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- Art of fishing Or Fish net philosophy
Fish nets I am sure you have seen some fishing. Maybe in the habit of doing it for some relaxation. There is some excitement watching someone catch a fish, maybe because of its inherent unpredictability. However this article is not at all about fishing. Yet I would talk about it a little bit more as otherwise it would be boring. Fish net There are many ways to catch fish, from using a fishing rod, to use gigantic nets, bottom crawlers and dynamite. There are plenty of YouTube videos about fishing as well. Which again ranges from how to make a pretty amazing fly to using a harpoon. I can remember we just used our hands to catch fish in fields and streams. Plenty of time spent doing just that, and we collected these tiny fish into a bottle. Sometimes just to release them back, or take them home. But commercial fishing is often done using nets. The fish we catch in these nets, depend on the size of the eyes of these nets. Generally small fish nets have small eyes, and ships use larger nets with big eyes. I have seen fishermen mending their nets when the sea is too rough for them to go on fishing. The idea is not to catch smaller fish, so the baby fish can survive to keep their population growth without disturbing biodiversity. And this is why nets are better than bottom crawling or using dynamite where everything moves tends to get killed. More fish nets What can you catch with a fish net? Now I have given enough background on fishing, we can talk about some philosophy. I am fascinated with the concept of nets. It has a great meaning. Imagine you want to catch something which moves. Maybe it's a fish, a butterfly or a mosquito. Maybe a moving car or a dropping parachuter or an airplane. A net is a good idea. What else is moving and difficult to catch? I would say thoughts! And information. Just like fish, they appear and disappear often faster than we need, unless we have a good net we would not be able to hold onto them. And this has great implications. Often modern methods of textbook reading and studying subjects have utilised this idea of creating a net before actual fish catching. And we call it skimming, pre studying etc. Fish net philosophy and mindfulness Is this the only way we can think about a net? Maybe not. Once I was told by a professor when we study we need to make a good scaffolding. And to retain something better it is essential we understand core concepts which serve the purpose of a net. And this is true for any learning. Starting from kindergarten. First few years after birth we have been building our scaffolding. With sounds words colors pictures. And without this basic net we would never be able to catch any fish. As the eyes of the net becomes smaller and smaller, we are more capable of catching smaller and smaller fish. Eventually knowledge of atomic and subatomic particles. But during this process of fishing for new knowledge and concepts, we forget that it is all due to the first net that we built. It is interesting as when I look at the first few nets in life I understand that these are just imagination. Such as our number systems , English alphabet, time etc. Are totally imaginary in basic form. In Fact it is amazing how these things are created in the first place as it feels impossible and magical. This idea is captured into a world famous children's book by dr Suess “ The cat in the Ha t” Not fish nets I like to challenge myself as if there is something called a true net at all. Is there some truth in anything I have been told all these years, from my parents, teachers and countless mentors? Maybe it is wrong to think like this, to challenge a formal education and religion. But I think it is important for anyone who Is willing to understand themselves before death happens, to question the origins of all human problems. Is it this unfortunate process of weaving nets from day 1 on earth, creating all the happiness and sadness you experience today? At Least that is a good fish net to weave before choosing to be mindful tomorrow.
- What is a true friendship?
Loyalty, Honesty and support. These are considered as pillars of a true friendship. Loyalty is essential as it means you are not betraying a friend even in the absence of him or her. Honesty Is being truthful and transparent in your actions all the time. And support when a friend is in need. These are universal features of a true friendship, and if we question anyone "What is a true friendship means to you?" You will get answers related to these. But these are not the only features which define a true friendship. There are less commonly known, but these set of features can harbour more meaning and value to a true friendship. Friendships Persistance over time. Imagine you have a friend, true loyal, honest and supporting one. And this friend is suportive and true loyat for a month. In the next month, he is not, act strange. Even chose to laugh at you from a distance. We cannot consider this person a true friend anymore. As he has failed to persist those qualities over time. This has major consequence. Which means, a true friendship can only be known as the time goes on. If you have friends in the past, you may have noticed some of them failed to persist over time. Persistance over geography. How about you travelling abroad. Changing your residence and moving to the city. What happens to your friends. Most of the friendships would not last, and fail to carry on with your life. Geography has a marked implications about our life as we are locked in different time zones by geography even family relationships will fail if we change our place on earth. This is inevitable. But a true friendship would not break. Today with starlinked internet, it is easier than ever. So, place is another test to those loyal, trustworthy friends. Persistance over silence. Above two aspects can be summarised as persistance over silence. In life we take different routes. This is essential unavoidable part of life. When this happens, often frendships have no means to persist, and will be tested by time and place differences. Sometimes years can separate two friends and it can be considered as a period of silence. Sometimes they might not have spoken in years! yet when they get together, the honesty loyalty and willingness to support remains the same. In other words the door of the heart would remain open, even if they do not meet each other. And this gives a different meaning to a friendship. Someone who wishes good for you What is A true friendship? Someone would not agree. They would think that frendship means remaining close, tolerating everything and helping all the time. They would even fail to understand a silent friendship. Imagine someone living in isolation in a mountain cave by choice. Although separated by human contact, he is honest, loyal and willing to help any being which comes into his relatively isolated life. I consider this person a true friend to mine. Although I have never met him. Often we encounter these individuals, heavenly creatures in unexpected places in life. Have you? When I think about this phenomenon of friendship in mindfulness I realise, it is not an interaction between two people. That is why a true friendship can survive a period of silence. It is a quality of the mind. Infact the other person does not matter at all. If you are honest loyal and willing to help anyone you are a true friend to all human beings. I wonder this is the easy ticket to heaven. What do you think about true friendships?
- Why discussions are important?
I would avoid discussions no matter what. Trust me I am that introverted . Yet I know they are important, hence unavoidable in life. Sometimes I would join in silence, just to observe others doing it. Often it seems discussions are a waste of time. Bunch of people, get together. They can quickly make it less productive and sometimes even absurd. Why discussions are important? But discussions are important. Otherwise, I do not have to write this article. It can boost your confidence in areas you are good at and give an opportunity to see your weaknesses. Make you correct yourself and check yourself with others, in a collective decision making lessening your responsibility. And it can give an opportunity for you to observe some egoic idiots who likes to speak about things that they even do not know and entertain yourself. My advice is to stay silent when it happens, unless someone dies if you do not speak. If latter is the case, you might carry a guilt, which is not even your burden. Discussions Who doesn't need discussions and who needs them? There are some people who doesn't need discussions. I have seen a few. A few of those dark eyed, flying high, crooked beaklike nose and intelligent kind. And I am not sure there is a scale to measure IQ of those kind, they are just too far away from population norm in the edges of the fat tails of a biological curve. They just make scenarios in their minds. Because their minds are multi-dimensional. They can make imaginary groups, like you and me do in our dreams, filled with imaginary people. And have a discussion entirely being silent on their couch. How do I know this? Because I have spoken with few of those. And exactly they would tell you to get a A+ in their last semester, that's how they studied. But for regular people like you and me, we need discussions. As our imaginary power is not that great in making hypothesis to what others think. Humans are not multidimensional by nature whether you liked it or not. Consider my blog. Majority of what I write came from past experience. Yet significant proportion comes out from discussions. Like twitter thread triggered me to write about Donal Trump and the Games we play. Discussion is a good way to brainstorm easily, as it provides a natural way of diversified ideas. Like I have mentioned earlier, every consciousness is unique in their own way, so the randomness would be maximum in a discussion. Values In discussion, we share our thoughts. There are many other ways to share these thoughts, like writing them down, in a book or a blog. It would not create immediate reaction like when you are faced to face with someone talking. But I consider even a blog comment a mini discussion. And mind you these are valuable. Even if you do not know, this is why google and social media rank posts accordingly higher if people chose to comment. More discussion more value. Why? Human thoughts are valuable. And only "relatively true" value there is. If you trace values of anything you will see its rooted in someone's mind as a thought at some time. This is a magical fact I had to dig out with mindfulness. So, if discussions share thoughts, underneath we do trade our values. We can consider this as a mini market where; I share my valuable thoughts with a group that is willing to share their values with me. We might or might not come into a conclusion which are the most valuable thoughts, but essentially this is what happens in basic form. I really wonder how we would do if it wasn't for discussions. After all, if our parents did not choose to talk with us, we would be just like cannibals, who took a Wrong Turn 2003
- Life is a potential
Trees are the miracles which teach us about life. I have seen seeds harboring life. They are just a potential waiting to be bloomed. If the soil is moist and the temperature is optimal, a seed will shoot a root and a stem from which early leaves develop. It looks like a miracle. I wonder why at all. These molecules which grows into a form of a tree could just stay as it is from its basic form. But just like a wave of the sea, they move in seasons. What about animals. Aren't animals a potential too? Tree. Life: Is a potential, to be good or bad Equally, like a coin Randomly tossed I've long lost the faith of forever saints and demons As I have seen enough shit Circulating YouTube So I Believe neither, rather watch the game all night Till they kill each other Like in a court case. Rowing boats in the cold Through the mist, I see the Gregory Lake. In the middle of the mountain valley, it has attracted thousands of souls, in search of happiness. I see them riding boats, in the cold afternoon, shaking all over. But they seem happy. I see boats, hundreds of them, occasionally someone drives so fast overtaking them. It seems they are happier than those slow movers. It brings me back to my memory 15 years ago, when I rowed a boat, on the same lake. I did not have much money in my pocket those days. And it felt hard to paddle against the water, especially when those big boats made it so difficult to our tiny swan boat to stay on its course. It was a struggle. Just like the struggle of poor, uneducated tiny people day after day. Yet here now, with my pockets full of dollars, I am too lazy to ride a motorboat. What is the point? I wouldn't consider this a depression. Grumpy it may be Like Mr. Grinch. Not because I was refused by the society, but because I can compare the life on my right hand, with no life on my left hand. And I see the madness the creator was in when he did this stupid mistake of creating life. Rowing boats. Mark Konig- unsplash A question for the creator Why life is a bad Potential? If I met him today, I ask him why? I ask him why created me, when I could not avert my own death. Why create a boring life, where I have to ride a boat to be happy. Why should I have to ride a boat faster than anyone else to be happier. Why should I have to fill my pockets with dollars to fuel my car to drive on the road, making trips, to show my eyes new and beautiful things. I did not ask for these eyes' ears or taste buds. Now I have them and the burden of satisfying urges they create day and night. If life is a potential, it seems to be a bad potential. Then I thought to myself. Maybe the creator did not make that mistake. If he is at all, all mighty and powerful to bring about life, he must be not cruel. Maybe I have been a fooled by my own mind creating absurd reality day after day. Maybe a Gregory Lake never existed. Neither any riders of boats. Maybe there is no me to observe these, it's all just a potential which can exist as well as non-exist at the same time. That I just have to choose to non-exist. But how? I wish I could slow down the time and see the half a second called now, to see what happens in my mind. Even if it means to dissolve the soul, it could be the happiest thing I can do. So, I chose to be mindful.
- What is the greatest human invention?
Poll on "What is the greatest human invention?" For a start I asked the question, in twitter. Although I have dead followers mostly, 8 of the active ones responded by the time of writing. And all were in favour of language. I can assume even if the number went upto 80 this would still represent the same result. So, I would keep the poll alive as the first comment to the article so you can contribute. The four answers directly came from google AI. As it seem these were the most common answers people have given in other forums. Let's consider each carefully and first considering my own answer which is "The Pen and Paper". Language. Language: https://unsplash.com/@hannahwrightdesigner Language lets us communicate, and abstract our perceptions. This has a great advantage, as it helps to keep our memory of things, understand complex things by combining words together. Some animals use sounds to communicate but not as complex as even a fundemental human language. From the answers in the poll, some considered language not to be an invention. It is unlikely a lanuage was created by a single person, like English for that matter. But there are examples. The smallest language in the world Toki Pona is made by Sonja Lang. Which has thousands of fans around the world today. I consider this a miracle. On the other hand I like to imagine what would happen if the language was not there. We would still be able to percieve things, but not be able to communicate? or will be hard. And it would take ages to develop a complex concept. How about eleminating the past and present from a language for a change? If you want to be happy I suggest you just do that, just like Piraha tribe, who owns the happiest language on the earth. But language lacks an important ability. Which is to persist across time. So, even if you are able to communicate something your friend, his memory is notoriously subjective and unreliable, and by the time he goes home it is likely he has forgotton at least some of the meterial. And that is where the Printing Press comes in. What is the greatest human invention is it the Printing Press? Printing Press: https://unsplash.com/@marco_djallo First when I thought about the greatest human invention, I was thinking about the pen and paper. The reason behind this is the pen and paper has the ability to capture and presereve human thoughts over time. True human values are created in human consciousness, as I have argued this countless times here in this blog. And unless these thoughts are captured, they will lose their values when the memory goes away. How many thoughts you can remember from the last year? Handful right? But think about the guy has a diary, or an everything book . He would be having a tressure trove of human values in one year. Legends are not created in battlefields, but in the hands of a writer, on pen and paper. So, the invention of pen and paper, and the printing press has hastened the growth and distribution of human values more than previous era. And this is why printing press should be most valuable human creation. And this gives why internet is not. Internet. Internet came late, and although it has the ability to reach the millions, its just extension of pen and paper. Fundementally I don't see anything "newer" than pen and paper it just captures human consciousness and do faster maths. In that matter AI, which appears to create new values , maybe a challanger to human consciousness, but still need the human judegments to date, to build human values over its creation. And also, I do see, internet is dependent on very advanced technology, which is liable to fail, just like a tall tower like Buraj Kalifa, when compared to Pentagon, is unstable for many reasons. You may have different views about this. Internet: https://unsplash.com/@yapics What about the wheel? What about the wheel? Is it the most valuable invention of human kind? I highly doubt this. Certainly wheel have potential. But in a ragged terrain without roads, and trained horses to pull a cart, wheels are useless. There are lot of friction for a wheel, which cannot be overcome. Wheel for that matter is not a standalone invention. I really do not know, why we can consider wheel as an invention, just like language for some. Wheels doesn't serve a purpose without a cart. But let's say we are talking about carts and horse carriages for that matter. Still I would say, money and economics, and stock markets played a role more than wheels in exapanding human values. Because every wheel rolls on money. There are some other candidates. I wonder your answer to the question, "What is the greatest human invention?" is in these. The wheel: https://unsplash.com/@ninjason Steam engine Telephone Airplanes Cars Lightbulb Bessimer Process (making Steel)
- Why do we need professors in kindergarten?
I am not joking. We do need professors to teach in kindergarten. Why? Because I believe the best stuff should be fed to children early in their lives. So, they would become better at what they are good at from early life. I am not saying current teachers do a bad job in training kids. By all means, it maybe not in kindergarten, maybe in pre-school. but I am sure you get my point when I give the extreme option. I can show you few reasons behind this claim. After all I am not trying to lie here or consider this as a joke for that matter. I do joke and more than 90% of the stuff presented here in this blog can be considered what I believe to be true. And that is a far better number than any other shit you are going to read or hear today. But let's get back to our kindergarten class once again. This time to understand what went wrong. Kindergarten https://unsplash.com/@freetimejam Story of a professor. I heard this marvelous story about a professor who was asked to do a lecture on some topic of concern. He was given two weeks and organizer asked whether he could do it in time. And he said, "it depends". Obviously, the organizer asked, "depends on what?" Professor said, how much time I get? Organizer said, twenty minutes. Professor said. Well then, I can do it. You know if it is a one hour lecture I could do it even now. But if its twenty minutes two weeks is just enough for me to prepare. And if it is just five minutes you give me on stage I would need one month at least. This little story gives me two important messages. You cannot measure the value of a task just by amount of time you perform on stage. It often seems unfair when we see someone singing a song for three minutes and get lifetime of free rides singing. Yet we forget the amount of effort the artist had used to be that person who sings perfect, for three minutes. Consider articles in this blog. It takes someone only three minutes average to read one. But the amount of effort I have put in this is enormous. Not only the four hours I spend writing and editing. Effort of Combined human consciousness starting from the ancestors who built the language is massive. Other important fact is, sometimes it is hard to simplify things, and its paradoxical. If you think teaching a kindergarten kid is a mediocre job, no wonder we fill our society with mediocre people. Instead, we need a professor to prepare his lifetime of wisdom into its simplest form. Selecting only essential items and taught to kids. So, they can build upon later, faster and stronger, like a strong base for a higher skyscraper. Why limit knowledge to University When it matters most to everyone: https://unsplash.com/@wangxin96 Professor in kindergarten I can remember once I watched an interview with Richard Feynman. And he said there are no special people on the world. Only passionate ones who likes to put effort into building or learning something. How wonderful idea is that. According to him the best way to learn something is to simplify it until you are able to teach it to a five-year-old kid? And he had shown this practically by summarizing entire physics into four basic forces . And as you can see teaching kids is not a mediocre task at all. Only professors would know how daunting task that is. Adults have a vast base of information accumulated over the years hence new material will make sense. But kids do not have these extra connections. Yet it is not an impossible task to teach a kid even complex material like motor mechanic or chemistry. When I say professors need to get involved in kindergarten does not literally mean they should start teaching. They can get involved in making the teaching material. Maybe they already do, which I am not aware of. And it doesn't have to be someone labelled professor either. Someone extremely knowledgeable about some subject (a domain expert) can be considered a professor in the field. Maybe they have more to contribute to kids learning. This process of learning complex ideas happens all the time in kindergarten. Often naturally. Like language, through imaginary play etc. I wonder what will happen if we really try and introduce more core concepts of other languages than English. How about color theory ? Concepts of programming ? Little bit of fundamental philosophy about values of life? I only wish I learned them earlier what I have learned last year, writing this blog. And I think it is never late. After all, if we want our kids to be experts in their field's future, we must teach them how to become professors.
- Walking schools and platform 9 3/4
Did the school walk at night? It is a school holiday. My little daughter is having a wonderful time. And she likes to make stories. And I wonder where that gene comes 🤔 from. She says, while she is enjoying her vacation, the school went on a trip by himself. Apparently it is a four day trip to the turtle beach . As kids are no longer there the school can enjoy a day out. What about the other days? I asked. The school is a lazy guy. He doesn't do anything during the day. Just stay quite and still. But at night, it's time to go wild. Maybe it goes to a party, writes a book or go to the park. How wonderful. Only if she stays up at night will she see. But she is not. Everyone sleeps at night! So nobody knows. Platform 9 3/4 : https://unsplash.com/@dialex Platform 9 3/4 It seems kids have got imaginary powers. When was the last time you thought about something like that? You might say nah.. I stopped being a kid ages ago. I don't believe in dreams or magical stuff anymore. I highly doubt that. It's one thing not to believe in walking schools and hidden train stations on platform 9 3/4 to Hogwarts. But I say yet you believe in stock markets, banks, foreign conspiracies and 9 1/2 weeks 1989 erotica. How about love ? Just the other day I showed love is the most abused word in the English dictionary. But let's get back to the question. How can we prove to the poor kid that the school hasn't gone on a vacation? Imagine the same thing is said about her friend. Imagine your six year old daughter comes to you and says her friend has gone on a vacation, four days to Malaysia, with her parents. Even without checking the facts we would assume this to be true. As it is likely and very good chance of being true. Unless of course she really wanted to fool you. But the truth is until you check the facts you would not know. Maybe they missed the flight. Maybe it was last summer that they went to Malaysia. Maybe it was a trip to Madagascar. The fact is you do not know. You are blind to the truth. Even in courts, you cannot give a hearsay answer. But when we compare this to the school my mind goes blank. Obviously school cannot move. And it cannot go on trips. But I am sure I have seen talking clocks and teapots in Disney cartoons just yesterday. I wonder what really happens to the school at night. I really do not know. If I forget the learned fact that schools are non living things, taught in the grade 2 science class, there is a chance school going on a trip to be a nice answer to the question "What happened to the school at night". Among many other answers like, it's being demolished and rebuilt in an exact second. How about that? Madagascar : https://unsplash.com/@jacques_dillies Descartes and Dreams Can't you see where I am going with this. Can you see why the curiosity of a kid can harbour more meaning than all the adults talking in a pub on Saturday night? Even Descartes found out that he could not entirely be sure that someone did rebuild the entire world yet again once you are asleep. I'm telling you again! Kid's got a point. I am sure she will lose all curiosity about what the school does at night, once she is too busy trying to figure out angular momentum in grade 10. That is a sad truth about life. Instead I invite you to be curious about what happens to the world when you sleep. To me in sleep the world and me does not exist. And this simple fact leaves me thousands of unanswered questions. Does this mean 🤔 that the enlightenment that I seek is some kind of an eternal sleep? If non-existence is just a coma? But if someone were to harm this body while I was sleeping it would still hurt yet I can see just like I do not know about the school at night I do not know about myself during sleep. Easy answer is not to think . Just chase a dream or play the dumb man's game. I would do that happily if I knew what there is when the sausage party is over. Maybe I have trust issues with nature that I do not trust it anymore as I have seen enough cruelty in the formation of humans on earth. Whoever did that was cruel, to make something out of nothingness is the most cruel deed I can do, if I was given the power of creation. It's like giving a life to a pinocchio, or in our case to my daughters school. Now at this point if you are bored with an intellectual hike, and waiting for a final message I would make you disappointed once again. I have just made crossroads. That is what I do, as your mind is capable of choosing its own path given enough information. It will know what to do, like an AI. Just read again if things are not clear as always answers depend on the question you ask. So in conclusion I can say I am not capable of completely denying my little girl's idea of walking to school. Should I tell the truth to her that 'I do not know'? Or just lie to her that 'schools do not walk?' And let her figure out that I lied to her when she becomes 42?
- Let's talk about Mars, and cosmic scale of consciousness.
What is faster than the speed of light? If there is anything faster than the speed of light, I would say it is the conscioussness of one self. I am not talking about ant or a beatle consciousness but human. Obviously scale matters in universe. Human consciousness is very fast, and in a matter of fraction of a second you can reach the farthest planet on the edge of the known universe. You can call it imaginary, but nonetheless, I can ask you what is real? So far I could not find anything other than imaginary things, in my consciousness, hence, that is a false claim. Imagination is as real as everything we imagine, and likely the only thing which is real. "I thing therefore I am" - Rene Descartes . The Sun: https://unsplash.com/@nasa But how about actual consciousness bound by miles, in the universe? What is the true expansion of human consciousness when we consider the cosmic scales. The Mars project proves us again and again, that human consciousness is still at the doorstep when we consider even the solar system. Only few hundred travelled to the space and even few, to the moon. Mars is just a dream still. At the rate of blowing up rockets, I even doubt that might happen or not. Since when an Amarican dream became obsessed with Mars? when we individually posess the fastest rocket on the planet by default fixed in the brain, I might consider this excessive. Prisoners of mind. Sometimes I weep silently in the mind when I realise I can only dream. I can only dream I would travel to mars. What about saturn? What about Jupiter. I can only dream I would travel great lakes of America, Honalulu Island, or Bora bora. If I expand the google earth now, I can see wonderful places where I must travel before I turn 60. Yet I can only dream its physically impossible to cover everything in a lifetime. I am sure If I sell my car today I might cover up ten places, but then I know, I will be still a prisoner of mind. I have not stepped out an inch from my brain. It is simply impossible. I carry my own little man to the edge of the universe, but my consciousness cannot be free from the burden, it carry. I can only dream of enlightenment, but its imaginary. I am just a part of the universal agenda, with a false idea of independence. I laugh in my sleep on imaginary boundries I created at the edge of my land. When true fact exist I havent stepped outside my six foot prison. I refuse to be narrow minded and see a value in it, try preserve it as long as I can, when I know even values are created in mind. Cosmic Consciousness Apple Store: https://unsplash.com/@kemingt As you can see, these are two different opposing Ideas. When we look at it positively we can say human consciousness is fastet and most valueable thing on the universe. But on the other hand we can see the restrictions, like a prisoner, it tries to escape from its own constrains to become enlighted, liberated and free. And not knowing how to, it does various things. From feeding itself to travelling to Mars. If anything, I would dissect myself, not the universe to understand the nature of things. No point digging up another Oil well in a desert to fuel a tank to generate power to break through the space. I would sit in a one place by the edge of the lagoon watching a sunset and drifting clouds . Turning away from the society. In society where, teachers teach, bricklayers lay bricks, Politicians lie, and Lawyers argue, How boring it is to break into a shop and loot for an apple phone in Florida? How boring it is to wrench a nut in an assembly line in China? How boring to climb a 40 foot tree to reach for a beehive, to steal some honey in Congo? I would not do that, not today. Consider myself lazy, but I would rather learn to eat grass, as I know nothing would satisfy myself. If the Greed is the guide for my unnecessary exsitance, I would starve this with boaringness of life, by just observing it. What would you do? next year? Tomorrow ? Today? Now?
- Fishing at night. Beware of enlightenment!
Fishing at night. I was driving by the lagoon the other day when I noticed how men fish. There were little platforms made out of wood,by the edge of the water, a little too small for a person to sit. I was wondering What were they for? I kind of knew it has to do something about fishing. Then one night I saw what exactly it was for. Its not for the fishermen to sit, but for his lantern. Or the torch which lured some fish, seeking enlightenment into his trap of death instead. Sound familier right? Exactly the point. It is not the first time fish were trapped in this way. And it is not only for the fish, but a universal truth for enitre animal kingdom. Often I have seen this happening in the early hours at night, in the isolated street light in front of our house. Fisherman : https://unsplash.com/@mischievous_penguins Ants seeking enlightment. I am not sure why tiny animal souls are so much atrracted to light. It is obviously not enlightenment they are seeking. When I think about it I can understand why the world is filled with so many tiny souls. Earth is nothing without us. Each and every tiny soul. Two flies who disturbed our lunch yesterday, were in search of something. I am sure it is not enlightenment. The universe is in eternal darkness. It it wasn't for the close proximity to the sun the big torch which fills our lives with light, we would be in darkness too . Hence we all are trapped in this earth because of the sunlight. But here is a truth about light, if you get too close you will burn by the same light we seek. That is what the tiny insects, which burn themselves in the streetlight's teach me. Watching from the window, at night I sympathise them just like fish. I can turn off the light. But I am sure they will still seek the wisdom of the next streetlight to drive them into their own demise. Enough of tiny insects, how about multicellular souls? I saw a post on pinterest about a new definition for life. Although not exact, it was something like, "Life is travelling through space, in thousand miles per second, rotating around a burning helium ball, covering a 50 pounds of bones with 100 pounds of flesh, made up of stardust ." And in this misterious journey called life, we often seek some light. And just like a fish, just like a flying ant, we are directly lured into the trap of universe. To be burned alive. Although we are out of danger from extreme heat from sun, we still seek comfort in places. Sometimes it is in our home. Maybe from our job. Maybe from the nature, or from meditation. And we feel just enough happiness to fixed into these places. Like target fixation , we cannot move on as our roots start to dig deep into the experience of tranquility. And when and if they start to become too hot, which inevitably would be we seek the next street light to follow the same route in seeking comfort. Streetlight: https://unsplash.com/@amoltyagi2 Beware of enlightenment! I am sure the fish believe in the fishermens light. Just like we believe in things we cannot see or hear or feel. Just like everything I cannot feel now. From things like heavens and hells, even apocalypses we cannot predict. How constricted I am in this world. I beleve in everything exists all the time like the chairs infront of me when I am not looking. When I hear a cry of a squirrel , I believe there is a squirrel running out in the garden. When I hear kids play in the other room, I believe they are physically present alive in this very moment. Similarly I believe in an enlightenment which happen in the future. How real is that? Yet I see beyond current thought existing in this mind everything else seem imaginary. Then I see into this thought to see if at all it is real too. What is your light? What is your guide in life? What is your go to rule which you follow in life? For Arnold Schwarzenegger it was his passion to become a star like Reg Park. It is good to follow dreams (a relative truth). But it is wise to know when to just orbit around without falling into the light source itself. So, beware of enlightenment
- Perception and Perspective or How to be a sniper.
I have been a big fan of sniper movies. It started with video game playing . But its fascinating to watch a bullet travelling in slow motion as often shown in movies like Wanted 2008. I can tell you hundreds of best sniper scenes from the tip of my tongue. Latest being the series "The day of the Jackal" where I learned how to sympathise with a killer. Yet one important thing that every sniper is capable of is predicting the future. And it is all about perception and perspective. The sniper: https://unsplash.com/@visualsbyroyalz What is perception and perspective ? Perception is what you feel about the world through your senses. Five senses and thoughts let you create your own reflections about the world and interpret. And this is the subjectivity. Perspective on the other hand is to think from someone else's point of view. In healthcare we call it empathy. And just like singing and dancing some people are inherently good at picking up perspectives. And definitely philosophers and snipers. As if you want to become a good sniper you have to master the perspective. Imagine a sniper scene, where a duo of snipers are on a mission. They wait observing their enemies. And when they observe their target, they are going to be in the perspective mode. As far as distance matters, from the time they shoot a bullet to the hit there is about a few seconds gap. Essentially they are shooting into the future, and they have to predict where their enemy is going to be in a few seconds. To do this they have to think like the enemy. Hence perspectives are important in becoming a better sniper. Perspective is essential in understanding human nature. And it is an inherent part of philosophy. It's the famous bus example. When a pretty looking girl boards a bus everyone will look at her. That is human nature and perception. But if you are a sniper or a philosopher you would look at others' faces when it happens. And that is because you are inherently curious about their perspective. And this will give you an advantage, as now you posses someone's perspective you can try predicting the future. Often someone who is more aware of perspectives is hard to fool. Perspectives: https://unsplash.com/@visualsbyroyalz Why you should learn others' perspectives. If you are inherently not curious about someone else's perspective still I suggest you learn and train about it. As a motivation I would say it's cashable. Some would say it's cunning. But I would label it as an evolutionary advantage over others. Obviously not only snipers and philosophers, but teachers, doctors, even cops use it in interrogation rooms. You might lure someone into your agenda even without them knowing when you know their perspective. It seems unethical, but it happens all the time, in every human encounter. Even with your partner. And I am sure you will use this weapon only for "peaceful purposes". 😅 Generally, I do not want to limit myself in imagination. So I would say, just imagine for the fun of it. Imagine the perspective of a Jew, in autzwichtz . Think about the perspective of Larry Holmes when he was beaten by Mike Tyson. Feel what it means to be the person sitting next to you in the bus. And do not stop there. Think about the world from the point of view of a crow . An earthworm . Or a jellyfish . What it is like to be a crab in the clutches of a kingfisher. Think some more. Think like a wave . Think like a tree . I can see there are much more interesting things if you consider the possibilities. Write a poem from the perspective of an Alien, or feel what if death is a friend. And most importantly write them down before you forget. Maybe you should comment.
- The penguin Island and group dynamics of deindividuation. Are we all just clothed animals?
The Penguin Island. I have no doubt in this. It looks like we are clothed monkeys. For this matter I would like to point you to the novel by Anatole France the French author "The penguin Island". It was a confusing novel as I was very young when I had my hands on this. I can specifically remember how these naked humans, freshly baptized, in a faraway island first started to wear cloths. One of the less attractive women in the Island started to cover herself up and suddenly she became the most attractive women to the men. As now, the beauty is in cloths, not in the naked female form. Obviously soon everyone started to wear cloths and, the things start to evolve like a normal human society. And it makes me wonder are we really naked monkeys? Or just we are a higher human form? Penguin Island: https://unsplash.com/@tamwarnerminton Human behavior in groups. There are fascinating facts about how human behavior changes in a group set up. Different from individual encounters. Rather than explaining it, I can give you an example. I participated in a protest once when I was a university student. And these protests were common during that time, against government about money allocation for education, privatization etc. were the main issues. I considered myself an obedient citizen for most of the time. Yet I can remember on this particular day, I felt alien. We were marching down the road shouting slogans, and it started really slow but as time went on it escalated. I felt myself even bit of angry, adrenalin pumping all around. There were heated encounters with the police, in front parts of the march, I was somewhere in the middle. Fortunately, police did not raise their weapons against us that day. And if they did, I am sure I would have involved. I would have thrown a stone or two and I might have injured myself in the process. And I did feel like I was marching for a great cause and, my involvement was small when I consider what was happening with the group. Protest: https://unsplash.com/@heathermount Normalization of behaviors - real life examples of deindividuation. What I did not realize at that time was its deindividuation that I was feeling. It's a feeling that we feel less responsible for our actions when we are in a group. We might even commit a crime and even enjoy it. I could have broken a window of a building and felt less responsible when consider what's going on all around. Later when I contemplated my behavior that day, I understood I am just a monkey in cloths. At least that there is evidence that we are truly different when circumstances change. I would have been Tarson in the jungle if was stranded with monkeys. With this view we can explain some of the things happen around the world. You can be watching CNN, in the comfort of your couch and think how stupid, people in Gaza strip fighting for a bag of rice. They seem rude and unethical. But fact is it happened to toilet rolls in supermarkets when the first wave of covid hit few years ago. It may seem like a joke to imagine the extreme. But it's good to challenge ourselves after all if we are aiming for a more ethical world, we must accept our true origins and nature. Earlier we do that longer and sooner we will be connected with universal peace. Its lucky we are not born in a cannibalistic group. A group that worship money. Even the era of WW11 is a good example of these complex human behaviors. Let's not forget but forgive ourselves. And learn how to look at a criminal with even kind heart. Some might call this Stockholm syndrome. But that is just a discussion for another day. https://unsplash.com/@ripey__ Now you can go back to your mirror and fully appreciate the monkey in you and forgive. As you are the only one who see your own reflection every day.
- Welcome to life, if you do not know the roads.
Life - a weird dream. It happened one day, for about 3.5 decades ago. I was born to this thing called self. It's a weird dream. I was hopeless as a person. Hanging on my mother, dependent on everything. Just three kilos of flesh and bones, and a consciousness with no memory. I am not sure why this, why here and why now. It took years and years for me to learn everything. From A to Z of drop of everything humans have gained over the years. And I was hopeless. I had to believe in everything they say. About the skies, trees, gods, ancestors and science, mathematics. There are libraries of accumulated knowledge of human consciousness. Stories, as were interpreted by some observers in the past, written down in books. And here I am writing down my own observations about the world. But why? Life in the fast lane: https://unsplash.com/@dnevozhai I know the answer to why. And I know what is wrong with that too. Because I have been travelling in the information highway until I met my own crossroads in life. Where the true life If at all present, begins. Then only you would realize all you have been doing is pressing the gas harder and harder, in life, to travel faster and faster towards your own doom. Crossroads are blessings from our own past. For us to stop and think seriously about life. Even better if you do not know where to ride next. Why I create knowledge? The reason I am writing is to preserve these thoughts. As I now learn value is not in these papers called money . Values are in human minds. Values are created exactly when you think about something. A car, a boat, a dollar bill or even this article. You are the evaluator of your own Values. Hence, I have learned my lesson of human values hard way. And I am making it easier for you to understand, so you do not have to waste years and years of your life wasting not knowing what to do. Path to create Values is by preserving your consciousness by creating something or collecting something . So, start it today. Trust me you will be a happier person doing it. And that leaves me with my next claim. I have to explain the fault in this thought too. To do that I have to drag you into some little bit of philosophy. If you already know, there is a thing called subjectivity about our consciousness. We are prisoners of our own bodies. Our consciousness cannot magically float and see the world in another perspective. Not even after death likely. So, whatever the Values you try to preserve may not be valuable to others. It even won't be valuable until you die. Like Schmidt tunnel for that matter. But I can guarantee that it will be valuable for you always. Isn't it amazing to know. The value you feel looking at a little ant climbing a grass is much more than a hundred-dollar bill. And this is the nature of Values. If you believe in it, it's true. I think you get the problem now. Problem is its all imaginary. To savor a movie, even a piece of mango you have to imagine. You have to evaluate your own experience against your own past and give it a value. And without these snippets of thoughts, we are nothing. Welcome to life, if you do not know the roads. Welcome to life: https://unsplash.com/@hngstrm If you feel nihilistic by now. I can say welcome to life. As my objective is complete as I have created crossroads in your life. From here onwards it's up to you to question your all life and observe what's happening in your brain. The experiment of life already started when you were born, and you are just the creator of your own reality. If you let your mindfulness to watch this every day, you may ask the questions like "what is the meaning of all this?" Isn't it absurd to give Values to things I see and believe in them and cry over them in the next second? Let's discuss some of the things bothering you about your life. And try to find out whether there is truly a knot. Or just a no knot .















