Ohm's Law

Ohm.

Not the unit of resistance in this case, but a word of liberation.

As a devout Hindu, I utter this word almost in reflex at the face of danger. This is my way of summoning God to pull me out of whatever mess I am in.

Let me clarify a few things before I continue with what is sure to spark a controversial discussion between many people. I don't call for God because I am religious. In fact religion is the exact opposite of God. Also, for those who believe that Hinduism is a religion(especially Hindus that are blinded by this misconception), you are wrong. Hinduism is a philosophy. It is a way of life. It advocates principles and morality. While belief in God is recommended, it is certainly not a requirement for faith in the Vedic philosophy. The all-knowing Wikipedia defines Hinduism as, " a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism, atheism, agnosticism, gnosticism among others." So now that I have made my disclaimer, I won't be contradicting myself when I claim that I am not religious!

But many people in our society are. They are religious. They are orthodox. Or they are liberal. But religion is a definition of who they are. Perhaps the more revolutionary thinkers want to stop and think about the concept of God or an alternative superior force that governs this universe. But most people only care about rituals. About names. About diet. Some will even go further. He is Hindu, but not Brahmin. She is Christian, but not Catholic. And what does this all mean?

It means separation. It means distance. It alienates you from someone very special. So it means hate!

I immigrated to Skokie, IL in 1998. I was born in Ahmedabad, India to a set of Gujarati parents. At two months of age they brought me to Dubai, UAE, a world attraction today. But back in 1987, it was still a barren piece of land in a terrible desert where freedom of religion was just a craving. It was a place where your shelter had to be rented and your belonging was temporary. And yet we celebrated Diwali, Christmas, Eid, Hannukah, Holi and many other festivals with incomparable excitement. My parents' closest friends there were Aziz Uncle and Sakina Aunty, who made the best sevaiyya in the world during Eid. This is where I learned that the basis of friendship is not religion, but love.

So on my first day at Lincoln Jr. High School, I was taken by surprise when a white girl sitting next to me told me that I would burn in hell for not believing that Jesus Christ was the son of God. It didn't matter that I still thought he was a great guy. Or that I loved Christmas(my loyalties were towards the presents) even more than Shivratri. What mattered was that I went to a temple every Sunday and she went to a Church. What mattered was that I believed in Nahusa and she believed in Noah's ark. What mattered was that she hated me without even knowing me.

So does it make sense for religion to bring you closer to God and simultaneously distance you from man? Sure, the Bhagvad Gita advocates detachment, but not hate.

Well, the scientific Ohm's law plays a huge role in society today.

I = V/R. I is flow, V is source and R is resistance. In order to optimize flow, V must be maximum and R must minimum. If one assumes that flow refers to knowledge, source refers to origin of information and resistance refers to societal limitations, we can appropriately figure out how to maximize the flow of knowledge. A very apt example of this is the internet. The flow of information online is immeasurable because we as users(or the source of knowledge) have lots to offer and control is minimal.

So can we duplicate this? Is it so hard for us to copy the virtual world that we created for a happier society in real life? I hate the gasps that go on when a fellow aunty gossips about her friend's son who is marrying a girl from a different religion. God forbid the utter calamity that will fall upon your household if your daughter-in-law speaks a different language. Inter-religious. Inter-caste. Inter-regional. Inter-this. Inter-that. Why does a union of two souls have to focus on differences?

According to Charles Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest, two individuals mate to make a strong offspring with the best features from either parent. It is time that we blend our values to adopt stronger principles. Both, the laws of physics and theories of evolution direct us toward this. I don't think we should forsake our belief system, but diversity is a boon and it's about time we accept it.

So today's youth are facing danger from the blind-faithed, traditional older generations. It might be time to reflexively summon God again!

Ohm!