Tuesday, June 28, 2016

The Pit

I’ve just started watching Parks and Recreation, and I must say that the show is absolutely hilarious. And while each character (except probably Mark) has their own quirks, I absolutely love Andy Dwyer’s funny take on life and his ability to laugh in serious situations. What else can you expect from the guy who fell in a pit while drunk, and wrote a song about it?

The Pit
I was in the pit
You were in the pit
We all were in the pit

The Pit
I was in the pit
You were in the pit
We all fell in the pit

The Pit
I fell in the pit
You fell in the pit
We all were in the pit

The Pit
I fell in the pit
You fell in the pit
We all fell in the pit

Sometimes life gonna get you down
And sometimes you gotta take a look around
You thinking about love but you're standing in the pit

At first look, it looks like a literal – song – version of Andy falling into the pit, and considering the show’s light humored nature it probably is that and nothing else. A closer look into this, however, makes it look like an allegory – portraying Andy’s own life. From the surface he comes across as a fun loving golden retriever, but in reality Andy’s band is struggling, he is broke (having to live in the pit, literally, outside his ex girlfriend’s house) and is really trying to land a good job.  I personally feel that it is a song about life’s struggles, and how everyone in life – no matter how calm and controlled they look – is fighting battles of their own. Chris Pratt’s voice makes this song a great pick – me – up in sad situations.

We all are in the pit.

Friday, May 27, 2016

The Dunning - Kruger Effect: Why your self assessment may be wrong

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance – Confucius

As kids, I am sure some of you might have come across the “Invisible ink” that can be made with lemon juice. Squeeze out the juice from a full lemon, and dip a nib in it. You can now use it to write out secret messages on a piece of paper - which can only be seen if you run a hot iron on it.

Science will tell you that heat causes the otherwise colourless lemon juice to oxidize and turn brown. Something similar happens to apples when left outside for a brief period of time. The average high school student would use this to write secret love letters to his sweetheart, or to slip notes to his friends about the plans for their latest shenanigans. For McArthur Wheeler, however, this sparked off a completely different chain of thought. According to him, an ink that could write an invisible message could also render his face invisible to any camera or video recorder. Emboldened by this logic, he proceeded to rob two banks in a row. Before he could enjoy the spoils of his success, however, the police got their hands on the surveillance tape and he was duly nabbed. Upon being questioned he expressed his surprise as to how such a clever and intelligent plan could have failed.

Wheeler’s over confidence inspired David Dunning and Justin Kruger from the University of Cornell to research into the correlation between our self assessment of a certain skill, and our competence in the same. Through a series of tests, they were able to establish that respondents who were competent in tests under – estimated their own scores, while the respondents who were not so grossly over - estimated theirs. This cognitive bias occurs because, in Dunning’s own words

If you're incompetent, you can’t know you’re incompetent.… The skills you need to produce a right answer are exactly the skills you need to recognize what a right answer is.

Additionally, people who are competent in a certain skill (mistakenly) assume that the tasks that are easy or trivial for them must be the same for other people. This leads them to conclude that others are equally, if not more, competent than them. Called the Impostor Syndrome, this causes feelings of intense self – doubt in talented/intelligent/gifted individuals. The skills that they are competent in are written off as being easy or not that hard, while the skills that they lack – which are identified in contrast with the people they meet – shine out greatly as personality flaws that further lower their self worth. Philosophers, scientists and authors have described this positive correlation between intelligence and feelings of self – doubt.

One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision – Bertrand Russell

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge – Charles Darwin
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wiseman knows himself to be a fool – William Shakespeare

These cognitive biases are a very part of human nature, and can be observed beyond the fields of academic performance. Intelligence in itself does not bring about self – awareness, instead it brings forth an intense desire to assess one’s self and to know what the results of this assessment are. Quite naturally, the first benchmarks to carry out this self – assessment are the people we see around us – friends, colleagues, people we meet on social media and so forth. In today’s age of instant gratification (Mokita has written about it beautifully here) and make – believe online presence it is very easy to build a negative self image. Thanks to Confirmation Bias – we see and believe only what we want to see and believe – one refuses to acknowledge incidents or instances that reflect his/her superiority in certain skills and actively seeks out and internalizes instances that further strengthen this self image.



A: Oh, I saw you perform on stage. You are such a brilliant dancer!
B: It was nothing, I am sure everyone can dance as well as I do.
C: You seem to have scored a little less in this test
B: I know, I am horrible at it. I don’t think I can perform well in the next test either

Breaking this cycle and developing a positive self image, therefore, begins with developing self awareness and understanding not only the skills or things we are bad at, but also to pat ourselves on the back for things that we are good at. This is a conscious change and takes time, but the day when you can respond to criticism and praise with equal vigour is when you would have taken one more step to a more confident self.

On a lighter note, if you think you are bad at something, chances are that you are really good at it. Or, well, you have hit rock bottom and don't have anything to worry about anyway.

Samwell Tarly: Ser Alliser's going to make me fight again tomorrow, isn't he?
Jon Snow: Yes, he is.
Samwell Tarly: [groans] I'm not going to get any better, you know.
Jon Snow: Well, you can't get any worse. 


Saturday, April 30, 2016

This one is for you, Mokita

 Every time I put together a blog and arrange all banners and text boxes to the best possible precision, I think to myself - "This will be it. This is my stream of consciousness, and I won't let this one die out like the last ones did. I will be regular, put my thoughts down on paper (soft) and maybe that will help me reach a better state of self - understanding". And inevitably - this very moment, as well - I find myself sitting in front of the keyboard and wondering what excuse to make to justify my absence.

I have usually sought out strong stimuli that would kick me out of my complacency and stir me enough for me to write. More often than not, these have been TV shows, movies and books. Never before has the stimulus been a person.

Till now.

I am not sure if she would appreciate me taking her name here, in public (sometimes I grossly over - estimate my blog's readership) and therefore I shall refer to her as Mokita.

Mokita (noun) - a truth that everyone knows but no one talks about.

Mokita's journal is an interesting juxtaposition of philosophy and an honest sense of intelligent realism which the lady possesses. Some of the things she talks about are topics that I have debated over in my head as well - such as the existence of the soul and the true self, the existence of soulmates and monogamy - and in my opinion the only way to follow this excellent discourse is another (attempted) stream of consciousness response. I have always believed that writing down one's thoughts provides not only a sense of clarity but also gives a direction - those stray thoughts in your mind that become ideas once you shape them into words - and I can only hope to come to a better sense of understanding about myself (and her) after I am done.

On the existence of the soul/self
The idea of a soul is ancient, and can be found to be an important part of philosophies all over the world. the ancient Hindus visualise the soul as a rider, and the body as the chariot as it moves through life. And just as a man takes off dirty clothes and wears new ones, so does the soul discard an old body and enter a young one. the soul in Hindu philosophy, therefore, is a timeless entity which moves from body to body. The Buddhists have similar beliefs on the cyclic nature of the soul but further add that the self attains "nirvana" or salvation once it does enough good deeds. But from there on where does it go? To Valhalla, as the Norse would have you believe, or to the Land of the Dead like the Egyptians? 

There is one recurring theme among all of these schools of thought, and that is one of indestructibility. The origin of the idea of the soul, therefore, seems to have come from a human desire to "hold on". In other words, we were (and still not are) ready to face the fact that life is limited - and the very idea that after 30 or 40 or 100 years of existence on this earth we will simply cease to exist and vanish into nothingness is not something we are willing to live with. As a defensive mechanism we think of an entity which resides in our body and while it drives the activities we do and the people we love, it is still indestructible and invulnerable to harm.

The soul can not be created or destroyed, and can only move from one body to another. This definition sounds eerily similar to something which a high school student would be familiar with - energy.

In my opinion - and yes this is very much open to debate - the soul is not a manifestation of who you are, as a person. It is not responsible for your choices, or your beliefs. Instead, it is like a spark which continuously makes you feel that you are alive. It is energy within you which makes you aware of your own existence. The soul is the part of you which allows you to say I AM.

But, if the soul is energy, how do we account for the growing population? Surely the soul can't be divided - every person's perception of self is the same. How do we account for the past, present and the future when we are talking about energy? If the human population is 6 billion now and will reach 10 billion in the next 50 years, who will "create" those 4 billion additional souls?

The answer to this question becomes clearer once we bring Einstein's theory of relativity into the picture, according to which time can be bent (dilated or compressed) due to the presence of gravity or because of motion. This was explored in Nolan's movie Interstellar, and an excellent video on this topic can be found here.

Time and space then cease to be independent entities, and can be seen as a time - space continuum. The motion of time can be seen as a series of photographs or snapshots (not unlike frames in a movie), and ALL events that have transpired from the beginning of time, that are happening now and that will happen till the end of the universe can be collected together in the form of a big, fat album. The video linked above imagines the space - time continuum to be like a huge loaf of bread which can be cut into different slices, each slice representing events happening at the "present" in different regions of space.

The soul, therefore, is a form of energy that can traverse through this space - time continuum. It has the power to be present in different places and in different time zones - a soul leaving a dead woman in 2014 may go back and inhabit the body of a new born baby in the 1960s. And when it does,it could possibly leach some memories from the host. This could possibly explain why people like Nostradamus had flashes of the future, or why people get flashbacks of their past lives.

While this chain of thought could possibly help us understand what the soul is, we are no closer to understanding where it came from. Maybe the soul comes from a Great Soul which was created when the universe came into existence - and this is a riddle that can be answered only when we are closer to understanding how and when the universe began


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Dante's Inferno - Divine Romedy


I went back home last weekend, after a LONG period of time. And naturally, with my brother being home, we brought our XBox out of hibernation. One game which I particularly enjoyed playing was Dante's Inferno. Okay. I'll admit it. I'm a big fan of redemption storylines (Jaime from GoT, or Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars) . Good guys are good, but bad guys going good is even better. So when you get this crusader who has just returned from the Holy War and is willing to go through the nine circles of hell to redeem himself and save his beloved, it is hard not to side with him.
Dante, on his return to Acre, finds his wife and father murdered and is soon stabbed by an assassin thereafter. Unable to comprehend the fact that he would be going to hell (the bishop left that part out of the contract), Dante battles Death itself and claims his scythe (yep. Death's dead). He then goes to the church to claim his wife's cross, and falls into hell to begin his journey.
Guided by Virgil, Dante begins his descent into the circles of hell. Throughout his journey he meets people he knows, such as his father (Greed) and his mother (Violence). Beatrice, who has tasted the forbidden fruit is now with Lucifer, and unable to find a way to free her Dante agrees to take her place in hell. This sacrifice absolves Beatrice, leaving Dante free to face Lucifer and finish his fight. After defeating Lucifer in a fierce battle, Dante's soul is absolved by the souls he freed, and he is carried to paradise with Beatrice. A happy ending.
Facing our sins, and more importantly our fears, is something we all run from. But sooner or later (and hopefully it won't need a journey to the underworld) we will have to face them. The reason why redemption stories are so close to my heart is because even though we may not be able to control the circumstances or change the past, what we can control is the present and what we choose to do with it.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Turbulence and fear of flying


"Ladies and gentlemen, due to poor weather conditions the captain has turned on the seat belt signal. Kindly return to you seats and fasten your seatbelts. Use of washrooms is now prohibited"

Every time I fly, I dread looking up at the ceiling and finding that the "fasten seat belts" sign has been turned on. For some reason turbulence in aircrafts really freaks me out - no matter how big or small, whenever the ride gets bumpy I close my eyes, clench my fists and listen to music at attrociously high volumes. And it is not the shakes that really get to me - it's the feeling that you're falling when the aircraft loses altitude.

I've researched this on the internet and have read several points that point to the fact that I am probably overthinking -

  • Aircrafts are built to take a terrible amount of punishment - it would take more than a gust of air to knock the aircraft out of the air.
  • Even if an aircraft's engines shut down, it can glide for quite a while and can attempt an emergency landing
  • Turbulence is totally normal and pilots are prepared for it beforehand
  • Air travel is the safest form of travel - you are more likely to die in a car accident than in a plane crash
Even though my "research" has helped me calm my nerves down a bit, I still do get that adrenaline rush whenever I encounter turbulence - thanks to which I can't sleep in flights either. I think it is more of a control thing - the fact that I am cruising 30,000 feet in the air in the metal container which is being driven by 2 people and in whose motion I have no say whatsoever is probably what gets to me.

It is getting better with each flight though. I'll just have to put my faith in science and technology.
Oh, and yes. The one song that reminds me the most of my fears is "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Hope you got your things together.
Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we're in for nasty weather.
One eye is taken for an eye.
Well don't go around tonight,
Well it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Orson and his beetles.

(I haven't posted anything in a month. So much for my resolve to keep this blog up and going)

I'm a big Game of Thrones fan. I've seen almost every episode more than thrice, and I remember the dialogues in some scenes by heart. I've read all the books as well, and in light of the fact that the TV series seems to be making a lot of alterations of its own, the series might actually be interesting after all.
One of my favourite scenes in season 4 is the scene in which Jaime and Tyrion talk, minutes before Tyrion's trial by combat for Joffrey's murder. This is just one of the few snippets of conversations between the Lannister brothers, and from all of them it is evident that Jaime is one of the few people who actually love and respect Tyrion for who he is.
But more on the Jaime - Tyrion relationship later. The scene which I am referring to is the one in which Tyrion and Jaime remember their mentally disabled cousin Orson who used to spend all his time crushing beetles in the garden.
                                         
Now I am sure a lot of people might consider this to be a stupid - small - talk addition to the episode, but I can't help but think more and more about Orson and his beetles, and why he would kill them. But even more so, it provides an interesting insight into Tyrion's psyche - he is not a killer, and he detests acts of slaughter. Everyone around him is a killer - the Red Viper, Gregor Clegane, and his own brother Jaime to name a few. With his trial (and possible execution) at hand Tyrion is probably wondering about the injustice of it all, and how murders, deaths and slaughters are commonplace in this world. Throughout the series Tyrion is portrayed as a character who would rather avoid combat/conflict altogether if he could, in spite of his position of power.
In the end, both brothers wonder what could possibly be driving Orson to smash beetles to the dirt. The answer, in my opinion, lies in one of the most memorable quotes from "The Imitation Game"

Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. 

Even Orson, with his limited mental ability could derive pleasure out of the act of smashing beetles.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Scarlet Sky

Say, the sky we saw that day, the scarlet sky.
Do you remember it from that day?
We made a promise and a vow while the early summer wind circled us.
And we clung close together.
Your forced smile.
Holds elongated shadows.
I pretend not to notice and continue on.
All the while waiting for you to deliver some news at the table.
Empty nights, mornings that will never arrive.
I could see them from a mile away.
Say, the sky we saw that day, the scarlet sky.
I’m sure you’ll remember it one day.
While holding the promise we couldn’t keep.
We take our first steps down our paths.



(Not my composition, just something I'm fond of)