The little things

             

    Everyone likes the superlative adjective. Humans love the superlative adjective. He thought he was the fastest until he met the cheetah, he thought he was the smartest being alive until the possibility of aliens came into the picture. Humans now seek aliens for many reasons but a major one would be to test how smart they are. If that’s not enough he has always referred to himself as the superior being, living on a superior planet to do superior things (in the superlative).

            Humans always thought they were at the centre of the universe until Nicholas Copernicus proved that the earth actually revolves round the sun. To wake them up from the dream someone had to pay the price. Galileo Galilei was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life when he advocated for this theory. On top of that, we live on the continental crust of the earth which is the light and dry version of the oceanic crust. In other words, we live on the scum of the earth. Now we know that we are not kings and queens of the universe. We are just living on an insignificant part of an insignificant component of the universe, yet we still think we are the greatest.

            Well, topping that up is the fact that we come from chimpanzees. Yes, those relatively ugly animals you see in the park, they are not our cousins, but our blood related siblings. We share more than 98% of our DNA with the chimpanzees. At this point we should realize how ordinary we are and that someday chimpanzees could evolve into much more superior beings.

             Big stuff, big results and big status, we love it. After all it is the strongest who should survive not the stronger or the strong. Charles Darwin called it natural selection, and therefore it is natural. History on the other hand provides undeniable facts that we are not who we think we are. Its’ probably saying something. Perhaps, the superlative isn’t exactly what we need. Maybe it’s the small things that make the difference.

            Take an example of one of the earliest ice ages that caused earthquakes, continental drift, irreversible processes on earth and all that other big stuff. You might think it was caused by big movements in the earth’s core or some extra-terrestrial asteroids. Not exactly, the culprit behind was none other than the cyanobacteria . The slimy blue-green algae that grow on abandoned ponds made it to history. How? Simply stated, they were the first organisms to produce oxygen by photosynthesis. Oxygen burnt the greenhouse gas –methane- allowing the earth to freeze over; So much power for just algae.

 

Someone once said, “Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together.” I don’t remember who said that but he/she must have been very wise. We all want great things, that’s natural. While fighting for the big stuff, we shouldn’t forget that they are a combination of small things and perhaps it’s the little things we really need. Have an amazing day!

A bumpy ride

   

 

  Determination, focus , goals, dreams  the words I keep using on every other blog post, how are they practical?  How can any human being keep track of one lifelong dream when life is just too short and gets even more dynamic? I don’t know how, I don’t even know if it’s necessary to have a dream.  The musician Tim Minchin argues that we shouldn’t waste our lives chasing a lifetime dream but we should just focus on what’s in front of us. I don’t know it that’s okay, but the story of one man seems to have all the answers.

       In 1987 Dr. Ben Carson was expected to separate the Siamese twins, the first operation of its kind so far. One might assume that just because he had ‘gifted hands’ , he had nailed it already. Well, not quite true. Dr. Carson had just lost twins in a miscarriage not so long ago. Feeling hopeless and defenseless he now had to save twins, not his own but of hopeful parents. At this stage most people would question their abilities and just decline the request but not Dr. Carson. Dr. Carson is different (from most of us), he wanted to be the best he could be and it is this surgery that proved his genius.

       In high school I’m pretty sure Dr. Carson had no dream of becoming the best neurosurgeon in the world. He just wanted to be the best he could be. He had good grades, but then adolescence hit and he started slacking; he valued ‘friends’ and fashion than his own future.  Consequently his grades started slacking. This was a wake up call and soon he got back on track. Even though he slacked somewhere he still made it to history.

       Some people can consider having a big dream to be limiting and torturous; we are forced to improvise every second of everyday. There is pressure from all corners to change what we know and what we think we know, in the end it might seem logical to just go with the flow. Perhaps logic isn’t always a good thing; life without a dream is just an uncoordinated set of events.

       Life is made of bumps, potholes and valleys and isn’t always straight as we plan it to be. It’s like driving at night. You don’t see the destination, you only see a few meters illuminated by the flashlights but you have the destination in mind no matter what happens in the way you will get there.

       So Tim Minchin says, "have micro ambitions and achieve them to enjoy life". That's definitely true, life is even more meaningful if these ambitions are born out of a dream.  Have a big dream and that’s enough. Don’t worry about the details on how they will materialize, life will take care of that. Life is a bumpy ride not a smooth road, even though it beats us a couple of times, the secret is keep moving. An amazing life waits ahead.

Great expectations, Great reality.

           

 Get real, miracles don't happen, I hear this phrase all too often that it has lost its impact on my mind. It is told in different words but it tends to impact the same feeling that reality is set to prove us wrong. If the definition of miracles is instantaneously turning water to wine then of course they don't happen,at least not in this century.
           When reality doesn't meet expectations, we make jokes out of them and that marks the end of expecting. Well, if these expectations were not thriving for, its okay. Otherwise, I would like to explicitly say that miracles do happen. If you choose not to see them in your life then maybe you'll probably see in others'.

            You have probably heard a lot about Michael Faraday, his scientific achievements, fame and all his might and glory. What you probably don't know is where he came from and how he came to be appear in science textbooks. He was simply a boy with big dreams. Well, here is his story, if this doesn't inspire you I don't what will. Faraday was a son of a blacksmith and he never received any formal schooling. At the age of 14, he got a job as a bookbinder's apprentice. He made impressive notes of Physics that a rich customer sponsored him to attend lectures of Humphry Davy, a prominent scientist of the time. He eventually became Davy’s assistant. You would expect that his job description would include laboratory work or book binding. Well, he was the guy who washed the dishes and brought water when someone was thirsty. He took these opportunities to get closer to physics and physicists, he read and experimented whenever he got he chance to. He kept hope alive and somehow he ended up with the immortal name. That’s nothing short of a miracle.

            Miracles, I know many are uncomfortable with this word because reality seem to have no space for them. Well, miracles are not magic tricks, they are not the magic lamps that will solve everything. Miracles are the little things or big things that defy gravity. Sometimes we are too absorbed that we don't notice them. People who make a name for themselves, the healing power of time, when expectations meet reality, that’s magic. Miracles take time, a few months, a few years or even a lifetime. The good part  is we make these miracles, consciously or not.

            I have heard and read about people who have walked the walk and talked the talk. All I can say, keep the hope alive. Why? Because reality is not final until it has met expectations. Hold onto that dream, shoot for the stars because you will land somewhere in its vicinity. Miracles do happen, if you find it impractical to count on them, then just keep it that mind. You will know one when you see one...J

           

Passion

       The Wikipedia opening line for Leonardo da Vinci goes, “Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (Italian pronunciation: [leoˈnardo da vˈvintʃi] April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519, Old Style) was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. If I have counted correctly, those are 13 professions.  He mastered all these disciplines in only 67 years of his life.  How can one resonate to all these fields? That’s the big question, and the answer is nothing but Passion.

The poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote “The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.” The French philosopher Denis Diderot wrote “Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.” Both of these men make sense, lots of sense. Truth be told, there is something admirable about passion because with passion nothing else matters, not critics nor time, nor the weather. Even better is the fact that service comes in as a by-product. It’s a win-win phenomena.  

Passion is that elixir that makes everything else silent. What we do something passionate about, we can go on forever and still be energetic. There is also something about passion that we often misunderstand. Passion is not only found in art. Musicians, authors, exude their passion; we see it because they are performers.  Other people too show their passion in a different way. Programmers who write code until they speak in code, accountants indulge in numbers as if it’s some sort of meal, they are all passionate.  Passion is an element that can develop anywhere.

            How exactly do we find that passion? It can be confusing when everyone knows exactly what they want and you don’t.  Some people rely on school grades and others simply follow their heart. Neither is wrong, but caution is to be used here. Numbers on a piece of paper, they tell something about cognitive ability to a particular subject but they say anything about creative ability or love for the subject. Things we are passionate are simply put are “matters of the heart”.Try out different things, when you find it you will know.

            What happens when you wake up one morning and the things you thought you were good at are not that exciting anymore. It does happen; we humans are really dynamic creatures. The things we like today are not exactly what we will like 5 years to come. The solution is to keep searching. Da Vinci started his career with music, he then went on to painting, science and eventually engineering and a whole lot of other things. He kept trying different things, failing some, moving on to others. That’s life.

Maybe Da Vinci was a genius and it is impractical to walk in his shoes. Maybe that’s true, but there is a lot to learn from him.  Some people say, find your passion and stick to it.  I say find your passion, enjoy it and keep searching. My passion may be writing, or science, or music , I don't know for sure, that's why I'm still exploring. Whether you know your passion or not, keep searching, it’s what makes life amazing.

Our deepest fears.

            Sometimes when I think of the giants who walked this earth, I wonder what was going through their minds. I think of Marie Curie and I wonder if she always knew she was an exceptional woman. Wasn’t there any source of doubt as she entered the "man's" field? I think of Michael Faraday and I wonder how despite being a smith’s son he appeared in our textbooks. Wasn’t he at some point afraid that he was too inadequate to speak to the most intelligent people of the time? I wonder, but then I remember they didn’t live in isolated bubbles. They were humans, who lived in societies of ordinary people, Of course they had fears.

                       

Isaac Newton; he is the guy without whom Physics textbooks are incomplete. He is the man who would write about gravitation, head the Royal Mint, and sit in the parliament simultaneously. Those are just details of his achievements, what I haven’t told you is that he once asked the Parliament windows be closed so that no one would hear his stutter. The incredible Sir Isaac Newton was afraid? That’s an unlikely scenario, but he was human of course he had this pre-installed software.

            When Miss Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, I’m assuming a trail of thoughts went through her mind. The judicial consequences of her actions on not only herself but also her family, the financial consequences and everything everyone else feared of. But she did it anyway, she spoke her mind despite the fear she humanly had.

            Biologically, Fear is the brain’s reaction to a stimulus where chemicals are released that raise the heart rate. This definition is incomplete without mentioning the fact that it has the effect of causing pulling away/ hiding. Fear, it is the most inhibiting and negative feeling you will ever have. It’s the reason why people take their dreams to the grave. It is the source of regrets and the sad part is it is a requirement for every human being. That being said, It is totally fine to have fear.

            I’m a good fan of the phrase “Everything is possible” and how naive that sounds because in the real world some (if not many) things are not possible. But I still believe, well, because if you look around, the world is modeled by people who said “Screw fear, I’m going to do it anyway” and miracles happened. So I guess I’m right to believe that everything you are willing to commit is possible.

            “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” That’s a popular quote by Nelson Mandela and summarizes 1000 words. Most people say you shouldn’t fear; it doesn’t sound natural, I think what they mean to say is; be afraid but do it anyway.