So once again had the chance to read a ilanders blog on the virtues of Nuclear Power, personally I feel he does not have the right mechanism to detect crap.This brings me to a term I coined long time back (think around 1999).
When I used to read the news and observe people around I realized to my horror that often times people could not think properly, oftentimes people walk and move around liked possessed zombies which are completely brain washed by the media and information being made available to them.
One of the major traps of having lots of information is that we also need to have a highly developed sense of instinctively knowing what is right or wrong.
In our current era oftentimes facts, figures, arguments are twisted and even falsified by almost everybody to further their own agenda. It almost as if we are being bombarded by this huge wave of information which we simply do not know if its right or wrong.
If we do not have a "Crap Filter" that is the mechanism to detect right from wrong chances are that you are going to believe something to be true when its not and then what happens is that you become a puppet in hands of someone else.
Hitler used this kind of tactic very effectively but today the complexity is much higher considering that everyone at all levels is doing it to further their own cause.
Thats why this era is also called as Kaliyug or the era of falsehood in our mythology, it is like a huge mass of humanity has this huge number of lies in thier head and then we all just dont know whats going to happen so almsot everyone is against everyone else on some point.
A person who you thought was friend and supporter of your cause suddenly seems to disagree with you on some other vital issue which for you is crystal clear :)
It is also funny that the clarity seems to be visible to both parties :) its like a Matrix meant to trap you forever.
So how the hell do we deal with this horror of our own creation, sometimes to me the answer simply seems to be back to the basics ;)
We have to start thinking from a need based philosophy and not greed based.
Fact is nature has everything that humankind needs but just not enought for anyones greed.
Also I would say anything thats available by nature in its most natural form should be the thing to use.
So I woud still say that the energy from Sun, moving water , wind is something that nature gives us and hence something that we should be using not Nuclear/coal or some such horror.
After all isnt it a part of our tradition to ask for our spiritual growth and energy from the Sun, I mean thats what the gayatri mantra was all about wasnt it ?
Sometimes I feel that the answers are all before us we memorize them , talk about them but just dont understand them. Thats the magic of Kaliyuga you see the truth but do not realize it !!
Some of the problems in daily life exist only if you think they exist. When I was a bachelor buying clothes or any such item for myself was never a problem. Actually it was very simple, for me that is. I would just walk into the store find out the best item at least price pay the price , DONE.
Clothes, shoes, soap you name it it was all based on a simple basic need based logic.
Anyway all these items lasted so long that I did not have to do this dreadful shopping stuff for long time. I never really was the kind of person who would be interested in shopping anyways.
After marraige things changed. My wife started making choices about my clothes , shoes etc. And the entire shopping became a painful affair. I mean I really dont mind someone buys stuff for me but discussing the colour and texture and looks of some trivial item for eternity is certainly not my cup of tea. We struck a compromise I would just choose my stuff and she can do hers, back to normal except that her shopping expeditions would leave me with painful legs and extreme boredom sundrome.
Now we have two daughters who at this young age think that its their birth right to make choices about their dads clothes. Ok I dont mind this either, the worst part is that they cannot come to an agreement with their mom on what things to buy for ME ?
So here is the situation, I a simpe straight fella would want to buy a cotton T shirt which should be durable. I could do this task in probably 5-10 minutes add another 20 for checkout etc. Now my daughters and wife keep on discussing what T shirt would suit me best possibly for 30-40... dont know how many minutes hours etc, with me just acting like a mannequin to wear or pose with all sorts of shirts.
Next time Iam gonna sneak out for shopping my stuff and then not do any personal shopping for another 3-4 years , ah peace.
So recently we Indians just witnessed a big melodrama about some so called Nuclear Deal which our PM and his colleagues claim as major success where as their opposition claims as major failure.The ruling coalition (or whatever it is) claims that this deal has following major advantages :
1. It will give us access to nuclear fuel and technology thus enabling us to generate more power (electrical power to be precise) 2. It will help us build a strategic alliance with the USA.
The US and other nuclear nations see this as an opportunity to export Nuclear fuel and plant technology to India thus getting them some big business.
The opposition leaders namely the BJP and Communists parties hold a view that this deal is unfair to India. Which is true to a certain extent.
Future projections predict that even if we expand our nuclear power technology at a rapid pace at its best it will give us about 10% of our total power requirement and this does come at a huge financial and strategic cost. Also nuclear fuel is extremely hazardous if not taken care of properly.
Now consider the fact that India (and many of our neighbours) get so much solar energy that if tapped properly it will supply not just our needs but the needs of other countries too. And that with current solar technology which is about 20% efficient, if the tech gets better we would be in a far better position.
Add to it our wind energy sources and we have a surplus.
A major problem with Solar energy is that it is available only during daytime, but the fact remains that it is free, non-polluting and available in abundance at least for the next few million years while the sun lasts.
Also, it is true that at any given point in time half of the earth is always under sunshine. So if major nations accross globe get together and build a global power grid connecting solar plants all over we will get 24x7 supply of solar energy.
In fact even if 2 nations which have a 12 hr timezone difference can connect their power grids they will get 24x7 power, sounds simple isnt it.
And of course we still have the wind energy, tidal energy which can be tapped with much less harm and risk to environment .
So why is it that we are being told that Nuclear energy is the only way ahead ?? Ask the proponents , the leaders and media.
For the common humble persons like us its just to throw out ideas and hope that those in power listen to them and try and implement the same.
Hopefully some day mankind will be using only clean power sources like sun , wind or tidal energy and the environment would be as clean as it could get. Of course the pollutants we throw out today could last for thousands of years thus making life miserable for our future generations. Thats other hazard of nuclear technology.
In the western horizon a sun sets only to rise again next day in the east, to shine on a beautiful morning.
The dark clouds gather and give rain only to fill the lakes and rivers and give life to plants and animals.
So next day when sun shines there is flower , food , health and happiness everywhere.
This is how the nature works and so do we who are part of nature.
This is how the Phantom works, he is also called as the "Ghost who Walks" or in Hindi he is called as "Oh Chalte feerte Pret".
For every time a Phantom "dies" a new one "emerges" he is deathless, so is his legend. Like our Hindu concept of an eternal soul, the Phantom (or Vetal in Hindi) is eternal too.
The old jungle saying's :
Angry Phantom is fearful to behold. Feared by evil men everywhere.
The Phantom is a man of few words, but wiser than Solomon
When the Phantom moves, lightning stands still.
Where the Phantom is, the law's long arm reaches even to the halls of princes.
In Phantom county,It is said that a woman clad in jewels may walk without fear.
A man who has thoroughly mastered the art does not use the sword, and the opponent kills himself; when a man uses the sword, he makes it serve to give life to others. When killing is the order, it kills; when giving life is the order, it gives life. While killing there is no thought of killing, while giving life there is no thought of giving life; for in the killing or in the giving life, no Self is asserted. The man does not see "this" or "that"; he makes no discrimination and yet knows well what is what. He walks on water as if it were earth; he walks on the earth as if it were water. One who has attained this freedom cannot be interfered with by anybody on earth. He stands absolutely by himself.
Takuan
The one who does good deeds and expects to be appreciated, does something better then committing a bad deed. However, he does so for his own benefit and not for others. A truly righteous man does good deeds without letting his beneficiary know of his deeds. He does good deeds freely and does not expect that in the future someone will recognize his deeds. A monk must have resolve far greater then this. In treating all sentient beings, he must not discriminate between those who are close to him and those who are scarcely known to him.
We all read about growth, inflation, economics etc. Every day our newspapers carry articles on such things. Our Companies are broadcasting their profit figures , growth and of course we ourselves are bothered about our salary hikes, the things we need to buy and so on. So what does this all mean in a much more wider context ? I mean the govt. says economy has to grow, inflation is a necessity, salaries need to grow, and companies need to grow meaning more profit, more sales etc.
What does this imply for all of us ? everyone wants more money for which they want to somehow do things which will be sold more and more money taken for the company.
We need more humans to consume more of our company goods so that we can earn more money ?
And sometimes I wonder is there something wrong with our definition of growth ? does growth only mean more money ? even for an company ?? or can growth for a company be defined in some other terms instead of profit ?
Lets say a company developes a radically new product which changes the things are done for better, but still the profits remain same or decline a bit , is that growth ? or no growth ??
Let us say a person is happy with his/her work, their normal needs are taken care of by the pay received and they save enough too ?? in such case do we need more money to define our growth ?? or are we possibly growing by learning new things but not necessarily getting more money ???
The earth has finite resources possibly the universe has infinite which we have not yet learnt to tap ? but why should money or profits or to be precise increase of money be only thing defining our growth ??
Personally I think there is a fundamental flaw in any model that defines growth as only increase in money/material wealth , and excludes all other attributes of growth.
Possibly we need a new definition of growth both personal and company wise as well as for the country too.
Earth has limited resources which if used properly without greed can support a lot of humans comfortably, but they need to be used wisely and there has to be a balance between materialistic growth and contentment.
Possibly once we tap other planets we could allow those who want unlimited materialistic growth to go to those planets and suck them dry way they do to earth, but as of today we cant let our growth mark our death.
To be alive means to grow, to feel to sense , but growth should not imply death for us or for others either.
We need to redefine our economic models and so do we need to redefine our growth.
Friends, Finally the money mail spammers managed to blew of my cool. These guys claim to be from some remote African bank and want to donate me huge sums of money.
Here is one response I sent to such spammer.
Dear Mr. Bama,
I dont know you so how can I be your friend. If you are the director of a bank them Iam the film director of a bank in Doka fodu, Faltoo, Paisa.
I dont trust you so Iam betraying your trust ?
Now do me a favor and stop sending such crap mails to unsuspecting users or I will tell a few of my banks collection agencies to collect our normal sir charge fees from you.
Trust me if we collect our fees you will have no brains to think further such devious schemes. Please send me your full name and phone number and correct address so that you can meet our dearest collection agents.
Dr. Ghoosproof Rama Doka Fodu, Faltoo Paisa, Manager Drill and Fakechange Dept. Crap Destruction Bank(CDB) Gudugudu, Budubudu
-----------this is the original spam mail
From the Desk of Dr. Yousuf Bama Manager Bill and Exchange Dept African Development Bank (ADB) Ouagadougou Burkina Faso. Dear Friend,
I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise. I am the bill and Exchange manager in African Development Bank .I Hope that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that i am about to Repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families.
I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of $15.6 million Immediately to your account. The money has been dormant for years in our Bank here without any body coming for it. I want to release the money to you as the nearest person to our deceased customer(the owner Of the account) who died a long with his supposed next of kin in an air Crash since July 2000. I don't want the money to go into our Bank treasury as an abandoned fund.
So this is the reason why i contacted you, so that the bank can release the money to you as the nearest person to the deceased customer.
Please i will like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete if you are not interested.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send you full details on how the Business will be executed and also note that you will have 40% of the Above mentioned sum. Acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of my mutual business endeavour by furnishing me with the following:
1. Your Full Names and Address. 2. Direct Telephone and Fax numbers
Dr. Yousuf Bama African Development Bank, Burkina Faso West Africa.
These are the air squadron of my arch enemies. They have millions of battle planes ranging from small ones to big ones in wild.My war started when as a kid these air force squadrons raided my home and made an unwarranted attack on me. Their infantry used to attck over ground where as the airships from air.
Together they could relieve a small child like me by 10-20 ml of my hard grown blood, and giving me big red itchy bumps in return, of course not to mention the loss of my much required nighttime rest.
These my friends are the worst hated enemies in entire India, the bed bugs and mosquitoes. I consider them as minor incarnations of count Dracula. The more you kill the more appear from nowhere.
I vowed revenge, but alas kept on fighting a losing war with many lost bloody battles. The so called weapons available in shops were totally ineffective against these blood sucking raiders.
Over a period of time we managed to demolish the enemy infantry divisions, but the air supremacy of enemy kept on growing. Now they attack my kids as they did to me in my young age.
Finally a couple of months back I found the most effective Weapon of Mass Destruction invented by some great genius of brain in hope of big profits.
These are rechargable electric rackets which you can swirl in a big hanging ball of mosquitoes and it just zaps them "dead".
My joy knew no bounds, the day I got this WMD I started using it effectively against all these air raiders. And the scenario changes instantly. Till date I have almost 30-40 successful battles to my credit, each one sometimes resulting in the destruction of 100-150 of these fighter blood suckers.
When I hold this racket I feel invincible like the Terminator and Iove to see those mosquitoes getting zapped.For so many years they have sucked our blood and multiplied in a geometric progression, now is the pay back time.
Every time I hold my fully loaded WMD in hand and start for battle I feel like shouting "Aakraman, here comes the Mosquito Terminator".
Happy happy we shall be when we kill our mosquities.
Saala ek macchar aadmi ko Terminator bana deta hai.
What is Evil or how do we define evil ? to me its a thought or a lving being harbouring thoughts of hatred and deliberate hurt to others. They could justify it anyways, calling it as a result of past atrocities by others or a raw deal or anything I mean literally ANYTHING but unjust and with no real basis. Even when you have a valid reason to hate its still not healthy to hate someone.
One most common trait of Evil is not just that it wants good things for itself but it wants to hurt others, humiliate them to be happy. Its not about getting even or paying back for past crimes etc its just hurting others and giving them pain while wanting all good for itself.
Of course the final outcome is that anything evil finally ends up hurting itself too, thats just but natural and hence we witness the tragic failures and painful deaths of many cruel rulers. Problem is that they do end up doing lots of damage in the entire start to finish process.
In my personal observation during my lifetime when I became reasonably aware of our surroundings and environment (in the later half of teens). I personally think that at least in India major problems and crisis started in late 80's (at least in Mumbai and at the central scenario in politics as I read in news). Or the aggravation may have started in late 80's.
Many problems are worse as of now, although we have lots of money flowing in today we are pretty worse compared to quality of life,corruption, enivironmental pollution, human trust,cruelty and in general everything that is needed for a decent living.
My personal theory is that whatever/or whoever has gained in these years need to be scrutinized carefully because chances are that their gain and the loss in other areas are possibly related.
