I wish i could be wisest

I wish i could be wisest, but until i become one (remote possibility), i prefer to be foolish.

I wish i could behave like a grown-up, but until it comes naturally to me, i prefer to be like a child.

I wish i could write little better (particularly my posts here), i can just copy here, copy there and sound like a thinker. I wanted to be original but not a photocopy. Until it comes naturally to me, i prefer to stay foolish & half-baked.


But the point is, i like to be looked at as a fool and i feel so proud to be such a fool.

Now, it is Brain Rules

For the next few weeks, i m going to read two books which i think will have great impact.

I have already wrote about the book Predictably Irrational here and here. (not in an any journal or magazine, these links are below the current post :-)) I feel that i should read the book again at slightly slower pace.

I just read a chapter in another book which i found equally fascinating and has great insights. The book "Brain Rules" by John Medina. The book talks about various principles on how to keep our brain fit. I think, the book will be useful for those of us who use it. So, first, i got to use my brain in next few weeks and all the principles and then come here to write another review.

If you want to hear the author, here is the website and videos.

Brain Rules Introduction from Pear Press on Vimeo.

If you have noted, both the books are written by researchers and you could see all their points are backed by solid research.

Hope that i start using my brain from next year and then rule it :-)

Simplification and Generalization in Problem Solving

You scatter toy towers of varying heights on the floor and ask some five old kid to arrange the towers in increasing order of heights. Most likely, he is going to knock of the puzzle. His first problem (and yours) will be understanding the problem - what needs to be done. Once he understands, he will complete the puzzles with your help here and there.After sometime, you ask him to sort toy circles in increasing order to circumference. Most likely he is going to finish off this taking lesser time than his previous. 

Both the instances are specialization of sorting - a basic algorithm that is known to human being. Human beings were sorting objects in life much before sorting algorithms were put forth. All those sorting were merely specializations and they work in specific scenarios but not all. Rather than saying it won't for all scenarios it is better to say that it was not tried having "all scenarios" in mind.

It is when we think about "all scenarios" we forget the specifics and the properties that is unique to the given problem and start to think about the "commonalities". When we think about "commonalities" we abstract ideas/concepts and bring many levels of abstraction based on the "commonalities". The specifics that are known at the time of abstraction forms as a boundary condition for abstraction. So, it is also very important to think widely about a specialization so as to make the abstraction more flexible & accommodative. Moving from specialization to a broader generalization is possible only when we simplify the problem domain and think about "many scenarios".

In order to understand the problem, you have to travel towards specialization and in order to solve it after understanding it requires simplification and generalization (and for achieving this you have travel further in time, by time i mean experience).

In next post, we will see some of the ideas on generalization from neuroscience's point of view.

Beat The Best

This is just a wild imagination. If this resembles anyone or anything in the real world, i can't be held responsible. See, all the thoughts originate from you and you are responsible. :-)

How to beat the best? Best in what? how do you decide what you do is a thing that you feel great when you are best at it? Is it only thing to be best at or Are there many things that are so interesting? If there are so many things why did you choose the thing you are doing and trying to be best in it? Is it choice you made or did you take it because there is no one else willing to do that or you have options? If no one else is willing, then being the best is so easy because you are the only one who is doing that. In some way, it is always easier to beat the best. Being the best in the industry for quality, being the best in the industry in X, being the best in the industry in Y and the best list goes on. These days, you ll get enough media support for creating a sensation (out of nothing).

Rather than that, be best of yourself and beat your best everyday. Evolution is nature.

Be On The Right Side And Be Responsible For That

Be on the right side and most importantly be responsible for it. Let us get back to the story.

One of the friends who loaned 1000 rupees (just after his graduation) just reflects on his life. It is just a year since he graduated. He sees that the money he borrowed has become1080 with interest. He puts himself in a time machine and he is at the 11th year. His loan has become 2158 bucks, he throttles 10 more years in time machine and his loaned amount has become 4660 bucks and a final push to 40 years in time machine, his loan has become 21.7K. He feels not so bad because it is a time machine. After stepping from the time machine, he just zooms to his bank and pays 1080 bucks for the loan he borrowed and he invests another 1000 bucks. So, that is what we call "responsibility". Responsibility is not power but action, responsible for attaining ones own vision. Everyday we put 24*60*60 seconds somewhere. Are we putting in right side and do we feel that it is "we" who is responsible for putting 24*60*60 in right side?

In everyday's life, it is not really possible to be always in the right side. At times (or most of the times) will be in wrong side. Being in the wrong side is not a big issue as long as you have a mechanism to detect that you are in a wrong side and be able to come to right side. If you miss couple of years or couple of lacs, it is not a problem. Nothing is free in this world and you got to pay for everything, the air you breathe included. Being in wrong side always teaches you how to be in right side. Wrong side becomes your experience/wisdom when you are responsible (reflect upon your action and act on making the course corrections).

Being in right side or wrong side, it needs responsibility to maintain the track if you are right and detect/change the track when you are in wrong side.

Be On The Right Side

There are two friends. Quickly after they graduated, the first one got a loan of 1000 rupees for 8% interest and the second deposited 1000 rupees in a bank for the same 8%. After this incident, they just moved on with their life. The years passed by and they were about retire at the age of 60. Forty years just passed like anything. The first one had a debt of 21.7K and on the other hand the second one got 21.7K accrued in his account. Do the math and understand the power of compounding. What happens if first one gets 1000 rupees loan everyday and the second one deposits 1000 rupees everyday? Do the math :-) (Compound interest calculator)

After completing the college, all of us take up some profession. But only very few feel satisfied. We just put our efforts everyday like money being deposited in bank without knowing the compounding effect of time. If we follow our heart, we deposit in bank and if we don't follow our heart, we just buy loans. At the end of show either you got pay for it or take your money happily. And that is why, being on the right side makes sense.

By right side, i mean the side of your heart. Always, your heart is right and so if you follow your heart, you will always be on the right side.

Artificial (Fake) Chaining - Can We Break It?

There was an elephant near a temple. An iron chain was tied around his leg and the other end of the chain was hanging free. The elephant was believing that he was tied to the stone pillar near him. He was thinking that he wouldn't be able to move as he was tied, very tightly. He wanted to go to jungle to have deep bath. He wanted to eat green plants to live an healthy life. He wanted to be around like sized and like minded individuals. But he thought he couldn't go because he thought that he didn't have strength to break the chain. I m not talking about the elephant that you heard in some story. It is us - you and me. We never realize that we are not tied. Once we were tied and we still think that we are tied forever. For some of us, we have an opportunity and privilege to be tied with a golden chain.

This perception is not a problem until you realize. If you believe that there are 24 hours in day, one day you will wake up to find that there is only 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. Someone may steal one second from you without your permission. Someone will say that you have to work in the way he wants and say that it will give satisfaction to you. Someone may dream for you and say that it is the purpose of your life. If you let that happen, you will be sitting like a duck that is ready to be butchered. Absolutely there will be no notable difference. Only difference is - the duck quacks but we speak.

Don't curse them. It is the way they have be asked to operate. They are doing it thinking that they are chained which is not true. We are totally stuck in disbelief about ourselves and we are doing total disservice to ourselves. But the irony is we want to grow. Growth is not a matter, growing up is a matter. I feel that the biggest conspiracy that is quite successful in this society is this "chaining". The conditioning hinders the free flow thinking. Get rid of the conditioning and grow up.

Sometime back, I heard from someone in a respectable position that I cannot do two things. But the issue is that those two things are done by single guy few years back. He was quite immersed in status quo and very strong view. But the problem with his strong view is that it cannot be changed and it hindered him  from seeing my perspective. We don't need strong views. We just need free flow views. He is deeply chained with golden chain decorated with diamonds. How sweet it is, a trouble is a trouble, probably we can call it a nice trouble or sweet trouble. But trouble is a trouble.