Democracy- the only alternative?

What if you lived in 15th Century Italy and championed the cause of heliocentrism(the theory that says that the sun is at the centre of the universe)??

If one would have polled people from across Europe during that period, they would have all vouched for the geocentric view(the theory that says that the earth is at the centre of the universe). And because we the bearers of the democratic institution would have basked in it's glory and fortefied that claim. But we now know for sure that Galileo was right.

Rightfully, in questions of science, we all know that theories are discussed before being awarded it's right to become a law. Voting, polling and democracy does not drive scientific temper. This is so because the whole population is not capable enough to figure out the analytical disposition towards science. This is not just the case with science but also with art, music, technology, law and other fields of human achievement.

Then why is this different when it comes to choosing our elected representatives. We all have something against the people standing for the elections. What about those that vote them to power! Do you think that a large section of the population that can't read or write, that can get influenced by caste and religion based politics rather than economic reforms vote the right candidate to power? How can they take informed decisions when the information itself is so thinly disguised in various coatings of populism? Would that be a just and right outcome?

How can a nation where 99% marriages are based on caste and religion, where Ram Mandir and Valentine's day become major issues, where statues burn along with the city and where a film or an artist needs multiple permissions to gain rightful access to freedom of his expression?

Leave it to the custodians of democracy to see it through. We will be a witness to another jamboree of election mayhem where we hope that people take rational decisions. Lastly...as Galileo said 'the opinion of thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual'. Reasonings fail in a democracy.

List of things to do....

We don't do a lot of things that we are supposed to do. Sounds weird!!

We are supposed to exercise regularly;
supposed to not eat fatty food;
supposed to give up someking;
give up drinking;
drive slowly;
eat slowly;
walk fast;
sleep early;
talk less;
spend less;
earn more;
stop complaining;
stop nagging;
rise early.....

Wish we could do all that! I don't know if then things would have been easier but this world would have been a lot tougher and weirder.

Makeover

How can we change the world and why should we change the world???

Because the world isn't perfect;
Because we have inherited it;
Because we shall not leave it the way it was given to us;
Because we get education so that we can make changes;
Because this world is a beautiful place that should remain so.

Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to change your world. Your world might be this planet, one's country or state or city or town or locality. Everything needs a healing, a makeover, a change. We need not change the whole 'world' as such. We can change as per our canvas. Maybe by doing little things right or taking that extra effort of make it right.

Afterall.....a change is a change and it can be soothing to oneself.

Artificial Intelligence

What great fun when search engine sites like Google assimilated data from everywhere and made life simpler for us! It enabled us to search for anything and everything. We could just dive into the toolbar and search for any topic on earth. For sure we knew that we would get an answer. Answer to the questions for our own little universe.

But search is not just limited finding data or information. All the indications point to a possibility of the assemblage of a system that would answer anything. Soemthing like the modern day Oracle. It would be traversing onto the human quest for artificial intelligence.

I lost my spectacles in the morning. I must have misplaced it somewhere. But how wonderful would it be if I could just type into google with 'specs whereabouts'.
Not as intelligent a machine as that but something that can think on its own. Something can can be creative and non-biased. Intelligence is all about being creative and innovative.

So the question isn't if there could be a machine that can do all that but how soon. Till then, I will search my specs on my own.

Democracy and Love.

Love is the most beautiful thing on earth. By love, I do not mean about love between parents or siblings but purely and simply between a man and a women. I am not knowledgeable about the love between a man and man or for that matter lesbian love but I understand that the emotions would remain the same.

Parental love is more or less undemocratic sort of love. We are born into a house and we are raised by our parents, grow among our siblings and relatives. I am grateful to all of them but then, we don't have a choice. We are born into a particular family and thats it. We have somehow becomes used to the habbit or idea of loving them. Period.

On the other had, when a man loves a woman or vice-versa, the love is of a different kind altogether. It is the most wonderful kind of love since we get to choose the person. Isn't it wonderful? Think of it hard and long. Someone choosing us for who we are and that we become an important part of their life, their dreams, their aspirations. A whole world of thoughts and ideas revolve around two people in the state of love. And the feeling is shared mutually. Choice. Democracy. Here we are at it again.

There are a whole host of reasons when one chooses most other things in life. We look for a certain perfection, a certain standard, a certain denomination of things. We would not want anything lesser. But love can shatter that feeling altogetherly. Most of our soul mates wouldn't be perfect beings of creation. Most of them haven't got drop dead good looks or model like features. But we still think and tell them that they are the most beautiful in the world. Not that we are lying. Just that we want to believe so. Blind love or what! But then really, there are atleast a hundred faces more beautiful than your beloved. Again....love is a democratic institution. We have the choice to love the person for whatever reasons but mostly for no reasons at all. Even under societal and other pressures!

We expect a lot a trash from everything and anything in life. Return on investments. If you love only in order to be loved back - this is narcissistic love. Loving someone is not dependent upon emotional reciprocity. We can change the person we love or accept them as they are to us. There we go again on freedom of expression. Part of democracy!!

Isn't there a strong resemblance between love and democracy. Love gives us the right to choose someone irrespective of their background, caste, creed, religion and even their quality. We are also free to choose the person we love and have the right to express our feelings to them. So much like democracy naa??

Isn't it then important to choose democracy over everything else? And do something to preserve it's existence. Then why do we sit in the solid confinement of our house while elections take place?? India is as good as country to be loved as any other nation. Doesn't it require our cohesive love? So what if our country has plentiful of problems? Shall we stop to love it? Or go out to vote so that we can atleast change something? Do we have to expect anything in return for it? Nope.

Democracy is like love. And love is like democracy. Love ke liye kuch bhi karega. Put your votes. India requires our love!!!

Old phone stories!!

Why are we so attached to some products that we can't simply let them go? Even when we can afford to buy a better product.

Like my Nokia phone. It has been over 3 years now that I am using it. But I can't seem to want to throw it away for a better product. Perhaps it satisfies the basic need of the product. Perhaps it is only attachment. Perhaps it is the fear of the unknown( understanding new product features).

The phone has died many a deaths and I have written eulogies for it for some time. But it is in a good working condition. It has been a born again kind of phone which somehow surprises me everyday.

Should marketers address this particular segment of thrifty junkets like me who would save till death does them apart? Maybe. Maybe leave them alone. But you have a loyal Nokia customer. They should have a data of all such customers and keep pouring them to offer a replacement( conditions applied). Maybe they are not bothered because mobiles are selling in such abundance. They shall start thinking when sales start going down. But then it would be too late. Never forget the customer even when you are going up.

Maybe someone will gift me a new phone. Till then...me, myself and me NOKIA...