Why we do what we do?

In my last post I detailed out how our reactions to circumstances create circumstances of the future.

This may give a reader hope that he/ she can determine his/her own future. This belief can be attributed as partly true. Though the fact is that we can only aim at a target future and the actual may be very different based upon external factors. It is like shooting an arrow on a desired target but the wind deviates it course.

Taking this target and arrow conjecture there are two questions that arise.

1. How do we determine our target?
2. How do we aim?

The questions seem simple to answer but they are not.

Take a moment and think. Determine two points in the future- One should be in the very near future- Today 5 PM perhaps and second is say 5-10 years later. Now think about what do you want your circumstance to be during both those points.

Suppose the answers are

1. I want to be back at home today at 5 PM
2. I want to be a multi millionaire in 10 years

These two being the desired circumstances the question I want to pose is why these two only? Why should it happen that everybody will have a different (atleast slightly different) answer to these questions.

This leads me to a conclusion: The sum total of all our experiences in the past have a major effect on our present thought process.

I would like to explain experience in my framework before carrying on. An experience is the impression made by a circumstance, reaction and event on the human thought. For every cicrcumstance we react in a particular manner, which results into something +ve or -ve. This whole cycle creates an impression on our mind. We call this impression an experience. All these experiences collect somewhere back in our minds and we subconsciously refer to most relevant experiences whenever a circumstance presents itself.

The above answers of mine are a distillation of what I have interpreted from my experiences. It all distills down to these. This is how I and you decide our targets. Now I will explain how we aim.

Close your eyes and imagine that you are on top of a very high building. What else flashes? I bet all the similar moments when you were standing somewhere high. What do you think? You will think based upon whatever your experience was during those moments. They will be either dread or joy based upon whatever your experiences were. Then there will be another round of experiences - you may think about your loved ones and experiences with them and so on.

You will feel a huge push behind you. This is a push created by all the experiences brought forward to you by your subconscious. This push drives you to one particular action. However there may be another set of experiences which may lead to another contradictory action. For example your experiences which may lead you to want to discard any fear of height. Its now you get a choice. The choice you take is the aim you take and determines what is your desired circumstance (the target).

Thus our experiences in the past suggests to us the options that we can take, makes us decide on what we think we want to be. Its Us who has to choose. How we choose also depends on our experience but still I believe that humans have enough will power to choose otherwise.

Please note that the targets (desired circumstance) we set for ourselves may not be perfect and our aim (choice) maybe completely wayward, but these are the end results of how we (and the world) have programmed ourselves.

This is how we evolve our so called destiny. It is just a programming of our past, choices in the present and the effect of external factors  (guided by the unity of the universe) in the future.

Please comment if you have any views on my posts. I am waiting




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How Past affects the Future

This is a little bit in continuation with my previous post. I have my oddities and you have your oddities. We are all different characters. If in an experiment we were put inside and exactly similar situation we will definitely react differently. Why is that so? Why are you and why am I different?

Now i remember a movie dialog from some obscure movie I saw in the good old days of Doordarshan: "मैं पेट से चोर पैदा नहीं हुआ था. "(I was not born a thief). The thief tells us what I want to reiterate today-' Its our past which frames our present, our future is shaped by our past and the present'. This may not look like a huge conclusion to you, but think about it in little detail as follows. Look at your present- Why are u sitting/lying at the location you are, why are you in front of this particular computer reading at this particular blog. For example if you are in Mumbai (what were the events that led you to Mumbai? What were the events that lead you to those events?), Why are you in front of computer? Why do you have a computer? Why did you search for this blog? Why did you end up on this one?

If we create a backwards issue tree in detail we will reach to one particular conclusion all of us: " This moment is the sum total of results of all (Yes ALL) events of the past". This implies that your present circumstance is nothing but a consequence of our actions in the past.

What about the future? The future as a corollary will be a sum of all events in the past and all events from present to the future. We can react positively, negatively or lethargically to the present circumstance. The circumstance arising from past events in our life.

(How does an event result: You have a circumstance, you react to it and the result is an event. For example I had free time, I wrote and I have this blog- an event. An event may just not be a circumstance * reaction- The event may also be affected by external events- other people's actions or climate etc.)

Even though the circumstance is not in our control anymore we have the option of reacting to it in a way we like (I have a theory on why we react the way we react) and trying to come up with an event which will better our future.

We are like people and our destiny is a ship. The direction the ship takes is based on our reactions to present circumstance. We can only try to control the direction though the direction may depend on host of factors. The whole thought is as shown in the diagram below:

The figure below shows how we navigate our lives:

So the conclusion is that the time of action is NOW and NOW only. There is no other time. Being Inactive now affects your future. 

The above is my line of thought. I would like to know what you would think of it? Please comment.

My next blog will be on why we react in a certain way to any circumstance. 

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Unity of the universe

I recently read this book "The Tao of Physics". I will admit that i didn't understand most of it and I don't appreciate a lot of what the author 'implied'- Modern science tending to Eastern Mystical thought. However I will concede that I found the book a little informative. It made me understand a lot about quantum physics, relativity theory. It also made me understand lot about Hindu, Buddhist, Zen and Tao thought etc.

My post today will be really a "Random thought" as below: 

Reading the book and thinking a lot I have developed a belief. Each and every act by everybody effects everybody (Humans, Animals and the Inanimate). I don't imply that we have the right to meddle in other people's affairs. What I state here is that each and every thing that we do or happens happens exactly the way it is supposed to happen. There is no other alternative. This is the only way the worldly equilibrium can be maintained.

For example: Today is a lazy Sunday afternoon and I am writing this blog. How does it affect your life? It affects your life in the following manner-

1. I could have been doing a million different things rather than writing this blog right now (Lets take 3):
• Watching television
• Working on career development
• Making plans for world domination
2. Now these scenarios could effect you in a hundred different ways
• Watching television
• I could gain an idea and discuss this with a friend. he writes a status update on facebook related to it. You are his friend's friend and you see it. You build some knowledge around it. You are asked some question in your job interview which you can answer based on what you learnt
• I see a news show. Gain some knowledge. Call up KBC lines. End up at fastest fingers first opposite to you and then beat you there. 
• etc. etc.
• Working on career development
• I end up in an interview panel where you interview me and you select me (and then you suffer me)
• I beat you in an interview
• I get misguided and lose to you
• I interview you
• I interview some relative of yours and select him. Your cousin idolizes that relative and follows his footsteps. The cousin is successful and he proves a great help to you in your bad times
• Making plans for world domination
• I dominate the world- you get affected
• I do something real crazy- somebody you know gets affected. you get depressed
• I don't do anything- but i am still out there
3. All the above means that in that case i don't write this particular blog. Now
• You are not reading it now
• Any effect, belief or comic relief this blog brings to you is negated. The corresponding after effects too
• You would be doing something else rather than reading this blog
• That something else could have affected so many others (including me). In turn this would affect so many others

The universe would be absolutely different if I am not writing this blog. We can say it cud have been better or worse. In a mystical sense however I would say that any other scenario the universe would be unstable. Me writing this blog right now and you reading it right now or not reading it at all is the only way the universe can be stable.

There seems to be a suggestion here that we don't have control or choice about our actions. However I would think of it differently. There can be no action without control or choice. Lets not desist ourselves from doing any good, striving for excellence, caring for others because we think that we don't have choice or control. Our ability to have a choice and control over our very own actions keeps this Universe in equilibrium. We can hope that doing good will spread good. Lets do what we want to do and the Universe to take care of its own. Thus the Bhagvad Gita says

कर्म कर फल की इच्छा न कर. 

"Do your job don't care about results or rewards"

If anybody really does read this post and finds it worth a thought. Please do drop in a comment

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A Cricket Fan's proof of why infinity*0 is indefinite

I have a hypothesis ( which i won't prove). The hypothesis states that cricket fans on an average are better at arithmetic than football fans. Note i mentioned arithmetic and not mathematics. The reason for my hypothesis is straightforward, a cricket fan is usually always calculating future scenarios. What if he hits a 6 the run rate will become 5.4 or if he makes 10 runs in next over required run rate comes down to 4.6 etc. etc.

Probably its just me who does that. Since i am never going to make a serious attempt at proving my hypothesis (which would be to make sample groups of cricket and non cricket fans and average their high school mathematics grade etc etc) I will leave my hypothesis open to discussion.

I have this passion of trying to calculate net effect of run rate on each ball ( as well as find inflection points on all line graphs they show on television).

One fine day as a kid in class 10th i realised that the batsman scores at an infinite rate (India was probably chasing some hopeless target) when there is a no or wide ball. 1 run in 0 balls is infinite scoring rate. However since the number of balls bowled is 0 the net addition of runs to the total is only 1. Suppose the batsman scores an additional single in the no ball. Scoring rate is still infinite. However since the number of balls is 0 the addition of runs is only 2.

In the first case     : infinity*0=1
In the second case: infinity*0=2

Leading me to the conclusion that infinity*0 is indefinite.

To a graduate this may seem trivial, but try this explanation to a youngster who heard that infinity *0 is indefinite. I am sure it will be a revelation to him. Make sure u don't end up explaining 0/0 as 1 because that is wrong.











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The State of Indian Cricket and what we can learn

Lot has been said on this topic and maybe i add to a long list of ranters today.

I can make a few predictions though. We will never become a champion team and we will never become a second string team ( Like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh)

Why is what I would like to discuss in the blog. But lets set the conditions in which we operate:

1. Cricket is one sport which has too much money
2. Cricket is loved by at least 75% of the population (every 3 out of 4)
3. Cricket is not in Government control
4. We have a media which works on need for money more than need for information.

Now i would like to point a million small attitudes that have developed.

First the basic
1. All Cricketers should perform
2. Team should win at all times

But when it takes an extreme is:

1. All Cricketers should perform. Non Performers should be axed
2. Team should win at all times. Make them defend themselves every time they lose

Now lets detail out all this in what these points really mean:

1. All Cricketers should perform. Non Performers should be axed. We don't know what non performance means so lets holler and cry at anything
2. Team should win at all times. Make them defend themselves every time they lose. Who should defend we don't know so blame everybody or anybody what is important is that blame games start.

If my discussion makes sense then think about this: Look at ur workplace find clues and u will see this blaming and biting attitude around you. Though i am a person of limited experience i would venture to say that this is an Indian specific trait (I will gleefully back track if u disagree)

We need to change ourselves and soon. Sooner we learn to respect people and stop scrutinizing them at each and every instance we wont be world beaters that we have the potential to be.

Next time try to understand the potential rather than performance of a person. When he commits a mistake don't disrespect him but respect him even more. Tell him u believe in him. Don't tell him that i will cut your bonus don't say that i will give u infinite bonus. Just make him relax and believe in him.

I have moved from Cricket to philosophy here as is my bent when publishing blogs.

Coming back to cricket though, despite the money our men are making and parties they attend it is time our nation gives them what they crave for ... belief and respect.



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What is the purpose of a blog

As I started to write this post i came to a sudden horrifying realisation.

I have never actually sat in front of a plain sheet (as in plain sheet, plain word doc, plain blog post template) of paper before with a blank mind. 26 years of life and Never.

Every time I have had a blank sheet there has been a predetermined agenda. I would always know what is expected of me, what is required by me, what i am supposed to do. Score marks in exam, study hard, write an email but never blank. Never have i sat with a blank page and never have i unleashed. Never let my pen run riot never let it flow out.

Even today as i sit here typing i am thinking if you would like my post. There is still an agenda.

So I am a man have who just realised that he has been writing and typing based on what others would like, what can be valuable to others, what is "supposedly" right. Now i think i may never have been in control of my life in first place.

When i started this post i wanted to discuss the purpose of my blog. Now i dont feel like it. I dont care.I will just let it flow

Have you heard about the "Sounds of Silence"

This is a Song by Simon and Garfunkel

If you have heard it you may read forward otherwise i suggest you listen to it first

Link to the Song

Now the next question is did u enjoy it?

If yes the next question is did u hear it or listen it??

Probably the words fell like "Silent rainfall" and you pray to a "Neon God".

Makes no sense?? Listen to the song!