Arunesh Sinha

With great freedom, comes great responsibility

2009-05-13T20:22:00.008+05:30

The American idea of freedom (that is almost complete freedom for every individual) is a concept that many western intellectuals accept as an axiom for a good life. Though it is right that people decide what is best for them, but many times this local decision is not good for the society/masses. In fact, many times these decisions are not good for the people themselves (ie taking drugs, driving under influence, etc.). How is it that governments can make people work towards a goal of building a nation with such freedom ?
Here is where education comes in - educated individuals are supposed to be responsible people, they enjoy their freedom but also contribute in building a strong nation (even if some people disagree with the concept of nations). But unfortunately education all over the world has reduced to just imparting technical knowledge so that children can make a living out of it. Educated people have better skills now, but the same is not true about moral values. And because of population explosion, it is difficult to make every child cultured in say a class of 100 students. Freedom in hands of such mechanical beings is dangerous. The deregulation of financial sector in US showed how these educated people can make lot of money for themselves and let the system collapse. This freedom without bounds (and irresponsible players) turns the playground into a free-for-all where the cheater always emerges the winner. I think it has been emphatically proved that extreme laissez-faire does not work when the players are themselves not fair.
At an individual level this freedom allows people to ruin their own life. A good example of this is students from India/China who come to study in US. They come from a society which has many checks and bounds (some good, some bad). In a bid to enjoy the freedom (as their American friends do), many of the students fall into a vicious trap of drugs, alcohol and sex - not because they want to do drugs but because they are weak enough to submit to peer pressure. And it is a known fact that the number of students in depression in very high. So is this a problem with American culture or the culture of India/China ? I think both. American culture has taken freedom with no responsibility to an extreme - anything extreme is not good. Indian/Chinese culture puts too many shackles on people's life, which breeds resentment. Some of the most balanced and happy people are those who have imbibed the good points of both Western and Eastern cultures, whereas we can see innumerable examples of people who have adopted the bad points of these cultures (and yet think they are better off/happy/cool). Extreme thoughts have always attracted people (like Nazi philosophy) but they have always led to destruction and pain. For those familiar with Buddhism, the middle path specified by Buddha precisely addresses this point and asks people to avoid all extremes.
Responsibility is a required trait not only for the powerful people, but also every ordinary free man. I like Barack Obama when he does stress on responsibility and discipline, hopefully he brings in this change that will benefit US a lot.

It happens everywhere

2009-04-14T21:12:00.003+05:30

Why is that politicians everywhere show the same kind of brash disrespect for basic morals ? Should a free society allow and tolerate the freedom to cheat ?

This video shows lawmakers in US voting for their absent friends.

London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

2009-03-29T04:58:00.009+05:30

This is an email chain that has existed for long - look at the end for the original source

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets theworm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend morethan you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are incharge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

This piece was first published March 15, 1998 in the Indianapolis Star. It has been "modified" and "edited" by others and circulated on the Internet. I agree with these words (not completely but to a large extent) - hopefully common sense is reborn soon.

The Earth Hour

2009-02-27T20:39:00.016+05:30

Many of you would already know about this -> http://www.earthhour.org . I just want to inform people about of this event and expect this little contribution of participating in it. I hope I do not have to inform "educated" people about the dangers of global warming (go and read the IPCC report). But even without any such report, aren't the changes visible now ? I remember I used to play cricket in the summer afternoon everyday (this was in Durgapur, India). But now the summers are so hot that going out for 30 min is like the experience I had going near the blast furnace at TISCO (Tata Iron and Steel Company). Not that I am not fit these days (the reason people put forth when I tell them about this) - I run 2 miles 6 days a week, and I hope that puts me in the fit category.
In fact people have all sorts of reasons not to participate in events like earth hour. Let me list some of them.

This is all a fad
Earth Hour is a symbolic act; how will it make a difference ?
I don't believe in global warming.
Look at my neighbor - he does not do anything and is enjoying life, why should I sacrifice.
Ohh you see the winter in US this year - it was so severe, where is global warming ?
This is just paranoi created by vested group of people who want business/something to suffer (typical republican view here in US)

Here is my reply

If you can follow fads in almost everything in life, why not this ?
Agreed this is a symbolic act. But the language of world politics is symbolism. Such acts may not make a difference quantitatively, but it makes the problem of global warming an imortant issue in the eyes of world "leaders". That will possibly lead to some real change.
Well there is also a group of people who believe that the earth is flat - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth_Society
M.K. Gandhi once said "Be the change you want to see in the world". Change yourself, encourage others including your neighbor - your neighbor will ultimately join you, even if for the sake of following a fad.
Read more, be more informed - global warming is not local warming. The IPCC panel says that extreme weather will increase, meaning winters may be more severe; its only the average temperature over an year that is increasing. In any statistical result local variations always exist, same is true here.
These people are either ignorant, or else simply bad people. I have no words that can change these people - probably only a bolt of lightning from nature can cure them.

Well I hope I am able to inform many people about the earth hour through this blog, and also hopefully convince some to join the cause. Also I hope some people start understanding the problem beyond just "celebrating" such events like Earth Hour.

An amazing, amazing world, wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots !!

2009-02-07T23:45:00.005+05:30

I cannot agree more with this guy. This economic recession has brought upon us a reality check, but nature may bring a bigger one in few decades.

Where in the Heaven is Matt

2009-01-23T20:53:00.003+05:30

It just makes you happy !!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Who killed ethics ?

2009-01-12T05:39:00.012+05:30

It has been troubling to see so much greed, here in US and in my country India. All of this has shaken the foundations of capitalism. But has greed been so widespread always ? Probably yes, there are countless stories of greed from the past. But I am very fearful of the current thought process of the common man, one which accepts and encourages unethical behavior. I had mentioned this about India in some old blog, but I find that to be true almost everywhere (now that I have seen more of the world). What is the reason ?
I have a small theory for all this. I am an agnostic person, and I believe God was invented in early times to explain things that man could not understand. Over time certain people found that this was a good concept to exploit and make people loyal to principles/men. Thus the great religions came about, though I do understand and believe the founders of these religions were great men (read the Rig Veda(Hinduism) for the astounding depth of thinking the writers had). Buddha in fact never mentioned God because he knew the truth, Buddhism was (at the start that is) only about following a certain style of life (the middle path). All the founders of religions at their time taught people to become more human. This is what is common to all religions, they try to make the masses more ethical. Obviously all religions get distorted over time and then they are reformed and so on.
But religion was the leash that turn the animal homo sapiens into human beings. This allowed humans to make great progress, including the development of science. But science was a Frankenstien, which killed religion itself.
The last few centuries saw man make so much progress in science that people did not need to believe in God to explain things. This led to a decrease in the blind following of God and hence religion, which many people consider good since people think more logically now. But this is precisely the reason that there is a breakdown in ethics. Now there is no leash to control the animal instincts. Scientific logic does not talk much about why human ethics are important (which can be logically shown to be important, and I do not show that logic here). The masses do not blindly follow religious diktats but they follow principles of survival of the fittest. While this indeed leads to the survival of the most cunning and greedy people, this does not bode well for humans overall. The greedy people may not be the most intelligent, and intelligence is what will take the human race forward.

What's in a name

2008-10-29T03:41:00.004+05:30

Can't believe that such people live in America !!

The flight

2008-10-26T22:00:00.001+05:30

He was mama's favourite child
Sweet as sugar, free and wild
Very early he learned to fly
One day he left the nest on sly

Flew over land and water
But free it didn't feel
Always the winds had him in fetters
The soft feathers started to peel

Warm shelter it always sought
And such ephemeral joys he got
Just to leave it in a state worse
Such a life seemed to be a curse

It met creatures with tough shells
Who mocked its tender skin
Some pricked it with needles
Its blood filled them with glee

O how it longed to go back to the nest
To be filled with happiness
Where there are no thorns for food
Its life he could choose

NO it cant fly back
The wind doesnt allow him that
SO it lives with the pain
Hoping to be in the nest again

© copyright 2008 by Arunesh Sinha.

Back to old school boy shape

2008-10-26T03:11:00.005+05:30

I have lost quite some weight since I arrived in US. Don't know why - but I am fitter, at least physically. I think the primary reason is that I have to cook myself and I really don't like what I cook. Eating out is a tempting option but the food here is so unhealthy and on top of that costly too. Also I somehow do not like non-Indian kind of food. Yes I am a pukka desi.

Here's one photo for India.

Kapitalism - the new beginning

2008-10-22T06:15:00.008+05:30

America and the world in general is witnessing this current crisis in financial organizations. Quite the same thing happened here as what I had described in my blog about communism. Unbridled greed led to the downfall of these financial institutions. By deregulation and such actions the American government left these organizations in hand of greedy people (wolves if I may say so - sorry to wolves though, don't mean any disrespect to you nice animals). The extreme capitalist government failed to recognize that complete free market is a free for all. Complete freedom, without any rules, leads to a autocratic setup (I feel autocracy is quite a natural system for any animal society). Obviously in a autocratic setup - the majority suffer and only a select few prosper. It was very surprising that the government (especially american) was quite oblivious to the suffering of majority and was happy with the "good" performance of the wealthy.
But this has to change - I hope now we have Kapitalism, somewhere between communism and capitalism, somewhat better than China and also better than America. Will this change everything for the good ? NO. My country India has followed this middle path for long - but its not in a good condition. The problem with India is that many greedy people have subverted the system to suit their own needs, and the society has accepted it. Indian society changed itself to survive under British rule, thereby accepting behavior like giving/taking bribes, sycophancy and using any means to enhance personal wealth. Such things did not change much after independence and hence many Indians (not all - I am not generalizing here) indulge in such behavior and many more accept this as normal (and necessary). Changing this requires a revolution - not a bloody or abrupt one but a simple one like making everyone educated will also do. I am afraid such a silent and long term revolution may not be possible in India, but I hope I am proved wrong.
Ultimately there can be no perfect polity or society - but definitely the effort to improve the current ones should never stop.

Communism and its fall(out)

2008-05-13T15:47:00.007+05:30

Today most of the western world and India as well hates communists and their philosophy. Is communism really so bad ?
Generally wherever communism flourished , it was the result of a revolution resulting in major changes and lot of idealism. Communism is a very idealistic concept and hence it appeals to people especially those who have suffered a lot in some different type of polity. Intellectuals tend to be attracted to it because they are noble-minded.
I feel that communism ignores the fact that inherently people are not perfect. It does not take into account that many people are selfish, greedy, etc. Vice in human beings is not an exception in real life. The weak justice system and the assumption that people will always work for the good of society is a big flaw in communist systems. Thus in all of such communist states, over time, the rulers/government officials start exploiting the common people and ultimately the supposedly ideal state turns into a distributed autocracy.
In West Bengal (the State in India where I come from), the communist party has ruled for over 30 years. Although its a democratic setup, people do not have a choice really. People in any village, town are dependent on the local communist party member for any decision they have to make (opening a school, whom to vote for in elections). The whole government machinery (including police) takes permission from the communist party before doing anything. Generally the local communist party member is a strong/rich man who does all in his power to stop others from becoming rich. Its a very good example of the path that communism takes over time (as I had attempted to explain above). I still know intellectuals (professors, artists) who support communism in Bengal, since they are themselves idealistic and fail to see the misdeeds of their brothers.
Is capitalism an answer for such weak yet ideal philosophy. Maybe not. My next blog will on the flaws of capitalism and how it is not making the world a better place.

The Inkblot theory

2008-02-27T19:21:00.005+05:30

This useless(no practical use thatis) imagination always keep coming to my mind.
This big wide universe appears to me as just an inkblot. An inkblot dropped by some careless boy (God??). A inkblot that is expanding - as do all inkblots when they start forming. In this BIG inkblot, one of the small particles within it developed life and that life started to explore the inkblot. Various theories come up to explain the expansion of the inkblot, people conjure "dark matter" to explain unaccounted energy/matter. All this while as the inkblot expands, billions of years elapse on the small particle. People think that universe is limitless, but even if anyone reached the limit he would never be able to break the surface of the inkblot. The surface tension can push him back to any corner of the inkblot.
Finally some day - the boy's mother will wipe off the inkblot. Will that be our end ? No, I guess by that time someone would have freed himself from the inkblot. Life may escape from the inkblot, probably not as we see it today but life as an electromagnetic signal. Then life itself will become immortal.

Day Trader

2008-01-26T18:33:00.001+05:30

Yes I am a day trader. Just lost 1000 rs on my 2nd day of day trading !! But I am not stopping, its very addictive and I am ready to get addicted. Hopefully I will make some money. Anyone with some advice please help with me with this. The aim - earn 20000 rs in a month, wont stop till then. Wish me best of luck

Warming up to Global warming

2007-12-04T13:35:00.001+05:30

Sometime back in the 90s I had first read about global warming. I did feel that it was a serious issue but was foolish enough to not realize that its our common day actions thats leading to this problem. Back in college when I realized the seriousness, I was too much into the grind of IIT and its materialistic life. Now after Al Gore's preaching almost the whole world has woken up to this modern day crisis.
This disease is much like High Blood Pressure. People affected with BP many a times do not even know it, like a slow poison it destroys the cardiac system. Some people even after knowing that they have BP are unwilliing to change their lifestyle, mainly because there are no obvious signs till the very END. Hopefully that doesnt happen to our planet, hopefully climate, the heart of the earth, is healthy forever.
This problem has opened a new area of blame game between the developed and developing world. Very foolishly indeed developing countries(India,China) think that they should not be doing much for this, knowing very well that some of the worst affected regions due to climate change will be India and China. Also equally foolish and headstrong are developed countries, that are not willing to lead the way to the solution.
Not that it is all so easy - I understood this recently when I had to argue for hours to get my father to change 2 incandescent lamps with CFLs.
I hope all this delay in finding a solution does not lead to climate failure of planet earth.

First Blog

2007-12-02T18:22:00.001+05:30

This is my first blog everrrrrrr. Just scribbling down something as am getting bit bored on a Sunday evening. Hopefully the next blog will be more meaningful.