Anything Everything

The Internet is one of the most stunning and useful inventions of man. We use it to gather information about the world around us, the people around us, and the world beyond us. Now a days, it has become the primary source of information to mankind. It's not an exaggeration if I say, “we all live in a cyber world”. This cyber world almost make disappear the boundary between the real and virtual worlds. Though it is primarily a virtual world, we consider it almost as the real world. We spend our consciousness wandering about the cyber space. We are slowly transforming into cyber organisms.

Social networking sites were the miracles of the Internet, like e-mail, instant messenger etc. They help us keep in touch with almost every acquaintance and broadened our relationships. They helped us acquire new friends, retrieve lost ones etc. But, are we addicted to these sites? Sort of. Recently, social networking and micro blogging sites have made many controversies. Some sccuse them of stealing valuable time of professionals, while some are concerned of our negligence towards the real world, while we are immersed in the cyber space. They are making us more and more social. But, only virtually. They are actually mutilating the physical social relationships. We are being trapped in a virtual world, as in the film “The Matrix”. But are there sentinel programs running inside this world? Yes!

Almost everyone across the globe have realised the potential of the Internet. From school kids to professionals to governments to senior citizen, nearly every one depends on the Internet for something or the other. And that is exactly what they wanted. They are the sentinel programs. They are cyber terrorists. They are not cyber criminals. They don't hack into systems to steal money, they do cyber warfare. They target nations, not individuals. They are backed by extremist groups both financially and politically. They trick computing talents to hack into the vital functions of a country like power ,defence, telecommunications, railways etc. They manipulate them to create chaos and havoc inside the country to achieve their political motto – destabilise the government. They use the information highway to demolish a nation, it's people.

But, what does this have to do with social networking sites? They use them as a cover. They befriend the gullible to pave way for their ruthless activities. They use religious faith to motivate people. The proliferation of religious communities in such sites is a major concern. People fall in such pits without even knowing about it. These pits are so dark and so deep that, there is no return, once you fall. The impact of such a fall in our lives is very, very devastating. We will be left with nothing but memories – sweet memories of the good days, and bitter ones of those dark days. So, it's a good measure to watch each of your step in the cyber space.

I will brief the things in a nutshell. The cyber space is just a virtual world. Don't mistake it for, or mess with the real world. Being social is good, because man is a social being. But, we should live socially in the real world too. Be more realistic. If you see a man in distress, don't tweet about it to let the world know, but help him if you can. Sharing your thoughts is good. It relieves our pain, doubles up happiness. But, draw a line between what to share and what not to. Cyber space is not secret-proof. Eavesdropping is more intense there. Every thing you do is being recorded by some one. Keep it in mind! Be aware of the pitfalls and man-hunters, lurking at the dark corners of the web. Always be accompanied by light. It's the only preventive measure. Look at the bright sides of web, stick to these safe zones, and don't poke your nose into the dark.

The Internet is good. It helps us do a lot, ease our jobs, widens our horizons, etc. But don't rely it. No, no... you can rely on it. Don't lean on it too much. Stand on your own foot. Don't get the web control you. Don't be a cyber being.

P.S: For those of you who don't believe in evolution, here's the proof. There's an almost abrupt evolution of a new species of man, in the last 10 years. Homo sapiens have evolved to form Homo cyberus , who are slowly dominating the world!

Mr. Blogger,

This is 'The Believer' speaking. As my friend pointed out, I'm not a believer, or an atheist, or an agnostic. Then, who am I? I'm a theist. Saw the space between 'a' and 'theist'? That space creates the difference between me and an atheist. I'll explain.

We both believe in the knowledge imparted to us by science. But, as you may be aware, scientific knowledge consists of either proven facts or hypotheses. The former, we can trust blindly. But, as far as the later is concerned, we've to be very careful while using them in our assumptions or in our theories. My friend prefers to consider hypotheses as facts. I think, this is a BIG mistake. The reason is, someday you could be wrong!! this is the point, where we both differ. He says, there is no God. He doesn't need a God to start the universe. According to him, the universe is self starting. He may present many 'ideas' with this statement. Yes! I said 'ideas' and not facts. They may or may not be able to substantiate what he said. His unbridled use of such hypotheses is what I oppose.

Most people think of me as an atheist, primarily because of my attitude towards religion. Let me make it quite clear. An atheist is defined as a person who doesn't believe in God. There is no mention of the word religion anywhere here. A person believing in God needn't be a die-hard or even a moderate believer of a religion. I don't think God is confined to any religion. My belief is that, this supreme creator is not bound by the shackles of religion. But, he is chained in the minds of humane beings.

I was born in a religion. So, I still belong to it. I think a religion is a path to know God. But still, I don't believe in any religion, as they still don't know who God is, and where to find him.

As I've pointed out earlier, God is always with us, as Love. So, am I saying “God is Love”?

No, no... my belief is “Love is God”.

Mr. Blogger,

I've read your blog post that features a converstion I had with a friend of mine. In that article you say that I'm an atheist and my friend is a believer. My dear friend, you are mistaken. He is not an ordinary believer, who is a die hard believer of a particular religion. But, I am an atheist, in the real sense. I want you to know why I'm an atheist. Consider this as the confessions of an atheist.

I was not born an atheist. I was born in a religious neighbourhood. As a child, I loved stories of God, how believers are blessed, how the sinners are punished or how they had their redemption. But, that doesn't mean that I was brought up in a very strict religious environment, where religion dominates thought. As a child, I believed in God. I thought he made this universe, life in this Earth and all.

So, when did I became an atheist? There is no clear answer to that question, because that transformation was very slow. I didn't became an atheist in a day. Over the years, I became what I'm now. So, what caused this radical transformation? The answer is that, I thought. I thought day in and day out, trying to figure out why human beings are not so humane. Why all this killings, havoc? I found an answer. Men do all mass cruelities to innocent common man, either in the name of religion or in the name of political parties. Ordinary people are blindfolded by the top members of a political or religious faith. They can no longer see the plain facts. They no longer trust their eyes. So they trust their ears. They do what they are told to do. They do all sorts of cruelities thinking that they are protected and they are in a group.

Fed up with this, I thought of a way to live and let others live. I knew the only way to do so is by eliminating both politics and religion from my life. I found eliminating the first easy, as I had not yet formed a political view. But, the second was difficult, because losing relogion meant losing God.

Meanwhile, I developed an interest in science. The reason was simple, it gave me the right answers for all my questions. As I got answers, my questions increased. Soon, I learned that answering my own questions was the most important part of learning. Thus I started thinking of everything that crossed my mind. It was this rational thinking, that enabled me to part with religion. Then, I had to explain God. I found the loopholes in the existing definition of God, to define God in a rational, logical manner. I considered scientific laws as God's law. I replaced God with knowledge, love for humanity. You may say that this is the definition of God. But, there is a very big difference. The God that I speak of doesn't belong to any religion. He doesn't need any prayers. He doesn't help you out of a difficulty if you pray. He will help you if you think, and only if you think!! He won't simply bestow you with blessings. You will have to discover his true blessings. So, what sort of atheist am I? I redefined God and believe in him. So am I really an arheist? Yes, because, I don't believe in the commonly known “commercial God”.

This letter is not meant to transform you into an atheist like me. Every atheist has a reason for why he became so. This is to explain why I became an atheist. I may be wrong in my belief. One day, there may arise proofs for the existence of God. But, I will not have any regrets then, because, I stood for humanity, for love, for knowledge. I believe, God (if there is one) too will be in that side. He won't punish me for not believing in him, because, I stood for the right principles.

In this post I'm writing about the origin of our universe. I will deal with it scientifically and philosophically. For a change, I'm writing this as a conversation I overheard between two people that, one who doesn't believe in God, and the other who has faith in the hands of God. But, both of them have good scientific temper and are well aware of the Big Bang theory and its implications. Wanna hear it?

“So, who set the ball rolling?”

“Excuse me?”

“I'm talking about the origin of the universe”

“Oh! That's quite simple. God!!”

“So you think that's how it all happened? You don't believe in Big Bang theory?”

“I've read a lot about it. But, I don't fully believe in it”

“Why?”

“There are many things the theory can explain. I believe in it. But as far as the unexplained part is concerned, I think only God can fill those blanks.”

“But, that doesn't have a proof”

”O.k. Consider this. The Big Bang theory states that time started at big bang. It doesn't say what happened before that?”

“That question is irrelevant, because space and time collapses at that singularity. The happenings before that has no effect”

“That's a limitation. Only God can overcome that. That's the proof you have asked for”

“O.k, then who created God?”

“That question is irrelevant”

“Why?”

SILENCE!!!

“Listen,God is someone who has no beginning or end”

“That's what all religions say. I don't believe in what religions say. I seek truth, and truth is always accompanied by proof”

“Look! What you say have got some proof. Even now, we can't say what happened before Planck time. That's after big bang. Why?”

“See, we've got our own limitations in making such huge energy levels. It is impossible to recreate the first instants of big bang in lab”

“So... you say, you can't provide enough evidence to support what you say, and still you need proof for what I say. Why?”

“Because you believe in God, who can make anything possible. It won't be difficult for him to give a few proofs of his very existence.”

“My friend, you say so because you don't know who God is. He is not a greedy businessman who needs more customers. He needs only true believers to know who he is.”

“O.k, tell me who God is?”

“He is the creator of....”

(interrupting) “No, no, no. Tell me his name”

“See, I'm just a believer, and not a religious fanatic. What I call him is immaterial. I believe in God and I'm least concerned about what religions say. It is my belief that matters.”

“And.. yet, you believe in a religion.”

“As a path to know Him. Only as a path. I won't allow it to control me.”

“Why?”

“Because I believe in God. It is in Him that I believe, not in what some 'men of God' tell.”

“Then how come you be a believer?”

“I've already said the answer. I think, God just created the universe. Or he just let the big bang happen. Then he just sits back and watch. Like a father watching with proud, his son growing.”

“Do you think He will help his son during the course of development?”

“I don't think so. Because that results in the violation of laws of physics, and He won't let it happen, because they are His laws.”

SILENCE!!!

“I think you are more close to my thinking, than I've previously thought. With some few changes, it is actually my point of view. The only difference is that you need a God in your theory, while I don't.”

“May be that's because we are both aware of this universe, scientifically ”

“Yeah! So, you sure God won't interfere with our universe any more?”

“He won't interfere any more, because he is all around us”

“As LOVE?”

“Precisely!!”

We may often hear testimonies of individuals who had supernatural experiences. I prefer to believe that they are either “victims” or “conspirators”. Let me explain to you some basic facts and my beliefs about supernatural.

Ghost busters have found that the magnetic and electric fields at a haunted place are abnormal. Also in some places, temperature may fall below room temperature. Let's first deal with the observations. On one side we have the scientific observations (effects) and on the other we have “the supernatural”. Now, comes the important part of logic. Some believe that the supernatural causes these effects. Others prefer to believe that these effects lead to some physiological and psychological changes in us, that leads us to a conclusion like supernatural. So we can see, with a simple change in perspective, we can get a rational or a superstitious conclusion, with the same set of data. So, it's the perspective that matters.

I've said that some physiological changes occur when we are in abnormal electric or magnetic fields. Here are two examples.

In 1998, Vic Tandy wrote a paper called "Ghosts in the Machine" for the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. Some years earlier, Tandy while working in at the Warwick lab saw something coming from him. He soon discovered that infrasound coming from an extractor fan was the reason for this. He measured the frequency of infrasound and found it to be 18.98 hertz, the exact frequency at which a human eyeball starts resonating. This causes the eyeballs to resonate, to produce an optical illusion. Since these are infrasound waves inaudible to us we can't hear it or know it without some detector apparatus. The gullible take it for an apparition.

The solar wind interacts with our earth's magnetoshere in a peculiar manner. It is such that the earth's magnetic field stretches out on to the dark side (that is, night). Some say this field interacts with people's brain. Some researchers say this to be the reason for most paranormal happenings to be at night. Now some medical researches have shown that simulating certain parts of our brain can lead to hallucinations, apparitions, near death experiences, etc. For example, electrically stimulating the angular gyrus of human brain can lead to a sensation of someone mimicking our movements behind us.

There are other scientific facts also. You can simply search for it in the net and read. Many researches have been conducted to reveal the mysteries behind certain haunted sites. Though all were not fruitful, many have exposed the myths. Also paranormal researchers (skeptical) measures electric and magnetic fields, temperature and humidity in these regions and found that it's abnormal. Here comes an interesting part

--> Some say these abnormalities are due to paranormal activity

--> Some say that these abnormalities interact with our brain and mind to cause paranormal illusions.

Throughout this article I mentioned the effect of physical parameters on human brain. The brain actually is like a intelligent processor. The various sense organs sends their respective data to brain. It analyses and interprets it. But, unlike a man-made processor, the brain compares the existing data with previous ones. This is important, because, that's where the ghosts come into play. Often as a child we hear fairy tales, myths, demons etc. So, as soon as an illusion is formed, our subconscious mind relates this to a close resembling paranormal story or activity. This evokes the demon – FEAR who will literally tear you apart!

So to cope with the supernatural, I suggest you to shed your fears (a daunting task!!) or to think rationally. Don't confuse the chirp of a bird with a “ghostly haul”. If that too is impossible, better keep out of “haunted mansions”!!

Supernatural!! A word that fills our minds with fear, or suspense. But, what is it actually? Or is there something like that? Probably, a difficult question. Can we explain those so called “supernatural” phenomenon in a rational way? Do ghosts really exist? Are haunted houses a reality? Can we perform impossible tasks with the aid of supernatural?

I'm not gonna say a clear cut answer to these questions. I will just jot down some points that I've learned. Let's start with human mind. Actually, it is a paradox to the most renowned psychologists. But, they all agree that it has immense potential that we can't fathom. But, don't think you can break the laws of science with some psi behaviour. There have been reports of supernatural occurrences all around the world. Myth busters across the globe have succeeded in bringing light to some of these in a rational way, and in some cases they haven't yet succeeded. From many such happenings, we can infer (though partially) that in most cases, the supernatural is not alone, it is often accompanied by humans, or, if you want it plain and clear, “some exploit the fear in our minds for their own benefit by creating such happenings”. As far as the unexplained cases are concerned, I hope they can explain it satisfactorily one day.

What I meant was that, whether we admit or not, “we all have fear of supernatural in our minds”. This fear has got a crucial role when we are in “haunted houses”. Even if we go to break the ghost myth, we actually have a slight belief in it. The following happens:

A man comes to a “haunted house” with his scientific instruments to measure humidity, temperature, magnetic field, electric field etc. Though he claims to be a non-believer he has a slight amount of fear, buried deep inside his unconscious mind. This causes his pupils to dilate, senses to be sharp. (This is a reflex action) He becomes alert. So he hears the smallest of the sounds with superb clarity, which amplifies his fear, that comes to the conscious mind. Then, he may have illusions which he take as fact. The reason for this is that, even if we don't have fear, we are well aware of of some stories surrounding that place. So we easily mistake such faint natural sounds for the unnatural noises. Due to the dilated pupils, more light enters his eyes, that makes him “see white ghostly images for an instant”. This further adds to the fear till he succumbs to it.

Then you may ask what this supernatural actually is? The answer to that question is simple. Human mind!!! The next post will tell you how it is so.

History is a very vast subject. As a school boy, I hated history for making me memorise scores of important dates, and was lured (or, wonder-struck) by the beauty of science. But now, as an engineering graduate, I developed an interest in history. Why? Because, only now did I realise the true potential of the subject. Also some portion of history has an esoteric nature that dragged me into it. History is not just about the various dynasties, kings, their reigns and all. It is the key to many unsolved problems of the present and the guideline to the future. I am deeply interested in how pioneers through their sheer intelligence invented the various gadgets. But, I'm not interested in technical history alone.

As a subject history is taught poorly in schools. Most students hate it, or think it as a waste. This is because, we are forced to study what we don't like. I've no interest in the various dynasties that fought against one another for power. But unfortunately, that's what they teach at at schools. (Why can't they teach history of science?) But, everyone of us will have an interest in history of some kind.

I've heard somewhere that history is written by the winners, or written for them. It is obvious. Most kings have a royal historian to note down the important events during his tenure. Will he write the “true history” or the one distorted to please the king? This is the reason history has a lot of voids in it. This is a very convenient feature that permits individuals or groups to fill these voids in the way they want. In a way, history is 'a set of cooked up stories'. We are often baffled by the contradictions in history. The history we hear is often written on the basis of witness accounts or hearsays. But there are true to the core accounts of many events, written unbiased by free individuals. Facts are usually suppressed to save the “men at the top” or exaggerated to please them. Even now, day today news are distorted to do the same. If this is the case in a free, democratic set-up like now, it would have been worse at the times of arrogant, dictator kings.

History is a mixture of truth and untruth. Don't just mug it up. Analyse the data in front of you, ask your logic whether it is true. If so, double check it and digest, the same way a crime is solved. If we don't filter fables out of facts in history, we will be teaching hoaxes to the budding generation