Reality Check

"Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time."- Bill Gates

"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger."-Frank Lloyd Wright

The good versus evil of technology debate has been going on long enough. And I am not denying that our dependence on technology is ridiculous. However, I have recently realized, we no longer use technology, but instead we live it.

Many times the facts of the real world share a blurry line with the inferences of the world wide web. Some people lead parallel lives in which their facebook profiles indicate the exact opposite of their worldly personalities. While others have a hard time differentiating what is appropriate for their online audience and what should be reserved for those who don't identify them as just an avatar.

Yes, I laugh at the thirteen-year old who absolutely must have the new social-media, mp3 wired cell phone. But I would be lying if I said new gadgets didn't excite me. However, that is not all. I recently wrote a poem about digital love and how the new generation feels more comfortable chatting online before having that first date. Blocking is now synonymous to ignoring someone and emoticons are the new weapons to subtle flirting.

Everyday I board my train assuming it will be a good way to sneak in a nap. However, for the first 15 minutes I browse facebook. Then, I read the daily news on NYTimes, TIME, CNN, BBC. Half-way into my ride I realize there's not enough time for my nap and so I catch up with my literature review articles. I get off the train, tired, sleepy and slightly more informed. I promise myself that the ride back will be more relaxing since I won't have a full day of classes and assignments to complete. Nonetheless, the evening commute follows the same schedule.

Being wired in isn't a luxury anymore. We expect instant replies. We submit to our curiosities. We are so desperate to be connected with each other in the virtual world, that sometimes we forget what the real world demands. A recent experience helped me realize the true worth of doing things the primitive way.

I recently mailed a birthday card to an old friend. On any occasion of modern communication, I would've expected an immediate thank you or acknowledgment of having received my generous greetings. But as I paid for my postage and walked out of the post-office a sense of calm came over me. Yes, there was still anticipation about when my wishes would reach him, but they were coupled with a satisfaction of sending something tangible. My heartfelt gesture would not just be one of the many casual fb wishes. It would not be an e-greeting lost amongst spam emails. It would not be a tribute to the greatness of cyber lords. Instead, it is a symbol of my thoughtfulness. It is a symbol of the time I spent to pick out and mail the card in today's super-fast lifestyle. It is a symbol of the few moments I spent actually thinking about my friend and his upcoming birthday. I don't believe there is any gift greater than that.

Every year, only few selected people have the privilege of receiving snail-mail from me. I certainly hope it means as much to them as it does to me. If not, it might be time to re-evaluate the reality of my world. It might not be worth detaching myself from the black-hole of technology. It might forever conclude, that the lifeless digital forms of communication have replaced true emotions. However, if that gesture still means something to my precious friends, it gives me hope that once in a while we'll check into reality and spend more time thinking about them and not their latest blog post or their fb status. It gives me hope that we'll see the world through our own eyes and not through flickr. It gives me hope that our innovations will be a medium for progress like Gates hoped and not a via point for a state of extreme laziness as claimed by Wright.

Finally, it gives me hope that these bursts of reality checks will keep me anchored to the real world, a world so beautiful that no digitalization can even come close to justifying its magnificence. A world that cannot be described with a million poems and pictures. A world that I don't have to log in and out of. A world that is mine, forever!

Kaleidoscopic Karma

Do, or do not. There is no 'try'!

Yoda's wisdom is unmatchable. Often, we fail to notice how many times in a day we shield our incompetence with the word 'try'. This word is our tribute to the saying, "it's the thought that counts." But is that true? Is the thought enough? For that matter, is 'try' enough?

As part of our moral science lessons, we were taught, "try try again, and one day you will succeed!" However, success is not a product of trying; Rather, it is a result of doing. I believe neither the thought, nor the try, are sufficient. They are a mockery of our true potential and just hinder our progress. We deliberately choose to live in the blurry middle instead of clarifying our true intent and moving to a side. We must do something or we must not. There should not be room to say, "I tried to do it and my thoughts were in the right spirit."

I think back to high-school physics. When learning about the concept of work( Work = Fx), our teacher emphasized that in order for work to be non-zero, there MUST be displacement. So, if there is infinite force, but no displacement, no work is done. Perhaps this definition translates into real life. 'Trying' is like applying infinite force with no displacement. The end result of both is zero. Nothing lost, but nothing accomplished either.

Karma, or action is emphasized in every major philosophy. Simply put, it's the law of cause and effect. However, not all karma leads to good results. Therefore, I'm advocating kaleidoscopic karma: Action that is rapidly changing. A kaleidoscope is an instrument built with a series of mirrors that reflect a constantly changing pattern. Our actions should resemble this. They should be directed in an effect to change something. If the change isn't reflected, the course of action must be altered.

The kaleidoscopic method was also employed by Faulkner in writing A Rose for Emily. His story follows a sequential path in which one object or action triggers the next scene. It's about time I focus on my kaleidoscopic karma. One action must lead to a better action. Eventually, this cascade of actions should help me achieve my end goal. At any point if I feel that the path is leading to nowhere, it is only wise to abandon and begin on a different path. But what if it's not the path, not my actions, but the goal that seems unattainable? To this I'll quote from Star Wars again.

Luke: I can't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.

So, one must do and believe. That leads to success. But isn't belief a thought? While a thought might not be sufficient, it is a precursor to action. I will explore the concept of force again. Physics describes a static condition(velocity and displacement are both zero) and a dynamic condition(motion). Thought is like the force applied in the static phase. And the static phase must precede the dynamic phase. The dynamic phase resembles action during which work is being done. So, it's not really the thought that counts. It's the action, especially one that changes your thoughts and leads to better actions.

So I will (try to) commit to kaleidoscopic karma: Indulge in actions with a cause and discard the other ones. I will (try to) believe that my goal is attainable. I will (try to) follow Yoda.

May the force be with (me and) you!