Third millennium thinking

 

We are living in a miraculous but paradoxically perilously fissured world. So, on the one side we have such amazing technological development, access to information and connection to the world that was inconceivable even few decades back, we live incredible time that seems a miracle if you trace two hundred thousand years of homo sapiens evolution. Access to the world is no longer controlled by few, every voice has an opportunity to express and be heard -a qualitative leap from past, they can learn and organize and assert. Traditional forms of authorities and feudal control is getting diluted as virtual world have progressive ramifications on real world. World has become much aware in the last one decade than ever before. Well, people could have taken this path to make world a better place, and really did take some firm steps towards progressive values systems and nurturing inclusive institutions facilitated by technology. What we see however is consolidation of worst expressions of technology tapping primal values and atavistic concerns that bypass progress humanity made in last many centuries and hard-won humanistic values. Primed in extractive systems neoliberal capitalism and values extrapolated from fantastical religions and juvenile faiths we are being pushed into perilously fissured world. Bad players use these latest technology and access to vitiate the situation for greed and control. They viciously nurture extractive systems to trap people and spread misery. Possibilities of awareness is reduced to targeted disinformation and reality obfuscating misinformation, apathy and irresponsible ways. Life threatening conspiracy theories are spread with earnestness and cunning logical reasoning that impress many. As the world gets polarized, we find on the one side liberal posing dark empath sociopaths and on the other self-assured god ordained psychopaths. We see this template replicated all across the world in varying degree. Psychopaths deem themselves as born to lead hence aren’t really bothered about people or nuances, they use latest technologies as opportunity to access to blatantly control by whatever means -an Orwellian world if you will. While dark empaths are sociopaths who consider themselves as blessed exceptional people but have to relentlessly pose to gain trust and capitalize opportunity, they work to nurture extractive system for benefits -a kind of Huxleyian world that lull us into complacency since we assume they are here to uphold cherished values and humanistic concerns. They playact with semantics but are least involved, and as people loose trust in dark empath sociopaths – who see themselves as savior in increasingly chaotic world they unleash as liberal while systematically diluting existential concerns of vulnerable people, they feel insecure hence give way to authority figure -the psychopaths consolidate feudal and regressive forces. The shift can be debilitating if the democratic institutions are not resilient which ofcourse is crucially hinged to democratic ideals and liberal thoughts percolating to common people and their interaction to the world. The reason why transactional neoliberal value system deeply violate progressive society so does fantastical ways of religions that isolate from surrounding reality. An unthinking mind sentimentally connected to feudal institutions seeks associations in ascriptive association and is insecure, incapable to assimilate challenges of progressive world hence will find solace in authoritarian patriarchal leaders. Rise of authoritarian is on primal need for safety and not to be mistaken for progressive evolved values of seeking authority of facts to decipher reality for better possibility. The need for authority is to protect their fantasy world, an evolutionary mismatch trapped in thousands of years of brutal hunter gatherer life that seek ‘strong father figure’ leader to sought out problems and take control. Primitives like to wallow in the muck while simultaneously constructing fantasy of spectacular past and nostalgia for this self-consuming myth -very likely genetic imprint traces reminiscing exhilaration of chasing wild pigs or grand celebration of bringing down a mammoth. These evolutionary juveniles haven’t gained sophistication to become aware of enlightened world and possibilities of present.  

Extractive systems dilute facts and subjectify its connection to our awareness of reality. The chaos they create is to seek authority. Critical thinking is seen as threat as it easily exposes them. Science is targeted, and ironically technology is manipulated to question the same. Common people are reduced to herd despite the immense possibility that technology presents to extricate themselves to better ways. Herds are manipulated to be distracted and busied in infighting while the system extracts benefits for few to consolidate control that has now become an existential threat. Even people who attempt to extricate themselves from this overwhelming morass find it difficult to negotiate the perilous journey of seeking what is true. Most of the times their life is hinged on this need for truth to survive. So how do we go about seeking what is true without falling into traps of greedy people, feudal forces of control, our own authority bias, regressive values, overwhelmingly primitive forces that infect democratic institutions and reduce possibilities of better future? Clearly if we don’t have a shared common reality, it is impossible to solve global challenges as a collective. Third Millennium Thinking is a timely book that I ordered online after listening to a talk on Youtube (something inconceivable a decade back, and likely not available in any nearby bookstore hence would have missed the insight while few will be in control of latest knowledge). Written by three authors with wide background as physicist, psychologist, and philosopher this book is sincere attempt to help us negotiate challenges of assimilating information, to ‘create sense in a world of nonsense’. How to navigate better, as an individual and as a society, in this age of information overwhelm? How to make sense of the extraordinary amount of complex, often contradictory information? The book explores scientific thinking and methodology as a means of understanding the world so that we can make efficacious decisions based on this understanding.      

Science is an effective intellectual tool that helped humanity make breathtaking progress and dramatic conceptual understanding in past century, but in recent times these itself are questioned and have become ‘totem of polarization’. The authors try to clarify scientific methodology and attempt to create framework of understanding for common people in tackling and deciphering the challenges in daily life. It is a meticulous work of distinguishing measuring tool from thinking tool, creating parameters for evaluating information on what we know and what we believe. This thinking tool of science is an asset that helped us to make immense progress and hence can help in creating inquiring inquisitive mind to decipher the reality. I recall when we studied science in school we didn’t study ‘thinking tool of science’ that would have helped us to extend this brilliant progress of thinking into everyday understanding of realities of life. This book therefore is also an important document for creating new insight into scientific thinking in formative years. Vibrant societies should be able to capitalize on these to create progressive young minds. Meanwhile the concern now is urgent nature of polarized manipulated world we live in and how systematic sincere dealing of issue with progressive tool will create understanding. This is third millennium thinking.

The book is quite readable and in easy-to-understand language with not much jargons. Neatly divided into five chapters, it deals with science as a tool in building trust in shared understanding of reality hence can guide us in our daily decision making. Good decision making depends on accurate information from reliable experts, a careful consideration of values, and a structure that places the authority to make decisions in the hands of those who will be affected. Science doesn’t work by magic; it works by design. Authority of science comes from relentless self-questioning thus science essentially is a social phenomenon, but a truth hunting collaborative social phenomenon, not a coercive one. It helps us identify shared reality out there in the world. Finding out causation by looking at correlation under the condition of an experiment, standardizing factors. An experiment is when you come from outside the whole system and interfere with to see what happens. Science is not about certainty nor brittle binary views but probabilistic thinking.  Probabilistic thinking helps us to be honest about our knowledge and keep us open minded to productively use knowledge that is uncertain. Probabilistic stance reflects the relationship between our imperfect human understanding and the actual shared reality (well wasn’t it Wittgenstein who said scientific truths could never have absolute validity). In a world of inherent uncertainty scientists are calibrated. We want our experts to be 100percent correct but that is not possible, but we can and should seek experts close to 100percent calibrated. In an uncertain world, we should prize experts who are calibrated. Experts needs to calibrated enough to be trustworthy, but specific enough to be informative. Honest and realistic assessment of confidence can preserve trust in expertise. There is a chapter on how we are fooled by a pattern in random noise, or sieving more data to up the odds that random noise will show some hunted data. Probabilistic thinking, statistically significant, improving predictive/forecasting tools so on are path to understanding. Statistical uncertainty and systematic uncertainty are something most of us are aware of and helps us to identify biases in our decision making.

The world needs scientific optimism -the can-do spirit that the problem at hand is going to be solvable, tempered with measured healthy skepticism. It is to keep alert, alive, and motivated despite setbacks, a cultural antidote to cynicism. I found ‘order of understanding’ quite interesting, not all causal factors in real world problem are equally important -the classification of ‘first order’, ‘second order’, factor so on, while framing an issue. ‘Fermi approximation’ process, a quick and easy on the spot estimation approach, a random estimation based on familiar easier to do as an anchor to probe. An approach to intelligent approximation is a valuable insight. If unsure you can atleast create upper and lower bound estimation, a band of possibility. There is an interesting chapter on what prevents learning from experience, indeed experience is a weak predictor of job performance. The psychological factors -habits, biases-the one that makes systemic error/ingroup/dispositional/confirmation, available heuristic, can be overcome with scientific methods that includes debiasing techniques like consider the opposite/alternative so on. How science is misused provides important perspective on growing distrust among common populace. From science not done well to pathological science to pseudo-science (uses language of science -the terminology, great sounding words, but not the activity -based in India we see these charlatans all the time!) to fraudulent science. Of these, pathological science is particularly worrisome as it invests in exciting result ignoring data that suggests otherwise. Trying out different analysis until you get the result you want (p hacking, it is not cherry picking) adds to the problem. There are examples cold fusion claims (or recent superconductivity claim -not mentioned in the book but I recall being excited about it) so on.

The stimulating part of the book is the discussion on science methodologies -mental hygiene techniques, that are quite new (and have not even spread to different field of science) so the ‘readers of the book have a chance to get ahead of science world’. ‘Ignorance is bliss solution’ or blind analysis removes biases and remain honest. Blinding is now tried in workplace to reduce discriminations. Blind analysis based expert opinion in court proceeding is suggested. Next, we have ‘open science movement’ to improve credibility and integrity in scientific practice. Preregistration, multilab investigation, open science badges so on are safeguard against confirmation bias. The book move to collective, the groupthink and mob behavior, resonation from social media to real life implication. There are two different kinds of influence in groups, informational influence (strength in argument -ability to merge collective knowledge of the group and use it to reason to a solution) and normative influence (strength in numbers -deference to large block or faction, hence amplify shared bias -which can be removed by diversity). For argument to work there is a need for some kind of shared conceptual system for identifying strong and weak argument and a shared way of assessing. Maths, logic, common knowledge etc. are shared conceptual systems. Good scientific theories can serve as shared conceptual system, provided they have strong internal logic and support of external evidence. Shared conceptual systems can help build trust and platform for interaction. Another is the issue of emotions or extraneous factors that influence; decisions are not based on getting facts of the world alone. The book discusses with example on separating fact from values. Facts are important but claims of fact (fact stories) can be shaped by societal forces making it difficult to separate fact from values. Self-affirmation in case of value conflict is an interesting study, and has been implemented in schools to help students absorb new information. Reflective equilibrium between our judgement about particular case and our judgment of general rules/principles and prioritizing helps in value conflict resolution. There is a role for iterative deliberation concerning values just as there is iterative deliberation to adjudicate among different sources of evidence and expertise when determining facts. Ofcourse deliberation is an important challenge of our time. We have become aware of dangerous potential of the internet to polarize and confuse public conversation; but not yet taken advantage of opportunities for better collective thinking that it might present. Our collective challenge, indeed grand challenge of the times we live in, is to invent new tools that enables to think together productively and make us successful collectively. Productive collective thinking is the immediate need to tackle global challenges we face, importantly to create productive collective thinking environment. Deliberative Polling (developed in Stanford ‘Deliberative Democracy Lab’ by JimFishkin) is a transformative tool for productive collective thinking. So is Scenario Planning, to develop a range of possible futures so that we can test how robust decisions are in these contexts, identifying pending important decisions that need to be made, a useful tool for stimulating careful thinking and planning for future -a frequent goal for collective thinking and decision making. Good Judgement Project (GJP) -a statistical method distilling ‘wisdom of crowd’, is a forecasting technique that is effective collective thinking in action. Collective thinking experiments are now extended to online, DebateCafe is a demonstrative system encouraging people to enter best arguments on both side of the issue to win place in leaderboard. Another is to decompose elements of discussion in, say, news article into small testable part. Does this sentence show evidence of clear probabilistic thinking or is it a probabilistic thinking mental trap like p hacking? Does it have capacity to think the opposite or is it a classical confirmation bias selection of evidence? These could be important addition to education curriculum. Citizen-Scientist are set up to share these kinds of analysis. We want science to not only increase our understanding but also solve problem that is not confined to scientific field but ones with social ramifications.

Managing with continuous adjustment, an iterative solution in an experimenting society that isn’t a static structure but ongoing process, a shift from factual to probabilistic thinking, multilevel nuanced views of emergent problems through constant reality tracking rather than appearing smart expert, zero sum to increase the pie for win-win, involving and trying new innovative collective thinking tool taking advantage of latest technologies, building and rebuilding of trust network, not attention (seeking) economy but trust (building) economy that nurtures new ways to reward open minded collective thinking, experiment with incentives and penalties to reform the pollution of cognitive commons. This is new millennium thinking. A new kind of enlightenment for a new millennium in which we advance global human family.

A brilliant much needed book. Buy it. Read it. Think about it. Try to apply it.  

 

A steady step by qubit and a giant leap in computing

Knock knock, it’s quantum reality at the door! Ah to live in such exciting times!

Google’s Willow is a breathtaking step towards tapping quantum reality (I almost missed this news since I was disconnected from the world for few weeks and took days to get my bearings). The implications of this quantum computing chip are significant. The mind-blowing computation power that it unlocks has paradigm shifting implications. For a start Willow can perform computation that would take regular computers longer than age of universe! (Hartmut Neven founder of Google Quantum AI claims that this “lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse”).  

Willow is a significant milestone in quantum computing since it removes error rates, and thus makes it reliable. As more qubits are added quantum computing becomes more error prone (these are very fragile even microscopic material defects, cosmic rays and ionizing radiation can destabilize) therefore severely restricting the progress. Willow chip is 105qubit, it has doubled the capacity but what is important is not the number but the sophistication of qubit -vastly improved retention time allowing information to be held for longer time hence stability. Importantly Willow not only reduces error but reduces it exponentially as it scales up! Each qubit addition therefore strengthen reliability; a scalable logical qubit. A benchmark is set. This is stupendous. These are early days but it may not be exaggeration to say (hopefully claims are peer vetted) that this is akin to invention of steam engine or electricity or human on the moon. Technology is unravelling at mindboggling speed this one truly stands out. A giant step towards stable quantum computers. This is moment of reckoning. We are entering a new realm set to unleash possibilities that is difficult to conceive. It would help tackle humanity’s greatest challenges as it turbo charge R&D.

The immediate concern here is of binary computer decryption and imminent collapse of digital world. There are assertions that Willow will not break modern cryptography. Willow will not but few iterative upgradations in a decade or so will surely. The concern also is whether corporate in a neoliberal ecosystem or a state with authoritarian concern (like China or even US under Trump) will reveal that they have achieved Cryptanalytically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC) before acquiring sensitive data. The world is shifting fast towards post quantum cryptography to save critical data. The sophisticated math-based algorithm needed makes it inaccessible. Data pirates are out to harvest now and decrypt later. Quantum safe cryptography standards are being integrated into products and systems. State agencies and crucial infrastructure will have to move fast and upgrade all their communication systems to post quantum cryptography.                   

Pulsation

Ocean pound relentless deep crevices in the rock

Caves gouge into the dark

Air diffused in life, the gills, spiracles, trachea

Oxygen scour bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli and attach hemoglobin

The eddies I faintly sense on the nostrils

Is it the trepidation for profound act of life?

Every breath a reminder, a memory

Baton passed from every tribulation in every turn

From molecules to complex to me

Creating this moment

My body is my reality

In this sparkling scene

The earth material dissolves into earth

The star material resonates with stars
A pulsation that is shaped in universe     

ChatGPT's horror

 So, I had taken break for 12 odd days. No connection with the world in any form. I used to do these quite often in the past, if not always complete disconnect atleast partial. In the last few months I found myself working overtime, a kind of frenzied reading and writing. This is quite unlike me, probably I am sensing mortality with body indicating serious signs of breakdown and winding up. So I had to gather myself. Add to it the social media and constant urge to go online and scroll even while reading. I prefer to do nothing, sit quietly, go for long walk in quieter places, observe things and then maybe enter into good reading or scribbling something I fancy. This is the pattern that truly awakens me. And here I am in crowded noisy places, frenzied reading and writing that surely is not the way I am. A break was needed. So, I asked ChatGPT to summarize the international, national and local news for me including prominent obituaries of last two weeks. The generative Chatbot informed that David Attenborough has passed away. Devastated I immediately searched for details, shocking to find that no much attention was given by international media, and soon found that he is very much alive. Horrified by this unpardonable gaffe I confronted Chatbot. The Chatbot nonchalantly apologized "for the confusion" and thanked me for "attention to detail!". Apart from absolute impersonal response the attempt at exclamatory mark to lighten such serious oversight is what left me lost and vacant. Then the realization that it is quite possible for even humans to behave this normally these days. AI is emulating the abstraction of people I come across quite often that has stopped stupefying my sensibilities.

Tapping unpredicted pattern

 

I am totally into AI (frankly I am totally into anything that interests and excites, I get sidetrack quite often and loose my way). I also like to observe my wacky brain -messed up jelly that goes haywire, that I chase even to the darkest corners (and I am quite sure each brain is as messy). It is an interesting ride, provided you keep it in leash not to cross the law and poke too much into social norms that offend herd, not that I am bothered. What is remarkable about human brain (incidentally the most sophisticated thing in the universe) is that, eventhough it is distracted quite easily and is mostly restive and in danger of doing absolute crap, when it concentrates it can go on for hours without you even realizing. Left to my own I can go on forever. There are instances where you start reading a book in the night, and then start hearing crows and ask yourself ‘what’s with the crows?’ and realize it is morning!

AI is emergent alright, and can connect patterns which may not be accessible to us (the other day Hassabis was quoted saying that within five years we will get enough sophistication to make black box transparent, like a brain scan!). So, it can connect nuanced and sophisticated patterns hence emergent creative qualities. It is therefore more than what it is fed is settled thing. What is really interesting is unintended. This grey area of gibberish referred to as hallucination. I recall interesting take on it as mutation (Suleyman). So, it is possible to be alive to another reality that is yet to be explored. Studying how my brain works -particularly in acquiring english, and the strategies I aligned to, helps me to understand working of generative AI better. There is something much interesting that happens sometimes, and that is tapping into unpredicted pattern, and this is what I am quite excited about when it comes to AI, apart from all the latest breathtaking innovations.

When I access an idea or an interesting complexity or an ephemeral thought and want to convert it into writing I am more focused on few keywords and so immediately push in chain of words into the slots to create a sentence. Many a times the jumble spreads to intended meaning and you can refine it further but mostly it is gibberish, so you access the iterative learning of structure of language from persistent reading to work a logical sequence. And when it feels right you know you have done the job as a communicator, as a writer. What is remarkable here is sometimes words sequencing into unintended pattern. This has happened to me many times, particularly while scribbling poems and occasionally while writing paragraphs. Some line, that is unintended pattern, carrying insightful idea appear from nowhere and wrench it into entirely different direction and take you by complete surprise. This is what is immensely exciting, the access to unknown -not as well thought out deliberate logical action but unexpressed and unexpected, and you really have to be ready for it. It is like walking in crowded Chandni chowk with myriad bylanes and turns and you accidently step into one and end up at an interesting place! Sometimes I end in unintended pattern as I mistook the meaning of word and use it without realizing and later when cross check with dictionary I get meaning and a hint of a new thought. What is clear is unintended pattern exist and is within the realm of reach. I am quite excited about this as I do the parallel possibility with AI. Imagine the best of writers from all the languages and the possibility of AI that could bring out sophisticated unintended pattern from extremely sensitive and talented writings, it is accessing something deeper than complex subconscious. This is one space worth watching.          

                  

Another world

There is a world

Where every possibility of potential finds expression

Every path pursued to its infinite fractals of repeats

To meet and assimilate as dream of self in all possible realities. 

In a train that appears to travel parallel

I sight myself looking out of window

A counterfactual life that took off from some untaken turn

Was that a reflection or limits of reason?

Surprised I look carefully

Time halts to moment

A continuum of crisscrossing thoughts

Collapse into particles and vanish

I bathe in moonlight of hundred moons

And wait for thousand suns to rise.   

Carbon emission responsibility

 

So, they are fighting over who is developed and who is developing at COP. While we are still at the basics the monarchist feudal hedonistic theocratic fuel guzzling Saudis are doing their do, that is, being irresponsible and carefully skirting the line which could see West fall in their own trap of Islamophobia and so angst back off! Well, ruffled feathers could be mend with expensive gifts. Nice. Meanwhile in 2025 arrogant Americans will present the savior of white gun hugging racist christians to the world. Every charlatan will find a readymade scapegoat on the world stage to point finger and take eyes off them as they cut loose and go digging for oil. The herd is blissfully unaware, and when there is a deluge and find themselves stranded in flood they realize there is no help coming from anywhere. As these becomes normal, they will be forgotten and dumped into nearest pit. There are next cyclones, forest fires, heatwaves, food price to worry about.

There is no binary of developed and developing in climate debate. There is no them and us in global crisis. Some regions have historical pollution that gave them all the luxuries -ofcourse they were smart to invent and discover science and technology and new ways to prosper, good for them, but now when we calculate the carbon in the atmosphere their contribution cannot be negated, and they will have to take responsibility, and will have to pay according to their share. Which also means we cannot hinge everything on historical polluters and not fix responsibility on present days wanton emitters. Instead of fixed nations and binary of developed and developing some new mechanism of fixing responsibility must be thought about. World has advanced in last few decades the knowledge of these must be included. Essentially it is a multinational effort involving multidisciplinary experts and professionals from crucial areas. With my limited understanding, using the knowledge of punting (wherein there are various factors that influence the outcome of a race, historical data -past performance, incidents, races in various distances, timing after handicap factoring, age, shift in equipment and performance so on, latest data -training details, weight gains, handicap, distance, trainer record, jockey skills/weight, equipment change so on, dynamic data -that is evolving including look of the horse at paddock, grapevine information, cheating pattern so on and open to new unexpected factors), there are more complexities. Hence the system must be attuned to cater to these. For instance, historical pollution is a factor that include reparation as compensation, and for the contemporary pollution, per capita emission be taken and then use measurements like Gini coefficient -assign some value so that we get a fair representation. Total emission of nation must also be a factor, and be calculated on the areas/size of the nation, so that population increase is not an incentive and shouldn’t hide under capita emission ruse by richer sections in poor countries. There are many factors including dynamic, like, actions taken by state (and not promises), after comprehensive evaluation all these be given weightage (indeed the discussion should have been on this) and with the use of sophisticated AI come out with a new understanding on fixing responsibility and strategies. Mitigative actions carry complexities and conditions of region hence resources be assigned accordingly. I am sure much smarter people with experience have better insights.                      

Trees face extinction

 

At the COP16 Biodiversity summit in Cali, Columbia, IUCN released first ever Global Tree Assessment report. It presents shocking state of world trees. 38% of the world's trees are now threatened with extinction. Tree species are at risk of extinction in 192 countries around the world. Trees now account for over one quarter of species on the IUCN Red List, and the number of threatened trees is more than double the number of all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined. Human being has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970. Insect population has decreased by 75%. Freshwater habitat are the worst hit with population collapse of 85% (from 1970-2014 WWF report, and yes last ten years must have made it worse). So even if the destruction were to be paused today it will take atleast 5 to 7 million years for the natural world to recover. The recovery period is increasingly alarmingly moving to tipping point of no return.  

Trees are defining component of many ecosystems, and are fundamental to life on Earth through their role in carbon, water and nutrient cycles, soil formation and climate regulation. They provide habitat for many species as also livelihood to people. Trees cool the surrounding and provide shade, as also contribute to identity and aesthetics of the place. Trees are part of myth, folklore and stories, and are soul satisfying presence. Many species of plants and trees are saved by “kavu” -sacred groves in the forest or dense vegetation mostly inhabited by snakes, quite common in Kerala and Coorg (Karnataka). These are preserved for thousands of years and traces to proto religion that respected nature (possibly for fear of unknown forces that dense dark forest represented). There are no deity but some rocks or shape of cobra's hood. You light a lamp and do a silent pray, and leave everything as it is. As basic and as profound. Ofcourse in recent times religion has claimed these spaces and vandalized with structures and noise, but the sacredness remains and is therefore protected. These spaces are now refuge for rare species of plants and trees, and possibly microorganisms that will have much significance in future.

Clearing forest for farming and agriculture are the biggest threat to trees apart from logging, as also pests and diseases that is set to rise with increase in temperature. Increasing number of forest fires have significantly impacted the species biomass. Recent study points to possible extinction of legume tree, Vachellia bolei, along the TamilNadu coast mainly due to sand mining and conversion for cultivation. Human population and increasing consumption is the common factor in all the problems we face. Yet devious people are worried about falling fertility rate in some regions (as society evolves and increase in sophistication population will decrease, it is now for the technology to compensate as also increase comfort with more efficiency and less consumption of resources). Dark empaths working on neoliberal needs and primitive parameters of religion perform worry for falling human population and sniff out these as ‘news’. These opportunists shouldn’t be allowed to control narration. There cannot be any incentive for increasing human fertility.

*According to the report magnolias are most threatened tree species. Sampige (Magnolia Champaca) is a special tree, I used to carry those light-yellow tepals (tepals are fused petals and sepals -fun fact here is magnolias evolved before bees and depend on beetles for pollination hence these sturdier tepals) in my pocket -such agreeable light fragrance. Sampige road in Bangalore is now crowded and noisy hell but in mid-2000s was much quieter and a lovely place to walk.     

The rise of dark empaths

 

There is consolidation of extreme forces in democratic societies across the world favoring authoritarian leaders. Rising insecurity and disconnect in globalized world and lack of worth in increasingly transactional nature of society could be factors. What is not given much attention is the sinister rise of dark empaths and how they systematically degraded institutions. The reason why there is no caution against dark empaths is because they are quite comfortable in neoliberal value system hence have occupied crucial positions and narration controls. They define success hence the characteristic of dark empaths is positioned as desirable. Dark empaths moved in into the mainstream in mid-1990s as the neoliberal world went about globalizing. Consumerism defined every aspect of deal from news to entertainment to education to even human relations and emotions. If it has market value then it is useful, everything else can be dumped or strive to find monetization potential. Unthinking youngsters trapped in the system earnestly go about working out career in jobs that seeks monetization possibility from anything anywhere. The neoliberal claws are ready and constantly sharpened to grasp any possibility of monetization even in bleakest of situation. In this extractive system technology adds to the efficiency of exploit and effectiveness of control.             

Empathy is important and a valued attribute that defines human being. To be attuned to other’s emotions and care for their feelings is even exhibited by most toddlers before they even learn to speak. Empathy makes us social beings and for a considerate and caring society -evidence shows that the extinct humans Neanderthals also exhibited empathy and cared for their sick. Dark empaths however use empathy to manipulate for gains, named after a 2021 study, it is characterized by dark traits combined with empathy. Dark empaths use cognitive empathy, so they cognitively recognize how something might make you feel, and use that knowledge to manipulate you. Cognitive empathy is logically understanding other’s feeling and needs. It is different from emotional empathy wherein the person feels the worry and pain as if they are jointly experiencing hence cannot keep detached, there is a genuine remorse. There is another much deeper empathy referred to as compassionate empathy -a strong desire to help others and will go out of the way to make other’s feel better. I have come across compassionate empathy they are rare gem of a people who really shouldn’t be existing in this cruel world. Long time back as a witness to an accident on Pusa Road, and here I was emotionally empathizing and distressed, this girl went out of the way to help the man, she poured water and used bare hands to carefully wipe his face to reduce pain (it’s a nasty world, and sincerely hope she is in better surrounding with her world intact, such people don’t last long). I also have come across nurses with zero empathy who probably wouldn’t mind pulling the plug. Some 16years back I wrote about psychopaths in media who filmed a dying man, you may visit https://depalan.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-put-value-on-human-life.html. 

Dark empaths use cognitive empathy to understand how you are feeling and make it seem that they care but are manipulating for personal gains. They keep an emotional distance while performing empathy (in a cognitive way) this help to keep sharp focus on their sinister intent and control. They carry dark traits -maladaptive personality constructs (in mainstream these are commonly referred to as the 'Dark Triad', of Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism, I recall discussing these few years back while discussing the book Corruptible -Who Gets Power And How It Changes Us by Brian Klaas). Dark empaths overlap is more towards narcissism, a sense of entitlement, grandiosity and self-importance, but unlike narcist dark empath -as they are aware of empathy, carry self judgement capacity not as a remorse but to improve. They also carry some attributes of Machiavellian and psychopaths, the callous superficial charm. Through their cognitive empathy dark empaths know what others want to see and so can don a mask of kindness and caring. This is precisely what neoliberal vandalism of last few decades have nurtured as they exploited people and nature: a competitive space for angst. So, carefully working the system they positioned as caring and concerned for people. With the spread of neoliberal there is competition for angst capital by NGOs (granting that some are doing tremendous work at grassroot level but most are posturers). These dark empaths work around the power centers and are active in debates and issues that presents to showcase empathy. They carefully observe the powerful (who themselves are in varying dark triad, thanks to extractive system that nurture these) and position to what is appreciated. With charm and guile they present themselves as benign concerned souls, mostly mediocres they compensate through manipulating and exaggerating their worth. Empathy being the lynchpin to work their ruse. So you have stampede of lawyers, journalists, actors…so on working overtime to showcase their empathy through activism. Carefully orchestrating to the needs of plum positions, awards and other goodies. Dark empaths degrade institutions, and are active agents of nepotism and crony capitalism. They exaggerate crucial issues in their zest for empathy to ridiculous and hence the backlash that further degrades. Woke is the work of dark empaths. Every issue from migration to LGBTQ to minorities are spoiled and made meaningless and divisive. Narcissist overlap creates high sense of entitlement and grandiose that brush genuine concerns of common people or even common sense. An empathetic person will be concerned and will know the limit beyond which it hurts. But for dark empaths there are no such concerns, there are no limits. Empathy keeps flowing as much as opportunities widens, and as the backlash creates divisions and vitiate the matter they charmingly position as benign empathy driven arbitrators and representors of morals. Henceforth there are only opportunities, and their aggressive pursuit among competing dark empaths that the extractive system keeps nurturing as stories of success. They have contempt for people (justified since most are herd and unthinking mass that are easily charmed) and instead of addressing issues or even attempting to retrieve humanity from herd they actively go about complicating the issue, lacking humility or restraint, using jargons of human rights they take highest moral ground to taunt common people for their lack. Their self assuredness solidifies with increasing insecurities of common people. Instead of simplifying they complicate in the egos of issues without any attempt to nuance the complexity. The mystification is for the ease of manipulation. The arrogant complacency of the system and condescending attitude results in charlatans providing simplistic version to stupefy populace.

The rise of attention seeking economy have only empowered dark empaths as they spread wide and across. The woke backlash consolidated them as defender of higher values that has diminishing takers. Meanwhile common people across the world pay a heavy price as democratic institutions takes beating and so the critical issues of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. Dark empaths for their nefarious gain have significantly contributed to rise of authoritarianism and diminishing crucial issues and polarization of society. I was reading Han Kang’s Human Act -strongly recommended book, these few lines are pertinent “…we’d all performed the miracle of stepping outside the shell of our own selves, one person’s tender skin coming into grazed contact with another, felt as though they were rethreading the sinews of that world heart, patching up the fissures from which blood had flowed, making it beat again. That was what captured me, what has stayed with me ever since…”. Other is not imagined. Other is lived. Lived in experiences that binds to profound realization of humanity.      

**the pic herein is of common place black empath in India. 

The attention seekers before attention seeking was an economy! The pic is morphed since it is not about any particular person, it is a snapshot of grandiose of dark empaths. Imagine the utter lack to post this. Essentially mediocre they claw their way up with nepotistic connection and very high sense of entitlement (matching the castetva cannibals and positioning to fight hindutva). Few decades back I observed these regrets carefully before being appalled and shutting them out. Most dark empaths are slick, and they wouldn’t make such mistakes. It is exaggerated self-worth and itch to exhibit blessedness as fate to teeming population placed in crude society is what makes this noteworthy unhinge. Same as another unhinged dark empath creep conjuring ‘slum cake’ in an hedonist exhibition of wanton impunity from reality.        

The ber tree*

The lone tree in the crowded street

Has withdrawn to itself

Covered in vehicle soot and dust

Tied for banner, drilled for adverts

It doesn’t wave to anyone nor acknowledges the plastic chewing cow

Leaves drooped in the weight of everyday chaos

It doesn’t shimmer in rain nor unfurl in the bright sun

Like a mirage in desolate desert

It stands neglected in the streaming crowd

Inhaling softly all day long

(the carbon and pollutants)

And exhale all of it into the night

Quietly ascend the stars

To work the magic of glossy mushy drupe

That delight the children on the way back from school

A gentle deference to everyday lived

So that no creature is devoid of divine quest 

*Indian jujube tree

Listen to her

 

Mia Mottley, the PM of Barbados, is the person who presents glimmer of hope in an exceedingly bleak world as it cruises towards the titanic iceberg of climate flip and breakdown. We know we are heading for a head on, and the distance reduces at an alarming rate as we keep assuring that it is still too far. Atleast the passengers on the Titanic didn’t have to go through this agony of imminent disaster. Ms. Mottley is an urgent and extremely articulate representor of vulnerable small nation on the brink of the onslaught of climate breakdown. She is therefore relentless and quite clearly passionately committed to seek solutions and unite for global action. Her views therefore carry earnestness of practical solutions hence gets to the crux of the matter without any pretensions. 

Climate finance is a matter that needs urgent attention to immediately initiate mitigative and adaptive measures. Her call for innovative source of finance, as also suggestions like making business class flying expensive, tax on stock and bond trade, $5 per ton tax on fossil fuel emission so on are doable. Something modelling Tobin Tax is the need not only as a climate finance but also reduce debilitating speculative trade. This is also the occasion for innovative reparative justice (must be noted that Barbados recently removed colonial feudal british system and declared itself a republic, asserting dignity is beginning of nation building, shunning extractive systems that nurture regressive mindset is foundation of a just society). Historical pollution is an important space for framing justice, therefore the obligation for sustainable technology transfer to poorer and vulnerable societies.                

 

 

I carry words

I light the fire to heat the word

Pound and chisel to get the shape

Squint to check the dimensions

Does it fit the image or align emotions

Not my concern

Every night I sneak into the darkness

Through the crack in the wall

I pass it to anguished poets of banished world

To scour sediment of neglect

To witness the whimsical in multitude

And save myself as everyone     

     

Media is dead

  

Importance of liberal democracy is not understood since nobody is bothered. Everyone is selfish and playacting concern to consolidate power. Social media has empowered people no doubt but also to fully act on their own selfish opportunist ways that they observe and emulate from powerful people as they amass riches with least effort. Collective news source no longer exists. People are living in alternate realities. Media is dead (to paraphrase Nietzsche). Whatever media may say they no longer hold the narration of collective. Ofcourse, most do source check the facts but their narrative are agenda driven and controlled by extremely rich people seeking more influence. Their focus and prioritization are biased to their ideology and profit from sponsors. Legacy media worked to extend the status quo and balance the regressive. To assert that they stand for truth is spacious. The reason why people desperately look for alternate source of news is because they don’t trust, or else they choose the easy ways of daily sedation by dumbed down infotainment of least responsibility.

We therefore live in post-media world. When collective is no longer source for information it creates its own problems. It is responsibility of the state and tech platform to authenticate facts, create systems to red flag and tag misinformation and disinformation. There is explosion of variety of opinions, that is not controlled and disseminated by elite and narrow interests. With access to authentic facts, it is for individual to choose what to read and frame his or her thoughts on. Value education, compassion and aesthetic sensibilities will create the framework for better. Therefore, in this post media world the state has a huge responsibility to invest in quality education and critical thinking. It must invest collective activities for young, active involvement in nature like kitchen gardening, butterfly parks, maintaining trees, bird watching so on. Best of education is rooted to uniqueness of each life and biodiversity in which they nurture. Such connectedness nurture understanding and therefore compassion for other life. This is investment for better future. Social institutions that actively value and strengthen framework of empathy and compassion. Creative people who extend creative sensibilities of society. Technology has increased speed of access to the world and rapidly multiplied possibilities of senses but that shouldn’t be the reason to hasten pace of life. There is a need to slow down. Our experience of life needs slower introspective involvement to bring in the best possibilities. State is dutybound to create framework for people to find their uniqueness and connect to surrounding. It should no longer be an individual pursuit, long delayed. State must invest in public areas where people are actively discouraged from using smart devices. Spaces for people to sit around for as long as they want, parks and garden with biodiversity, unique attributes of the habitat and value the ordinary. Quieter ‘boring’ places needs to be part of life’s experience that is being actively sought to be negated. Too much excitement over inane is not adding to anything but people on dopamine rush with low attention. It is a mix that surely cannot produce anything worthy. There is an urgent need for new narration to redefine what we value.

Cycle lanes and footpaths actively slow down pace of life while being sustainable and healthy. Work space can encourage a day without technology every month or so. Areas to spent leisure time without much activity or purpose must be encouraged. More information and awareness need space for cooling the mind, ability to evaluate and understand, space to think. Slowing down makes delicate nuances and astonishing complexities accessible. Connecting to world fast is exciting but shouldn’t decide conduct of life and how we experience. Neoliberal value system has created this framework of fast technology equated to fast pace of life so as to work their ‘development’ model which is based on fast consumption defined as ‘growth’ on juvenile assumption of unending resources and no consequences. Apart from environment impact and individual wellbeing what is not discussed is how it is working to define collective sensibilities and connection to surrounding. People are increasingly getting alienated through technology, further isolated from surroundings through in social media, they create alternate world through virtual associations that is not able to distinguish fantastical from real hence easily fall prey to all kinds of fake narrations. A strong foundation of quality education, compassion and refined sensibilities is a barrier from the pull of rot of hate groups, extremist views, supremacist chauvinistic ideas and exceptionalism, conspiracy theories and all the worst possibilities. Since they are not able to find alternate to neoliberal capitalism nor refine and reevaluate the premise of development and growth it is for people to insist on slow down spaces so as to retrieve their being. We are not cog in neoliberal greed nor does job define our value or need to occupy ourselves from fear of our worst selves.                    

 

Wokeism and profound disconnect

 

I value words therefore with deep sense of anguish I use this word: woke. I refused to give in as the word was being appropriated and vandalized. Woke is a beautiful word that traces to 1930s black American call for staying politically and culturally awake “stay woke, keep eyes open”. Essentially it means to be alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice, along with being aware of what's going on. It was widely used during BlackLifeMatter movement and quickly broaden to include other issues, seeping into frivolous posturers hence lost intend, very soon the backlash saw it being used as sarcasm for ‘performative activism’ and mocked as ‘overrighteous liberalism’. Now the word is used as a sort of abuse in social media. ‘Woke culture’ ‘woke mind virus’ is free for all space for all kinds of slur. It is a study on valued word being reduced to insult. So I too will go along with it since it appropriately abstracts the contemporary context that is becoming too common. We are therefore living in woke world where everyone is performing for attention, righteousness has clientele in West and fits in narration of angst. Western angst is a feeling that arise when you know you are compromised and want to cover it up with overindulgence of righteousness that is essentially at the expense of others. This angst is carefully packed to showcase themselves as benign arbitrators, the civilized presence. It doesn’t ask for systems change nor critical scrutiny since it will negate their significance and expose their complicity. Woke is fake indulgence that severely degrades society. Woke’s performative activism takes matter to extreme to show its hold over common people as also a challenge to its competitors in the game of righteousness. It also cleverly morphs their role in systems that perpetuates the same. Historical injustices must be studied and understood to the context of time, and when you understand you realize that there are systems which controls and nurture individual actions essentially to perpetuate the system. A primitive society nurture such institutions and unevolved humans in different stages of barbarity will thoughtlessly indulge in these atrocities. Hence, it’s important to remove systems that nurtures injustices and discriminations. Systems that undermine democratic ideals, equality and liberty. Performative activism is carefully orchestrated to avoid questioning the system. Wokeism is here and now without any complexities or difficult questions.    

Horrors of slavery and untold trauma committed on blacks as they were dislocated from Africa and transported to Europe and US has no parallels in history. Hence no one should attempt to play surrogates for blacks. It must be understood clearly that racism against blacks is not same as racism against Asians or anyone else, it is also woke travesty to conflate racism with religion. Which also means any institution and system that nurture racism against blacks have no place in contemporary world and must be dismantled. Any racism against black must be dealt severely with all the understanding and significance of historical injustice. Which also means the humans living now are not to be treated as extension of past instead every attempt be made to remove any injustice in the present. Dismantling systems that continue injustice of past must be priority with quality education and nutritional security for children. Woke performative justice creates dissension and is meant to keep the infighting going for benefits. They rarely question anything that doesn’t benefit them. Clearly, performance is orchestrated for benefits. They uniquely lack compassion (except as posturing in front of audience) and are mostly obnoxious people with serious attention seeking needs. They cunningly use people to score points among their ilk. They stampede for power, awards, extract benefits from those whom they are purportedly fighting, they grab as they playact their woke concerns that is increasingly disjointed from realities of people they are vying to save. Comfortably placed, and rarely affected by vicissitudes of life that engulf most people, they actively vitiate the situation to gain attention as savior. They are clever status quoist conniving to replace and not change anything. Their beliefs are tailored to the need, a ruse to exact price for effort and a tool to compete for status. Hence the effort is always symbolic, lacking any motivation to improve the system, positioning themselves as actively involved representation. Their self-obsession is matched by stampede for self-aggrandizing relevance that will keep attention on them. The one on the left side of wokeism seek puritanical idealism that is further disjointed from common people, and is meant for scoring high moral grounds and intellectual bearing. They manipulate egalitarian intents and democratic institutions to their specific needs and narrow interests, not surprisingly against the interest of people whom they seek to represent. Beleaguered people also face backlash that is directed against woke making situation worst for them.  

Minority rights matters in a democratic society, but to reduce diversity into extremism of narrow religious identity, and to fixate humans into this primitive conception, is woke. Also, not to question transgression of religion into democracy is woke. Not to question how it segregates and dehumanizes gender (and race in US) is woke. To tolerate intolerance is not liberal, nor democratic. Issue of migrants is having serious ramification all across Europe and consolidating rightist response. Migrants are important contributors in any society but migrants don’t have divine right to enter any nation-state. Illegal migrants are a threat anywhere in the world. The state in its wisdom and compassion will take its call understanding the consequences and impact on its society, importantly citizenship to migrant has to go through stringent process. Invoking history doesn’t help, nobody is interested. Speak the contemporary reality. Even recent migrants to US (now citizens) don’t want new immigrants to the country and seek stricter control of migrants. They voted for Trump. This is what happens when elitism loose contact with reality of common people. They will vote for any plain-speaking charlatan to protect what they estimate as threat to their livelihood and security. 

LGBTQ rights are important, they are vulnerable minority who are prosecuted in most part of the world. Compassion to their plight is what defines humane society and to institutionalize their rights is democratic. But this cannot be taken to extreme. They cannot start asserting (“identifying with”) all kinds of nonsense and create nuisance in public space. Nor can it be allowed to diminish and override women’s right. Individual right is valued and must be protected but not over others. Woke is arrogant estimation of one’s special place in people life and complacency of this self-assuredness. A compassionate leader would easily understand the problem common people perceive and actively involve to assuage. If Trump speaks of children coming back from school with gender change it is not about facts but putting the centrality of issue into people’s daily discourse. Whether you criticize or not you end up discussing it, and once you discuss you bring in your bias. So even though it has nothing to do with you or your reality you have fallen for the divisive agenda. Woke inflated for righteous indulgence and presented to charlatans to play savior. It is easy choice for common people. A logical compassionate leader would have clearly asserted that children cannot decide hence there will be law for no sex change until they are adult nor any violations on their body until they reach age of consent. Period. Since woke values did not allow this, charlatans worked overtime to exploit this minor matter into major threat posed to idea of family and really worked into common people's fear. If Trump talked nonsense about Haitian immigrants eating pets. It is not about pets. It is about migrants. It is a devious strategy to trigger and inflate the issue in people’s mind. Fantastical the claims the better. And if it has even a sliver of experience to their life or what they have understood from media as a threat they will latch on. It is not difficult to present pattern of migrant violence in Europe, it may be biased or minor incidents in spiraling violence but that inconsequential sliver of truth creates a narration and is inflated into their reality and conflated to their problem. Issues related to transgender is too insignificant matter but they are exaggerated with general threat to way of life.  They didn’t vote for stuttering old wind bag, they voted for a man who took vulgar potshot against insular elites. He himself is the rich elite was lost since woke was worked to represent elitist threat.

Views must be engaged and responded with skills of argumentation and critical thinking faculties and not cancelled if it doesn’t fit in one's narration. Nor should it be classified into silos of binary and dismissed. Those in public space as leaders and opinion influencers have arduous task and immense responsibility. Not to fall into cliché or totalizing ideologies, and actively pursue to create narration that address challenges of contemporary world. Unfortunately, very few people understand gravity of Nazi association and horror, they have no time nor caliber to contemplate on history. They go by easy narrations that synch with their world and challenges they face or made to perceive -we live in world of perception primed by neoliberal system. If responsible compassionate people don’t get actively involved in deciphering complexities into simple terms for common people, then opportunist charlatans will provide the simplistic versions to occupy the mind and vandalize. One shouldn’t undermine the misogynistic framework that is nurtured by patriarchal values of religion. That ‘cheap grace’ estimate women as second grade citizen who cannot even have control over their body is easily extended to resistance to women in leadership position. Kamala Harris was way better than Trump on every parameter but she lost has also to do with toxic masculinity fostered by religion in its sickening patriarchal moral euphemisms that comes alive in modern institutions and crucial discourses. Even a man of the stature of Pope -a moral authority for millions of followers, couldn’t locate the evil in simplest of binary choice is indicative of predicament of common people.   

The horror

     USA is diminished and has become a burden on humanity. Our mistake we took them seriously and placed high expectation (they though presents an interesting study on complacency and arrogance). It will be difficult to contain the splatter (the disgust as the world will have to again tolerate this obnoxious narcist for next 4years, and if he dies in office the next one). World has become significantly unpredictable in such a crucial juncture. US has failed, failed very badly. Looking back I think defeat of Al Gore (who had the potential to be one of the greatest American president ever) -that was orchestrated by the system, was the turning point. They didn't find the need to rectify the flaw. It is steep downhill from here. Brace yourself. Feels like passengers on Titanic as it hit the iceberg, they couldn't believe what they thought as invincible is drowning. Imagine the consternation, and then the utter horror. 

 Violent souls, but only
 As the hollow men
 The stuffed men. (TS Eliot)

SUV's kill

 

Strongly support activists in Scotland who are targeting SUVs in solidarity for deaths in catastrophic floods in Spain (Valencia) that has killed hundreds. In the online post they write: 

"..If SUVs were a country they’d be the fifth biggest world polluter. There were over 360m SUVs on world roads in 2023, producing 1bn tonnes of CO2, up 10% on 2022. As a result, global oil consumption rose by 600,000 barrels/day, more than a quarter of total oil demand growth".

Unless policy makers reflect fast changing reality of the world and rein in the criminally irresponsible these kinds of reactions will increase in future. Those travelling in SUVs could even be lynched as people target their frustrations due to lack of actions while climate catastrophe devastate their world. People in richer and advanced countries must take action and provide leadership since they are better placed to organize. Poorer and less advanced countries are trapped in 'GDP growth' as defined by West, the elite is too corrupt and compromised hence they will work the status quo of easy benefits. While rich countries in other parts of the world sustain fossil fuel and are theocratic primitives where common people have no say and lack quality education and evolved social values. Also, much of democracies in the world are defined by 'middle class' who are tutored to aspire for the neoliberal dreams and are bombarded with 'success' stories that sustain the system. They are too insecure and enmeshed in the system to take initiatives meanwhile they also aren't bothered about the marginalized facing the brunt of climate collapse. It is therefore for the common people in West to revolt and show us the way.   

#USElection2024

 
It is unfortunate but the worst aspect of religion has become a significant rallying point in US elections. Church and religious leaders must intervene to elevate its morals to the needs of the time. However flawed Democrats maybe, it is important that they win. There is too much at stake. Church failed with its 'cheap grace' (Bonhoeffer) during 1930s and 40s leading to horror and immense hardship for common people. Church and religious leaders must stand up and raise their voice of sanity so that the undecided voters are influenced in these last few hours of a crucial election that will have significant ramification across the globe. Importantly, Pope Francis need to side with Democrats against the evil. He will be equally responsible for unfolding horror... 

Spell of stupidity

 

Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved — indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.

In conversation with [the foolish person], one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with a person, but with slogans, catchwords and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil.

These were incisive lines written by Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, from prison before he was executed by Nazis. His views on nature of stupidity matters not only as an insight to the world he lived in but also the spreading sickness that is incapable to evolve to the immense possibilities of contemporary. Bonhoeffer lost his life because of stupidity that encouraged worst in humans. Millions of people were massacred for fantastical ideas so stupid that you would laugh if not for immense tragedy. A situation so implausible that one would’ve dismissed it as impossible in what was essentially an advanced society. Banality of evil was made common place by sadist stupidity that found large audience hence more power. A shifting ground that keeps everyone entertained before you realize it has started to engulf all that is valued. Unlike Cipolla (also elaborated on stupidity from limited economist frame of opportunities of gain and loss) who defines stupid person as “causes problems for others without any clear benefit for himself”. This ‘clear benefit for himself’ is root problem of modern times. We have well passed narrow lanes of neoliberal anchored staid management theories; indeed, attention economy of stupidity is thriving and hugely beneficial if you touch the lowest base of short attention. Bonhoeffer’s insight therefore matters significantly in the perilous times where stupidity is not only monetized for personalized attention but is having significant impact on democracy. Social media is increasingly pushing large number of populations all across the world into complacency, and ironically, disconnect. It is consolidating stupidest and vilest through conspiracy theories and utter nonsense to work dopamine outrage. Best possibilities of latest technologies are getting muted for nasty, it is tapping on worst of human emotions and insecurities as stupidity gets consolidated and used by the manipulators.

Bonhoeffer argues that people are not born stupid nor has it to do with intelligence -intelligent people can be stupid, there were many scientists who supported Nazi (even incisive philosopher, Heidegger), we also have many examples from contemporary world. Bonhoeffer see stupidity as moral defect and not intellectual -not surprising from a pastor, and that stupid person can only be liberated, not argued or reasoned. No doubt Bonhoeffer is insightful but as a theologian placed in limited frame of religion he is quite expectedly limited in his solution. This is not to belittle Bonhoeffer, he steadfastly stood for decency, civility, and kindness, and was fervently against narrow mindedness and oppression in trying times. The attempt here is to understand the issue. Idea of liberation is limited in christian theology and really cannot be universalized nor does it resonate to the realities of contemporary world. I am reminded of Elias Canetti’s understanding of crowd. A person finds liberation in crowd can be extended to liberation in collective stupidity, it binds them and gives self-worth of shared by being part of the crowd. It doesn’t matter how spacious or fantastical the claim is as long as it binds them into unrelenting unit. Indeed, religion is also such a construct. Bonhoeffer was earnest and deeply conscientious during the period under Nazi when even religious heads were looking for easy options so as to not antagonize the powerful and peril their position and life. He passionately criticized inaction of church and accused it as a site for ‘cheap grace’ – “it is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son”. Though he sincerely dealt the situation it cannot be denied that he protested within the fantastical illusion that is religion -that has only increased problems in contemporary world as an active breeding ground for variety of stupid claims. It is also not at all surprising that the movie on him Bonhoeffer is being appropriated by far right christian conservatives in USA (for this very reason the release is postponed). They are calling, defining time of historic US election, as resistance against evil state and appropriating his legacy into christian nationalism. The movie is unabashedly faith-based story -a preacher spreading the word of god, and promo of Bonhoeffer carrying gun (overplaying the role of assassin) to engage in violence to “battle against tyranny” with lines like “my country was invaded from within” wherein Bonhoeffer was much nuanced representation of religion, ‘a voice of love, grace, justice and courage’.  These are the perils of limited frame of engagement of crucial issue. Collective stupidity of religion -simplistic version of life, is seen as liberation from responsibility of complex reality and existential challenges. We have well passed this anachronistic frame, and as religion loses significance the theological construct of moral shifts to humanism arbitrated ethics. Stupidity therefore is not a moral lack but a significant ethical lack with serious social consequence. Neoliberal capitalism is another of collective stupidity that fails to see its consequences nor able to critically scrutinize itself. Stupidity is afterall lack of common sense.  

We all act stupid at some point in our life, we do carry that aspect of stupidity in varying degree and try to improve through self-evaluation and exposure to better understanding. Life as existential absurdity does see stupidity as respite. It is the basis of wit and essential aspect of survival. Most stupidity are childish and purpose to liberate from stress, essentially harmless, unless one is conned, breaks law, or importantly, finds deviant collective to consolidate as normal and not a defect. Stupidity could also be a channel for latent violence against complacent systems that nurture status quo and opportunist beneficiaries. There is a space for stupidity of ‘flat earth society’ but it is a problem if presented as a normal choice. They must be ridiculed as much as religion should be (and this I keep repeating, religion cannot be taken seriously in contemporary reckoning for solutions, it is a problem, more it is authenticated more you inflate the problem. Religious morals have serious alignment issue with humanistic ethics. The attempt to make it as defining identity is sinister, nor is it adding to diversity). Stupidity is not a choice but an ethical flaw. 

Clips of stupid acts are fun to watch. It becomes a problem when we are cunningly addicted to monetize and we slowly lose the ability to critically engage. We are being made stupid by constantly watching stupid. Our threshold of tolerating stupidity is reduced so that we start to slowly entertain fantastical notions. Our scaffolds of critically thinking are continually eroded as we fall prey to short attention dopamine crave. It is feeding our worst emotions (social media must have caution similar to what they have on cigarette cover. Like for instance: this is a 5min video of cat eating food or a 3min video of two people fighting on street, an essential summary with duration so that it puts context as also value of time. Or else regular warning of time elapsed. It gives people option to choose rather than being led by bigtech. A short summary is like a list of ingredients on a packet. It must be made mandatory so that people are cautious before being pulled to watch). These addictions to social media as also attention seeking stupidity that it is nurturing must be dealt with regulation. We have entered unchartered path of atomized isolated alienated individuals virtually connecting into collective to further stupidity. This is having serious ramification and legitimizing worst kind of people into responsible positions. Stupidity is sinister it has led to mass killings, it degrades the world. Stupidity creates herd out of human. It is the product of unthinking mind, lacking critical thinking faculties. Increasing complexities of discourse -varying views in deluge of information and technology, is alienating common people, essentially a failure of society to peg egalitarian values and education to nurture critical thinking and empathy, are incapable to comprehend, relate, or deal, with emerging reality hence seek simple relatable narrations, palatable views to create their own narration further simplifying the complex truth to assuage their insecurities and alienation. Demystifying issues into simple facts and opinions based on empathy and critical thinking will help. Even if there is a failure of communication or breakdown of society, foundation of empathy and critical thinking will find suitable response. It will be wary of views that questions basic human sensibility and actions that undermine humanity.

Thinking and understanding different views and assimilating facts to decipher takes time. Market media has nurtured worldview as attention feeding snippets and caricaturized crucial issues into entertainment. This is now extended by social media. There is a need for culture of slowing down. Neoliberal economics evaluates life as usable resource tagged with price and fast consuming pattern as growth. Fast food MNCs have created infrastructure of hygiene and efficiency but the culture of fast food doesn’t value life. What is needed is food that is made slowly with nutritive ingredient and sustainable process that includes traditional knowledge of the local and preferably served in an environment of inclusive leisure and connection with surrounding -the local ambience creates association with memory of place that will nurture into care. Care connects to values of concern for place, hence environment that assimilates web of life. Such robust grassroot association by its very nature will not encourage stupidity. It is an urgent vigorous connection of care that doesn’t tolerate superficialities. Stupidity can be addressed by awareness of responsibility. A deep sense of sympathy in existential condition, and ability to separate human from their stupidity. There are no stupid people but people who hold some views that are stupid. There is no stupid person, it is not a congenital defect. it is an ethical falling that has a personal and social context. So, we need to separate the person from stupidity. We need to appeal to shared humanity and concerns. Logic or reason has limitations, indeed could backfire as stupidity will find its own logic to be self-satisfied. Personally, I have zero tolerance for stupidity and stupidity that occupies public space as alternative, a primitive society is overwhelmed with stupidity. I as a common person can keep quiet or walk away but a political leader or a social reformer doesn’t have that luxury. They will have to engage. Surely, they cannot call the electorate deplorables or garbage and alienate (particularly in extremely polarized US). They will have to engage with stupidity with all earnestness without losing their bearing, or else seek some other occupation. Also understand likes of Trumps are not accident, he is an extreme spectrum of neoliberal nurtured useful idiots to control the system, and yes Democrats too are in this spectrum so are most political parties across the world. To deal with stupidity there must also be earnestness to address factors that degrade democratic institutions.

New technologies are presenting newer meanings for assertion of free will and the alienation it creates must be understood. The resurgence of religion, rallying to revive the mythical past, are attempts by limited minds and flawed humans to construct and control their reality. At one level it is deeply painful to see this unravelling wherein they could use the possibilities of amazing advancements for better but on the other it is scary. There must be therefore institutional mechanism to create awareness of responsibility. It is complacency and greed that is nurturing stupidity to thrive for gain. Stupidity is seen as distraction. As institutions lose credibility and trust evil seize the opportunity to gain credence. Stupidity facilitates evil. Hence it is important that complacency is called out. Feudal and elitist status quo nurture complacency and distraction as it helps control power and resources and perpetuate exploitation under the garb of democracy. Systems that nurture stupidity sedate indelible aspect of being a human: to use faculty of mind, in such eventuality free will presents scary scenario hence will go back to comforts of stupidity immune to immense evolving understanding of world. Stupidity is herd’s weapon to repeat history and suffer without gaining any insight. Original intent of religion has withered while the egalitarian attempts of religious doesn’t pass the basic scrutiny. The dilapidated framework is therefore carried forward in the garb of faith in all its glitter immune to changed reality therefore, intendedly or unintendedly, nurtures stupidity as the need to hold it together –the crowd needs rallying point and increasingly it is stupidity that is filling the gap as acceptable surrogate. Personal salvation through mystified faith has unraveled into juvenile claims incapable to factor changed reality hence cult of stupidity that claims authority from fantastical world of make belief. Stupidity can be engaged by retrieving “individuality and spontaneity” (totalitarianism works by transforming a person into a superfluous entity through the destruction of individuality and spontaneity- Arendt). Individuality is what defines a human and his or her spontaneous connection with reality is freedom. We must resist any attempt to negate our individuality and curtail our spontaneity and gaiety towards life. It is a lively barrier from turning into a ‘mindless tool’.  Unless institutions are strengthened with democratic principles and individual responsibility nurtured with egalitarian ideals, we will see complacency that feed stupidity which facilitates evil. Awareness of complexities needs framework of care and concern. Complexities that are not complicating but deeper awareness and assertion of simple values and not allowing it into complacency of simplistic narration. Every attempt must be made to retrieve humanity in every human.                      

I leave with these lines from poem by Bonhoeffer, a beacon of religious response in the best tradition of humanism in 20th century.  

Death, lay down your ponderous chains and earthen enclosures
walls that deceive our souls and fetter our mortal bodies,
that we might at last behold what here we are hindered from seeing.