Progress

The idea that humans can make progress strikes some as naïve. With every war and its chaotic aftermath, looming ecological disasters, and the deviance reportedly inherent in human nature, it seems absurd that things can get better. In fact, say some, things seem to be getting worse.

Of course, even pessimists admit that improvement of a certain sort has been made. Humans have made progress, if we mean an increase in the quantity of commodities. Some speak of the inevitable progress of technology, and who can question that more people have access to more information than ever before? But, say pessimists, increases in commodities or access to information do not indicate genuine progress.
Either nothing can make the world a better place, or the world will necessarily become better. To say it another way, progress is either impossible or inevitable. Which do we choose? A third option exists. This option says that progress is possible, but not inevitable. In terms of moral progress, we might say that love can make progress. But we can also step backwards, fail to love, and witness evil's increase. In either possibility, there is no inevitability. Love may or may not make progress.

Most, if not all, of us actually want to witness love making progress. Progress in love, in other words, presupposes that we have at least a vague notion about which actions promote wellbeing and which do not.

--Thomas Jay Oord

Be The Change

This video is awesome. Instead of saying "I hate this country", let's be the change we wish to see in this world.

Science & Religion

Science and religion are two windows that people look through, trying to understand the big universe outside, trying to understand why we are here. The two windows give different views, but they look out at the same universe. Both views are one-sided, neither is complete. Both leave out essential features of the real world. And both are worthy of respect.

Trouble arises when either science or religion claims universal jurisdiction, when either religious dogma or scientific dogma claims to be infallible. Religious creationists and scientific materialists are equally dogmatic and insensitive. By their arrogance they bring both science and religion into disrepute. The media exaggerate their numbers and importance. The media rarely mention the fact that the great majority of religious people belong to moderate denominations that treat science with respect, or the fact that the great majority of scientists treat religion with respect so long as religion does not claim jurisdiction over scientific questions.

Dyson

Second Life? Get a life.

Are we really screwing up our first lives to take care of our second lives? What are all the kids doing now instead of playing, running, walking, biking and above all just "talking" to a human being? They are busy beautifying their Myspace profiles, or uploading pictures and videos to their facebook accounts.

There are good things associated with the kind of communication that Web 2.0 technologies enable. Long lost friends meet, better communication helps long distance relationships. Workforce is more efficient with better communication.

But I think the pendulum is swinging too far too quickly. I am not sure if it is all for the good. Technology evolutions and disruptions are inevitable. Should we leave all the good things from our past as we move into the newer territories? Should we not take care of our real first lives before we start spending major chunk of our time on our virtual lives?

Virtues of Power & Politics

Power is mostly seen in a negative light. Power is an essential component of leadership though. Sooner a leader learns the virtues of power and politics, better it is.

It is good as long as you use the accumulated power ethically for the general good and not you own interests. If you do not get and use power, someone else will. A good question although to ask yourself is - what are your ethical boundaries for use of that power?

A few facts about power -

B confers power to A when: B depends on A for a resource that is important to B over which A has discretion which B can get nowhere else.

Sources of Power: Possible sources of power are
Resources: Information, Expertise, Money
Personal: Energy, Focus, Charisma, System knowledge, reputation, foresight, Big Ideas

Power begets more power: It is contrary to the belief that power accumulation could saturate after one gets enough power. No - the pie is expandable with power. The more power you have, easier it is for you to get more power.

Undervalued resources: Power could be enhanced and savvy politicians do that - by identifying and taking ownership over undervalued resources. Many resources that provide power are underappreciated - who wants to be the Suprintendant of Police (SP) in a rural area?

It is not the critic who counts

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out howthe strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

Teddy

Be the change ...

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Gandhi.

First Leaf

The first of this year's leaves lets go and drifts, no breeze to bear it. With lazy grace the leaf unwinds its growing season in a dancing downward spiral, lands in silence, making of itself a perfect offering to the altar of the earth.

- Anonymous

Single-Celled Elegance

Successful microbes mutate. They see an evolutionary need, become the seed that spawns a different being. They seize chance opportunities, try new paths, have no fear of changing appearances. These single cells hold the keys to transformation. They equate stagnation with death and see that releasing form is the only way to enter into essence.

Religion as a Framework

Religion is like a framework. Here is an excerpt from Rails and Ajax book about what frameworks do to creativity. I saw it analogous to what we talk about religion -

A framework can be seen as a set of constraints for your program. At first, that sounds like a bad thing—why constrain yourself? But it turns out that by embracing constraints for a specific purpose, you actually enable creativity, by focusing energy on the problem at hand. The Rails framework is a set of constraints that enables effective web development.

It is hip to be an atheist

Nowadays, it is fashionable, cool, hip and "in" to be an atheist.

I have volunteered for churches (for feeding the homeless), for Buddhist monasteries, for gurudwaras (for cleaning and cooking) and for Hindu temples. One thing I have noticed is the relative lack of good volunteer opportunities in Hindu temples.

Hindus are particularly notorious for blaming things on the priests and "others" for the bad situation in temples like the blogger below does regarding cleanliness. While on the other hand, followers of other religions volunteer to take things in their own hands and make a difference.

e.g. Look at this Blog post from a self-announced atheist who it looks like was born in a Hindu family. Now, as she puts it - she hates religions.

http://anjalix.blogspot.com/2007/06/leave-shoes-out.html

Disclaimer: I am a multi-religious person who appreciates and respects all the good and kind in all religions.