Straight from the
Heart :
The Story of My Tryst With My Heart Ailment
The Story of My Tryst With My Heart Ailment
Part-II of VIII
Straight from the Heart (1) : The Story of My Tryst With My Heart Ailment
Straight from the Heart (2) : “Rational” Thinking, Irrational Acts
Straight from the Heart (3) : When the Unthinkable Happened : Angioplasty, 1999
Straight from the Heart (4) : Back to Life as Usual, with a Minor Throwback
Straight from the Heart (5) : Déjà vu
Straight from the Heart (6) : Opening Up to Open-Heart Surgery (CABG)
Straight from the Heart (7) : Post-Operational Recovery
Straight from the Heart (8) : One Year After
“Rational” Thinking,
Irrational Acts
Prelude to Disaster
Rational Animal?
It is claimed it was Aristotle’s contention that man is a rational animal, as rationality,
according to Aristotle, is an essential attribute of humankind that
distinguishes humans from beasts. Was Aristotle right?
When you account for the unprecedented tremendous leap in
the human progress over the last two centuries, compared to the millennia earlier,
you have to thank science and technology for it, which in turn would not have
taken the leap but for human rationality.
However, with deep sadness and alarm you can’t help noticing
the other side too—shocking irrationality!
Even when you know smoking is bad for health, you persist
with the bad habit. Alcohol has no nutritive value, is only capable of harm,
and the body struggles to get rid of it, yet people drink beyond permissible
limits, and even engage in binge drinking. Soft-drinks like Coke and Pepsi,
fast-food like burgers, and packed-food like potato chips, Kurkure and the like
are all junk-food, yet people consume them, and their consumption, especially
among the young in India, is unfortunately increasing. Oily, sugary and fatty
foods are harmful, yet they are lapped up.
Irrationality is not just restricted to food. It is
wide-spread. The worst case being in the area of God and religion and fights
over them.
Let us therefore examine in some detail the twin-sides of
rationality and irrationality.
Rationality Unlimited
If you were to ask a question on arithmetic, algebra or
trigonometry, you would get an exact answer. Even irrational numbers have a
rational explanation.
If you throw a ball at say 10 kmph (kilometres per hour) in
the same direction as the open vehicle you are travelling in speeding at 60
kmph, then you know that the effective velocity of the ball would be 10 + 60 =
70 kmph. However, if instead you show a torch-light in the same direction as a
vehicle you are travelling in at say half the speed of light, the light
emanating from the (moving) torch would NOT have a velocity one-and-a-half
times the speed of light—it would be same as the normal speed of light (300,000
km/second), that is, the speed of light remains constant irrespective of the
location of the light source! That’s a huge departure from the common
expectation and experience.
All the apparently bizarre and counter-intuitive consequences
of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity emanate from this fact of constancy
of speed of light. A few illustrative counter-intuitive consequences: To a
stationary observer on earth, an object of 100 units of length travelling in a
rocket at 0.9999 the speed of light would appear to have contracted to mere
1.414 units of length; and when 1 second lapses in the rocket, 70.712 seconds
would lapse on earth—a person in the rocket therefore ages less: when he
becomes older by 1 year, the person on earth becomes older by 70.712 years.
Hence, the limerick: “There was a young girl named Miss
Bright; Who could travel much faster than light; She departed one day; In an
Einsteinian way; And came back on the previous night.” It’s another matter that
Special Theory of Relativity forbids speeds faster than light. In fact, if an
object were to travel at the speed of light, its length would become zero, mass
infinite, and time in its frame of reference would be infinite, that is, time
would stop.
But, why am I indulging in all this? I simply wish to
illustrate that we even accept these things that violate common sense if they
are scientific, proven in practice, reasoned and rational. Einstein had
remarked that common sense is only a prejudice that we acquire at an early age.
Irrationality Unlimited
Man is a rational animal.
So at least we have been told.
Throughout a long life I have searched diligently
for evidence in favor of this statement.
So far, I have not had the good fortune to come across it.
So at least we have been told.
Throughout a long life I have searched diligently
for evidence in favor of this statement.
So far, I have not had the good fortune to come across it.
— Bertrand Russell, Unpopular
Essays
Coming to irrationality, what could be more egregiously
irrational and disastrously destructive than fight, conflict, war and terror in
the name of God and religion.
There are scores (say “n”) of gods and religions, and each
claims only its God and religion is true (except Hinduism and other Indian
religions which accept other gods and religions too). If that is accepted, then
only one of them is correct and the rest “n–1” are lying!
I am reminded of some passages from my novel “The Malshej
Moment”. I reproduce below a small part of the discussions on God and religion among
the characters in the novel on the subject:
“... ... ...
Ram: 'What about religion?'
Tesu: 'Religion is a much more complex thing. It is a
combination of God, society at a given historical stage and power politics.
But, considering that its main foundation—God—is dicey, it would be beneficial
for all not to take their religions too seriously. Also because all religions,
being old, are outdated. It is worth noting that founders of all religions were
irreligious! Irreligious in the sense that they rebelled against the religion
they were born into. Those who now rebel against a religion are therefore only
following in their footsteps—to change what is outmoded. Yes, religions are
interesting, tell us how societies evolved, incorporate rich history, and
provide excellent topics for study. They have played both a positive and a
negative role in human development—perhaps much more of the latter.’
y2: 'But, religion promotes ethical living and conduct.'
Tesu: 'If the purpose is "ethical behaviour, proper
conduct and good living", that can be achieved by defining the rules
independent of religions, and common to all.’
Apu: ‘In fact, most of these rules already existed prior to
the establishment of religions, and religions simply co-opted them. Across
geographies and cultures, the moral and ethical standards have been common,
quite independent of religions: stealing is considered a vice, telling
truth a virtue, bravery is nowhere despised or cowardice honoured, generosity
and kindness are uniformly considered a virtue, and so on. Civil and criminal
laws of democratic societies already have most of the rules of civilised
behaviour, independent of religion.'
Anna: 'In fact, there has been a study which flies in
the face of our tacit assumption that belief in God and religion leads to a
more civilised behaviour: the Study found that regions that were more
theistic and religious had crime rates and juvenile delinquencies noticeably
higher than the regions which were more atheistic and non-religious!
‘As Steven Weinberg said: With
or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil;
but for good people to do evil—that takes religion.'
Apu: 'Surely, religion ought not to mean rituals and
symbols: keep a choti, or wear
such and such marks on the forehead, or pray n number of times a day, or in x-direction, wear a given type of
headgear, do not shave, or do shave, or visit chardhams or visit specific religious places.'
Tesu: 'Religion must be reflected in the conduct and
living of a person. And if that is as per the norms and rules of a truly
civilized society—one is truly religious, without belonging to any of the
traditional, established religions. I recollect some lines from the God’s Debris by Scott Adams, the creator
of Dilbert:
“If you believe a truck is coming towards you, you will jump
out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck...Likewise, it is
not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and hoarding your wealth
while innocent people die of starvation. When belief does not control your most
important decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief
in the usefulness of believing...They only act as though they believe because
there are earthly benefits in doing so...”’
... ... ...”
Variations in Practice
Having seen the two extremes of “Rationality Unlimited” and
“Irrationality Unlimited”, let us look at the more likely possibilities in
practice that may vary from person to person, or from one group of persons to another,
or that may vary for the same person from item to item or from time to time, or
from occasion to occasion, such as “Rational in Certain Respects, Irrational in
Others”, “Rational Thoughts & Rational Acts”, and “Rational Thoughts &
Irrational Acts”. Of course, there is nothing like “Irrational Thoughts &
Rational Acts”—if the thinking or beliefs are flawed, actions are unlikely to
be rational.
Rational in Certain Respects, Irrational in Others
Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper
when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.
when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.
— Oscar Wilde
A person may be rational in certain respects, but
intriguingly irrational in others.
As a scientist or a mathematician, or even as an appreciator
of science and mathematics, she may believe in scientific approach, scientific
methodology, provability and sound reasoning; yet in things religious she may
be orthodox.
The English physicist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton
(25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727) has been the most influential scientist of
all time and played a key part in the scientific revolution. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica
("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy") laid the foundations
for classical mechanics. Newton made significant contributions to optics and
shares credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the invention of calculus.
Newton, however, devoted significant time and efforts in the
study of alchemy, and in exploring Biblical interpretation, especially of the
Apocalypse. The famous economist John Maynard Keynes purchased Newton's alchemical works in 1942 and studied
them. He commented: “Newton was not the first of the age of reason, he was the
last of the magicians.” Newton's work on alchemy covered The Philosopher's Stone, a material believed to turn base metals
into gold, and Elixir of Life. A
famous scientist believing and exploring such things!
Albert Einstein’s (14 March 1879 — 18 April 1955) most
fruitful years were between 1905 and 1920. He published his major papers on
Photo-electric Effect in 1905 (for which he got Nobel Prize in 1922), Brownian
Motion in 1905, Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, Equivalence of Mass &
Energy (E = mc2) in 1905, Principle of Equivalence in 1907,
Deflection of Starlight by the Sun in 1911, and General Theory of Relativity in
1915.
Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity is most
counter-intuitive to date and defies common sense. Yet, when it came to Heisenberg’s
Uncertainty Principle of Quantum
Physics, Einstein was so uncomfortable that he remarked: “God doesn't play dice
with the universe!” So, a person like Einstein who had baffled the world with
his theories, could not stomach another baffling theory. Rationality is
selective. Niels Bohr was forced to respond to Einstein with the comment: “Stop
telling God what to do.”
Rationality may also be function of the state of mind. The
same person who is rational in certain respects when sober, may exhibit
irrational characteristics in those very respects when not sober or normal—drunk
or provoked or in the grip of uncontrollable rage or exhausted or in the midst
of abnormal circumstances.
Rational Thoughts, Rational Acts
Rational Thoughts, Yet Irrational Acts
Rational thought tells a student that if he studies
regularly and sincerely he need not worry about scoring well in the exams.
There are students who do so, but there are many who don’t do so and suffer.
It seems that humans have a rational competence in the
domain of reasoning, but unfortunately that doesn’t always translate into or reflected
in people’s actual behaviour. Rational thought and good and bitter examples
teach us we must save for the rainy day. But, do we do that? Many do; yet, many
don’t. Rational thought and numerous practical examples tell us we
should eat and live healthy. But, do we do so? Many do; yet, many don’t. Rational
thought and horrid results tell us we should not smoke or chew tobacco. But, do
we do so? Many do; yet, many don’t. One example is myself, who left smoking
only after a “health” event some 15 years ago.
EI/EQ : Emotional Intelligence/Quotient
That brings me to another related aspect. Is it that if
something adverse is not going to happen now, today or tomorrow, (most) humans
tend not to care. Not studying today might lead to bad marks in the exams, but
after many months, so why bother—would make up later. Body is strong enough to
withstand abuse for many years. The adverse effects of smoking, unhealthy
eating and drinking and unhealthy living show up after many, many years, hence
the carelessness and false assumption that nothing bad would happen. By and
large the effect of bad habits show up after the age of 45 to 50. Meanwhile,
people indulge themselves.
Hence, the importance of the Emotional Intelligence/Quotient—EI/EQ.
EQ is essentially composed of (A)Intra-personal
EQ which comprises (A1)Self-Realisation
or Self-Awareness, that is, your ability to understand yourself in-depth
and your ability to comprehend your moods, emotions and drives, and their
effect on others; (A2)Self-Regulation or
Self-Control, that is, your ability to keep your harmful and disruptive
impulses and moods under control, your ability to think properly before acting
and being not irrationally judgemental; (A3)Passion-Drive-Motivation,
that is, motivation to work with passion for its own sake—beyond money,
position and status—and a drive to pursue goals with intelligence, energy and
persistence; and (B)Inter-personal EQ
which comprises (B1)Social Skills,
that is, your ability in managing relationships and your proficiency in
building social networks; and (B2)Empathy,
that is, the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people.
Selective Emotional Quotient (EQ)
Just as intelligence and abilities in specific areas differ
from person to person—one may be good in maths, but not is arts; and vice
versa—so also EQ. A person may have high EQ is certain respects, but not in
others. When it comes to relationships a
person may display high EQ, but when it comes to food, the position might
differ. Similarly, when it comes to studies and work, a person may display high
EQ, but when it comes to things like health and smoking, the same person might
score low.
Prelude to Disaster
I can resist everything except temptation.
– Oscar Wilde
Every year thousands of people quit smoking just because they die.
Giving up smoking is easy. I’ve done it hundreds of times.
– Mark Twain
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.
– Spanish Proverb
I hate cigarettes that’s why I burn them.
It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.
– Benjamin Franklin
Smoking answers the existential question: how you are going to die.
The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits
are so much easier to give up than bad ones.
– Somerset Maugham
What was absolutely casual and temporary grew into a habit.
In those “good” (bad?) old days (late 1960s and early 1970s), smoking had not
been publicised as a health hazard, and smoking was not uncommon. In fact,
among the Bengalis, and IIT/Kharagpur is in West Bengal, smoking was the done
thing. It was a rare Bengali who didn’t smoke—and that too the super-strong
Charminar (it was relatively cheaper too) that you could smell from far. Of
course, those with relatively more affluent parents smoked Wills Navy-cut. If
smoking was shunned, it was mostly on the grounds of “waste of money” and
corresponding feeling of guilt, rather than on health grounds. I was fortunate
to receive National Science Talent Scholarship throughout my college, and
didn’t have to depend on my parents for anything—college fee or hostel fee or
books or stationery or food or clothes or travel or even smoke. Scholarship was
adequate to cover all costs, as I was not spendthrift. Of course, when the
scholarship arrived late, I had to request money from home; but upon receiving
the belated scholarship amount, I used to make a bank-draft and send it back
home. Given this monetary situation, I didn’t really feel guilty about burning
money in smoke, as my smoking was self-funded. Besides, my smoking in college was moderate. I bought only loose cigarettes, and never a packet.
Thanks to my (unfortunately)
exceptionally high EQ when it came to leading a large software team, and
managing, developing, and personally designing, architecting and even coding a
few modules for a complex, comprehensive banking software, I so immersed myself in the project for
months on end working day and night, and even on Sundays and holidays—many
times through the night at home—that I neglected my health and upped my
smoking. High EQ in one lead to low EQ in other vital areas.
And, then the disaster happened ... in December 1999!
Details in the next blog-post.
* * * * *
Rajnikant Puranik
August 2, 2014
91-22-2854 2170, 91-98205 35232
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