A theory is a battlefield in your head. –Murakami (Kafka on the shore)

A theory is a system of ideas that we use to explain something and is used as a frame of reference for analyzing the event. Theories are often modified based on subsequent events and new theories are a result of this evolution. The explanations that aim to prove or disprove theories are called hypothesis.

Theories are constantly under fire and can at any point be disproven by a single fact not aligning with the theory. This unstable nature of theories is essential to maintain the flexibility of our understanding of the world so that unexpected phenomenon can be assimilated into our understanding of the world.

The era after the industrial revolution was one of tremendous change and the theories and philosophies of old could not be used to explain a lot of the changes that were taking place. This resulted in the birth of several new philosophies. The present era shows signs of a similar dramatic change being in the offing. The rising discontent with religions, the increased information availability and utilization and the threat of climate change has changed the thinking of the younger generation compared to that of the previous generation.

The exposure to information that would otherwise be unavailable due to the usage of the internet and newer methods of communication has added new dimensions to everything from personal relationships to scientific thinking. This has created a discord in the standards of societal conduct that are used by different generations. The doors of research which earlier limited researchers to those scholars who spent years poring over books to uncover a single new fact have been thrown open for anyone who has access to the internet and time enough for a few searches. 

Information is no longer limited, but knowledge of how to use it is.The systems put in place for information dissemination which was required earlier have not adapted to the newer needs of the people and are now a barrier to the advancement of science.The gap in thinking between the people that control the systems and those who use them has resulted in systems that target the wrong theories.The framework of thought that is built up is redundant by the time the person comes out of the system and tries to apply them.

The battlefield of the modern world has changed, but the weapons haven’t. 

Diwali - The Festival of Lights

Where there is light, there is darkness

Lalitha ran to the puja room on hearing her mother’s voice and asked “What do you want me to do mom?” It was the eve of Diwali and her mom was leaving no stone unturned in making it a grand celebration. The festival of lights is celebrated with great fervor in the country of India and is celebrated to mark the killing of the demon king Ravana. Celebrated by wearing new clothes,  bursting crackers and adorning the house in lights, it is a day of celebration and joy for the vast majority of people.

But this year was different; Lalitha did everything that was told by her mother but she didn’t feel the surge of happiness and excitement she usually felt at this time of the year. Her father was working extra hours during the festival at his new job as a clerk at a jeweler’s shop to accommodate the festival rush and for the first time, there would be no fireworks at home either due to what happened the last time.

Amidst all the running around, she finally found a few minutes and gratefully took the opportunity and went to sit on the steps in front of her house reminiscing about the last year's celebration, She and her 7 year old brother were bursting crackers together with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood when a stray rocket exploded near her brother’s leg burning it and making him paranoid of any and all fireworks.
This year, he refused to step outside his bedroom and sat there huddled with their pet dog, Alex.The poor thing, this has always  been a hard time for him, the smoke and the noise from all the crackers which is almost overpowering for us, one can only imagine what it is like for something a hundred times more sensitive to it. It was a sight she did not like seeing but there was nothing any of them could do and with her father away at work, there wasn’t anyone to comfort them either. Hearing her name called again, she stood up, took a longing look at her friends' houses and ran back in.

It was the evening and she could see the kids coming out of their house and the air starting to get denser with smoke as the smell assaulted her nostrils. Through the smoke she could the other kids in the neighborhood bursting crackers, and pulling pranks on each other “who can say when what can go wrong”.

Dreams, Reality and Surreality

The onset of vacations is a surrealistic experience. Not only is it something that is awaited for and dreamt about for the better part of the previous month but in cases of an isolated campus like mine, its a mind twisting, dramatic experience.

The hype surrounding the last working day lived upto, the last night on campus survived, the train ride to the city in a coach so packed that several seniors spend their last train ride home standing, completed and then begins the wait for the flight to a place so different that it seems like another world.

The first day at home, I wake up lost and take few seconds to reestablish my bearings, the next  few days at home are spent sleeping, eating and generally doing nothing, a hangover from the last few days on campus spent in frantic preparation for exams, trips, farewells et al.  The next thing I know, I lose all track of time and college memories as I spend all my waking time planning for the next event to attend or the next person to meet. The first day at college is as dramatic a shift and all memory of what I did at home is lost and all focus shifts to events on campus which drives me to the central theme of this post.

In what context do I define myself?