What I think.

leap of faith or suicide?

Inception is an amazing movie. i just love the meta-physical and philosophical flight that it gives me. the end, the leap of faith sequence between Saito and Cobb is the pinnacle for me. watch it on youtube.

Why did Cobb ask Saito to take a leap of faith, whereas he could have also asked him to commit suicide? the actions would have looked similar to the eye. so what changes? got me thinking.

what is common?

• both have the fear of unknown, what next if i do this?
• both are seeded by a thought that originates in one’s mind.
• both have some external stimuli. by external, i mean external to the mind.

what is different?

• the thought that triggers suicide has to do with giving-up and wanting to bring things to an end. negative. whereas, the only motivation behind taking a leap of faith should be to overcome the fear of the unknown within. positive.
• for suicide, i don’t blame external stimuli as much as i blame the weakness of the mind. only a weak mind can lead to an action as stupid as suicide. negative. in the other case, the external stimuli, be it a person, or reading, helping one take a leap of faith has to be someone they trust. positive.

wait this got me thinking deeper. now this is the tricky part.

one may think they trust the person or reading, but there is a possibility that they are not worthy of trust. that is where experiences count, because, trust is inspired from experiences: what kind of change has prior experience with that person inspired in oneself? having followed that person or reading, what has been the outcome - pleasure or pain?

it’s great if one gets this right. they succeed and enter into a new realm (i remember super mario here). good. but one may misinterpret the experiences, or misattribute (this is even more dangerous **) the good in those experiences, to that person or reading who didn’t deserve it. one may be convinced about taking a leap of faith and end up committing suicide.

needless to say, if you apply consequential morality, only the final outcome of a leap of faith or a suicide can decide which one of it was performed. one better be on the happier side :)

** if you don’t know misattribution you must watch this lecture starting at the 44th minute.

What i like about Satyamev Jayate

i watched the first episode of Satyamev Jayate which was targeted towards solving the issue of female foeticide. it was soul-stirring. here’s what i like about it.

i’ll start with the intent and philosophy: Aamir Khan has a pure intent, which is to put to good use the respect and affection he has won from people over the years. This gives him amazing reach and the power to influence the common man.

Aamir hinted at the underlying strong belief of his team in the first episode today, which is to realize that all problems originate in the mind and can be solved in the mind. incidentally, i heard this ted yesterday, and it refers to a similar philosphy: thay be it political, economical, technical or of any other kind, a problem has to have a psychological solution.

the clipping featuring Bharati from Vastrapur, Ahmedabad was an essential part of the whole episode because it proved that a psychological solution always exists to most problems. She deserved that salaam from Aamir.

ability to connect: the episode straight-away deep dives into real-life incidents from people around us, that we can connect to easily. My mom walked upto the television when i asked her to come over and watch, and she just stood in front of it till Amisha narrated her story. i had to remind her to take a seat. see the connection that it immediately made.

the gang of bachelors from Kurukshetra, though they seemed to be the comic element, also created a strong connect.

the title too is apt: Satyamev Jayate, truth always wins. who will disagree to or challenge this?

i hear that the show is also aired on Doordarshan, great. it will reach every television in India.

challenging common assumptions: it is common tendency, to comfort oneself with an assumption when faced with a tough problem or discomfort that one can do nothing about.

can’t help a poor child with some money? assume that he is a cheater and will misuse your money. move on without guilt of not being able to help out.

this show challenged such beliefs through statistics backed by thorough research from known respected authorities like the census board, doctors and NGO volunteers who are closest to reality. this made sure people didn’t leave their couch after the show and comfort themselves with the same old assumptions, and remain disturbed.

backing the stories with evidence: seeing is believing. the journalists were brought in for this specific cause. the pictures of the inhuman doctors leaves no scope for ambiguity in the mind of the viewer that this problem is serious and needs to be solved. the evidence is there and just a small push is required.

finally, prompting for action: towards the end i was praying that the show prompts the viewer for action before the emotion that it has built up fizzles out. i was happy it did and that too made it ridiculously simple for one to participate. shoot out and sms, show your support for the letter Aamir writes and make a difference. wow!

i wish unprecedented success to Satyamev Jayate. lots of prayers and blessings for Aamir and his team for this initiative.