An Apprentice of the Universe

The more I think of it the more it seems that everything in the universe is perfect as it is. Just like how a question paper is perfect to the student during an exam.  Any change to the question paper is only accepted if it comes from it's maker. There is no sense in a student making changes in his copy of the question paper as it creates no useful effect as a whole and may even harm the final score of the said student.  This is analogous to the alarming alterations we made to the sensitive environment around us for the sake of our own eternal, hedonistic and in most cases idiotic search for comfort. In the long run the repercussions of these actions is sure to kick our sorry monkey asses, however we may protest.

Sometimes it is way more easier to make headway if we could simplify and understand the universe around us without straightaway butchering at everything. Just like a sculptor who skillfully models masterpieces from a mass of clay, simply by removing the parts that or not needed. Granted, the masterpiece did not exist objectively speaking, but it is the creativity of the craftsman that created something that didn't exist in the first place. If someone who was clearly way less skilled were asked to do the same, it would be an ordeal nothing short of impossible. Yet for the master not only is it possible, but enjoyable too.

Mankind's greatest inventions and ideas to date are largely just imitations of what has always been originally found around us. And we are not that good even at imitation.

Maths and science are two main tools with which we make sense of the universe, feeding us data, albeit at a very low rate compared to the vastness of the universe's mysteries . Is it possible to scale new heights of human awareness that makes it possible to disseminate knowledge at a much higher and in a much simpler form? To drive home the point, just think that at a point in history, humans wrapped their minds over the concept of the spinning wheel like we contemplate the universe and its origins (it took quite a  while for wheel to be fully circular) . Today even 2 year old babies are intuitively aware to the idea of the technology that seemed cutting edge only a few thousand years back. Something similar could also possibly occur in a few millennia. The 20th and 21st centuries may just be another primitive age of man which saw the advent of mankind's first computers to a future society where toddlers are naturally aware of the ideas of Heisenberg's Uncertainty principle or Quantum physics.

I believe that the exponential rise of awareness in the younger ages of man which generally lasts until he completes his early childhood, is the key to unlocking the bigger mysteries of life. It is said that an average two year old learn around 5 new words every day (and that too without any previous background knowledge about the world. pretty impressive right?). I believe this level of efficient and practical understanding is replicable at any age with a few tweakings to our system.

The life of a teacher feels like one that teeters right at the edge of exponentially increasing universal awareness. The best teacher is said to be the best learner. Thus if one wished to be a learner and thus a teacher, if approached in the right manner, it may be a surefire way to strengthen your fundamentals, widen your horizons, explore the unknown depths of the universe for priceless knowledge, to share those riches with all of humanity and last of all, to partake in the most noblest and respected professions in all of humanity.. What better way is there to ace this test of life than being apprentice to the mysteries of the universe itself!

 

Structure of the Mind

The 'Structure of the Mind' referred to here is not related to the Freudian model. Rather, it explores the concept of mind as a literal structure; a home which each one of us is responsible for maintaining in a proper way.

  

Every person have their own structure of a mind. Each structure is good however small or big or rich or poor it may seem. One only has to keep the structure clean and tidy in anticipation of watching out opportunities that may knock on the door at any possible time. But in most cases people struggle keeping the place clean, or are just plain confused. According to the level of cleaning one does in his mental house, there are three major kinds of people. 

The first one is the 'hapless bum', the most common kind. In the course of his life, dust and cobwebs begin to fill his structure, thus hampering his ability to live properly in his own structure and affecting his vision to watch the external world around him through his windows. 

         That familiar screamer in our clueless little heads

Such a person will be confused on how to live his own life and will overly depend on following the mob mentality in a majority of issues, mostly due to their own blocked vision. If you have ever wondered why the stupidest option won in an election or referendum (*cough* Trump,Brexit *cough*), this kind of general haplessness is most likely the answer. On the other extreme are the 'raging bulls'. They dutifully clear all the dust and cobwebs from all the windows except the ones which shows them something that they do not agree with. 

  

      Rather than cleaning those windows they take all the cobwebs gathered from all the other windows and pad them onto the less desirable windows thus essentially denying that such a window even exist. These group of people will be high achievers and ambitious but a lack of clarity of vision on the backside of their head, often leads them to mental situations of feeling empty or depressed.
 

      The last group of people, the 'Role-models' are the ones who are actually able to live their life as they feel like. They clean all their windows and all their rooms periodically thus ensuring the optimal amount of external vision and internal calmness.

Just look at this guy

Such people are able to accommodate an accelerated pace of change in their lives which may lead to their structures being upgraded to a more spacious one with higher levels and a better view. They are ideal candidates for being good leaders as they can be relied upon to give good judgments based on their all round vision of the situation.

So remember to clear out the cobwebs of doubt and suspicion in your mental structure periodically.

Issued in public interest by Ministry of Acche Din, Modi Sarkar.

The Importance of Out-of-the-Body Thinking

It is always the little drops of effort that contribute to the stature of any grand project. However the prime difficulty in working with such small things is a native lack of vision or purpose. As an example, it will be plain boring if we just magnify the pixels on the screen of your device, for it will only show an indiscernible melange of glowing lights. But zoom out of it and lo there lies a window to the unlimited delights of the virtual sphere. Such is the case of putting effort to something. Each human toils in his own small part of the world, contributing ever so tinily, but put it all together and the vast wonder of human ingenuity comes into the picture. Evaluating the work at a larger perspective is thus important and necessary to instill the necessary fire and motivation inside each individual working towards it. Not only that, viewing the entirety of one's effort from afar is also a great debugging tool to solve seemingly unsolvable problems just because it was simply looked at from a different perspective. A simple analogy is one where a camera focuses on its subject from many different positions and at last settling on that focus which brings out the best image.

If you, my dear reader, feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, I suggest you try this nifty mental exercise. Consider yourselves as an outsider (not any ordinary outsider, but an expert in your particular craft, nonetheless.) Watch at how your other actual self is bungling about, failing to do even the simplest of things and if you may, laugh a little, inwardly,  at his/her expense. After you are done laughing at yourselves, butt in and consider the problem from the outsiders angle. 'Hmm, I think the problem can be easily solved if you just do so and so in here and in here. Problem Solved.' 'Wow you actually did solve it! You are a lifesaver!' As you bask in the glory and admiration showered upon by your actual bungling self, act cool, get on your horse and ride off into the sunset, content that you have saved the world for one last time. Until the sequel shows up, that is.   

The Pinnacle

Transcript : The Pinnacle

Pull me back, all the way down

Into the darkness, into the sinister

Back, backwards

To the ends of the world...

At point ultimatum, I reflect for a single moment

the journey behind me

I haul in a deep breath...

Within a split, the power inside takes wing 

Catapulting over great distances...

The harder the journey

the stronger the rise

The momentum gained

from the darkest depth

Propel you lightning fast

to the point of Infinity

That is the Pinnacle

This is the Beginning

I wrote this short poem when I was 17 years old. It is an ode to the unwavering tenacity of the human self in the face of mounting gloom. However deep down the darkness you may find yourselves,  remember to keep your will intact. Because it is this will that will propel you into the greatest heights once you have been tested to the limits.