Science

Science: Shaw famously remarked once that Science never solves a problem without creating ten more. Science indeed has made the world an easier place, but an easier place to kill and destroy lives. With humans evolving into more and better equipped mercenaries, the probability of realising the dream of peace is on the decline. The world has moved from swords and spears to hydrogen and atom bombs. It is possible today to wipe out cities and cities with a single trigger. It is argued that while nuclear power, which is considered the single most devastating ‘gift’ of science to mankind can be harnessed for constructive use. For once, fair enough. But the implications of trusting a power that can ignite the greed of any violent element to misuse can be hazardous. When the former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower talked about how nuclear power can be seen as a potential factor to prevention of wars, he probably did not pay attention to the repercussions it might have if such an attack was to come from an unidentified power wreaking havoc upon a country thus leading to a war gone haywire. Granted that the steps which have been taken ever since to achieve this are commendable in respect to the problems that have come up in adversary fashion against them but the problem is that the world still stands at the same point, even worse, and is staring at an even more grave human calamity. There is nothing science can do to solve this problem it seems. The need is to move forward because science is not the answer.

Coming out of the realm of bloodshed and war that science seems to have fostered, an easier take on the topic of world problem is being taken by the author.

What is the problem with the world? Why can’t nations be satisfied with what they have. An interesting example may help us understand this.

In Chemistry, there is a phenomenon that deals with outcomes of a reaction-

A  +  B   –> C

Since A and B together make up C and if even one of them gets depleted, the reaction stops and no further quantity of C can be produced. It is of the interest to find out here which reactant, whether A or B is the limiting reagent, i.e. which of them is lesser in quantity that is not allowing the desired quantity of product to be formed. Also it is deducted which of the reactants is in excess, i.e. which remains even when the other reactant has been used up. It is assumed here that A is more in quantity than B. Now a fascinating debate can be pulled between the two reactants here. A may argue that B is the ‘limiting reagent’, that it puts a constraint in the production process. At the same time, B may argue that B is not the limiting reagent as A says and that A is the excess reagent, which being more in quantity remains after the reaction and is wrongfully blaming B. A never ending ‘war’ may ensue between the two but thankfully a saviour comes to play. It is determined or set that what quantity of the product C is needed to be produced by the concerned reaction. Now if before achieving the desired amount of product, the reaction stops then B may very well be termed as the limiting reagent. But if the required quantity of C is produced and still some amount of A is left, then it is the excess reagent. The final goal of the exercise being undertaken thus decides the role the participants play in it. The same is true for the tangible world of we live in. In absence of a determined goal, one society keeps blaming the other that it is exploitive and overconsuming in nature while the latter argues that the former is indolent in nature and is not living up to its true potential due to the former has to beer its burden. The trouble here is again the lack of a known goal. Should humans be using up all there is provided to them and try to dominate others who don’t believe so? Are those who seek a content and non-dominating role in the world wrong in believing so? The author can very well give his opinion in a downright firm fashion but this is not such an easy question to answer. The whole world is fighting over a similar debate and all are trying to justify their own said quantity of the product, in that justifying their actions

There is thus another lesson to learn here from such a small concept of science that we need to work towards a goal that the whole world believes to be adequate and desirable. The climb to such a task is high, but the view would surely be great.

Naturalism

Naturalism- “Nothing is easier than to admit in words the truth of the universal struggle for life, or more difficult than constantly bearing this conclusion in mind”. Man lives in a Darwinian world; perhaps he always has. The theory of evolution teaches us that there is a constant struggle amongst the species for limited resources the world has to offer, that only the fittest survive and others perish. But it also says that this evolution is based on Natural Selection and that man’s feeble efforts cannot change its plan of action. How then can we expect balance and equality in such a world? Is man’s power really so feeble that he cannot help but slay his neighbour so that his own families may survive? Humanism has always superseded this animalism. Man is no longer the beast he was so as to succumb to the lowest levels of demonry. Man has evolved, yes, and he has evolved for good. We are in a position that we can bend, if not change the rules of nature to bring about a strife free Post-Darwinian world. Peace can come only in a Non- Darwinian world. Still, there is a lesson to learn from Darwin here. He says that we may console ourselves with beliefs and hopes of a vigorous, healthy and happy future but nature will strike with its might and shatter the dream. We thus need to make allowance for this hostility. Along with the aim of finishing personal strife, we together will need to combat the so considered nemesis of our downfall.

Religion

Religion- The origin of all religions of the world can be traced back to the quest of two things- first a drive to understand the nature of all that is and is becoming in the world; and second to bring about a state of equilibrium, a negotiable equity, a peaceful agreement with the forces of the supernatural. Time and again, man has come up with variegated ideas and ideals to justify his discerning of the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent, the Omniscient, the Alpha and Omega, the Supreme Being, the Mover of all things. He has similarly given different names to that absolute power- El, YHWH, God, Ishvara, Allah, Ek onkar among many more. But has this quest succeeded in achieving that amicable consciousness, that irenic goal, that state of harmony between Man and God? Man seems to have misconstrued the great teachings and ideals of religion and appears to have set himself on a path of self-destruction in the name of it. The Bible urges men to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”  but men do not obey. The Bhagavad-Gita questions the existence of any happiness without peace  yet men try to achieve happiness through force and violence. All faiths and religions teach and preach the same ideals of peace but men don’t follow them. At times grave and saturnine such as now, when we as a generation have succumbed ourselves to the altar of negativity, pessimism and animosity, religion itself is not going to take us to this goal of ours. When we have toyed with the word of God, moulding and shaping it according to our need and greed, it cannot be expected that something we have changed so much can in turn change us for the better. Man will have to change without the help of religion; he will have to change in spite of religion. Religion sure is a pillar we can use to stand up if we are fallen but we will have to move without it. Teachings sure help, but salvation lies within.

Influencer Marketing- A favourable trap

The future will not be dominated by people who know the most about ‘The Quantum Theory’ ,nor those who can hit long sixes or take best penalty shots, nor those who bag most Oscars and certainly not by those who make false promises for votes- NO. The future(& much of the present) belongs to people who hold major leverage on public stance,people who can sway the masses into believing what they ask them to believe- PEOPLE who hold INFLUENCE over other people’s opinions without letting them know about their ‘STARDOM’.

           What do you do when you have to make a decision regarding availing/disposing of a commodity/service you don’t have much knowledge about? Obviously, you “google it” to choose the best brand/product/service provider. Do you really think that these million-billion dollar corporate giants don’t know this ‘STRATEGY’ of yours? Do you really think that YOU actually make that decision? Absolutely,Unquestionably & Undoubtedly –NO.  This is all part of a far more prodigious and more powerful strategy of “Casting a smart net and making waves” that they call ‘INFLUENCER MARKETING’.

                     Technically, the term has a boring definition with words like ‘commisioning’ and ‘succouring’ but essentially it means finding people who are experts at “planting ideas in your mind” and making them do so. WHAT? You think that “the military technology to infiltrate the conscious” used by Leo-DiCaprio doesn’t exist? Think again coz it does and You are exposed to it everyday.            From that pink background pamphlet showing  a man telling you how he makes 10,537  ₹/day sitting at home TO the social WEB you use to stay connected- IT IS ALL PART OF THAT MACHINE. Byte by byte, line by line and post by post you are falling into a trap..

          BUT Hey! don’t panic. It’s a ‘Nil Nocere’ trap. It’s nothing like the virus of above pic. It’s not gonna harm you. In fact it might be good for you. Of course you don’t like to be fooled but isn’t it acceptable as far as you get what you want and can even brag about it. Common, don’t be soharsh on those brands.  When brands align their marketing, public relations, sales and product around a common strategy through Influencer Marketing, it’s a win-win situation for them and you alike. Come on now, say OK, say that IT’S FINE.  Yeah, that’s the spirit.

                   Now to console you further, Influencer Marketing has produced wonders for MI6(U.K), Netbase Solutions(U.S.A), Juniper Networks(U.S.A), close home for Ford India and many others.

             If you ask me , it was Influencer Marketing that made Whatsapp what it is today(or what it is ‘not’ courtesy of Facebook, Inc.) and it was Influencer Marketing that brought the present ruling party to power in India.

                            So, whether you are a consumer, marketer or an Influencer yourself; BRACE  YOURSELVES; because believe it or not, INFLUENCER MARKETING is certainly going to influence if not decide the shape of the world to come..

Psychology

Psychology argues that it is in the nature of man to yield to aggression and belligerence; that we still retain some basic animal instincts we need to fulfill and that we resort to war to do so. William James was one of the first psychologists to come up with a solution for this, something that he famously called “the moral equivalent of war” He argued that to end war, societies must find alternative “moral equivalents” for the expression of  profoundly important human values of self-sacrifice and personal honour. From 1905 then, the world has seen the result of submission of man to these values. After the Second World War, the greatest minds of the field came together to argue that “war can be avoided: War is built, not born” and urged lawmakers to work towards peace. With constant efforts ever since, the concept of peace has gained multiple dimensions. Peace no longer remains a simple concept of prevention of war and violence but has become a means to and goal of social, racial, gender, economic, and ecological harmony. The two states are now being identified as negative peace and positive peace respectively. The world has moved to the concept of Peace Psychology now. The consciousness of the human mind is changing. We are making strides to do away the mistakes made in the past and to recapitulate the growing understanding of human nature. A sensitivity to Geo-historical context, A differentiated perspective on violence and peace and A systems perspective on the same has been drawn out. The dream of world peace can be realised given a comprehension of all this is made by leaders of the world.