:
On 23rd March 1931, three people were hanged for being too patriotic to India. They had smile on their faces. (It seems, some diary of one of the officers who supervised the hanging officially, even mentioned that he witnessed a third type of death!). These three people had accepted the fate cheerfully, and welcomed death. They had no anger or hate for the people who carried out the death sentence, because they were only 'obeying' orders. (The dramatised version also states that many such people who faced patriotic death during freedom struggle, even pose a challenge, saying 'If there is a rebirth, we would come to offer our lives a hundred times for the same struggle, but how do you hangmen, punishers propose or plan to meet us next time?'
Fear is within us, it dissolves when we accept the situation, its possibilities, deep within us. ( It is not easy, though it looks simple! For example, those fire crackers, when lighted and about to explode, look at the faces of children who anxiously await the explosion and sound. They are quite tense. Logical acceptance at mind level(as a 'thought') does not help. Acceptance has to be a living experience. It is a bit subtle. Till then, as you rightly said, "gotta live with".
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Inner Beauty
It implies a lot!
Insight itself, first and fore most! (Where is the time, for even a casual glance inwards, even if there is a lot of potential!)
And then the ‘capability’ to recognise anything that remotely resembles, at least, ‘our’ concept of beauty!
The asker, this time, has won instant admiration for the frank admission of a little bit of envy that genuinely springs, when we see a person with some inner-beauty! And surmounting that, the keen desire to overcome this envy!!! (Whether my answer is going to help or not, even a sincere attempt would go a long way to persuade, motivate and encourage the asker to hang on to the existing goodness at least! That is what I felt when I gave the answer.)
Psn(22nd October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101015194225AAS8mTH
How can I stop being envious of this girl who has both outer and inner beauty?
She's 5 ft 3. hourglass shape. waist-length hair. big green eyes, long eyelashes. She volunteers at homeless shelter and an animal shelter. She takes care of younger siblings and her aging grandparents. She is polite, all the boys likes her. She works to support her family. She actually likes me also as a friend, and keeps telling me how difficult it is her for find a trustworthy female friend. The only real thing I have against her is she is not up-to-date with fashion and she has a promiscuous past.
My answer:
That fashion can only add or enhance the value of something original. Please see, otherwise, those dolls in show cases would have been the most sought after, not the 'real' models!
..
We need not try to stop our envy. It does not work. Instead, try to admire, quite sincerely. That is what we do when we behold a whole garden full of rare exquisite flowers! Then we become one with them. In a way, we are fortunate. We have somebody whom we know, and can point out, who is 'original' in beauty (especially inner beauty), since no 'make-up' works as far as inner beauty is concerned!
(Please see, that 'she' has one weakness, which only we can help... her difficulty in finding a 'trust' worthy friend! If we only focus on that a bit sincerely, she has no option but to 'dedicate' all her qualities to this 'trust-worthy-friend' which is the best gift anyone can ever expect! Even our 'God' does love our 'dedication' and our trust worthiness to Him. That friend would see the 'Unseen Hand of God' through us, if only we would care to become absolutely trustworthy, what ever it takes! Then onwards, the admired becomes the admirer!
(There is a 'bonus' we already have within us. How many can really 'see' first, feel and then appreciate the inner beauty of others?)
Insight itself, first and fore most! (Where is the time, for even a casual glance inwards, even if there is a lot of potential!)
And then the ‘capability’ to recognise anything that remotely resembles, at least, ‘our’ concept of beauty!
The asker, this time, has won instant admiration for the frank admission of a little bit of envy that genuinely springs, when we see a person with some inner-beauty! And surmounting that, the keen desire to overcome this envy!!! (Whether my answer is going to help or not, even a sincere attempt would go a long way to persuade, motivate and encourage the asker to hang on to the existing goodness at least! That is what I felt when I gave the answer.)
Psn(22nd October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101015194225AAS8mTH
How can I stop being envious of this girl who has both outer and inner beauty?
She's 5 ft 3. hourglass shape. waist-length hair. big green eyes, long eyelashes. She volunteers at homeless shelter and an animal shelter. She takes care of younger siblings and her aging grandparents. She is polite, all the boys likes her. She works to support her family. She actually likes me also as a friend, and keeps telling me how difficult it is her for find a trustworthy female friend. The only real thing I have against her is she is not up-to-date with fashion and she has a promiscuous past.
My answer:
That fashion can only add or enhance the value of something original. Please see, otherwise, those dolls in show cases would have been the most sought after, not the 'real' models!
..
We need not try to stop our envy. It does not work. Instead, try to admire, quite sincerely. That is what we do when we behold a whole garden full of rare exquisite flowers! Then we become one with them. In a way, we are fortunate. We have somebody whom we know, and can point out, who is 'original' in beauty (especially inner beauty), since no 'make-up' works as far as inner beauty is concerned!
(Please see, that 'she' has one weakness, which only we can help... her difficulty in finding a 'trust' worthy friend! If we only focus on that a bit sincerely, she has no option but to 'dedicate' all her qualities to this 'trust-worthy-friend' which is the best gift anyone can ever expect! Even our 'God' does love our 'dedication' and our trust worthiness to Him. That friend would see the 'Unseen Hand of God' through us, if only we would care to become absolutely trustworthy, what ever it takes! Then onwards, the admired becomes the admirer!
(There is a 'bonus' we already have within us. How many can really 'see' first, feel and then appreciate the inner beauty of others?)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Woman's Health
Whenever I encounter an argument about woman being inherently weak, I pose a regular question “ In the entire animal kingdom, in almost all the species, which is more stronger, a male or a female? Ask any experienced animal hunter, he would deal more cautiously when he has to deal with a female, and especially when is trying to pick up its kids! Even those animals which have the young ones of other species for food are extra cautious when their mother is around”.
True, this seems totally out of context when we try to compare human women. That is because we have got ourselves adapted to various kinds of lifestyles since times immemorial, and have lost many of our inherent potentials thereby. A small monkey, which lives barely on just fruits (bananas mostly), can grip our arm, and we might not be able to wriggle out of its grip! Physiologically, the monkey has many similarities, and our size is far better, so also our food intake. But we drain our energy elsewhere unlike the monkey. Even the monkey-clap of hands we see in zoo is indicative of how conservatively it spends energy, for the same sound-produce! Its hands hang loosely while clapping, where as we hold our palms rigid even when idle.
Anyway, there was a very pertinent question about health perils of a woman. And I decided to stay confined to the question, while looking at the suggestive answer.
Psn(19th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101013005726AAbOz8E
What are the health perils a woman faces in today's world? What can she do to stay healthy?
Changing life-styles, stressful relationships, improper diet, lack of exercise - there are many things that cause a woman's health to suffer, particularly, in today's world. As we spread awareness on breast cancer on Answers http://www.yanswersblogin.com/blog/?p=852, we would also like Answerers to consider other illnesses that might be equally life-threatening. What can a woman do to stay healthy in spite of her circumstances? Let's celebrate womanhood this October.
http://www.yanswersblogin.com/blog/?p=843
My answer:
Yes! The clue is in the question itself! Changing life styles (additional portfolios), stressful relationships (lack of mutual trust, due to heavy contribution by situation), improper diet (no time to cook, pick the right kind of food), lack of exercise (multitasker mask snatching away precious time space for self)!
..
The family that benefits from the woman who takes up these additional tasks, has to consciously share the task of minimizing health perils
...
The woman herself has to take into trust her family and extend the first step towards mutual sharing. Frank discussion must take place giving priority to seemingly small factors, which affect the health over a period of time. The woman must acknowledge the enormity of additional loads involved in terms of stress, health etc, and explore areas where there can be massive support from family members, colleagues at work, friends and relatives near and far too. The traditional outlook, viewpoint, opinion, inclination, etc has to become flexible to suit the needs around, without compromising the intrinsic values
...
Staying healthy for present day woman is not 'just exclusively' her own concern, her own task, her own responsibility. It has to be recognized as a family's joint and team effort. The benefits are reciprocal, and always towards a win-win situation. Physiologically, the present day stressful situation targets the very strong point(traditionally held as strength) of a woman, emotions.
True, this seems totally out of context when we try to compare human women. That is because we have got ourselves adapted to various kinds of lifestyles since times immemorial, and have lost many of our inherent potentials thereby. A small monkey, which lives barely on just fruits (bananas mostly), can grip our arm, and we might not be able to wriggle out of its grip! Physiologically, the monkey has many similarities, and our size is far better, so also our food intake. But we drain our energy elsewhere unlike the monkey. Even the monkey-clap of hands we see in zoo is indicative of how conservatively it spends energy, for the same sound-produce! Its hands hang loosely while clapping, where as we hold our palms rigid even when idle.
Anyway, there was a very pertinent question about health perils of a woman. And I decided to stay confined to the question, while looking at the suggestive answer.
Psn(19th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101013005726AAbOz8E
What are the health perils a woman faces in today's world? What can she do to stay healthy?
Changing life-styles, stressful relationships, improper diet, lack of exercise - there are many things that cause a woman's health to suffer, particularly, in today's world. As we spread awareness on breast cancer on Answers http://www.yanswersblogin.com/blog/?p=852, we would also like Answerers to consider other illnesses that might be equally life-threatening. What can a woman do to stay healthy in spite of her circumstances? Let's celebrate womanhood this October.
http://www.yanswersblogin.com/blog/?p=843
My answer:
Yes! The clue is in the question itself! Changing life styles (additional portfolios), stressful relationships (lack of mutual trust, due to heavy contribution by situation), improper diet (no time to cook, pick the right kind of food), lack of exercise (multitasker mask snatching away precious time space for self)!
..
The family that benefits from the woman who takes up these additional tasks, has to consciously share the task of minimizing health perils
...
The woman herself has to take into trust her family and extend the first step towards mutual sharing. Frank discussion must take place giving priority to seemingly small factors, which affect the health over a period of time. The woman must acknowledge the enormity of additional loads involved in terms of stress, health etc, and explore areas where there can be massive support from family members, colleagues at work, friends and relatives near and far too. The traditional outlook, viewpoint, opinion, inclination, etc has to become flexible to suit the needs around, without compromising the intrinsic values
...
Staying healthy for present day woman is not 'just exclusively' her own concern, her own task, her own responsibility. It has to be recognized as a family's joint and team effort. The benefits are reciprocal, and always towards a win-win situation. Physiologically, the present day stressful situation targets the very strong point(traditionally held as strength) of a woman, emotions.
Energy
My mind at once felt like a child, when I looked at this astonishing question, ‘Where do little children get so much energy from?’
When we happen to come across any saintly or pious type of person ( or, someone who is at least on some spiritual practices), we do ‘feel’ a little bit of that ‘radiance’ in their eyes or through their glance. If our mind is a bit silent but alert and observant, for no apparent reason, we feel like continuing to look at their eyes.
Whether it is wealth or energy, we get rich not by just earning. But by conserving, saving.
Once we decide to pay adequate attention to conservation of energy at physical levels, most of our ‘routine’ problems would get diluted, and then we can feel a bit of ease at handling them. When we are tired, even a petty problem seems insurmountable. As simple as that, it is.
Psn(19th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101017233614AAHY8Gh
Where do little children get so much energy from?!?
I mean, they eat so little as compared to adults, yet they remain indefatigable!!!If you don't believe me...let me tell you what I've seen :) On a seven-hour train journey recently, I found most adults drooping and wilting while children's energy, verve and chatter remained quite unaffected till the very end!What is their secret, according to you?
My reply:
We drain our energy through thought process. These children are seldom "totally" lost in thought. They are admirably closer to the 'present' than we can ever imagine. They seldom miss to take notice of things happening around. They lack communication skills to describe all that they notice.
Now, this thought process, it drains energy, and at the same time, prevents the body to draw energy! We think that food is the only source, and stomach the only battery charger. When we are too happy, we do not feel that hunger so badly! When we are awe-fully excited, due to something awesome, we are closer to the present, and less lost in thought process.
You gave that example of children during train journey. There is a still more irritating example. Please look at a small baby which is yet to turn over to lie down on its stomach and lift its head a little (that small in age). All it can do during its waking hours is to cycle its legs in air, and put up its arms with fist closed, punching in air. It does this activity most of the time. The only intake is a few millilitres of its mother's milk (not litres/gallons). Now try to imagine ourselves lying down beside that baby and imitating the same physical gestures, for equal length of time. We too can sleep when the baby sleeps. We can eat all the calorie rich food available all over the globe, to be able to store necessary energy. This baby draws energy all the time, through air, water, light, etc. The skin is clean and tender, it breathes fresh oxygen rich air (ancient elders, doctors, etc advise only loose clothing for a tender baby). This child seldom engages in any thought process.
(Traditionally, in ancient Indian 'way of life', those who step into spiritual path are put on practices that helps a person to drop dramatically on food needs for energy. Dependence is thus bare minimum, on others, making that precious time available for gainful meditative practices. Such people eat just a fist full, once in several days, and sustain quite energetically on just water, air, and light. Eyes are input device for energy, mainly, not just for 'seeing' as we commonly 'see' ! It can also be used to deliver energy. We have stories, myths about graceful-glances, etc.)
When we happen to come across any saintly or pious type of person ( or, someone who is at least on some spiritual practices), we do ‘feel’ a little bit of that ‘radiance’ in their eyes or through their glance. If our mind is a bit silent but alert and observant, for no apparent reason, we feel like continuing to look at their eyes.
Whether it is wealth or energy, we get rich not by just earning. But by conserving, saving.
Once we decide to pay adequate attention to conservation of energy at physical levels, most of our ‘routine’ problems would get diluted, and then we can feel a bit of ease at handling them. When we are tired, even a petty problem seems insurmountable. As simple as that, it is.
Psn(19th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101017233614AAHY8Gh
Where do little children get so much energy from?!?
I mean, they eat so little as compared to adults, yet they remain indefatigable!!!If you don't believe me...let me tell you what I've seen :) On a seven-hour train journey recently, I found most adults drooping and wilting while children's energy, verve and chatter remained quite unaffected till the very end!What is their secret, according to you?
My reply:
We drain our energy through thought process. These children are seldom "totally" lost in thought. They are admirably closer to the 'present' than we can ever imagine. They seldom miss to take notice of things happening around. They lack communication skills to describe all that they notice.
Now, this thought process, it drains energy, and at the same time, prevents the body to draw energy! We think that food is the only source, and stomach the only battery charger. When we are too happy, we do not feel that hunger so badly! When we are awe-fully excited, due to something awesome, we are closer to the present, and less lost in thought process.
You gave that example of children during train journey. There is a still more irritating example. Please look at a small baby which is yet to turn over to lie down on its stomach and lift its head a little (that small in age). All it can do during its waking hours is to cycle its legs in air, and put up its arms with fist closed, punching in air. It does this activity most of the time. The only intake is a few millilitres of its mother's milk (not litres/gallons). Now try to imagine ourselves lying down beside that baby and imitating the same physical gestures, for equal length of time. We too can sleep when the baby sleeps. We can eat all the calorie rich food available all over the globe, to be able to store necessary energy. This baby draws energy all the time, through air, water, light, etc. The skin is clean and tender, it breathes fresh oxygen rich air (ancient elders, doctors, etc advise only loose clothing for a tender baby). This child seldom engages in any thought process.
(Traditionally, in ancient Indian 'way of life', those who step into spiritual path are put on practices that helps a person to drop dramatically on food needs for energy. Dependence is thus bare minimum, on others, making that precious time available for gainful meditative practices. Such people eat just a fist full, once in several days, and sustain quite energetically on just water, air, and light. Eyes are input device for energy, mainly, not just for 'seeing' as we commonly 'see' ! It can also be used to deliver energy. We have stories, myths about graceful-glances, etc.)
Adoption
Adoption is a very user-friendly word!
The problem rarely arises, and only when the purpose of adoption back-fires (in one or many ways!). The title to this post finds some justification only at the end of this post, and I chose to restrict any further elaboration, than a mere indicative reference, only because it might hurt people at most inconvenient places!
I thank my good friends for their kind response, to my post on “Unlearning”.
Since the responses were a bit personalized, I would like to quote just the relevant text of their queries, omitting personal name references etc, for which, I have to ‘assume’ their kind permission (or, please try to find a way to pardon me!).
In brief, their responses were: (quote)
1) Does (the writer) ,mean "Unlearning" (which means "not learning" ) or"delearning" (which means forgetting, taking off from our minds, whatever wehave learnt) ? I think we should go through a process of delearning the things we have learnt all these years, and which are of no use to us any more, and give room in our grey cells to learn new things which could be of use to us, and help us to advance spiritually.It is a known fact and my experience too that whatever we learn will beuseful to us some day or the other in our life, but once the usefulness isover and the purpose has been served, it automatically goes out of themind. But who decides whether the usefulness is over or not? Only He cantell. That is why we say that they stay as "Vasanas" in our mind and staywith us for ever, whether we like it or not.It is important that we keep the minds full and occupied so that 1) theydont turn devil's workshops or 2) we dont fall victims to Alzheimer's orsomething similar to that. The mind of the senior citizen should always bekept full and actively employed. This is the reason why I took up theNarayaneeyam commentary as my retirement hobby. It has helped me to get outof my depression and turn spiritual.
2) The word "exaptation" refers to the idea whereby an innovationin one field leads unexpectedly to another innovation. To betterunderstand the idea, consider Gutenberg's printing press--itcombined ink, paper, moveable type and, surprisingly, the machinery ofthe wine press.It is impossible to predict the future but I do think we can stay onestep ahead by incorporating the idea of exaptation into our thinking.For example, let's consider how new advances in material science andnanotechnology might soon combine with continued advances insupercomputing, open-source software design and rapid prototypemanufacturing (3D printing). The result could be a new revolution inmanufacturing, perhaps, one even as big as the revolution caused by theprinting press.I don't know what exactly exaptation will bring about but I do knowit will require adaptation-- and unlearning.The Future Will Require UnlearningLet's start 'Helping Businesses of 'Unlearn'!
(Unquote).
My reply to the responses:
As a kid, I happened to ask elders as to why the books are kept 'closed' for 2 to 3 days, and we children are disallowed to 'read' our school lessons. Not that I 'expected' any credible answer, but, I wanted to 'leave no stone unturned'. Anyway, that was just a kid-story. Later, when I knew, that we have to 'seek' for ourselves, to really grasp the significance of any ritual prescribed, all by ourselves, I kept the question alive in me. Please see, almost all of such rituals carry no logical or tangible explanation. Personally, I felt that something coming down from centuries would not have been without any significance. It is difficult to communicate the significance even though we may be fortunate to have a glimpse of it. All we can do is persuade with some kind of indicative reference.
I fully agree that keeping the mind engaged with some activity helps us. But, spiritual growth depends upon evolving a bit further. We have to 'do what ever it takes', to silence the mind as much as possible, even in utter inactivity! We find traces of "aghora Yoga" being practised even today, especially in north India, towards this end.
"delearning" is also to be looked at as 'consciously' choosing to avoid needless reference to what we learnt, to be able to become more creative, more visualisation-capable, when situation permits. It is not about forgetting. Expansion of mind (the intuitive capability to evolve) would be more conducive to happen when we are able to keep aside for a while what we learnt to do instinctively. Modern 'management' teachers try to persuade that 'out of box' thinking, lateral thinking etc. A cluttered mind cannot hope to make it happen better.
I admire the contribution about the word, “exaptation” (‘There is future and in unlearning’) in this direction.
(Basically, our tendency to look at a suggestion is “How can I adopt it into what I have”! Sometimes, it is also worth trying to look at it as “How can I adopt myself, into what it has”. This calls for more flexibility, obviously.)
Thanks and regards,
PSN(19th October, 2010)
The problem rarely arises, and only when the purpose of adoption back-fires (in one or many ways!). The title to this post finds some justification only at the end of this post, and I chose to restrict any further elaboration, than a mere indicative reference, only because it might hurt people at most inconvenient places!
I thank my good friends for their kind response, to my post on “Unlearning”.
Since the responses were a bit personalized, I would like to quote just the relevant text of their queries, omitting personal name references etc, for which, I have to ‘assume’ their kind permission (or, please try to find a way to pardon me!).
In brief, their responses were: (quote)
1) Does (the writer) ,mean "Unlearning" (which means "not learning" ) or"delearning" (which means forgetting, taking off from our minds, whatever wehave learnt) ? I think we should go through a process of delearning the things we have learnt all these years, and which are of no use to us any more, and give room in our grey cells to learn new things which could be of use to us, and help us to advance spiritually.It is a known fact and my experience too that whatever we learn will beuseful to us some day or the other in our life, but once the usefulness isover and the purpose has been served, it automatically goes out of themind. But who decides whether the usefulness is over or not? Only He cantell. That is why we say that they stay as "Vasanas" in our mind and staywith us for ever, whether we like it or not.It is important that we keep the minds full and occupied so that 1) theydont turn devil's workshops or 2) we dont fall victims to Alzheimer's orsomething similar to that. The mind of the senior citizen should always bekept full and actively employed. This is the reason why I took up theNarayaneeyam commentary as my retirement hobby. It has helped me to get outof my depression and turn spiritual.
2) The word "exaptation" refers to the idea whereby an innovationin one field leads unexpectedly to another innovation. To betterunderstand the idea, consider Gutenberg's printing press--itcombined ink, paper, moveable type and, surprisingly, the machinery ofthe wine press.It is impossible to predict the future but I do think we can stay onestep ahead by incorporating the idea of exaptation into our thinking.For example, let's consider how new advances in material science andnanotechnology might soon combine with continued advances insupercomputing, open-source software design and rapid prototypemanufacturing (3D printing). The result could be a new revolution inmanufacturing, perhaps, one even as big as the revolution caused by theprinting press.I don't know what exactly exaptation will bring about but I do knowit will require adaptation-- and unlearning.The Future Will Require UnlearningLet's start 'Helping Businesses of 'Unlearn'!
(Unquote).
My reply to the responses:
As a kid, I happened to ask elders as to why the books are kept 'closed' for 2 to 3 days, and we children are disallowed to 'read' our school lessons. Not that I 'expected' any credible answer, but, I wanted to 'leave no stone unturned'. Anyway, that was just a kid-story. Later, when I knew, that we have to 'seek' for ourselves, to really grasp the significance of any ritual prescribed, all by ourselves, I kept the question alive in me. Please see, almost all of such rituals carry no logical or tangible explanation. Personally, I felt that something coming down from centuries would not have been without any significance. It is difficult to communicate the significance even though we may be fortunate to have a glimpse of it. All we can do is persuade with some kind of indicative reference.
I fully agree that keeping the mind engaged with some activity helps us. But, spiritual growth depends upon evolving a bit further. We have to 'do what ever it takes', to silence the mind as much as possible, even in utter inactivity! We find traces of "aghora Yoga" being practised even today, especially in north India, towards this end.
"delearning" is also to be looked at as 'consciously' choosing to avoid needless reference to what we learnt, to be able to become more creative, more visualisation-capable, when situation permits. It is not about forgetting. Expansion of mind (the intuitive capability to evolve) would be more conducive to happen when we are able to keep aside for a while what we learnt to do instinctively. Modern 'management' teachers try to persuade that 'out of box' thinking, lateral thinking etc. A cluttered mind cannot hope to make it happen better.
I admire the contribution about the word, “exaptation” (‘There is future and in unlearning’) in this direction.
(Basically, our tendency to look at a suggestion is “How can I adopt it into what I have”! Sometimes, it is also worth trying to look at it as “How can I adopt myself, into what it has”. This calls for more flexibility, obviously.)
Thanks and regards,
PSN(19th October, 2010)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Unlearning
This day, every year, in Indian tradition, is said to be auspicious to start learning. The day is not certain, (it does not ‘fall’ on the same date /month / it goes by lunar time, phases, not even days!) since we have decided our ‘certainty’ to be related to a particular calendar, which is also globally ‘standardized’. (That reminds me, nay, confuses me, whether at all the bulk of my standards are reasonable, just because it is presently global standards!
I am quite perplexed at myself, as to why the thought of ‘unlearning’ occurred to me, when the whole lot of people around look at beginning to learn! This thought is not something new. I got initiated into this concept very early when somebody explained to me the concept that was ‘embedded’ in devotional couplet written by a great ‘mind’ who is said to have time-capsuled all that was known till that date into just 100 odd couplets! Funnily, (to those who glance casually,) quizzically (to those who are just curious, mystically (to those who are inquisitive), educationally (to those who are ready to do ‘what ever it takes’), the opening words of that pair of couplet seeks to remove or unlearn the bulk of knowledge that we acquired, and yet the next few words hint at the technique of enlivening dead cells of the brain, to restore memory recapitulation capabilities! I cannot help getting lost, or getting dissolved into admiration for that great saint, who sums up his entire work saying that his effort was minuscule enough to liken a person trying to show ‘light’ to the great Sun, by lighting up a few pieces of camphor! (Robotics as a science is striving to find ways and means of minimizing human interference to obtain a meaningful functionality through mechanization. Artificial intelligence has to complement in a bigger dimension to this, though other branches like networking, inter-compatibility bridges, sharing of security-covered accessing, data-management etc have to simultaneously and seamlessly get prepared to function cohesively). Looking at this couplets, we find (thanks to German brains, who could decipher it,) at least some of the not-so-apparent functionalities of this work of 100 pairs of couplets! Very few religious-like, devotional-like ‘beauty-waves’ are embedded with many scientific functionalities! There are ‘keys’ to invoke their ‘enlivened’ functionalities. At lower levels, they do function, but at quite harmless levels, in just invoking ‘self-corrective-factors’ (self-debugging-menus, which debug not the program, but the errors during human-handling of it! Yes, the ‘handling’ implies much deeper functionality that the mere ‘chanting’ of it!). Obviously, this work is in a language that is ‘found’ to be the most (or only) compatible one for the ‘proposed’ fifth generation computers (artificial intelligence oriented ones!). A by-product is that this ‘language’ satisfies the demands of mechanization, humanization, (at gross communication levels with least ambiguity about logic-defying emotional contents), as well as the interface with ‘quantum-entanglement-entities’ (entities, to what ever extent we ‘feel’ comfortable to make it mean!).
Oh! The mention of ‘entanglement’ now reminds me, that I too got entangled into something that I had not intended to delve into when I thought of taking up the task of writing this ‘post’.
All I wanted to say was about the phenomenon that I found in successful teams. Teams, when I say, I would like it to mean ideal teams of any kind…. Be it just a group of people, coming together for a common purpose, or a group who first decided to team up because of like-mindedness, and then to allow something to grow out of it! Be it, a forced relationship like a family, (joint or nuclear), be it a marriage of convenience or arrangement, social or commercial….. I repeat, I wanted to say about ‘say’. I could find a pattern. The success depends upon those who are allowed to have a ‘say’. It does not matter if they do not ‘hold’ power. It is enough if those with authority choose to delegate the decisiveness, however clandestinely! (I am reminded of a wonderful Hindi movie “Apne-Paraaye” which used this as the basic theme of the story!).
Unlearning could be a similar attribute, to allow a mystic functionality, delegated in utter privacy, purely personalized in its mannerism, to ensure that ‘learning’ happens afresh, as a living experience, with a conscious, concerted effort, choosing the most conducive atmospheric support (an extra-vagant gift by ‘nature’), and allow truth to permeate in! Perhaps, the ritual of ‘keeping’ the books closed under a sacred linen, avoiding any habitual reference to ‘prescribed’ books for the previous 3 days, seems to support the theory of ‘unlearning’ process. For an indicative example, we do purge, de-fragment, stove, stash etc, the data periodically in our hard-disks. We delegate the power to have a ‘say’ through the technique of ‘unlearning’. That perhaps, yet again, seems to explain, many traditional rituals, which are consecrational by nature of its appearances! (I do not dare to amplify as to ‘how it seems to explain’! It would need lots of patience, effort and time, apart from perceptional receptivity of deeper levels! Then, why (the hell), try to mention it? Frankly, ‘dunno’! I was under the impression, that I was in(or, undergoing) a ‘withdrawal’ mode, looking at the declining rate of posts, of late( I do not find to have any ‘say’, in any ‘matter’, of late!).
Respectful regards,
Psn(17th October, 2010)
I am quite perplexed at myself, as to why the thought of ‘unlearning’ occurred to me, when the whole lot of people around look at beginning to learn! This thought is not something new. I got initiated into this concept very early when somebody explained to me the concept that was ‘embedded’ in devotional couplet written by a great ‘mind’ who is said to have time-capsuled all that was known till that date into just 100 odd couplets! Funnily, (to those who glance casually,) quizzically (to those who are just curious, mystically (to those who are inquisitive), educationally (to those who are ready to do ‘what ever it takes’), the opening words of that pair of couplet seeks to remove or unlearn the bulk of knowledge that we acquired, and yet the next few words hint at the technique of enlivening dead cells of the brain, to restore memory recapitulation capabilities! I cannot help getting lost, or getting dissolved into admiration for that great saint, who sums up his entire work saying that his effort was minuscule enough to liken a person trying to show ‘light’ to the great Sun, by lighting up a few pieces of camphor! (Robotics as a science is striving to find ways and means of minimizing human interference to obtain a meaningful functionality through mechanization. Artificial intelligence has to complement in a bigger dimension to this, though other branches like networking, inter-compatibility bridges, sharing of security-covered accessing, data-management etc have to simultaneously and seamlessly get prepared to function cohesively). Looking at this couplets, we find (thanks to German brains, who could decipher it,) at least some of the not-so-apparent functionalities of this work of 100 pairs of couplets! Very few religious-like, devotional-like ‘beauty-waves’ are embedded with many scientific functionalities! There are ‘keys’ to invoke their ‘enlivened’ functionalities. At lower levels, they do function, but at quite harmless levels, in just invoking ‘self-corrective-factors’ (self-debugging-menus, which debug not the program, but the errors during human-handling of it! Yes, the ‘handling’ implies much deeper functionality that the mere ‘chanting’ of it!). Obviously, this work is in a language that is ‘found’ to be the most (or only) compatible one for the ‘proposed’ fifth generation computers (artificial intelligence oriented ones!). A by-product is that this ‘language’ satisfies the demands of mechanization, humanization, (at gross communication levels with least ambiguity about logic-defying emotional contents), as well as the interface with ‘quantum-entanglement-entities’ (entities, to what ever extent we ‘feel’ comfortable to make it mean!).
Oh! The mention of ‘entanglement’ now reminds me, that I too got entangled into something that I had not intended to delve into when I thought of taking up the task of writing this ‘post’.
All I wanted to say was about the phenomenon that I found in successful teams. Teams, when I say, I would like it to mean ideal teams of any kind…. Be it just a group of people, coming together for a common purpose, or a group who first decided to team up because of like-mindedness, and then to allow something to grow out of it! Be it, a forced relationship like a family, (joint or nuclear), be it a marriage of convenience or arrangement, social or commercial….. I repeat, I wanted to say about ‘say’. I could find a pattern. The success depends upon those who are allowed to have a ‘say’. It does not matter if they do not ‘hold’ power. It is enough if those with authority choose to delegate the decisiveness, however clandestinely! (I am reminded of a wonderful Hindi movie “Apne-Paraaye” which used this as the basic theme of the story!).
Unlearning could be a similar attribute, to allow a mystic functionality, delegated in utter privacy, purely personalized in its mannerism, to ensure that ‘learning’ happens afresh, as a living experience, with a conscious, concerted effort, choosing the most conducive atmospheric support (an extra-vagant gift by ‘nature’), and allow truth to permeate in! Perhaps, the ritual of ‘keeping’ the books closed under a sacred linen, avoiding any habitual reference to ‘prescribed’ books for the previous 3 days, seems to support the theory of ‘unlearning’ process. For an indicative example, we do purge, de-fragment, stove, stash etc, the data periodically in our hard-disks. We delegate the power to have a ‘say’ through the technique of ‘unlearning’. That perhaps, yet again, seems to explain, many traditional rituals, which are consecrational by nature of its appearances! (I do not dare to amplify as to ‘how it seems to explain’! It would need lots of patience, effort and time, apart from perceptional receptivity of deeper levels! Then, why (the hell), try to mention it? Frankly, ‘dunno’! I was under the impression, that I was in(or, undergoing) a ‘withdrawal’ mode, looking at the declining rate of posts, of late( I do not find to have any ‘say’, in any ‘matter’, of late!).
Respectful regards,
Psn(17th October, 2010)
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Interestingly disinterested!
Yeah!
That is how I felt and was amused, and even interested intensely to look at the ‘lack of interest’ growing amidst the youth, in most things that are quite fundamental to life!
This ‘pattern’ of disinterest is quite interesting! Young people simply drop out. They drop out of careers, jobs, projects, relationships, and what not! The clarity about basic concepts like ‘truth’, ‘love’, trust, emotions, life(also death), ‘to feel interested’, etc, is found varying to abnormal proportions from person to person. That is why those ‘proverbs’, sayings, quotes etc do not seem to make any further dent when it is quoted or repeated.
Alertness has become a rarity. The menacing sizes of the ads are ‘imposing’ testimonies of that! Getting the attention of somebody seems to be the main job of marketers. Once a person is got inside the groove, the rest is easy (we have those ‘conditions apply’ in a fine print).
Ask any young lady, who is an inexperienced first-time-mother of a pre-school toddler, as to how she is going to get the kid ‘interested’ in education! She would now immediately look at the most imposing ‘ad’ and ‘costlier’ the better, a location, pay up all the fees, and sit back to relax. Only when the school suggests a consultation for the kid with a ‘good’ psychiatrist, counselor, the mother starts experiencing the pangs of distrust all afresh! Somehow, the kid is fed into a ‘conveyor-belt’ of education which seems a smooth sail-through, only till that teenage creeps in. Now, school does not seem to be of any help. The gullible parents have the first feel of distrust of their children. The peaking of this distrust manifests when it comes to career-decisions, job-decisions, marriage-decisions, and finally a decision about parking the parents at home for aged!
Please see, all along, the basic element is about ‘evading’ the truth. We have clothed that ‘truth’ in all latest designs, to make it less ugly, less bitter, less hard on our emotions. Above that, if there is a lack of interest in truth, how to deal with it?
Well, that was the question. Why bother asking, in the first place, with that interestingly disinterestedness to know the truth?
Psn(7th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101006201336AAmGVAH&r=w#NbUvWzq9WThW9GWqYeRc
Why bother asking questions if one is not interested in the truth?
My reply:
'Interest in truth' is a dubious phrase. The intensity is quite elusive when we use 'interested' in a fuzzy manner. Reckless over use, abuse of that word 'interest' has made it too dull or faded now, to be 'easily' identified and recognised. We do not find 'truth' so 'interesting'. Trust is the other side of the coin which has faded out. One side is love, which cannot exist without the strong and visible engraving of 'trust' on the other side. Strong trust begets love (or 'interest') in truth! That is why the HRD departments have tried replacing it with "excited". They say, 'we like to offer you a project which is basically meant to be 'exciting' apart from the abundant loads of rewards, incentives, motivation, support, team-effort (and all other 'gimmicks')! What is the 'truth' behind thrusting this 'project' is kept evasive.
Please try looking at the same thing like this, 'Why bother asking questions if one is not intense enough to know the truth?' (The yardstick at once turns inwards, with no one around available to take the blame!). Now, when answers pour in (like on Yahoo Answers forum), the inclination to 'leave' it to vote would not occur at once. Even if the choice seems difficult, one would turn to people around, discuss, and try to arrive at a fair conclusion. Intensity drives a person like mad, 'seeking' what ever we feel thirsty to know about! No wonder, a true spiritual guide, quite often spends a lot of time and effort in just putting more salt into a thirsty seeker's mouth, so that now the intensity becomes unbearable, and the 'seeking' is the only priority in this person's life!!!
(At normal levels, a good school teacher would invoke, provoke, stimulate, stir, the intensity of the student to 'know'. Average teachers would just try to get along by 'somehow' rushing through the 'prescribed' syllabus, dictate standard 'notes', mark 'portions' for exam, and get 'done' with it as quickly and effortlessly as possible, since, for that teacher the only intensity is job security (with standardised-results), and the pay-packet. Government jobbers are no different. That is why those huge governments are so grossly blind about the 'truth' of common man's woes!)
That is how I felt and was amused, and even interested intensely to look at the ‘lack of interest’ growing amidst the youth, in most things that are quite fundamental to life!
This ‘pattern’ of disinterest is quite interesting! Young people simply drop out. They drop out of careers, jobs, projects, relationships, and what not! The clarity about basic concepts like ‘truth’, ‘love’, trust, emotions, life(also death), ‘to feel interested’, etc, is found varying to abnormal proportions from person to person. That is why those ‘proverbs’, sayings, quotes etc do not seem to make any further dent when it is quoted or repeated.
Alertness has become a rarity. The menacing sizes of the ads are ‘imposing’ testimonies of that! Getting the attention of somebody seems to be the main job of marketers. Once a person is got inside the groove, the rest is easy (we have those ‘conditions apply’ in a fine print).
Ask any young lady, who is an inexperienced first-time-mother of a pre-school toddler, as to how she is going to get the kid ‘interested’ in education! She would now immediately look at the most imposing ‘ad’ and ‘costlier’ the better, a location, pay up all the fees, and sit back to relax. Only when the school suggests a consultation for the kid with a ‘good’ psychiatrist, counselor, the mother starts experiencing the pangs of distrust all afresh! Somehow, the kid is fed into a ‘conveyor-belt’ of education which seems a smooth sail-through, only till that teenage creeps in. Now, school does not seem to be of any help. The gullible parents have the first feel of distrust of their children. The peaking of this distrust manifests when it comes to career-decisions, job-decisions, marriage-decisions, and finally a decision about parking the parents at home for aged!
Please see, all along, the basic element is about ‘evading’ the truth. We have clothed that ‘truth’ in all latest designs, to make it less ugly, less bitter, less hard on our emotions. Above that, if there is a lack of interest in truth, how to deal with it?
Well, that was the question. Why bother asking, in the first place, with that interestingly disinterestedness to know the truth?
Psn(7th October, 2010)
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101006201336AAmGVAH&r=w#NbUvWzq9WThW9GWqYeRc
Why bother asking questions if one is not interested in the truth?
My reply:
'Interest in truth' is a dubious phrase. The intensity is quite elusive when we use 'interested' in a fuzzy manner. Reckless over use, abuse of that word 'interest' has made it too dull or faded now, to be 'easily' identified and recognised. We do not find 'truth' so 'interesting'. Trust is the other side of the coin which has faded out. One side is love, which cannot exist without the strong and visible engraving of 'trust' on the other side. Strong trust begets love (or 'interest') in truth! That is why the HRD departments have tried replacing it with "excited". They say, 'we like to offer you a project which is basically meant to be 'exciting' apart from the abundant loads of rewards, incentives, motivation, support, team-effort (and all other 'gimmicks')! What is the 'truth' behind thrusting this 'project' is kept evasive.
Please try looking at the same thing like this, 'Why bother asking questions if one is not intense enough to know the truth?' (The yardstick at once turns inwards, with no one around available to take the blame!). Now, when answers pour in (like on Yahoo Answers forum), the inclination to 'leave' it to vote would not occur at once. Even if the choice seems difficult, one would turn to people around, discuss, and try to arrive at a fair conclusion. Intensity drives a person like mad, 'seeking' what ever we feel thirsty to know about! No wonder, a true spiritual guide, quite often spends a lot of time and effort in just putting more salt into a thirsty seeker's mouth, so that now the intensity becomes unbearable, and the 'seeking' is the only priority in this person's life!!!
(At normal levels, a good school teacher would invoke, provoke, stimulate, stir, the intensity of the student to 'know'. Average teachers would just try to get along by 'somehow' rushing through the 'prescribed' syllabus, dictate standard 'notes', mark 'portions' for exam, and get 'done' with it as quickly and effortlessly as possible, since, for that teacher the only intensity is job security (with standardised-results), and the pay-packet. Government jobbers are no different. That is why those huge governments are so grossly blind about the 'truth' of common man's woes!)
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