Tuesday 27 October 2015

Philosophers I love- Epicurus

One who denies philosophy denies life. People with only materialistic understanding and literal senses would never be able to penetrate deep in to the mighty ocean of philosophy weaved through conscious efforts. I hereby decide to share one of the greatest philosophers one by one and their quotes.



His parents, Neocles and Chaerestrate, both Athenian-born, and his father a citizen, had emigrated to the Athenian settlement. He professed the idea of fearless life of wisdom and philosophy. He said that one must not fear things like death and must always pursue methods of true happiness. He started a school of philosophy called  Epicureanism. He suffered from kidney stones which took his life at the age of 72. Here is a very touching para from his Wikipedia page-

"At the time of death despite the prolonged pain involved, he wrote to Idomeneus:


I have written this letter to you on a happy day to me, which is also the last day of my life. For I have been attacked by a painful inability to urinate, and also dysentery, so violent that nothing can be added to the violence of my sufferings. But the cheerfulness of my mind, which comes from the recollection of all my philosophical contemplation, counterbalances all these afflictions. And I beg you to take care of the children of Metrodorus, in a manner worthy of the devotion shown by the young man to me, and to philosophy."

  Only some of his 300 works are remaining. Here are some of his pieces.



NOTE- This list is in no regard to the any religious or cultural beliefs. I do not profess any of them, although one has to disregard their pre conceived notions in order to fully enjoy these treasures.




  • I will start by his world famous "bomb". This one is known as Eucredian paradox.





  • "What was most important in Epicurus’ philosophy of nature was the overall conviction that our life on this earth comes with no strings attached; that there is no Maker whose puppets we are; that there is no script for us to follow and be constrained by; that it is up to us to discover the real constraints which our own nature imposes on us."

  • "Death is nothing to us, because a body that has been dispersed into elements experiences no sensations, and the absence of sensation is nothing to us. Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist."

  • "We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink."

  • This excerpt proves he was a genius. Note that his time was- 341 BC- 270 BC


“The risings and settings of the sun, the moon, and the other heavenly bodies may come about from the lighting up and quenching of their fires…; for nothing in our sensory experience runs counter to this hypothesis. Or the said effects may be caused by the emergence of these bodies from a point above the earth and again by the earth’s position in front of them; for nothing in our sensory experience is against this.Here two alternative explanations of “risings and settings” are offered; both are of equal value and equally true, since neither is contradicted by anything in our experience. On the contrary, we have all seen fires die down from lack of fuel, and lights obscured or blacked out by objects coming in front of them.”



  • You cannot stop smiling if you truly understand the irony- 
“The conquest of fear, especially fear of unaccountable divine beings who meddle in nature at will, means a reduction in the sum total of human pain and suffering and opens the door to the calm acceptance of a new picture of the world—a world in which nature is autonomous and where there are ideal beings who never meddle.” 


  • But he wasn't a full Atheist, rather an Agnostic. What I feel that, a true philosopher will disown religion and atheism both because neither of them seems to be fully true. He said what you can see or experience is true if you have tested it and not become skeptic of your own senses.
"If a person fights the clear evidence of his senses he will never be able to share in genuine tranquillity. In other words, a person who doubts his senses will either lose contact with the reality of the surrounding world, like the Skeptics, and become psychologically isolated and insecure, or he will fall prey, as do the religionists, to theological explanations which do not allay anxiety but foment it.”

  • LOL!
“The man who says that all events are necessitated has no ground for critizing the man who says that not all events are necessitated. For according to him this is itself a necessitated event."

  • This one is his most liked one- 
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

  • “You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity"

  • “It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself."

  • “If the gods listened to the prayers of men, all humankind would quickly perish since they constantly pray for many evils to befall one another.”

  • “He who has peace of mind disturbs neither himself nor another.”

  • “He who says either that the time for philosophy has not yet come or that it has passed is like someone who says that the time for happiness has not yet come or that it has passed.”

  • “We must, therefore, pursue the things that make for happiness, seeing that when happiness is present, we have everything; but when it is absent, we do everything to possess it.”

  • Yeah, this famous sentence was the work of Epicurus- 
“If you wish to make Pythocles rich, do not add to his store of money, but subtract from his desires.”


  • "The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.”


  • “He who least needs tomorrow, will most gladly greet tomorrow.”

  • He took my words!
“The wise man who has become accustomed to necessities knows better how to share with others than how to take from them, so great a treasure of self-sufficiency has he found.”

  • “We need to set our affections on one good man and keep him constantly before our eyes, so that we may live as if he were watching us and do everything as if he saw what we were doing.”

  • “Therefore, foolish is the man who says that he fears death, not because it will cause pain when it arrives but because anticipation of it is painful.


  • “It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us."
 
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Thursday 22 October 2015

The Nirma-Shastra


I first not in any way claim to an expert but through constantly making mistakes I have learnt many lessons and they are extremely helpful to surviving in this place. I bestow reverence to my friends and some amazing faculties whom I found here and present to you my own list of things- which when followed will definitely lead a stable life at Nirma and probably a happy one too and I name it "The Nirma-Shastra."



  • Here is the ultimate test for your friendship with others - give them work when they are enjoying.Here is a test whether they can be exploited or not - give them work when YOU are enjoying. But remember of course that the exploitation period comes with a validity. Keep it for reserve.Note that- in both the cases you have to only observe their responses.
  • Make friends with at least 2 people whose home,hostel you could spend your night at, at your own convenience.
  • If you think that smoking/drinking "helps" you to relieve the pressure by Nirma, you deserve to be spanked in front of open public.
  • Do at least one thing apart from studies, projects, club activities- be it gym or any hobby.
  • Read Bhagwad Geeta, not once, not twice, nor even ten times. Even 50 is probably less. Don't just read it, work with it.
  • While organizing/volunteering an audi event for your club, if somebody is teasing you or making fun of you, remember they are not organizing it, you are. They didn't run for sponsorship and publicity, you did.
  • Okay- this is known to everyone. The compulsory 85% attendance rule is a myth. It can be turned around, bent, ridiculed, or be twisted at your own convenience. Two complete "extra" weeks off from Nirma, might result in only 1 day of writing papers for punishment. Choice is yours, don't be a coward or unnecessarily diligent.
  • There WILL literally come a point where you have to spoon feed some people labeled as your "friends" right from putting their proxy, providing them notes and study materials, making their projects, arranging passes for them in a function, to be a source for their entertainment to giving last minute exam explanations(and not revision) and showing them your answers in the exam.All this without any serious appreciation. In that case, QUIT immediately. Do not wait for them to return the favor through unknown mysterious help in the future for some mysterious reasons where you would not be able to do it yourself. Just quit, you are not his/her master but you have surely became his/her slave. Live your college life free, there are a lot of people who are open to attachments- find another ones.
  • Always argue with the lab assistant. It is their job to provide you components and help and you have the right to use the laboratory. To not use a laboratory of any other branch or during lecture hours is no where written in their so called "rule book". But limit yourself to just arguments, they too are pissed off from the hectic schedule and are more or less, in a same situation as you are in.
  • Believe in God, but don't believe in prayers. Let the miracles happen when you don't expect them to be. It's fun. Real fun.
  • Maintain at least 7.5 pointer. There is no amount of fun and no type of pleasure which will be compromised if you maintain that score and it is fairly easy.(Except for some D2D students).
  • Don't run behind perfection. It is like a dumb guy running a relay race-blind folded. Consider my example-
One day a man decided to find a perfect master and ask his answers on life and troubles. He decided to switch to existentialism and became firm on his decision. He traveled to America where he met a priest and made him his master. But sooner he began to realize that the priest is not what he was searching for. Priest's answers were very much subjected to limited knowledge that "God is love" and so on. He left the priest and went Europe. There he met with a saint but he had a really rigorous schedule. He took a very long time to answer one of his questions. One day he left him too and went to Japan. There he met a Kung fu master and accepted him but the master was very cruel. For every small mistake, he used to beat him a lot and torture him so that he learns quickly. He could not tolerate this for long and ran away. Then he went to a Tibetan monk residing in Himalayas. He found all the good qualities in him. He realized that although he could not find an absolute perfect master, this is the closest to what he desired. He asked the monk to become his master but the master refused. "Why"? The monk said that he will only accept "perfect" disciples.
  • Maintain good and regular notes in at least one subject which you love the most and stick to this rule for every semester.
  • Always be prepared with graph papers, file and other stationary. Don't let urgency haunt you.
  • If a girl unnecessarily fights with you frequently without any reason- propose her.
  • If you are going to competitive exam preparation classes, make sure you do at least one out of the two(classes and Nirma) works early enough that you can even handle extra load. Negligence and procrastinating will delve you into deep troubles because neither of the two places would tolerate delay.
  • If you don't know still, it is high time you should learn how to crack softwares and run it through drivers.
  • If you find a dancer, a singer, a musician, a writer, a poet or any of so around you, push him hard to perform and get recognized. It is your responsibility to drive him to the stage. But never take advantage out of their talents- grow up.
  • If you love programming - keep doing it. Your branch does not matter.
  • Never be hesitant to talk or crack jokes. The more you talk, the more your social quotient will grow and the more you will know what kind of talks are interesting and what kind of jokes really receive appreciation, this will help in your future.
  • If you are not so good at studies, make sure you maintain a close relationship with your immediate next roll numbers. You know what I am talking about.
  • Visit at least half of the famous eating outlets in Ahmedabad. This is a glory in itself.
  • Parties should have no reason, no specific time, no obstruction and should be done frequently.
  • Visit the library at least once in a month irrespective of exams, read newspapers at least once a week while also visit L block and "Gatta" bhai once in two months at least.
  • If you feel you are in a wrong college and your life is literally being destroyed here, do one thing to remain motivated. Take a diary and write 3 good things about what you have experienced here and write it down. Like, "I have so and so friends and I am elated at seeing them" or something like that. Subjects as well as verbs like "elated", "delighted" are important. Now read them everyday, carry that diary with you everywhere. Make sure it is the first thing you read after waking up and the last thing before sleeping and read them two or three times more in between. There is a condition- keep that a secret till 4 weeks. First week you will feel good, second week your mind will try to trick you in to stop doing it but continue, third week your mind you now distract you and you might feel that you already know it and don't have to read it again. This is the point where you have to apply maximum force and continue reading it everyday. On the fourth week you will successfully program your subconscious into feeling good about Nirma. This trick is 100% effective. (This life hack is taken from Quora and personally tested).

The list is open to additions and improvements. Thank You.











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Monday 12 October 2015

Goals do not exist.

Human mind can always display projections. Reality for it is "data" to be just interpreted and come to conclusions. It is bound to stay in either future or past because present is the only reality that exists and it cannot stay in or show you reality, it can only interpret it. If you are happy now, it will tell you how you can go on to be happy. It cannot allow you to remain happy. It will push you further. If you are sad it will tell you what all factors caused you sad and go on and on and ditch you deeper and deeper. So calm down your mind, it cannot help you realize what it really is. Hence, if you continue using your mind all the time- you can never experience anything what it is. You can see a rose, a beautiful rose, you have to realize the beauty of it. You cannot certainly do so with the help of your mind- it will always ask conclusions and explanations. If you listen to your mind and go on to understanding the rose, by the time you have understood it- the rose is gone. And you are only left with some chemicals and theories. Rose existed in your mind because you were perceiving it and now, you have killed it.

Take that rose as your life, and realize the importance of what I am saying. Goals are just projections of your mind to you. It is showing them to you simply because it cannot show you reality. A goalcentric mind is bound to stay in the future. I am here right at this moment but your mind is in the future. We can never meet. All sorts of goals, ambitions are really useless if they aren't your passion. They are useless if you aren't enjoying doing them, or at least which will not give you a sense of satisfaction or achievement or peace. Can your goals give you a complete peace of mind? If your answer is "yes", ask it again whether it is "yes" or "yes but only for some time". If you were allowed to live for eternity, will you choose to continue working for the goal you achieved? Then, my friend it is not a goal, it is a passion! You can eternally create something is you do not have any pressure to perform but You certainly cannot continue living a boss, you certainly cannot keep creating "perfect" products. They are goals and Goals do not exist.

Your body do not need goals, your mind have simply developed them due to External influences.

External Influences

   Human mind, in its all amazingness is also really stupid. Whenever it picks up a belief system, it becomes a watchman if it. Researches show that around 12 months of time is enough to feed your mind about anything and convince it that "this is the only way of life".Since we do not know what to do, we allow others to decide what we should, during our childhood. For that entire period of time, we remain in the state of illusion and by the time we ourselves take control of our lives, we simply do not know anything else and hence we accept it as our reality and purpose. To toil your playing years in school, score extremely well no matter what you are good at, get a good college and perform exorbitantly good there too.From there you have to get a job, and if you are one of the fortunate beings, you have to get higher education. Life is nowhere else. There again you have to perform well there too. And we just accept it at is. If you do not believe that you are disillusioned, Think about terrorists. Think about ISIS. Think about Kasab. What difference is there between you and Kasab if you are believing and working for the same stuff you have been taught your entire childhood? You both are thinking your own situations as "this is only what life is". It is just that the damn society doesn't accept his actions but readily accept yours because voila! You are going to become a servant of them. There are even step by step guides to reach your goal and all sorts of tons and tons of "motivational" shit. I doesn't require statistics to say that 99% of their so called theories(fantasies) will never work. But wait a second, if we really need a step by step "external" help, then is that goal ours? Why do you think you even need a motivation to do something which will bring you pleasures? Are they saving their time or are they investing in you? So that you reach -THEM.

If somebody ever suggests you what to do- how to do, what subjects to study, ask them one question and ask them with such a spirit that they get frightened. Ask them, what they have really achieved as a person in particular? Are their careers giving them peace or just money. Are they "experiencing" happiness or are they simply "getting" happiness. Latter is an illusion. You cannot "get" happiness from external things. Happiness is a state of mind. Mind has again tricked you into believing that you are happy. Your mindless mind again conquered you.


One of the several "goals" of people is to protect their country's so called "dignity"and "honour". I tell you a truth. "Honour" is a created phenomenon. Wars are purely fought for economic reasons and are sold to the public in the terms of honour and country respect and there is no need to prove them right- we are already divided.

The society is giving you your goals, not you. What we consider as our goals or our "life purposes" are actually sold off fairy tales to us by corporate peoples. Who are these corporate people we seem to be tremendously attracted to and readily accept our slavery to them as our "GOALS"? They are evil selfish people. I kid you not and I will repeat it again.They are evil and selfish people. You are working hard, straining yourself to serve evil. Corporate people are just a small tiny group of people running their giants, profiting from our works and destroying everything which comes in between - whiz.

Nature




They destroy their very own creator. They feel that since they are going to die before all the resources run out, they have to use them anyway so that they could be "benefitted". They will hire you on the basis of our "green energy" or renewable energy sources research paper but will anyway place you in a heavy boiler. They will make you release chemicals and toxics, in to air, water and what not which is actually your home.You will first apply to them, work in hierachy, rise and then apply for "leave". You just made a cycle to yourself but you didn't realize what shit you have done. You realized that you cannot do what you "loved" anymore and returned to you old self but you have already done some irreversible damage to your home. Benefit was only theirs- not yours. But they will not even flinch-They have no morals. They will simply lure you into viscous circles and trap you by their arguments. You prove them wrong and they will switch to another arguments. They do no live for you, they live for their arguments.


Animals



Other humans


And many more, and any other which may come....


And if you, by chance due to the very unlucky human nature start to realize you are doing wrong- they have temples for you. They will tell you to ask forgiveness from God and everything will be fine, so that you can go back to sleep. So that you can wake up back to them. I ask "you", the future you in a temple, church or whatsover -praying, apologizing to your own God about all the wrongs you did in order to reach your "goals", you have realized it now? Did you suddenly have brain- now? You are standing there in a place built by man, and idols made by man in man's own image! What are you doing there?


I don't know about you, but I am highly answerable to my conscience and it is cursing me. What am I destroying in this illusion of creating something?

Once, I asked an atheist girl why does she or all of us live and work hard if we are going to die anyway, what good will it bring it us- she said we exist because we have our own goals. Now, what kind of nonsense is this? Just reply in all senses that are left in you and answer whether you exist because of your goals or your goals exist because of you?

But goals do not exist. It is believed to exist. It is believed to be pleasures. It is believed to be the only way to life. It is a packaged terrorism. But it just doesn't have "Cautionary warning" on the packet those cigarrettes has.

Go back to life and all of the moments you have lived, realize which were the most happiest ones?
Maybe simply being with your parents, or parties. Did that require you to toil? Did you plan anything just at the party door, you will "do this", and "do that"? Did you buy a self help book on how to enjoy parties? No! You enjoyed it because you realized that these are the only few hours you have- for free, in which you are free and are free to do anything. We are actually doing things in reverse.

Goals are not a place to your mind, they are boundaries. Melt them. Before returning to a mad race of reaching somewhere to gain an illusory state of happiness- first just be. Just close your eyes and look around you, appreciate all what you see, because it will be gone if you turn yourself away from it in order to reach your "goal" because Goals do not exist.



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