Bye to Buy

What role does clever product marketing influence our spending habits?

We all fall prey to the hype of clever marketing whether it is on a conscious or subconscious level. Yes, we see those images of perfect men and women smiling at us from a billboard or magazine cover and we want to have what they have, perfect faces, perfect lives and above all success and happiness. So we ask ourselves how do we achieve this and the answer comes back to us in plain black and white writing. All we need to have what they have is buy whatever they are wearing ,holding or are photographed vaguely close to and we will become them. We are buying dreams and fairy dust and not the product.

 The truth is we are all being brain washed and what we believe as the truth based on no tangible evidence is just a fantasy which we are buying into literally and figuratively. The hard reality is our perception is not based on core values but hard marketing ignites an emotional response in us. We want to better ourselves, and at the same time we want to keep up with the Jones’s. So we will buy that toothpaste that offers us impossibly white teeth or that car which is a chick magnet or that insurance policy that will offer a lifetime of financial security.

Marketing is just a clever business strategy that often plays on our insecurities. We feel fat, so when we see the infomercial on TV that offers washboard abs with little or no time and little effort by using nothing more than a piece of plastic we believe, because we want to believe. If this is backed by actors pretending to be users with doctored before and after pictures and promises of scientific research and development with proven results, well even better. And when we get tired or bored of our new fangled abdominal machine through our own experience, without even self explanation we throw the device under the bed without question or recourse to the manufacture. This is because we feel certain that maybe we and not the device failed. Or perhaps we are not in the 9 out of 10 users who experienced results. Our interpretation is that we must be that 1 out of 10 who cannot ever have flat abs.

Sometimes, intuition is not enough when it comes to opening our pocket books we should demand real evidence not beliefs and promises peppered with half truths. Clever marketing can sell ice to an Eskimo. And often as society evolves and products become part of our culture, we have even more reason and justification to buy products we often managed well without. On a knowledge point of view we need to question if we really need a product and know if it can live up to its expectations.  So do not fall for marketing tricks and say bye bye to buy buy.

Past Tense, Future Perfect

What role does history and historical figures influence our culture and actions?

When we look back at any historical event we can paint a picture that suits ourselves. We can judge events based on our emotional association rather than factual evidence. What we do when we look at the evidence and make a historical documentation is to cloud the truth. And then future generations read this as the gospel truth and we believe the written word. Surely, we think and reason that historians were there as witnesses and they without pre-conceived notions based on evidence of their eyes and ears documented the truth without prejudice. The real truth is that historians’ knowledge may not always be first hand. A series of Chinese whispers takes place that distorts the real hard core facts and public opinion gets in the way of facts. Often interpretation of any events or a perception of the character of an historical figure is based on belief and values and emotions rather than sound judgment?  So how can we really trust or justify that Hitler was the bad guy and that Gandhi was the good guy? Are we seeing two dimensional creations that become historical fact? Is not the truth that we hope secretly that history will be kind to us. We want our epitaph and tombstone to be flattering and positive. We want to be remembered as perfect when we never are. We want to edit our mistakes so that others will remember us fondly. Is it at all possible that Hitler had some good points and Gandhi had some bad points but we conveniently ignore these to maintain our evidence and keep on proving our point? Would any evidence to the contrary destroy our inherent belief system of how someone or some event needs to be remembered? After all, history can be kind or cruel. This is similar in a way a movie or restaurant can get good or bad reviews. But unlike a movie or restaurant which may have its good or bad points history is always black or white.

Then if this is true then is not history manipulating us by controlling our cultural and emotional response to a person or event. And does history simply repeat itself or do we learn from our past mistakes such as wars?  Yes, of course we are influenced and controlled by history, but that control is never enough to change our instincts and intuition or us culturally as a whole community. Let us take the proof and evidence of Gandhi. He is revered in India and in fact the world as a great man, the Mahatma or great one. We all believe his truth and values relating to peace and non-violence. But experience has shown that India or the World does not blindly follow his belief system. We have not changed culturally as while we admire his beliefs, we interpret each situation we encounter with our own intuition. Therefore, India and the world still continues to have wars, violence and riots. The principle of peace lives on in theory but not always in practice. We acknowledge and reason that we as mere mortals cannot all conform to his perfection. We are imperfect, and therefore will scream and turn to road rage at times at simple events such as a traffic jam.

We believe with certainty that history is the truth but we never look to history to define our present or future. History, is after all simply that history….

Much Ado About Nothing

What is it about mathematical theories that makes it convincing or unconvincing?

From early man in prehistoric years, we invented the wheel and learnt to write on the cave (our earliest white board), and learnt to count. Little did these prehistoric men realize that they were actually using complex mathematical formula to invent the wheel. Something, in their brain was pre-conditioned to solve equations and formulae. Therefore, from this evidence we can justify the belief that mathematics existed long before formal education. Early man used his experience and intuition to use the laws of physics combined with the intricacies of mathematical design to make the simple wheel which we still use in modern day transportation.

But it was not until the Greek mathematicians such as Euclid and Pythagoras with the advent of the simple abacus as a counting machine back in circa 600 BC that mathematical theory began to be taken seriously and was formally documented. The word mathematics in fact is derived from the ancient Greek for, ‘ subject of instruction’. In fact the study of mathematics for its own sake and the use of generalized mathematical theories and proofs, is the key differences between Greek mathematics and those of preceding civilizations. The concept of zero played a role in defining the growth of higher mathematics which is a major step in the history of mankind. Zero is a synonym for none. Mathematics surely starts with zero, but how can we believe the concept and perception nothing exist?

So on a knowledge point of view how do we really know that zero is the lowest number and that below this are negatives numbers, there are half numbers, decimals and there exists infinity? How do we really know that 2 plus 2 really equates to 4? Is there really enough proof and explanation to justify our belief or do we blindly accept all interpretations as the gospel truth on blind faith, without real understanding. Do we use reason or are we using our emotions that scholars must be correct. Is our perception of the truth behind the mathematics based on certainty and evidence or just trust? For the most people on this Earth we believe because we are told to believe from teachers and parents who we perceive as being more knowledgeable than us.

For the most part the majority of us hate mathematics. We shy away from this complex brain twister and consciously accept that mathematics and the visit to the dentist are our pet hates. There seems to be no logic or tangible explanation for this subject. But our inability to conquer or enjoy this subject is based (like the dentist visit) on one emotion, fear. We already have a preconceived notion that if we cannot see our subject of study, (like biology can be seen) or understand it as factual (such as history), then we need to fear this study.

What we need to do is to conquer our negative perceptions. We need to trust our intuition and make mathematics our friend. By doing so we open up our mind and our level of understanding increases. We also need to give reverence to a subject that has supported scientific studies and given us inventions that have enhanced our lives. So perhaps the derogatory zero should be renamed to hero…..

The Money Pit

How does our knowledge and perception on economic forecasts influence lifestyle changes and spending habits due to emotional fear?

Economic reports are often full of doom and gloom. If you scan the headlines of any newspaper or watch the financial news we seem to be permanently at the precipice of a recession. And this seems to be a global phenomenon, not restricted to any one country or market. But the crux or epicenter of this financial earthquake always appears to start with the only superpower, the United States which manages without fail to send after shocks throughout the world. After all, they say if the US sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold. But on a knowledge point of view how accurate and believable are economic forecasts. Are trumped up business suits with their Harvard degrees trying to simply flex their muscles on their economic knowledge, with their charts and graphs which translates to the latest breaking new? After all is it not true to say the media needs a story and that story needs to be sensational? No one wants to read that all is well, that does not translate as good copy or become a talking point over the water fountain at the workplace or on the bus route. Are economists and financial wiz kids simply playing god, hitting us where it hurts most, our pocket book and using scare tactics for some self serving purpose, such as controlling stock markets or bad mouthing the current administration for political gain. Often non tangible data is analyzed and intuition and belief used, so how do we decipher the truth from the guess work.

A recent article showed that the RBI is increasing its repo rate once again to decrease the money supply in the hope of reducing spiraling out of control inflation, despite the downside and risk on economic growth. The RBI hoped the commercial banks would offer more costly loans thus decreasing demand due to less money supply and increasing supply to bring the cost of living down. But for any normal person who has a job and savings, how much of any reports of economic futuristic downtown affect our lifestyle and spending habits? Well it does and in doing so we are being controlled by a big brother type of economic regime. We perceive as the gospel truth reports as they are derived by experts and we consider ourselves laymen in this highly complex field. We believe the evidence presented without actually understanding or having concrete knowledge or experience. We justify our reactions by explaining to ourselves that if we do not believe then we shall fall. We shall be left behind and poor while others were smart enough to make changes to accommodate the forecasts. So we stop going as much to restaurants or we forgo that new car or holiday and we stop splurging on that new dress or shoes, not because we have knowledge or not because we no longer have the capital or means but because of one simple justification. And that justification that we are certain of is FEAR. In fact in reading the novel, “ one night at a call centre “ I remember the author criticizing the US that the popular Dunkins Donut slogan, ‘ America runs on Donuts” should be more appropriately changed to, America runs on fear. Fear without real proof or understanding of the issues. Almost on a rumor or whisper, we change our lifestyle based on hearsay, predictions and our fortunes are defined by crystal ball gazing. Reuters recent reports show that holiday shoppers to spend less in the US amid financial fears .About 27% percent of people surveyed by Americas Research Group said they planned to spend less this year while 55% expects to spend only as much as last year as they expected the economy to slow further before recovery and did not feel better about their family finances than a year earlier. But this fear surely is not based on their own analysis, they do not hold economic degrees or prowess and yet they perceive the truth from only what they hear. You might have a job but stories on job losses and high unemployment make you think you will be next even though the unemployed may be less qualified. The truth is more than 90% will hold onto their jobs and yet the entire focus is on the 10% who are jobless.

We need not to blindly believe but know the truth comes from our own personal experience. It may well be that emotional fear is the driving force behind our actions and reactions when logic needs to prevail.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903927204576573930170368972.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Zero-ing on Size

How does our perception of the industry standard of the perfect body type lead to emotional insecurity and poor body image?

Recently scanning through the pages of the American magazine, ‘life and style’ the article of ‘Dieting To The Extreme’ caught my eye. Here popular celebrities such as Kate Middleton and Angelina Jolie, were shown looking highly emaciated as if pressurized to conform to standards that dictate beauty and fitness to remain popular and iconic. Is it not ironic that those in the enviable position of wealth and privilege, who can afford to eat in the worlds best five star Michelin acclaimed restaurants look as if they could do with a hearty meal. While those not so lucky in third world countries are lucky to sleep not hungry? One has a choice while the other does not. But this is not about the moral issues but on a knowledge point of view of what drives these women to the brink of starvation. And how their images praised and lauded has a domino effect on our perception of beauty and, how we react without reason emotionally to these conceived values.

I remember that my first image perception of the ideal woman was Barbie. And while I dressed her and combed her hair, I never stopped to question why she has an unreal, unobtainable body measurement that bordered on the ridiculous. I never realized that a fully grown post pubescent woman cannot have a 40” bust and a 18” waist!  It was the norm and acceptable and every little girl worth her salt wanted to grow up to be Barbie. In fact from as long as we can remember women wanted bodies out of the ordinary. Therefore, in the movie ‘Gone With The Wind’, we saw poor Scarlett O’Hara trying to tighten her corset to have a 16” waist so she could nab a husband at the ball. But is this not about conditioning and societies dictates that make us believe rather than actual facts and knowledge?

Today, in the fashion magazines we are bombarded with images which are airbrushed and photo shopped to perfection. And in fashion shows across the globe we applause at the stick thin figures with their pan caked faces and rouged cheeks in awe and admiration or at the six feet skinny mannequins on display in stores. ( However, we are shocked at the sight of starving bony Africans in their recent famine. What sort of warped standards are we setting?)  So egged and encouraged by these fashion images we try on the clothes only to realize that we fall far from expectations. We have failed while those we admire have not. So in an attempt to conform to ideals we starve and exercise to obtain approval.  We justify our actions on the belief that those in the know are right. We wrongly interpret media attention and focus on bodies as our core values and part of our culture and custom and tradition.  And we convince ourselves that there can be no other alternative or explanation that we must be thin.

The truth is we do not have actual factual knowledge. Weight is just a fad, a passing trend. Were not all those women in Raphael paintings bordering on the obese, and were they not considered beautiful in their time. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, it is not a knowledge but simply a perception of the time. If we look at medical facts, anyone with a BMI of 20 is considered fit and healthy, and yet we choose to be below a BMI of 20 as we feel prettier.  We do not know pretty we feel pretty. We feel by our sensory perception when we should be knowing with our neural perception. We are given an yard stick of beauty by weight and we critically measure ourselves and others by this. But this is a falsely created number, unlike body temperature that is set at 98.4 and is knowledge based 30 23 30, size zero waif like proportions are not.

 Is it not time that we ignored these fallacies which are frivolous and promote poor esteem and body image and serious disease such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Supermodel Kate Moss to many epitomizes beauty, famously, said, “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. May be someone she never tucked into a cheeseburger or cheesecake to know how that tastes. And while we can debate on this issue forever, it certainly gives us food for thought!

Back to Our Roots

How does the influence of a foreign culture hurt the sensibilities and traditions of a country?

Whenever, Valentines Day, comes around in India there are always news reports of local political groups kicking up a fuss that this new norm goes against traditional values, culture and religious beliefs. There is a belief among a section of the population that this trend of aping the West corrupts especially young minds and it is perceived that this will lead to a breakdown of centuries old traditions. Western infiltration and influence is thought to be evil and should be stopped at all cost to preserve family values and morality. Of course the ‘culprit’ tends to be the United States that has a powerful affect not just in India but globally. We can see it everywhere to Mcdonalds springing up all over China, to children in the UK now having a school prom. Language is also a key factor as all over the world we are literally invaded by American slang. The police are now cops and the currency is now termed as bucks. Whether it be Hollywood movies, MTV culture, clothes, music or food the influence of US culture is hard to ignore.

In the example of India, and China which have over 2 billion people between them representing over a third of the population, the perception that traditional culture is in danger may well not be justified. Yes, there is influence but the extent of that influence may be limited and not critical. These countries have a very solid foundation of influence that cannot be dissolved in an instant. Religion, clothes family values and food have in fact the counter effect of infiltrating Western culture. Curry has become the most popular food in the UK and Chinese in the US. Western people love the clothes, weddings, jewelry, Bollywood etc of these foreign countries and often cultural divides are merging. Values, tradition and culture of the oldest countries in the world cannot be easily changed by a country only a few hundred years old and there is no real evidence to suggest so. Minor influences are often marketed by foreign countries to make viable sales but both can live in harmony. A recent example is the new Oreo cookies ad which is iconic in the US and is always eaten with a glass of milk or the tradition of cereal for breakfast. Now while we can give an explanation that suggests many will be influenced, nothing suggests that traditional food such as spicy samosa for a snack or paranthas for breakfast can fully replace this. What is perceived as different or an invasion is simply a fear without hard core truth. Often emotions can over ride reason and logic and change can be difficult to accept among those of the older generation. But a large population of India is in fact under the age of twenty five and they are growing up willing to accept changes. Life for them represents a choice of picking and choosing the best and ignoring the worst, and this is certainly progress. While there are aspects of Western culture that may offend or be distasteful to Indian value system surely these will be ignored by many in favor of the traditional. However, the youth also recognize that there are certain aspects of Indian culture that may be distasteful to them, they question the system and demand these unsavory aspects be eliminated. In India these may include, child labor, child marriage, forced marriage or dowry, female abortions, caste discrimination or sati the tradition of burning a widow with her dead husband. In these case, surely it is true to say India can learn a lot from the West and be fearful of it based on popular misconception.

A child’s knowledge of his or her tradition, religion and culture begins early on in the family from parents, grandparents school etc. These core values and beliefs remain ingrained so any outside influence is superficial at best. So while politicos trying to throw their weight around will have protests, there will be little they can do. After all come Valentines day, people will shop for cards and buy roses and the like as a new tradition, but nothing can replace the traditions of weddings, and local customs. And it is this interpretation of knowledge and belief which should allow the spirit of foreign influence to prevail.

Don't Worry, Be Happy :)

To what extent does scientific reasoning and evidence influence ones behavior and lifestyle?

Subject: Laughter Linked to Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

New scientific evidence makes the claim that people suffering from cardiovascular disease are less prone to life threatening heart attacks if they laugh a lot in their lives. The reverse holds true for those who spend a lot of their day angry. The studies were based on 10 years of research and sample sizes of about 200 or so people with confirmed cardiovascular disease. But are these sample sizes large enough as statistical proof?  Does the same hold true for people who do not have the disease and act as a preventative measure and if all this is true exactly how much of our day are we expected to spend laughing?

For any individual, life’s’ stresses and tensions means that we encounter situations that do not make us happy. This could range from the trivial like being caught in a traffic jam or our football team not making it to the playoffs to the serious such as divorce, financial problems or the death of a loved one. Every person has mood swings and has their ups and downs making it a good or bad day. Much of life is not in our self control so while the studies give great advice, I wonder realistically how much we can adhere to the notion that we need to laugh through life? We understand, accept and believe the knowledge we acquire and we trust to be true that scientific studies must hold credibility, especially if these studies are published, but how do we react?

It would be ridiculous to assume any one will laugh their way through a funeral, just to safe guard their heart. Yes, self restraint and understanding can teach us that when we are caught in a traffic jam, instead of fuming and cursing, we can turn on the radio and hear calming music or better still find the time given as a gift to hear funny stories or jokes. But again how much we can exercise this self healing depends on our genetic disposition to stress induced anger.

Surely, there are question marks to the studies which based on this subject matter are subjective to say the least. Laughter can never be fake it has to be real. So the people in the study how did they really measure their laughter and anger management levels while conscious all the while that they were experimental guinea pigs. While being happy, is certainly a great mantra for all to live their life by how can we not prove that there are so many other factors involved in heart disease. For example what if a person loves to watch comedy movies and spends and therefore spends 2 hours a day forgetting all his woes while he laughs heartily through his daily dose of movie escapism. Great, you may say. But what if I now tell you that he consumes heavy dose of full fat cholesterol and triglyceride laden Haagen Daaz ice- cream during his movie sessions. Will the dilation of arteries caused by laughter as per the studies counteract the constriction of arteries caused by the ice-cream. Is this poor man being mislead by the knowledge he has acquired and has developed a false perception of the truth. Does his belief rely on his own interpretation and experience or certainty that the evidence shows justification to his behavioral changes?

Yes, we are all influenced by what we read, but often we cannot adjust our lifestyles greatly we can simply tweak them. After all studies can be taken with a pinch of salt as often new studies will tell another story. One day eggs are bad for you, the next they are good for you. So is laughter really the best medicine and can an apple a day keep the doctor away? Food for thought…

Sinha, Kounteya . "Thumbs up to don't worry-be-happy theory - The Times of India." The Times of India. N.p., 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Thumbs-up-to-dont-worry-be-happy-theory/articleshow/9790526.cms>.

Hurricane Irene or Hurricane Hype?

How does media coverage based on scientific predictions influence our knowledge and perception of an upcoming event?

Subject: The media coverage preceding Hurricane Irene

When I turned on the CNN news channel early Friday evening I was shocked to see the coverage of the gloom associated with the impending hurricane Irene. I wondered why such nice normal names were given to personify a non human freak of nature. The reports were out, Irene was to be the largest and most destructive hurricane in over 50 years. A time frame that I and many other people would not have been born to remember. The scientific reports were out, data analysis had been conducted and the meteorologists had been working overtime with the statistics that could frighten the pants of even hardened soothsayers, the results were not for the faint hearted. Winds of over 100 miles were hour were to reach New York Sunday morning, with extensive flooding of the Hudson River into down town Manhattan. The windows of skyscrapers would be shattered, power would be down and there would be damage amounting to billions of dollars. A state of emergency was declared and hundred of thousands of people would be evacuated from their homes, businesses, schools and hospitals. All this in the time that the US is still reeling under the effects of the recession. My heart went into my mouth. This was not just another news report about the usual war in a distant land, this affected my life, physically and emotionally. I lived my formative years in down town, Battery Park which was next to the river and scheduled to be badly affected. My grandparents resided there and were at risk of bodily harm and my next trip to New York would be affected. As reporters continued the shocking coverage, as the shops started boarding up and the streets of New York became a ghost town, my mind filled with images fueled by the pictures on the news. I remember seeing movies on hurricanes and my imagination went into overdrive as I imagined the worst, a scene straight out of a Summer Blockbuster movie. I imagined the park I strolled in being turned into a river, the trees and landscape destroyed, benches and trees overturned, the koi fish in the pond floating out to sea and the lobby of my apartment building flooded knee deep. And as if unable to keep away from a car wreck, I continued to watch mesmerized both in awe and fear at the power of Nature.

Hudson River Laps Over in Battery Park City, New York City

Or was it more the power of the media. Sunday morning came and the hurricane which on hitting the city immediately became downgraded to a storm passed without a whimper. People walked their dogs along the beach a few hours after the storm passed despite the prediction that the aftermath of flooding could go on for days. Yes, I understand that we have to err on the side of precaution. But honestly the non stop coverage seemed to be more hype than fact. Did the media relish the thought of this breaking news story and milk it for all it was worth. Did not the ratings go sky high and did they along with hardware and grocery stores not benefit from this. Science can after all predict the weather to a certain amount of accuracy along with its outcome. But we believe science and the news and react with an emotional response. We make the event real in our mind and in doing so with media encouragement we blow the event out of proportion. We think we have a pre-determined knowledge of the future based on science and media coverage and be have blind faith and belief. Along with herd mentality, we follow what others are doing such as boarding up as fear breeds fear and we reason they must have the knowledge and must be right. We follow rather than reason.

I was relieved that on the whole all ended well in my home town, but I almost wanted to shout out to the media channel; hey I was promised a hurricane and I want my money back!

Samenow, Jason. "Hurricane Irene hype: over the top media coverage or justified? - Capital Weather Gang - The Washington Post." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post. N.p., 29 Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/hurricane-irene-hype-over-the-top-media-coverage-or-justified/2011/08/29/gIQA77denJ_blog.html>.

Anna Hazare is India

How does the romanticizing of truth and values of a protest against an unethical government influence the youths’ perception and reaction?

Subject: Anna Hazare’s 3 Fold Protest against Indian Government

We all have grown up with the romantic images of Gandhi with his peaceful protests and hunger strikes against injustice and oppression, whether it be, through historical studies, movies or the media at large. Though we were not old enough to witness how he inspired a nation first hand these images stay in our minds and hearts. Today, with the onslaught of the Indian media coverage of the elderly activist dressed in wholesome white, protesting against the corruption in the Indian government we are reminded of these images, and feel we have a second chance to witness the Gandhi phenomenon first hand.

The Youth of India Protests for Anna's Campaign at India Gate, New Delhi

Newton Law’s state that for every action there is a reaction. So in that spirit when we see someone our grandfathers age fasting in peaceful protest we react. But as the youth of today, set up all night candle light vigils, and inundate facebook and twitter to garner support and wear the outdated and not fashion trendy hat as a symbolic gesture of our support, I wonder how much is based on factual knowledge and deductive reasoning, or how much is an emotive response.? The youth tend to love a herd mentality. They will gladly support the latest fashion trend to be cool and be part of the hot and happening crowd. So facebook gladly lends itself by its nature to likes and signing of petitions by way of the domino effect. Everyone jumps on to the bandwagon of support to show unity and groupism. In fact the youth will support any cause whether it be save the tiger, or decrease the legal age of drinking without any real claim or association, to prove they are citizens with a social conscience. Often though, they appear to enjoy rebelling against authority, as they are suppressed by parents, laws, teachers and alike and therefore indulge in the freedom that these protests allow them. In pursuit of removing their shackles they become rebels without a cause.

While the issues that Hazare holds and his values and belief system are very real, I wonder at the depth of knowledge of his young supporters who spend more time watching MTV than politics. Perhaps the youth without experience, or concrete evidence are showing an emotional response to the facts presented to them. This may be based on their trivial experiences such as having to bribe a policeman who caught them speeding. Are they protesting indirectly that they were forced to bribe themselves out of a stick situation, not realizing that revenge is unjustified as they were breaking the law? I am sure a college poll would show that not many protestors have a real grasp or handle of the political issues at hand and at best have amassed a general gist through the media whether it be print or electronic. This romanticizing by the media is further exasperated when popular cine stars suddenly come out of wood work in support little belying the fact their movie is up for release and they could do with the free publicity.

Another aspect is cultural response and ethical values. In India the youth are taught to respect their elders and Hazare, represents everyone’s Uncle or grandfather who should be revered and whose word is god.

In actual fact the youth need to research and study the facts acquire knowledge and see the pros and cons and then offer support based on real knowledge, explanation and interpretation. Any protest against real injustice and oppression is justified and a single voice needs to set an example. But there are lessons to be learnt and one of these important lessons is: love may be blind but support should never be.

Joseph , Bijoy . "The Hindu : Opinion / Open Page : Anna Hazare: the role model for the youth." The Hindu . N.p., 28 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. <http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article2403860.ece>.

Comments

I commented on the following peers blogs;

1) http://mdurston.hsblogs.aes.ac.in/2011/05/05/justice-with-michael-sandel/

2) http://abulch.hsblogs.aes.ac.in/2011/05/04/cannibalism/

3) http://theliteraturemachine.com/anushka/2011/05/08/the-mother-has-a-right-to-decide-what-shall-happen-in-and-to-her-body/

4) http://theliteraturemachine.com/komali/2011/05/08/putting-a-price-tag-on-life/

Justice with Michael Sandel!

The Harvard lecturer Michael Sandel gave thoughtful and amusing anecdotes to discuss the moral issue of ethics. The bottom line of his examples were, is it ethically acceptable to sacrifice a life voluntarily through the action of pre-mediated murder (which is unlawful and universally accepted as immoral), if it meant saving more than 1 life? Is that one act of wrong now become a right? Have we turned the tables on morality if the end justifies the means? In fact there is no right or wrong answer to this question, any more than “which came first, the chicken or the egg.” It is not a mathematical equation that can be solved or a scientific theory that can be proven. It is about a personal emotional response to a dilemma, and we are all wired to react differently to matters pertaining to the heart or even head. It is a moral choice, and people stand differently on ethics. For example should we feel sorry for a serial killer as he faces the death sentence or not?  If we take religion/ theology into hand then it is safe to assume that all religions universally do not condone murder. In fact religiously we cannot even take our own life, as God has given us life and only he has the power to take away our life. Murder and suicide or even euthanasia is a sin. Some religions do not even allow abortions even under the circumstance of rape cases or if the foetus will be born with severe disabilities. But if life and death is in the hands of God, why do we perform surgery? Some may argue a surgeon may perform surgery but the outcome is in God’s hand and not the doctors. Murder is murder and there is no middle ground. And yet legally we have separated murders into first and second degrees and manslaughter, and given provisions for temporary insanity that excuses a person for their actions. When do we take the moral high ground, and who has the right to judge us? If two twins were conjoined and both shared a heart and both would die but one would live through separation, is that separation acceptable, and how would you decide which twin lives? If a mother giving birth has complications and only 1 can be saved where is the answer and who has the right to choose. The baby has no voice, but his life is on the line? The baby has not had a chance of life the mother has already lived a full life for 30 Years and yet the mother’s death will have greater mourning as no one knows the unborn, unnamed child? A difficult choice indeed, where we are caught between a rock and a hard place. I personally feel whenever we can we should leave the decision to God or fate. For example in the given lifeboat story, how did the sailors know that they would not have been saved by a passing ship the same day they killed the boy. They did not, so they decided their own fate, instead of leaving the choice to fate. In a burning building there are 3 people, a man, a woman and a child and there is time only to save 1? The scenarios are endless and the possibilities are infinite. Sometimes to coin a phrase we have to be cruel to be kind.  Certainly this debate can go on and on. When the decision is made the lecture explained we look at consequentalism (locates morality in the consequences of the act) versus categorical (locates morality in certain duties and rights). However the reality is a little simpler. Any decision you make that you are not haunted with is the right one, as you have to spend a lifetime with that choice, and face the man in the mirror before you face your detractors. A president may send his troops to war knowing there will be fatal causalities but he makes this decision for the good of national security as he sees the bigger picture. If you can make a decision to take a life, and sleep soundly at night, and you have peace of mind, then my friend you made the right decision.

TED - The Birth of a Word

We all take for granted our ability to learn to talk, and after the excitement of a child’s first illegible gibberish, dies down we no longer marvel at our art of communication through our vocal cords. In fact our ability to link our train of thought from our cerebral hemisphere to audible language form consisting of a library of millions of words is highly complex.  As the video of Ted showed the millions of wires that connect to allow us the power of language and allow us to connect and communicate is mind boggling. It is interesting to note that before our ability to form words children are still able to vocalize their wants and needs to their parents. They learn quickly to get attention by screaming, crying or using baby talk. They demonstrate anger, frustration or happiness from a variety of sounds ranging from loud shrieks to gentle gurgles and we learn to distinguish and recognize what they are trying to say. The first step to talking is in fact not our mouths, but our ears. We need to listen and then through repetition mimic, almost parrot fashion, we learn to speak. In fact some researchers go as far as to say that children while still in the womb should be talked to or music should be played as the embryos are able to listen. Both inside and eventually outside the womb very young babies are prone to stress and distress by being subjected to loud aggressive sounds such as angry voices or traffic, as monitored by researchers. We in fact never stop learning and through our lives aquire new vocabulary and add these new words to our already extensive data base.  What is quite amazing though is how children brought up in a bilingual household are able to clearly distinguish between two different languages, for example English and French even though they hear and learn then simultaneously, and despite the fact the two or more languages are very different. It would be interesting to know how many languages the child of normal ability is able to pick up simultaneously simply by the power of listening to them at home as opposed to formally being taught them. It is known though that the power to learn a language is much faster when simply exposed to that language environment rather than through formal education.

The power of language is certainly complex and thought provoking and should never be taken for granted. So next time you pick up the phone and have a conversation think and marvel at the power of speech as Ted did.

Lost in Translation.......

All living beings need to communicate with one another, whether it be by signs or language. The power of the verbal communication is all powerful as behind this we have a voice. Yes, in scientific terms as we explore physics we find that talk has real torque. In fact we can question the saying , " the pen is mightier than the sword " and change it to ," verbal speech is mightier than the sword" . Who knows this better than our politicians?  Can anyone forget the power behind the deep lucid tones of Barack Obama as he sailed into the white house with his talk of change. The same can be said of many leaders from Julius Caesar to Martin Luther King, and even the notorious Adolf Hitler. All these leaders may have had different purposes but they all had one thing in common; they knew and used wisely the power behind their words to inspire a nation. However, sometimes language can be misinterpreted and in effect can get lost in translation....

We live in a world of multitude of creeds, colors, races, religions, cultures and of course languages. Thus the simple act of communication involves overcoming many barriers and when we fail to do so we are faced with the consequences. Connotations can often seriously affect our understanding of the truth. Many court trials of rape cases have stalled with the accused claiming innocence, " I misinterpreted her signals, I really thought no meant yes ". In fact a spade is not always a spade, it depends on your view points. In the war in Iraq the men trying to defend their country from US invasion were called the insurgents or terrorists by the US when technically speaking they could be described as freedom fighters. There are obviously powerful political connotations associated by our choice of words. Often, name calling can be hurtful and racist when used out of context. For example calling a person from New York a New Yorker is neither racist or insulting to the said person, however a person of Pakistani origin being sneer fully called a Paki is taken as a derogatory term which incites hate and racial prejudice. We need to be careful in our choice of words as sometimes between cultures the same word can hold two very different meanings. Again there are far too many examples to mention but one that comes to mind is the word rubber. In anglicized English this means an eraser while in American English it means a condom and of course wrongful usage can have unintended meanings. However, truth is often an arbitrary term and is often based on view point and interpretation. Language is like a genetic code, remove one letter or codon and the meaning changes. Imagine sending a text which reads "I am now leaving" and then mistyping to "I am not leaving."

But in the world of mass communication across the globe at lightening speed millions have been able to overcome these barriers and language has often become universal especially among the young and those young at heart. So our levels of understanding have increased leaving less scope for ambiguity. And we can take heart in this. Otherwise we would really be lost in translation.........

Knowledge Is Power Which Should Not Be Abused

The article written by a former college student, Jenny Samuel laments that she is taking a class this semester where the professor has a reputation for forcing his liberal political views down the throat of his students. She laments that this is unfortunate and damaging to the students as college is meant to be about  finding yourself and formulating your own opinions.

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/16786/professors-should-leave-bias-out-of-classroom

Knowledge Issues

Is bias on knowledge an issue of ethics or an issue of perception?

Should one man's perception on a subject matter effect another man's knowledge?

Is prejudice and discrimination propagated by listening to the biased one sided perceptions of an authority figure?

There are many sides to any story, and this is graphically illustrated when we look at cards of silhouettes  of the kind that psychiatrists hold up and ask us what is the first thing we see. On closer inspection we see there is another hidden image. This holds true of opinions, there is never a right or wrong in many cases simply a personal view point. This view point or perception of seeing something is often bathed in the experiences we have had in the past. 

We grow up with the authority figure firstly of our parents, grandparents and then teachers. And since these are our earliest influences we value and hold their words of wisdom as gospel. However, the article, "professors should leave bias out of classroom" complains that college level professors should not influence or force their opinions down the throat of impressionable college kids. College is the final stage of a students formal learning curve and is designed that students should think out of the box. We no longer need to color within the lines. Knowledge is now not about being handed out ideas but by doing research and putting a spin on events. We are encouraged to invent and create and not assimilate information and repeat it parrot fashion. But how damaging is if when strong opinions in college or prior to college come from an authority figure. After all, it goes against upbringing to defy or challenge. We are taught to respect authority. But does this influence cause us to become prejudiced, biased reaching the scales of discrimination and racist? Yes, if we don't have the time to formulate our own opinions then our influenced opinions can make us have a one sided way of looking at the world. For example, if your college professor rants and raves about nuclear disarmament then due to respect we believe these one sided  arguments and never see the other side of the coin. Racial, religious discriminations are borne of our environment and background and are more the more dangerous as they are passed down from generation. It fine to hear someone else's opinion but true knowledge comes from analysis and from making counter arguments rather than blind acceptance. 

Knowledge is power and those who hold this power should not abuse it.

Samuels, Jenny. "Professors should leave bias out of classroom - CollegiateTimes.com." Virginia Tech, Blacksburg & New River Valley News - CollegiateTimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

The Flip Side of Our Brain

“Thus every act of perception, even something as simple as viewing a drawing of a cube, involves an act of judgment by the brain.” 

Can we ever believe our own eyes? The answer is no, seeing is not always believing, and our eyes see what our mind tells us to see. Our perception of what we see is also based on own experiences, feelings and judgements. People often say " are you blind" when a person disagrees with their opinion whether positively or negatively on a particular object. For example if a painting is perceived as aesthetically pleasing depends on your opinion and is definitely a judgement call. Similarly, we can use the commonly used expression of "is the glass perceived as half full or half empty". Again there is no right or wrong answer to this, it as again a judgement call. A man in a desert who is desperately thirsty will conjure up the mirage of an Oasis in the desert. His brain desperately wants to believe that the illusion is reality and therefore the mind plays tricks and convinces the eyes. Similarly when a psychiatrist asks a patient to see an image he sees in a card he may see in the blackened sillouette a vase or human face dependent on his psychological state of mind that the doctor is then able to assess. 

Therefore, the statement "thus every act of perception, even something as simple as viewing a drawing of a cube, involves an act of judgement by the brain" holds true by all accounts. When we watch the drawing of a cube the brain has to make certain judgements. Even when the retinal image is kept constant, the cube may seem to flip in front of our eyes.

I Can't Believe My Eyes!

The question we need to answer is, can we really believe our eyes?

For those of us who are lucky not to be visually impaired, we take a lot for granted. We see the world around us in three dimensional technicolor and do not for even for one microseconds stop to appreciate or wonder how this is remotely possible. It is only when the words in that novel or newspaper seem blurred to us do we begin to wonder and reach for medical help. The brain that controls our senses is in fact the least understood organ in our body. 

The brain is a complex maze which holds more secrets than Pandora,s box. But though the brain gives us vision it can also deceive us and seeing is not always believing. A dehydrated man lost in the desert can see a vision of an oasis looming at him when none exists. The brain can play tricks. This was further shown in Dr. Ramachandron documentary, where the patient is able to still perceive his amputated limb. In fact patients have been able to feel pain in limbs that no longer exist which leads to the phantom brain syndrome. Perhaps put simply in layman terms we feel or see what we want to. The dying man desperately wants to believe there is an oasis in the same way the amputated man wants to believe his leg still exists, so they perceive their existence and the brain surely registers this request and complies with it's visual or sensory response.

 But sometimes we don't need our eyesight to see as shown by the case history examples. This further brings to mind why blind people develop greater sensitivity in their other senses, which medically we are born with five. But as many greater thinkers and medical practitioners have observed or claimed there is a sixth sense. This reminds me of the karate guru who would train his disciple to train blindfolded. As only in this state was he able to truly sense the enemy and predict the moves of his combatant. Similarly he was able to develop the pArt of the brain that controls physical reaction of fight and flight. His eyesight instead of helping him had hindered him as the large visual picture sent to me signals at once that confused and slowed his brain making him lose focus. It is this sixth sense that makes us turn around to face a person that is staring at us even when we cannot see the person in question even in our peripheral vision. 

So do blind people see more than those visually unimpaired is a question for debate, but it is an interesting thought. But the truth is that we do not always see the truth before our eyes, hence the phrase, "Love is blind," and "Are you blind," have cropped up when others look at the same thing a person or object but their sensory perception and interpretation of what they see can differ in opinion from someone elses. The mysteries of the brain are complex and yes, "There is a great deal more to perception than meets the eye." and this has been explained in medical detailed terms in the literature, " phantoms in the brain".One of the main points in this piece is the notion that we need to stop thinking of images in the brain and instead think about symbolic descriptions, in order to understand perception. Descriptions on paper symbolise the visual at hand. Translated our brain receives a multitude of signals through neurones which are processed and the bits of pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are assembled to give a complete picture of events. When we damage some part of our brain some of the pieces get jumbled up. Yes, a very simplistic explanation to the most complicated and least understood part of the human body.

 Psychiatrists often use pictures shaded in black to understand our mental state of mind. By staring at the picture card one patient can clearly see a vase while another sees the object as a woman,s face. Both patients are correct in their observations it is just that they differ in their perception. It is like the age old adage, " is the glass half full or half empty". Of course there is no right or wrong answer. The optimistic, fulfilled person will perceive the glass as half full which parallels his view of his personal life. On the other hand the person who has a grudge to bear with the world and had many unfulfilled ambitions will perceive the glass as half empty. So there is an aspect of vision of what is in front of us such as, let us say a pair of shoes and there is an aspect of vision of what we perceive. But sometimes we don,t want to see something so we pretend or convince ourselves that if we close our eyes the thing will go away but of course it will not. For example an ostrich digs it's head in the sand at the sight of danger and in the same way a child covers his eyes during a scary scene. If we cannot see it surely it does not exist is the signal we want to send to our brain. In the reverse way, we sometimes see bad things that do not exist borne of an innate sense of fear. This is why lying alone in bed in the dark we perceive shadows to be monsters when none exist, and the next morning the sunshine filled room dispels our fears as foolish. In fact as this writing by Ramachandran clearly states the only phantoms are in our brain.

Alien Sensory World

It was another normal morning, I woke up and stretched my tired limbs that had been curled up on top of the cardboard home I called my bed.it must have been very early as the street lights that still worked were still on, and only the odd truck or car made it's zooming noise in the nearby main road. A man on a cycle peddeled by dressed warmly for the winter season stopping intermittently to deliver.his rolled up papers that humans for some strange reason seemed to spend hours staring at. While the usual sounds and sounds and hustle and bustle was still absent my growling stomach reminded me that breakfast was the order of the day. I slowly ambled across the grassy stretch towards the dustbin cans of my usual haunt. The owners of this residence were known for being messy and careless in throwing out their leftovers which made my life easier. I greedily stuck my head inside the lidless can and sniffed for whatever wares awaited me. You could not afford to be too particular in my position so I indiscriminately devoured whatever remnants of last nights dinner remained. I suppose I could coin the phrase, someones trash becomes someone elses treasure. Having finished with my meagre meal i scurried along to search for some water and to my luck a Gardner a few houses down had left several puddles after watering the lawn so I ran towards the puddle and with my long tongue stretched out thirstily lapped up the cold liquid which immediately heightened my senses and invigorated me. Yes, I was ready to face whatever adventure lay ahead of me for the day.