What if?

क्या आप सोच सकते हैं की देश का क्या होगा अगर शाहरुख़ ने पॉलिटिक्स ज्वाइन कर ली?

Meru

Civilisation is hooped together, brought
Under a rule, under the semblance of peace
By manifold illusion; but man's life is thought,
And he, despite his terror, cannot cease
Ravening through century after century,
Ravening, raging, and uprooting that he may come
Into the desolation of reality:
Egypt and Greece, good-bye, and good-bye, Rome!
Hermits upon Mount Meru or Everest,
Caverned in night under the drifted snow,
Or where that snow and winter's dreadful blast
Beat down upon their naked bodies, know
That day bring round the night, that before dawn
His glory and his monuments are gone.

W B Yeats

Arousal and Attention (Persuasion) (SubtleCommunication)

The ability to attend to a task seems to be closely related to the physiological arousal of the organism. With increase in arousal, performance on any task increases up to some point, beyond which further arousal leads to a decrease in performance. This relation between arousal and performance can be characterized by an inverted U-shaped function and is called the Yerkes-Dodson Law.

Physiological variables such as heart rate and skin conductance seem to be associated with alterations in the allocations of attention.

From this conceptualisation, it can be deduced that a subject’s attention can be brought up to a certain desired level, prior to providing the stimulus or a message so as to achieve the desired result. The cues used can be visual or auditory, with an aim of attuning the heart rate to a certain desired level. This needs to be done prior to the introduction of the main message to assure the subjects attention is drawn. Makes the audience alert to receive a message.

One’s overall level of “preparedness” can be increased. An individual has some finite amount of processing capacity and at any given moment not all of this capacity may be “activated”; if it is not activated it cannot be used.

IR Obscurity

Influences:

1. Proff. Martin Griffiths
2. Auguste Comte
3. Hegel
4. Max Muller
5. Auldus Huxley
6. (Maybe) Annie Besant
7. Random mainstream IR guys

The basis of the argument is a ‘statement of fact’ from the Professor, stating that “IR theory is essentially manufactured in the West and is fed to the rest of the world”.

On the other hand we have Auguste Comte’s Law of three phases. According to this law, every society goes through three phases of development, namely, Theological, Metaphysical, and Scientific.

The “East” has a predominant theological basis of society. The impact of religion on designing the value system in the Eastern part of the world has been widely discussed in the historical literature, although it has mellowed down lately. Nevertheless, religion, I argue and assume, for the sake of this paper, forms the bedrock of the social structure in the Eastern world.

This proposition, I insist, is further consolidated in the modern context with the rise of “religious extremism” from that part of the world. I also argue that the limitation of contemporary IR theory lies in the fact of a ‘statement of fact’ from Proff. Griffith, which states that IR theory is produced in the West and then distributed to the rest of the world. Another example which further elaborates these limitations is enshrined in a famous question asked by the Secretary of State of US, Condoleezza Rice during the post 9/11 rhetoric while expressing her sentiments, “Why do they hate us?”

The apparent confusion on the part of the representative of the most powerful western nation speaks a lot aobut their assumptions and the narrowness of their policy, when it reckons the eastern Sociography.

On the same token, I would like to criticize the eastern social mindscape, which, from my personal experience, in the moment of reckoning tends to takes refuge behind its “historical antiquity”, “cultural heritage”, “religious self-righteousness” and other such jargons.

Nevertheless, “subjectivity” to an eastern mind is as pious as “objectivity” is to the western. Proof of this can be found through out the mainstream philosophical thoughts from the past. No wonder then that Mr. Comte, after his extensive study, eventually decided on the “Scientific” phase as to be the one which would eventually provide salvation to the humanity. The eastern thought at that point argues more of cyclical phases of progress. The apparent extremes of the spectrum is beautifully illustrated in the famous ballad of Rudyard Kipling, “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet”

There also exists a foundational bias within the IR discipline, which is supported by the professor’s statement, although he probably means it in a good way, whereas I see it as a delusional behaviour which the IR academicians seemingly maintain to apparently muse themselves. But then, the professor also follows up on that by adding “just ride the wave and don’t get too carried away” (or something to that effect), which is sufficient to kill the curiosity.

The origins of IR can be found in the days of British Colonialism, and the literature of that time. However, it’s my inkling, that the idea of racial supremacy, which echoed till the late years in the rhetoric of Churchill, and in all probability is still lurking around, forms the basic foundations of the International Relations. The loose idea of promoting English “cultured values” to the rest of the world seems to me to have formed the breeding grounds in the post world war 1 environment, and the formation of the league of nations. Although, apparently well-intended, the idea obviously lacked the universal will and fell flat on its face, for not many consider the English cultured. Nevertheless, since this is a mere speculation I don’t want to tread there to avoid wasting time to find facts of lesser importance.

At this point in time I would like state a certain assumption that I would like to make. That is, inasmuch as Comte’s law of Three Phases is apparently sound, I believe, that Metaphysics ‘occurs’ only when one extreme of the spectrum mingles with the other. In this case, the Meeting of Theological phase with the Scientific phase gives rise to the Metaphysical. At the same time, now, I want to look at them not as phases but as realms of temperament which are perpetually present, albeit only one is temporally dominant.

METAPHYSICS SHOULD BE STRICT SCIENCE AND CONTAIN NO ARBITARINESS.

Kant raises the question wether a science of metaphysics with a logical structure like that of the well-established mathematical and natural sciences is possible. These latter have acquired a scientific character on account of the universal rules, the synthetic a priori judgments, which they employ. Since these rules are applicable only within the limits of possible experience, metaphysics, which aims at the transcendent, is impossibility. The passion for law, for rule, dominates Kant’s philosophy. Rule expresses truth and justifies conduct. An action is right if we so act that the principle of it can be made general rule.

Mumbai experience

The most important move for India, in the light of the recent terrorist attacks, is to secure its porous borders and train the Security Forces under authority and privileges. India is a country surrounded by hostile States, is a fact which is known since a long time. Securing the borders would be a wise move to stop free flow of foreign resources which fuels local terrorism, and such a power can easily be exercised by India owing to the legitimacy of its political governance in the region. Naxalite Terrorism was recently called “the biggest challenge faced by India” by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It definitely is a condition evolving from the festering need of urgent social reforms at the ground level in rural India, a home grown disease with foreign logistical and ideological support. But the biggest blow which seems to have drawn Sauron’s eye currently is the attacks in Mumbai. Instigated by a different set of ideas, from the other side, this league of extraordinary bastards used the water rat strategy, and in spite of prior intelligence on such an approach, they remained unchecked, deep from the territorial waters, onto the shore, and further on. The incident has revealed the callousness inherent in Indian Political Governance to the masses. The common man is not ready to pay such high a price for the country’s leader’s foolishness. The civil protests are a testimony of an India awakened to what was till now a “War on Global Terrorism” taking place in Afghanistan or Iraq or thereabouts.

This agonising enlightenment, in all aspects, is leading India more towards a global footing, based on transparency in Bureaucracy and policies towards governance. Sadly the mainstream mass media continues to disappoint as it continues to underestimate the public intelligence. Their agenda of creating a mass psyche radically divorced from reality is a dangerous gamble.

CNN-IBN

At Rs 2 cr/year, Obama 10 times richer than Indian prez

He'll get Rs 16 lakh per month whereas Patil gets close to Rs 1.5 lakh.

CNN-IBN, that trend-setter of the novel, “manufactured-Liberal”, especially-Indian ideology, had something to say about the Indian President. It had nothing to do with her qualifications, or her credentials on the basis of which she took over form the Missile Man of India. Neither did this vortex of Indian journalism felt convenient to question the alleged incongruence in her candidature to the post itself when it was being proposed. Or for that matter the plethora of controversies associated with her name. Like everyone else on the street, the channel wants to talk Money.

It surely is a democracy. The news does represent the sentiments of the common man. However, it’s the common man which the stats don’t seem to agree with. It’s the common person which sips on his coffee while waiting for his office cab to pick him for work. It’s not the common who is preparing for the cold Delhi winter when they are a few months away. It’s not the common man who has forgotten to wonder about where the next meal is coming from, due to the repetitive monotony of the situation. It’s the common man who watches “Let’s Talk” and says “...umm..nice”.

But why not? Why have disdain towards progress? Why step back to reflect and let our skin crawl observing the filth within? Let’s spill it out and make the world perfect. It’s these miserable wretches who need some help. The boorish right-wing politicians, the poor beggars, the “sponsorable” child, the Africans, the homosexuals, the “weaker” sex. They are many. These are modern times. Modern times in the sense that one needs to make a lot of money to feed oneself and provide certain charity as a social symbol. Not the old ‘modern’ times when girls riding Bajaj Chetak were called modern girls.

Its easy to divide things in different pockets of memory for the sake of convenience. Its convenient to ignore the organic whole and have a short memory similar to a dope-head. Its easy to divide people as Left, Right, Left of Centre, Right of Centre, Commie, Liberal, Conservative, Reactionary, Terrorist, Philanthropist, Celebrity, etc. Not so easy to face the facts. Almost impossible to accept the facts and make money from it. Absolutely impossible maybe.

But like everything else in life, it appears so easy when once tried. Find and follow the stats.

Cheers.