Experiment 5 - So, what's new?

Everything can be changed. Some things take more time than others. Like all things, the place you inhabit can also be changed. The things you do. The things you want. The things you need. Or let me put it the other way, everything changes even if you want or don't want them to change. It is only a matter of time changing the value of the things or the things themselves.

Does one live for the sake of change? Or can change be controlled? It matters not where the change came from, only what the change is. Change is good, things could get better in the view of certain parameters. Or they could go downhill. Not that downhill is a bad thing, especially when you are on a bicycle trying to reach downhill. Unless you don't know how to maneuver over the steep.

So if the change itself is not a good or bad thing, then what am I even talking about? The parameters. That's what makes or breaks thing. What are the parameters we are measuring or even aware of? There are a million parameters, but are we taking it all in when we evaluate our feelings? Nope. Only ones that have an immediate effect in our foreseeable future. In my radar.

So how do you handle the change? Stop handling it. Let the change change. And hopefully adapt, and probably evolve. Change again. Change offers opportunity to change. If you want to know more you know where to look. Yes, that's right. Now start reading the post from the beginning to understand what change is about.

OK. You have read it, and hopefully you are still with the post, then let's move on. Why do changes happen? Why do you move at the precise moment you actually did? Why do things fall apart exactly at the moment they do? Why not an instant before that? Why do things start falling into place at the exact moment they do? Why?

Well. Us humans, we are great exponents of the art that is hindsight. Mind you, hindsight is an important tool in the science of deduction and helps build foresight and predictability to systems. But it is all too very easy to take the superficial parameters to make sense of a situation and ignore possibly game-changing parameters. It is easy to wrap it in our heads. Captain Hindsight.

Delving into the hindsight of things proves useful when we try to correct something, not to find a reason of why it happened. When the purpose is education, it serves a great deal. Other purposes have not been helpful, if not damaging. So why do changes happen? Because they do. Find out the reasons only if you wish to learn something. For reasons other than education, I wish you the best, because you will need it. Sometimes you may find yourself, sometimes you might find what you are looking for (Eg: A sense of justification).

So, what's new with you?

P.S: The "author", i.e me, is getting used to changes. So time for him to change. Feel free to amend my "theory" if you feel so.

Experiment 4 - A theory in uncertainty (Part 1/2)

"Pidippu".

An argument. The world around us tends to supply us an increasing amount of Uncertainty. The things we do, from practicing a "good" diet, a particular academic qualification, the slurred "r"s in your pronunciation, cultivating a fashion sense, or innate "altruism". These steps are taken as measures against this uncertainty. To get control over certain aspects of life. The insurance premiums that we pay, the homes we build, the perfume we wear. All aimed to get a certainty over uncertainty.

In short, one can presume that uncertainty scares us. Some believe that uncertainty can harm, so not taking adequate measures is madness. Some believe it is a part of life, and try living with it.

Science gives us a methodology to counter uncertainty, by understanding its nature and hence using it for some purposeful existence. Religion has its own way of interpreting it, leading to faith and belief. Philosophy aims at reaching an absolute "truth" that is irrevocably certain. Perhaps different means to the same end?

This causes a wave of cackle and shock aimed at me, for comparing the three in the same vein. At this I request you to listen first, not believe. Science has its own sets of priests to call "blasphemy" at anyone who suggests anything vaguely opposing the base principles of Science. Religion has always drawn flak for the "call" methodology employed by its disciples. But at least, my head is still on my shoulders, so thank you Science.

There is an innate need for us to feel certain or try to achieve certainty. Even though we sure do know that there are factors that cannot be certain. It can be drawn that, "nature" or "whatever" that is around us, is pushing Uncertainty to us. So why do we fight this force that is the most ubiquitous (I venture to say). This need is what we call "pidippu" in Tamil. Something to hold onto. Grasp.

Where does the "pidippu" come in all of us? I wondered. Why do we feel the need "to need"? I took a wild shot. Survival. The animal instinct. Something that is base. Something that is common between a human infant and a bacteriophage, a sewer rat and a mountain lynx. It brought upon another thought. Is this really the "noble" cause that everyone is working towards? Doesn't sound noble to me. It is the base instinct encoded in our genome. Everyone has it. Some realize, others do not.

At times this "pidippu" becomes the only thing that enables people to do things they need to. Motivation. Without it, there is no more "you" or "me". The need consumes the person so much so that you are your need. And without a need, you are nobody.

This is a thought in progress. Thank you for the patience if you have got to this line. More on this soon.