Game changing superchip

 

Much of economic growth of western countries in the last many decades was riding on remarkable prescience of Moore’s law- periodic increase in density of chip -doubling every two years. A few years back people thought Moore’s law has hit a dead end -it is getting too dense that it experiences quantum interference so on. The increased computational power (apart from large data and neural learning) that led to AI development has much to do with sophistication in chip -microprocessor. With remarkable development and increasing computation demands of AI, CPU shifted to exponentially powerful GPU – a massively parallelized processor suited to transformer parallel architecture. And just when you thought: how much more can they squeeze in? comes the NVIDIA’s superchip Blackwell -B2100 is a massive leap in computational power. If you saw the video of introduction by Jensen Huang he slips in the worth -essentially money spent, that square piece cost about 10b$. It however doesn’t really solve the problem of massive power consumption, it is estimated that by 2030 Foundation Models will consume as much as 25% of world power. Meanwhile Extropic is researching on Entropy computers -a paradigm shift in basics of computer through unified AI and physics, working in natural harmony with entropy thus scaling beyond constraints of digital computing and substantially reduce power consumption. It is an attempt to emulate nature and embrace chaos and noise into a symbiosis for a probabilistic AI algorithm.          

The next AI wave is consolidating on physical AI ie Robotics -access to multimodal data, which will understand natural language and emulate movement by observing human action (Terrabytes and Exabytes of videos to tap on) to navigate, adapt and interact, meanwhile reflexive learning and dexterity. Something akin to AGI is just around the corner. NVIDIA’s Project Grook is the foundational model for humanoid robot. Let’s be quite clear ‘human like’ will no doubt need breakthrough in quantum computing but nevertheless this is truly a remarkable achievement. Though it is a technological breakthrough of many lifetime -that will have significant impact much beyond work space, the social ramification will be severe. Surely, we are living in the best of the times, we also have to accept the worst of times with dangers it possesses. Technology so far is skirting a narrow balance without major disruption but it sure is going to cascade very soon. Never has technology so severely impacted society as also the meaning of what is to be a human.       

Killer air

Air contains oxygen that is needed for human survival. What happens when this basic need turns toxic? Air pollution kills millions of people, and for millions more it exacerbate other debilitating health conditions, add to it contaminated water, pesticide laced food, and ofcourse mind-numbing noise that characterizes cities. Common people are seriously impacted by air quality, and they die without being counted -that is how agencies deal with problem by not being terribly concerned about collecting data (data is crucial to understand the gravity of the situation and formulate polices to save lives) or else manipulate data. Even short term exposure to polluted air can cause severe reactions -from deeply irritated air passage, persistent cough, headaches, burning eyes, weakness and disorientation, imagine living your whole life in these polluted pits. Human life is pliable to official narration. In a poor and desperate society, it is easily achieved. Fudging data is an art that even AI cannot emulate.

Today the world air pollution report was released. Out of top 50 most polluted cities in the world 43 are in India. If you look at the number of cities in top 30 it is almost all from India, and these are mostly hellholes of small towns where the development marauders are playing havoc. It is a statement on culture of apathy.

I have travelled most of these places, even few kms away from nation’s capital these disappear from radar of any concern of power salivating officials, market media and corrupt ecosystem of nepotistic control and crony capitalism (ofcourse in recent time there is a focus on hygiene by constructing unprecedented number of toilets for common people, which surely has reduced number of deaths due to communicable diseases). Third rated Indian media -mostly occupied by different versions of psychopaths and devious slimy thick-skinned ectoplasts, stampede where the power, money and influence is. They create mythical cozy world of self-fulfilling desires and opulence, while stampede to represent desperate dying people around them. Fed and fattened they cultivate and percolate their own reflection of slimy creatures into the ecosystem as opinion makers and influencers, these appalling mediocres are then courted by feudal politicians with least connect with any reality except to control the herd. You look at the list of polluted cities and you will be mortified by the conditions under which millions of fellow Indians live around you. This is what neocapitalist development has done to the land. Death churning ecosystem is how progress is consolidated by market capitalism. The herd sink deeper into fate muck while herd controllers create bubbles of sanitized world to project their version of reality for herd to gawk.    

How market capitalism unleashed development killed a garden city

 

In the early 2000s I shifted from polluted, loud and crowded Delhi –a city of ugly uncouth people salivating and stampeding around power so much so that the character of place percolates in its sinister clutch, to garden city of Bangalore (now Bengaluru). Bangalore was a welcome respite with charming weather and mostly understated mild mannered people. During those days even fans weren’t needed in summer. Huge trees dotted the avenues with cascading flowers and wafting scent in the air. I used to go for long walks or cycle, stop for warm delicious fluffy idlis, impeccable coffee, streetside books (I recall picking up rare copy of Pearl Buck), and watch clear bluest of sky. There were lakes, gardens, birds and butterflies…. there were so many jungle mynas, purple sunbirds, and as you cycle few kms you could see Indian rollers, Kingfishers, Drongos, Ibises, (even paradise flycatcher right in the center of city -Cubbon park)…so on. There was so much diversity in urban space. Oldtimers will tell you that the city had already started to crumble with IT influx from late 1990s. Glass houses -ostensibly to keep off air pollution and noise, and look chic, propping all around the place emulating desert architecture, ended up trapping heat hence began huge demand for air conditioners. Lakes vanished, and so did the catchment areas and biodiversity (I recall spending time to visit lakes and writing about it many years ago...please visit https://depalan.blogspot.com/2011/10/dying-lakes-of-bangalore.html), and yes, a quaint culture of care and compassion. For few years I faced the brunt of polluted traffic as a two-wheeler driver (and surely reduced my life span, I still get wheezing and tremors, and assaulted spinal).

Changes in Bangalore were swift. Very soon beautiful huge trees were cut, tacky flyovers and underpasses were constructed, all the while charming buildings resolutely morphed into sickening glass house clones as the city traffic got louder and louder spewing toxic smoke. Birds and butterflies have vanished (I used to sit in the garden after breakfast at NKB, there were so many birds and bees, and now after ugly Mantri mall and noisy traffic there is nothing. The place is dead). Disease of development took over the city. They systematically hacked out life from every nook and corner, and sanitized it with signs of neo liberal progress. Where once stood inviting Coffee house -overlooking street and garden, is now brick block of glittery gold jewellery shop. The civilizational loss to market capitalism nurtured greed and crass values is immense. They are now moving to Mysore like the medieval marauders. The deadly swarm of development that will barren the land and eviscerate life.  

Even in 2018, an international report had given dire warning that Bengaluru is one of the 11 cities in the world that will run out of water in few years. Did the policy makers take note of it? Ofcourse not. This when the worst summer -that is going to be hottest ever for human on earth, is yet to begin.          

P versus NP complexity problem

 

P vs NP is a profound problem at the intersection of theoretical computer science, computing technology and mathematical logic. It is a problem that is vexing computer scientists, researchers and mathematicians everywhere for many decades now, and is considered the most important problem of times we live in. Is P=NP? is indeed a profound question that has enormous significance to humanity. If P=NP is proved then it will give enormous power over knowledge. World will not be the same again. There will be no gap between solving a problem and recognizing the solution. If P equals NP, then you could solve anything as easily as you could verify it. Fundamentally what it means is that if we can quickly check that a solution to a problem is correct then we can also solve the problem quickly. Hence anyone who could drive a vehicle could build one, and anyone who listen to a symphony could create it like a Mozart. It is crazy but that’s what it is.

Since it holds course over fate of humanity let us try to understand what exactly is this problem. It isn’t that difficult to understand. P stands for Polynomial time wherein number of computational steps grows as a power of number of variables rather than exponentially. What it really means is that we can predict the maximum amount of time it will take to solve the problem. P problem is therefore is easy and tractable, feasible to solve. Time to compute the solution is not out of reach. Solution is also easy to verify -that is, to check whether the answer is correct. So, a computer can solve a P problem in reasonable amount of time and also verify it instantly. Algorithm exists for its solution, and the number of steps is bounded by a polynomial function of n. Polynomial is ‘raised to the power’ or exponential which is also a number -hence bounded to time, this number is number of inputs to the problem, that is, number of steps algorithm needs to take is proportional to input size. NP stands for Non deterministic Polynomial time. Problems that can be verified in polynomial time but may take exponential number of steps to solve. What it means in simple terms is problems that take long time to calculate but short time to verify. Solution can be guessed or verified in polynomial time in a non deterministic way, that is, no particular rule is followed to make the guess. There are no formulae to predict how long it will take to solve a NP problem. The only way to solve the problem is to keep trying the answers until we find one that works. Time required to solve the problem using any currently known algorithm increases tremendously as the size of the problem increases hence it may take millions of years to find the solution using the available computational power. Therefore, NP problems are those whose answers are relatively easy to verify but there is no easy way to compute a solution. NP problems take time to solve but are easy to check once solved. The time taken to find solution grows exponentially as the size grows. Simple examples of these are puzzles. To solve the puzzle, you may have to use all your creativity and experience while verifying each step before finding the solution, and once solution is found verification can be done easily. Sudoku is an NP problem that takes time and effort to solve but once it is solved it is easy to check whether it is correct, and the time required to find solution increases exponentially as the game grid increases. Optimization problems, scheduling, designing or routing (travelling salesman problem) that searches for optimal solution are simple examples of NP problems that are easy to check or verify but difficult to solve. So, P and NP are complexity classes, it also includes NP Complete (NP-C), these classes are based on how difficult they are to solve.   

Some NP problems are found to be P problems. Like for instance Linear Programming problem was once classified as NP -as the number of steps increases exponentially with size of input, but polynomial time algorithm was discovered for linear programing showing it as P problem. Another example is that of testing whether a number is prime, this was NP class problem but in 2002 clever algorithm showed it to be P class problem. Hardest problem in NP, referred to as NP-C, are never shown in P. These problems are too hard to be solved with current methods. Interestingly if one of the NP-C can be shown to be in P then that means all NP-C are in P. So, P=NP essentially means; Can every problem in NP be solved in polynomial time? Can exponential time problems be solved in polynomial time? Are questions that are verified in polynomial time also solved in polynomial time? What it means is that every problem that can be verified quickly can also be solved quickly. This has profound implication as we can solve anything as easily as we can verify it. Finding solution becomes as easy as verifying that the solution is correct. This also brings in bigger question of how we decipher problems. Do we try to know and then figure it or do we work at the solution before finding it? And if P!=NP (N not equal to NP) then it means that some problems are beyond the ability of computers to solve even with tremendous computing power. Highly abstract nature of problem may need something more nuanced than brute computational power.  

PvsNP problem is essentially asking whether efficient solutions exist for complex problems or that some problems are inherently difficult to solve quickly. It also raises deeper questions on nature of knowledge, process of acquiring it and limitations of understanding. There is a view that PvsNP is a problem beyond mathematics, that the basic axioms that is accepted are not enough. Checking astronomical number of possibilities one by one will take millions of years even with brute computation force algorithm. We do not have any useful information, priori, to discriminate some solutions hence reduce the set and therefore are forced to iteratively work all the solutions. If deterministic digital computers have limitations, then what about quantum computers? Famously Shor has shown that some quantum computer algorithm is capable to solve NP problem in polynomial time. It is proved that large prime number based digital encryption could easily be decrypted by Shor’s algorithm hence the rush for post quantum cryptography (indeed public key codes that exploit asymmetry in encoding and decoding i.e. encoding is quick and decoding slow, are equally susceptible to P=NP solution). Shor’s algorithm was able to use quantum to exploit hidden structure existing in factoring. But we still don’t know whether such structures exist in NP-C problem. Furthermore, quantum computer taps on properties of matter that exist simultaneously in different states, and use these multiple states in parallel to explore different possibilities, the information is stored in spin of electron but the observer effect changes the result and also limit access. The difficulty to prove P=NP means that it is not possible to solve an NP-C problem. Just as Godel’s incompleteness theorem shows existence of unprovable theorems there may be intrinsically random problems that lacks logical scheme to solve quickly. Or is it that level of abstraction and complexity required to solve NP-C problems is difficult for human mind to comprehend or language to express? Our language to access reality seems to have shortcomings. Is the language game creating paradoxes that weaves away from nature, hence the difficulty in accessing? There is a reason why Turing was frustrated after listening to Wittgenstein lectures!  

So, the question essentially remains the same: How can we access the solution in polynomial time without going through exponential time frame search? Can we still zoom into solution where brute computation and quantum seems to fail? Does N!=NP points to limitation of human reasoning? Is this limitation of nature, as in, ‘laws of nature’? Does recent innovation in AI holds some value? It is clear that AI is limited by same constraints as humans, it cannot really solve problem that requires more resources than are available in physical universe. Importantly, complexity of PvsNP needs deep mathematical understanding and creative problem solving abilities which maybe beyond the capabilities of existing AI algorithms. They really cannot generate novel solutions as they imitate or reproduce existing proofs. Despite these negative prognosis and general cynicism AI do hold possibilities. There are enough examples of emergent abilities and capacity to detect patterns that is simply astounding. So, it is possible that AI can leverage massive amount of data, deep learning innovations and powerful computation to explore and extrapolate large and complex search spaces to come out with something entirely unexpected, or even efficient algorithm for NP-C problem. AI based evolutionary algorithm that function in Darwinian like natural selection are being adapted to learn from existing proofs and algorithms to generate new ones and solve complex problems. AI is already challenging exclusive human claim on thinking and access to rationality. And for some it has already blurred P=NP through DeepMind’s Alphafold by solving ‘protein folding problem’. Protein folding is an NP-C problem. For some AI didn’t really solve ‘protein problem’, since it didn’t work out any polynomial time algorithm. It is a optimal heuristic solution, and that protein probably did not fold to absolute minimum energy but to local minimum. Global minimum, or absolute minimum, potential energy is NP-C, and since polynomial time algorithm cannot solve, we have to assume that nature also cannot (otherwise it will take exponential time, and so nature is essentially inefficient!) hence it folds to local minimum and not absolute minimum. There is something serious amiss in this argument. Way back in 2004 there was an attempt to prove P=NP using soap bubble as a mechanism for analog computer. Soap bubble film naturally align to minimum energy configuration.

Universe is an uncertain entity. We live and evolve in the edge of chaos and are in constant loop with it. The problem could be the uncertainty and inability of limiting semantics and the complexities arising from fixed frame trying to contain dynamic chaos. I will put my money not on P=NP nor P!=NP  but on P~NP. The relation between polynomial time and exponential time is blurred by iterative inputs. Reality represents a frame that is flexible and dynamic, it can only be heuristic optimization. The pattern that is realized in verification as solution is momentary. To attribute this as optimal fixed is a mistake. Nature is alert in its loop with surrounding, and is rarely inefficient. If nature is deemed as inefficient since it is incapable to factor exponential into polynomial then it has to be about incapacity of semantics. If a brainless slime mold can produce dynamic optimal path within few hours, then we need to reevaluate our insight. If tiny insects can orchestrate ‘swarm intelligence’ to optimize resources without any supervision, then we need reevaluate how we view the world. Swarm intelligence is based on simple rules (P=NP) but it is flexible to dynamic changes, creative resourcing and heuristically optimized based on accumulated wisdom of evolution (N!=NP). It is complexity underlying simplicity of universe. The meaning and elegance in managing chaos. It zooms in on to solution working on complexity and abstraction of evolutionary intuition. Evolutionary algorithm is limited by narrow understanding of how nature evolved or what Darwin proposed. Much of nature has evolved through mutualism, symbiosis and heuristic partnering, and wisdom to minimize confrontation and optimize resources. What is needed is algorithm from nature to tap on millions of years embedded wisdom, to seek pattern. This then is the polynomial time algorithm working exponential in polynomial scale. If you listen to music you can attempt to create factoring your surroundings. With creative skills, experience and intuition you can be a good composer or with creative leap a great composer but you cannot be a Mozart. Every path is a unique solution to the time and space context of each.         

*while going through Chinese researchers using GPT for PvsNP I came across interesting prompt engineering that used Socratic questioning and reasoning to generate innovative responses. The problem with GPT is that if your prompt is not creative or cleverly engaging GPT tend to retrieve or regurgitate pre-existing answer or lapse into mainstream template. I found Socratic questioning simple and profound. Similarly, the way GPT learns language also intrigues me (by iterative approximation -essentially Wittgenstein, and not ideal meaning -Plato) it is also the way I learn language. So, I am not surprised GPT makes stupid mistakes!           

  

Dreading the El Nino spiked heat wave

 

The world has already entered unchartered zone of climate that is having detrimental effect on biodiversity this in turn is putting pressure on resilience of ecosystem eventually food security and survival of life. Democratic institutions and social cohesive values are facing severe pressure. Eventually vulnerable population will have to pay a heavy price while growthism extremist fatten themselves on carcass of arguments. In disparities driven poor societies desperate people will die in millions while millions more pushed into worst of living condition, and as expected these will be easily managed and manipulated into insignificant matter in the mainstream narration. Witness how ‘developed’ country with high standard of living and awareness like Britain is being dealt by utter scoundrels as politicians. It is not an accident, these are systemic, and these very deviant value systems severely damaged fledgling democracies of post-colonial exploited nations across the world, which in turn infected international institutions. If this is how critical institutions are framed then how will the world deal with existential threats? Feudal value systems were actively nurtured into democratic institutions reducing it to a farce, easily susceptible to nepotism, corruption and manipulation. From Africa and Asia, the extent to which sun never set, democratic institutions are being used for control and exploitation. Economists work out the detail while market media chisel the liberal sounding semantics for the audience while common people see the world collapse around them. The wanton colonial hypocrisy of rule of law by racist colonial monarchist christian civilizers became a compelling ideal for local charlatans. Hence democratic institutions and values of freedom and liberty were curtailed in the initiations itself. Egalitarian values are sidelined while humanitarian concerns dealt in posturing. Even amazing possibilities of technology is reduced to worst of dealing. Humans are actively sought to be dehumanized into herds for exploitation. Herds happily dull in Huxleyian entertainment while being told by guardian posers to fear Orwellian incursions. Distraction and manipulation, and containment, is how history repeats for herds. Charlatans worked critical debates as juvenile skirmishes of adolescents to keep the entertainment going. Attention economy is how homo sapiens have collectively worked to value itself.

There are enough signs that climate systems are collapsing faster than anticipated. Earth is heating at an unprecedented rate. As the Indian subcontinent moves towards summer this year El Nino is expected to make it worst. We are facing serious dangers of heat waves and forest fires. Though one hopes authorities are prepared but I really don’t see much action. Market media and herd controllers are excited about elections. Election Commission of India seems to be least concerned about plight of people, and expect them to come out to vote during heat wave conditions. It seems officials at EC are incapacitated to anticipate (like cricket wastrels surprised at rain in the venue during monsoon!). Understandable when all your life you were manipulating, conniving, genuflecting, for power and position. Mediocre society lacking intellectual class or tradition of probity or critical thinking also values these petty bureaucrats as reservoir of wisdom carefully emulating the template of colonial masters. COP28 cosmetic approach includes ‘cool pledge’, a ‘commitment’ to reduce climate impact of cooling sector and also universal access to life saving cooling. Meanwhile Heat Action Plan are only guidelines while NDMA initiated ‘Cool Roof’ seems to be the only action taken with some seriousness, ofcourse it is life saver in congested areas of cities, and will reduce heat island effect. Kerala has taken initiative to create cooling centers, but converting makeshift pandals into permanent structures in congested areas will need air-conditioning. AC/refrigeration already contributes to about 7% of GHGs, and then there is issue of continuous power generation during peak demand. What is needed is sustainable strategies. Before electric fans were introduced people in this region had many traditional methods to keep themselves cool that includes the way buildings were designed. These could be explored, like for instance, well ventilated high raised ceilings tend to be cooling. I read that some churches have shown enthusiasm to be converted into cooling centers, the way churches are designed provides natural cooling. Meanwhile citizens must make themselves aware of increasing temperature threshold of the region they are located in. They must take action to create off grid source of power as also natural ventilation and building design with vast resource of traditional knowledge and latest technology. Devious power structure will seek attention and keep you distracted as they amass and satisfy their ever burgeoning greed. When push comes to shove -as it happened during pandemic, you will be abandoned in the streets to die. Beware people retrieve your humanity from the herd. Technology is offering transparency and with collective action much can be worked out.

*In the low-lying regions where water logging has become frequent people have started to construct adaptive buildings. This I saw on my walk.

                  

 

Understanding

When you realize your being

has started the preparation to seep into timeless.

The carbons, the hydrogens, the oxygens…

loosen their grip on miracle.

The joyous bouquet of warblers decides to disperse

into their lonely way.

Withering senses too weak to show its final gratitude

for the marvel of chance.

You close your eyes in reverence

for all that was shared

as the setting sun dims the scene.

   

Education that murders

 

Youngsters all across the country face severe stress through what was expected to be fun filled fulfillment of awareness of the world and nurturing of critical thinking and compassion. Literacy is easy, education is difficult. Education needs commitment for better world. It needs ever evolving collaboration between educators and students to create individuals with conscience and inquisitiveness to strive for truer perception of reality. Education is an attempt to create better human being. Over the years best minds across the world have delved on it. Despite these efforts education system in much of the world is stuck in worst of possibilities, trapped by devious minds to create compliant individuals and an instrument of indoctrination. It has worked as supply chain for greed and puppet for bigger use. While primitive religions want to capture impressionable mind into its dehumanizing horror with a meagre claim of morals, market is hunting for cogs to fit for productivity. One elderly industrialist even wants youngsters to work more than 70hours per week. What is this work and how it impacts well being of individuals is not his concern. Like life education can never really be goal oriented -this goal oriented nonsense is spread by crass market and devious religions to trap humans into narrow frame of dealing so as to control. It is designed to keep plebs occupied in narrow frame. Goal removes the possibilities of education. Uninhibited learning, and indeed delearning, understanding and further research in areas of interests, is the intend. So that young mind discovers his or her inedible presence in the diverse world and an increased awareness of intricate life giving systems as also possibilities of latest technologies and wise understandings from thoughtful people. This vibrant mind then can be attuned to narrow purpose as and when needed -and shouldn’t be mistaken for goal, it is an iterative awareness of what is needed to be done. Thankfully new education policy has removed words like examination and fail from its vocabulary. Continued flexible student centric assessment and analyzing learning is being suggested.

Unfortunately, the beggar minded society values education as a means for acquiring money, power and security, and not as an outcome but the very reason to educate. For majority of desperate people, in this unjust nepotism driven corrupt world with acute poverty and characteristic middle class insecurities, this surely is true and they end up as dehumanized lives chasing little world they are eternally trapped in. When this becomes defining parameters of society is where the problem is. Education therefore becomes goal oriented for gains, and the worst of people pose as motivators to attune impressionable minds and hapless people into this crude value system as eternal calling. Exams are conducted with much fanfare -the absurd nature of these competitions doesn’t really check the innate strength or ingenuity (indeed the best educationists have questioned the stupid questions they ask, as also the exaggerated IITs are tech coolies striving for status quo world and gaining from opportunities herein to write success stories for herds back home. It is the worst evaluation of education where humans are reduced to pawns. Ofcourse there are some who gain from better education understanding in West). The failure of education, and with it potential of human, has much to do with this increasingly crass control that is encroaching into core of humanity. The beggar minded society stampeding to authenticate itself through increasingly meaningless competitions ties itself in knots and strangulates itself. The beauty of life is taken away and the confused alienated youngsters are evaluated on ugliness of society. Either they systematically degrade themselves into this ugliness and goal orient for power, prestige and money, and keep striving as best of herd and act as role model for crass world, or else face the most important question there is: whether to live? The goal oriented values and crude education system doesn’t really factor the awareness of vastness of life and essential existential absurdity. Sisyphus therefore has to suicide.  

What is truly heartbreaking in this suicide note, apart from the soul wrenching innocence, is that the teenaged girl has chosen to write this extremely emotional last message to loved ones in a language that she is evidently not comfortable in. It points to deeper alienating factors, including likely lack of communication with people around. The desolate last line “this is the only option left” -a matter of fact evaluation of life by young mind, is a failure of society at many levels. It should shudder human conscience.     

 A nation awaits

...there is a mirthful contentment in this ethereal face. Hope it brings the same to millions of believers and make the world a better place. Om shaantih. Let there be peace.

ॐ द्यौः शान्तिरन्तरिक्षं शान्तिः

पृथिवी शान्तिरापः शान्तिरोषधयः शान्तिः ।

वनस्पतयः शान्तिर्विश्वेदेवाः शान्तिर्ब्रह्म शान्तिः

सर्वं शान्तिः शान्तिरेव शान्तिः सा मा शान्तिरेधि ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om Dyauh Shaantir-Antarikssam Shaantih

Prthivii Shaantir-Aapah Shaantir-Ossadhayah Shaantih |

Vanaspatayah Shaantir-Vishvedevaah Shaantir-Brahma Shaantih

Sarvam Shaantih Shaantir-Eva Shaantih Saa Maa Shaantir-Edhi |

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||

Meaning:

Om, Peace is in Sky; Peace is in Space (between Earth and Sky);

Peace is in Earth; Peace is in Water; Peace is in Plants;

Peace is in Trees; Peace is in Gods (presiding over the various elements of Nature); Peace is in Brahman (Absolute Consciousness);

Peace is pervading everywhere; Peace alone (which is outside) is in Peace (which is inside); May you be (established in) that Peace (and make your life fulfilled);

Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.

  

On the home stretch

So there is a realization by pretentious controllers of narrations that charlatan's "election lie is working" or, in a carefully calibrated sentence, "lie has become an article of faith for his supporter". Is there a surprise? Isn't it the same framework for religions? That you create system of belief with little bit of profound thoughts -by enlightened souls in the limited context of the times they lived that seek answer to spiritual yearnings, insecurities/unknown, an attempt to ameliorate miseries of common people, some bit of empathy, but much load of crap from the context of cave people, primitive values of barbarians, adamantly elevated as ultimate unquestionable truth to degrade contemporary reality. These are then nurtured by devious herd controllers as sacred right while uncouths eat into liberal values and humanistic concerns, as also negate evolved sensibilities of the contemporary. Feudal values and ascriptive entitlements feed the worst to degrade the society so as to cleverly take attention from themselves or furiously position as stabilizing force against chaos of ‘democracy’, as benign presence overseeing humanity at a terrible cost. They systematically solidify foundation of nepotism, cronyism and hypocrisy that persistently work against liberty and freedom -ideals that enrich democracy and liberal values. They trap people in cunning talks using semantics of high concern and emoting appropriate emotions all the while amassing power, money and clout. "Lies that work", indeed fantastical fiction, through miracle books, scriptures, holy texts, self-righteous moral sickness, "articles of faith" -all of which essentially comes with amazing level of nuisance to create misery to common people while seeking to guide, encouraging them to be unthinking, preventing awareness of evolving reality or atleast be empathetic. They create sociopaths with grand views of the world and essential exceptionalism of being the best followers or that their god or godforsaken holy books/faith/tradition are the best, religious supremist viciously compete.

With foundation of hypocrisy, they tarnish best of intentions, whether against racism or encouraging diversity, by playing for gallery -that they usurped as woke. Their concern is always to win debate and appear from the woodwork on every occasion to play unsolicited savior to consolidate gain at the expense of common people. It is the deep sense of hopelessness and anguish which they leave in their wake that charlatans like Trump are able to capitalize. It is a matter of grave concern that likes of Trump are belligerently usurping space of collective insecurities of societies across the world while decrepit Bidens of the world arrogantly cling to power, trapped in their own version of grand past as a poignant metaphor for collective helplessness of collapsing world and real time horror show for humanity (Biden is a nice man, he must realize the gravity of the situation). Nothing seems to reflect the diming reality or existential threats faced by common people, in the turn of sentence there is entertainment value but no attempt at discerning the truth, in the competing binaries they have fallen through the crack of debating points. Like headless chicken they cluck towards anyone who excites their emotions and keep their illusion intact.  

 With feudal values they nurtured nepotistic control -that is reflected in religion and neo liberal capitalism, entrenched hypocrisy degraded semantics of dealing which was easily usurped by devious charlatans to impress people. Words like ‘liberal’ ‘diversity’ so on, even facts, don’t mean anything -and we wait with increasing trepidation on what form of assault latest technology is going to unleash into this context of degrading dehumanizing world, while egalitarian values and democratic intents are no show and hooted out as boring. Charlatans play the high decibel entertainment of fantastical fiction that religion impressed and neo liberal extended. Isn't market capitalism the same 'lie that is working'? It is becoming increasingly clear that nature is no longer able to take this lie that is embellished in the fantasy of unlimited choices in unlimited world of luxury. This lie doesn't include majority of people nor is it based on values that encourage critical thinking or sustainable living or empathy. The lie of hedonism and wanton consumption packed as liberal values and democratic choices hinging progress and development. Tenets of capitalism, like religion, has become “article of faith” that cannot be questioned as the world spiral into doom. Indeed, there is an urgent need to modify capitalism to fast evolving reality, and how nations are valued for 'development' and investment, and individual evaluated for worth. This seems to be more urgent than IPCC CoP meets -that is seriously compromised by market capitalism and neo liberal assault. First sort out the system. If you are going to work within the same system that seeks consumption as well as conservation then it really cannot work. Simple use of intellectual faculty will tell that these are contradictory. Most sane people know that urgent action at international level is needed but the system will not allow it, they cannot even agree on ‘phase out’ fossil fuel. Unless something like "sustainable capitalism", oxymoronic it may sound, is worked out then this is really the home stretch for much of humanity while psychopaths amass to control and detach. Economists and policy makers must come together to evolve the economic system -that is breaking the living world, anew into a generative economics with life systems at the core. We cannot have economic system that reflects the destructive ‘growth model’ of 20^th century and expect to face emerging challenges that has absolutely no precedence. If the core is rotten no amount of COPs matters, they will fail terribly. The fixation that economic stability is what that matters for political or social stability is being seriously questioned. Unless economic system reflects what is valued the make believe will collapse. Resilience of biodiversity is reducing with degrading habitat and vanishing species. Life cannot bail out.   

Free will and nature of reality

There is/there is no/ free will.

Do we decide what we do? Ofcourse, we do. We are also responsible for what we do. We are not primitives decided by fate or herd manipulated by systems or animals driven by instinct. This question is seen as an insult by most, and affront to their self. There is though complexities involved. Is what we decide decided by us? Human beings pride themselves for free will unlike animals who are motivated to action by desires and instinct. Humans have intellectual capacity to pause their instinct to deliberate and to choose with their free will. The question though is: Is this decision really based on free will? Answer is as complex as life itself. Many philosophers assert that there is no such thing as free will. It is an illusion. We are driven by chance, or atleast choices are significantly shaped by forces that are outside our control. While scientific insight into human neural circuitry points to decision already in action before our free will -that is our mind, has even decided. We feel we have decided but a subconscious process has already begun before conscious self claim the free will. Brain activity can predict a choice before conscious decision is taken. Indeed, UN has even created framework to protect neuroright as human right. Brain data is valued.   

Schopenhauer, one of the world’s prescient philosopher whose ideas have influenced thinking of best minds over centuries, asserted that humans have no free will. Human decisions are determined by body’s reactions to stimuli and causes, and motives. Schopenhauer famously wrote that “we can do what we want to do, but we cannot choose what we want”, and what we want is determined by our nature, evolutionary pressures and contexts, causal factors beyond human control. For free will to exhibit it must be determined by nothing at all. Since that seems an impossibility does that mean that free will is a lost cause, and that we are, for all our pretentions, predetermined? He however adds that with deliberation relative free will is possible, which brings about a relative freedom from an immediate determination to action. Even one of the most vibrant mind Einstein admitted “I claim credit for nothing. Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control”. Einstein adds “I believe in intuition and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am”. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited while imagination encircles the world. What emerges from brief analysis of these two brilliant minds is that free will is restricted and needs nothing -no influence, to exhibit, while intuition and imagination better approximates what is expected from free will in a given situation. So, although free will is controlled by forces beyond human control a combination of knowledge, imagination, intuition, and awareness of nothingness, makes the probabilities of thought overlapping free will a high possibility, hence human assertion over unknown factors to decipher the nature of reality.

This gap between decision and free will is the fertile ground that determines how human mind evaluates the world and assert its indelible presence. It is difficult to know whether decision is based on free will, we can only intuit, we feel “we are right” and only know when the decision is made. This decision is free will. If you intend to know free will it vanishes. The intention destroys the free will. Since we know that there are unknown variables, indeed unknowable variables -as the world is limitless, but we also are aware that these variables are quantified or addressed when the decision is highest estimation of reality. Free will is what we decide. At quantum level the world is made up of probabilities of event, binaries are exhibited when we observe. Non quantifiable reality vanishes in this observation. To grasp reality is therefore essentially play of words. We don’t take decision through matrix of binaries but complexities of increasing probabilities for free will to align to the intricate realities we face. This kind of high probable estimation of reality can happen when subconscious is cultivated in nothingness, what Schopenhauer refers to as “determined by nothing at all”, -so that all fiction driven reality denying externalities of culture, tradition, influences, habits, reactions so on are negated. You have to keep an open frame of mind receptive to senses, knowledge, and imagination that ensues. There are no goals, as goals create intent hence influences the reality into narrow frame thus away from nothingness that compose much of reality. It’s an awareness of not trying to get anything out of life. What saint Lao Tzu -a constant source of wonder for best minds, keep emphasizing wei wu wei -do not do. In this fertile purposelessness there is an awareness that acts without acting, action by inaction. (Hindu seer’s ‘detached action’ is coopted into devious overwhelming degradation without meditative quality or deeper meaning with nothingness -it works in the frame of ‘duty’). Meditation equips to connect deeper nature of reality, and all the wise people beginning with Buddha have emphasized on leaving mind in its state with nature. The presence. Here and now. Just be, the being that is human. Shoonyatha. Lack of desire must be understood from this context, and not negation of life. “Don’t try”, you don’t try to create, write a poem (Bukowski) or work your imagination. Creation originates from accumulated thoughts, actions and experiences, but can near aesthetics of art and expression of creator in stillness. Scientific/technological/philosophical/artistic expressions of quality nurtured in this vacuum before finding practical/objective ways of expressions (this intent of action is the appearance of objective reality or goal, it collapses all the possibilities into action in awareness). This is also how species evolve. More you travel without purpose more you are aware; it is an iteration for deeper self with reality. Aim of music is to listen. Art is to watch. Dance is to dance. Sing is to sing. There is no goal, not winning or to be best, it limits, the moment it is judged it is lost, loses the presence hence cannot produce. It is a quantum reality. Miraculous Kabir looks beyond nothingness, the observer is the ego, the observation tarnishes the reality with its projection. To have goal is to conform your will thus reducing your humanity -this precisely what systems like market and religion has done. Religion tries to equate awareness into its staid futile ways by obfuscating the semantics of faith and fate into rational and vibrant. They create fear of ‘unknown’ and manipulate immense as ‘power’. They degrade humanity into its lowest denominator. Power creates and controls binary of success and failure, hell and heaven, leading to predictable and replication of past. It grants favour/boon/blessing to control fate denying the everyday complexities and surprises of life. Goal degraded market value system create hierarchy of merit to pander and perpetuate the system/program without adding anything meaningful. Striving for narrowest estimation for highest gain. These impresses herd into limited controlled imaginations hence overwhelming mediocrity.

So how to have awareness and senses attuned to give high probable estimation of reality for meaningful response or decision or as Einstein says “I sometimes feel that I am right”. A society that intrinsically value excellence will be better placed than an ignorant malevolent one. Russell proposes an ‘intellectual culture without emotional atrophy’. Intelligence needs to be cultivated, it is alert curiosity, an aptitude for acquiring knowledge, an open minded and inviting mind. He values courage as “impersonal outlook on life”, that something which takes us beyond self without effort, where instinct is free and intelligent is active. “Perfection of courage is found in the man of many interests, who feels his ego to be small part of the world, not by despising himself, but through valuing much that is not himself.” Love, knowledge and art holds possibilities for impersonal life. Pleasure of being alive and inquisitive to surrounding will by its very nature make it easy for objective study of situation.

Truth is eternal to the approximation of our reality. It is not flawed but not entire. We can only attempt to understand. This humble realization is the wisdom on which we strive everyday reality and the possibilities, and very likely, awareness of better future, a larger truth that encompasses more. A deeper pattern of reality, a better understanding. Perceptive writers like Szymborska refer ‘i don’t know’ as an emphasis to our eternal humility, an apprehension of mystery that we are part. Camus brings in vacuousness hence the beginning of awareness of human condition, the absurdities that create path for comprehending complexities. This moral vacuum is what modern human faces when ‘god is dead’ hence an opportunity to explore emergent reality using critical mind without restrictive priori.

 

These days I die everyday

 

Have you decided to be

Not to be

Close your eyes

Close your mind

Close.

Pause. 

Each person is a memory erased

From collective, from your life

From breezy stillness of the afternoon

From chatter of the weekend.

From Ukraine, from Gaza

From pain on the streets and homes

Fresh memories and old stories

Life is no more future

It is paused to past

Reason don’t hold

Love not in meaning

Anguish missed by the audience

They seek distraction from every desperation

That falls from the sky.

Settling smoke

Engulf

What is left of life.

(they will appear they say, in thoughts, in dreams, in memories, in their favorite dress, requesting desired meal or prepare it for you and ask you to wait while fret for missing ingredient, saying chosen lines that kept them happy, glad and alive)

  

 

Matter of aukat

 

Social media is ignited by arrogance of a dimwitted Indian bureaucrat. The cog of the system created by racist brutal colonial masters as an efficient mechanism to exploit and control the people and land. So while the lawyers and left out feudals (desperately trying to capitalize on angst as conscientious souls) played freedom fighting many youngsters of the depraved society lacking ethical context were trying to get into racist bureaucracy to be conduit in colonial exploitation and lessons from racist values of exceptionalism to equate caste cannibalism and authenticate blessing -meanwhile in S.Africa a cud chewing purity seeking lawyer cringe even groveled to the racist colonizers to not club his blessed self with African black ‘indolent savages’ -in his infected mind native brutalized Africans had less "aukat" compared to white skin racist exploiters.

Aukat is a term that loosely translate to status or stature in english which is as expected inaccurate since it removes the derogatory intent and sociocultural value system. Aukat is much depraved as it carries the debauched context of primitive society hence loses the meaning in translation, and so caste cannibals easily take patronizing western fattened fluffs for bull ride of egalitarian oasis blessed by mahatmas and pandits. Few centuries back aukat was ordained by devious squatters from sanctum and distributed to bidders. Nincompoops posing as rulers queued up to be authenticated by wastrels so as to control the herd by playing on their faith and insecurities until ofcourse reality struck and were eviscerated in attack, sanctum ransacked and squatter hung on the nearest pole while people went about their fate. Britishers encouraged this crave for ‘intelligent equals’ hence to get into the colonial system, it also kept substantial population of youth from revolting against racist colonizers -they needn’t have worried nincompoops had already placed themselves into elevated next to white people over common people. Caste cannibalism had much in common with racism, they sought parity and pride. It was easy for racist brutes to play on the egos of primitives through titles and cheap sundries hence extend control without much resistance. Aukat was now distributed by racist colonizers. Bureaucrats, as carrier of colonizers legacy, were deemed as having high aukat that expected common people to supplicate. Mere cog in machine who were expected to implement policy, on whom intellect was lost, were valued as intelligent and knowledgeable by primitive society. 

 These have percolated into the degraded society. Hence dimwit egoist bureaucrats are marker of intelligence for hapless people, unathletic cricketers as sports, nepotistic mediocre movie makers as artist lacking aesthetics or sense of exquisite or deeper meaning, producing art as sentimental to nurture superficial thinking, fickle minds and loose values, cronyism and consumerism as business, herd controller opportunistic cheapskate as local leader. There is least concern for common good but ulterior motive and greed. It is all neatly packed as wonderous diverse society. Meanwhile humbleness is practiced as competitive sports with scores, slights and mishaps keenly recorded as defining factors for future dealing. Humility is not for desire to respect but self abasement to acquire credit, sharpening hypocrisy by falsifying basic human instinct. Self obsessed essentially mediocre in attribute and gross in attitude most are acutely aware of their lack hence stampede for power, position, money, award, records…to authenticate their aukat over teeming herd.

In an evolved society intelligence is inquisitiveness and awareness for better world while bureaucrat minor facilitators, sports display of athletic prowess and delight of physical possibilities and not money manipulation for lowest denominator herd entertainment, artistic expressions hold meaning and insight, innovation in latest technology is business model, enlightened ways and empathy is representation. Aukat hinges on degraded pattern of crude that salivates for more power, more money, bigger records, higher position, glittering awards…constant salivation, fear of oblivion, ego and pride as meaning of life and transactional human relation as attribute. Highest, biggest, largest, tallest, richest… are aspiration model. In the aukat defined world even size of chair is a defining moment and essential lesson to the herd to keep them in their place i.e. aukat.                         

On meditative stillness

So I was trying to find some good writers to read. Reading is an investment of time, presence and effort; hence you have to choose carefully as if your life depends on it or else do not read, go for a walk or hang upside down, just don’t degrade yourself by reading mediocre nonsense that forms much of writing these days. Crass stampede to get attention, they demean the medium as also devalue humanity. Your presence is important to life don’t disregard by participating in the orgy of degradation, the sickness that invades the soul if you are not discerning and vigilant. Your attention is precious to your being. As I was meticulously flipping through website to anchor on to the best of writers I was in presence of remarkable human being and a brilliant writer. I really haven’t heard of Harry Martinson before, and so here I was trying to find more of his writing. Harry Martinson was a Swedish writer and poet. He was an orphan who had a tough life, while a teenager he ran away from foster home and picked up odd menial jobs. He eventually got a job as a stoker labor, shoveling coal into the boilers firebox to power the engine of the ship -the same that was used in steam engine of railways that some of us have seen in old movies. This one of the poems that I happen to read:  

The Cable Ship

We fished up the Atlantic Cable one day 

between the Barbados and theTortugas,

held up our lanterns

and put some rubber over the wound in its back,

latitude 15 degrees north, longitude 61 degrees west.

When we laid our ear down to the gnawed place

we could hear something humming inside the cable.

"It's some millionaires in Montreal and St John

talking over the price of Cuban sugar, and ways to

reduce our wages", one of us said.

For a long time we stood there thinking, in a circle of lanterns,

we're all patient cable fishermen,

then we let the coated cable fall back

to its place in the sea.

His poems reflected deep humanism and care for nature. One of his noted works is an epic poem, a profound science fiction titled Aniara -a spacecraft in which people are escaping to mars from a destroyed earth and is knocked off course into deep space oblivion, it has been adapted into opera and recently a movie. What is remarkable about this poem is profound ideas of science and technology into human frailties and a prescient understanding of life. What is much more remarkable is that Martinson was self-taught, didn’t have much schooling nor stable childhood, indeed after working in ships -that took him to far off  places, he suffered from lung problems and had to abandon his job and ended up living as a vagabond on country roads, he was even arrested for vagrancy. That he was able to produce high quality work of evolved sensibilities points to not only his remarkable resilience but also the context of society that nurtures best ideas and expressions despite worst of circumstances.

Meditative stillness is unique evolution of human mind and relatively rare communion of society. It is not chance or providence but unique characteristic that is patterned in ideas, freedom and expressions that leads to stillness, a deeper involvement with life. Political and economic stability plays a significant role but isn’t the defining. Ancient Greeks and Egyptians are examples in its varying and unique expression of thoughts and aesthetics that survived in unique strands to emerge as and when society stills and individual meditates. Societies were not egalitarian but majority enjoyed spaces that had access to meditative stillness. This stillness is not satisfaction but absence of crave. It is inquisitive awareness of human condition necessarily hinged on compassion. Primitive societies survive on fear and crave, they herd to exist. Even with material comfort and economic security they are trapped in their pathetic life of want and control. Individual minds remain putrid pits while society becomes sinkhole that attract the worst. Much of world is trapped in this vicious state, and any number of opportunities of modern technologies and egalitarian options is wasted. Their occupations are daily struggles of negation of life and possibilities. Their crude expressions and stale ideas nurture crass entertainments of want and inspiration for crave.  

Much of framework for human enterprise and progress stems from meditative stillness that seeps into all forms of human expressions and thoughts. It needs constant strive to reach this luxury of stillness. For hundreds and thousands of years nature provided this stillness for life to thrive. This created brilliant expressions of biodiversity. With consciousness human mind reach meditative state. Very few regions of the world have achieved this evolved state that a self-taught man living in worst of condition could produce such astounding expression of subtlety and finesse. Such spaces are precious. Ofcourse in the last few years virtual world has created such spaces that is accessible from all across the world. 

Harry Martinson also happened to visit Bombay (now Mumbai India) in 1920s while his ship was docked for few days. His observation in those few hours that he spent in Mumbai is a testament to sensibilities that I rarely find in Indian writers who spent lifetime in putrid pit lacking compassion or connection with life except as patronizing or self-justifying redemption of miserable life cloaked in blessing. Martinson writes “Sometimes my whole being shudders at the inconceivability of the throng, at the unimaginability of the multitude of sights”. There is poignant mention of his witnessing ‘dancing girls’ on the streets, compassion as he documents his observations. “Small groups of dancers, the youngest of the dancing girls not more than five years old at the most, wild, tormented, ecstatic, most of the time commanded by an old man, continuously shouting and threatening, ugly and repulsive: a sensational and upsetting contrast to the slender beauty of the whirling little dancers” Martinson writes “Bells are ringing wildly on the ankles of the tiny ballet dancers. He, the ugly one, shouts when the dance shall go over into acrobatics, and the tiny ones go backwards on their hands and feet, their bellies pointing up towards the sky. He shouts, as if he wanted to kill them, and they throw their legs up as they dance on, standing on their hands while he, with a murderous expression, plays on a monotonously humming string instrument; with the form of a fish and the appearance of a museum specimen, prehistorically evil”.... “What if John Bauer had seen you, dear little heart. How happy he would have been. John Bauer was our great fairy tale painter. He drowned in a long, spool-shaped lake called Vättern. He would have painted a dark picture of you, deep as a fairy tale. You would be sitting on an enormous lingonberry tuft within the woods of Holaved, blinking with your eyes, as dark as a wood-mere, so that the mere itself would rumble like thunder down in its mud, rumble out of envy”. Martinson pays money to the man to stop the exploitation, and writes that he wanted to hurt the man but avoided such a confrontation as he was concerned for the girls. “I could never be that cruel, not even if I was so angry with both the entire Brahminism and the vast constipation of the English lord system”. With this prescient line he was able to put his finger on the pulse of this degraded depraved society that generations of mediocre Indian writers nurtured to control narration lacked in moral capacity. And if you glimpse through the literary awards, you will see this urge to control narration as also nepotism of squatter camaraderie breeding the most mediocre but with high sense of self-worth of blessed gift. Like everything else most Indian writers are embarrassment. That they couldn’t sufficiently appreciate writers of caliber, like say, Mohd Basheer speaks of beggar minds haggling for next meal while stampeding for power and connections. Here artists are cheapskates who create slum cakes while marketeers define art. Mediocre nurture crass to justify itself.        

Rain dance

All the gods are dead and dying

They murder each other in astounding spectacle

Collections of stone tools to silicon tools

Array on mourning scenes

The shifting facts and fictions

Folklore don’t hold the sensible

Bushman writhe in pain

His skin burns with koalas

His legs scorch into bones of kangaroos

It doesn’t make any sense

The dead and dying

Puebloans raise to dance

They thump their legs in great rhythm of the lives

They invoke the gentle dead in rain clouds

They rise through the trees

To keep the world safe.

condolences

 Immense loss

....

The race industry is a growth industry.

We despairing, they careering.
They're looking for victims and poets to rent.
They represent me without my consent.

...

They take our sufferings and earn a salary.
Steal our souls and make their documentaries.
Inform daily on our community.
Without Black suffering they'd have no jobs.
Without our dead they'd have no office.
Without our tears they'd have no drink.
If they stopped sucking we could get justice.
The coconuts are getting paid.

... 

("The coconuts have got the jobs" Benjamin Zephaniah)

https://x.com/Channel4News/status/1732725249727254786?s=20

This interview clearly points out vast world of difference between african immigrant/black refugee to UK and south asian feudal/caste cannibal migrant to West.