Cogito, ergo sum

Friday, 14 October 2011

Tragedy of Commons Or Tragedy of Ignorance?

   Today I saw the special episode of one really nice reality series on Sony title 'Crime Patrol'. I like this series because it's based on real incidents and how they gets solved and mainly because it always ends with a message about what could have been done to avoid it.
   This special episode was based on the March 2011 Nagpur Murder case. I wont discuss the whole episode, I leave it for those interested to find on own; but one thing that started my think-tank was - What makes one to be just the mere spectators when they witness a crime happening? Is it because of fear, or awe, or uncertainty, or hesitation or just apathy.
   I saw a documentary once, criticizing New Yorkers for having such a busy life that makes them little concerned about anything happening around them that has no direct and obvious impact on them. In one incident, a woman was robbed and killed by stabbing in a parking lot. Later it was reported that several local resident admitted to have witnessed the crime, but didn't bothered to inform the cops or even help the lady; thinking that someone else might have already done whats needed. This is clear case of apathy, and perfect example of "Tragedy of Commons", an unfortunate case when no one takes any action in belief that others might have already done whats needed.
   But we cannot compare New York case with the case in Nagpur. A girl was stabbed 17 times, right in the daylight around 10 AM, in the main market with tons of crowd around. The killers stopped and washed their hands and threatened people around that they too would be murdered if they reported anything about them. When cops came, no one was ready to identify the killers, claiming that they have not seen them clearly. Interestingly and I feel real embarrassed to tell, no one around the gathered crowd was even ready to help the girl who was still breathing and was asking for help.

Minutes later a passer-by saw the crowd, and saw the girl stabbed in back lying on the road and realized she needs to be taken to hospital immediately. The girl could not be saved, because even in the hospital, the doctors were not immediately available; and once they came, with all the needed legal formalities after which doctors are supposed to start operating, that all was way too late.
Its easy to be a part of blame-game. In one sense, I am too not just reporting this incident and my thoughts; I also seems and feel like playing the same blame-game. And same was done after this incident. Students and people came on the streets to demonstrate against the day-light murder, girls and students protection and inability of police.

   I don't think its just for Nagpur, it could be in our own neighbours, could be with our own loved ones. Whatever be the reason that Nagpur crowd acted like this; one thing that I believe caused such an apathy - we don't take even the simple everyday opportunity to help someone around.
   I don't know what else to be concluded with this incident, I end with these quotes -
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." by Tolstoy,
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." by Winston Churchill
"He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help." by Abraham Lincoln
   I decide, though I will not go out looking to find someone to help; but to keep my eyes and ears open, to find every and any opportunity on my way to help someone in need. And to keep the record I will update them here, whenever I get any such an opportunity.
   The purpose of 'Crime Patrol' series is to spread the awareness, I hope my this little article also helps the cause.

Thursday, 13 October 2011

Spirit of Mumbai

I am writing after long time, not because I have stopped thinking or writing; just was busy with other 'not so important' stuff. :) But I do have my writing, just needs some editing when I will get them down here. For now I have something that I thought to get down asap.

Today I had experience of traveling in a Mumbai Local Train. Just for the record, its not the first time I was boarding Mumbai Local; once before I've been in Mumbai Local from Dadar to Mumbai Central station, about 7 years back when I was in Pune. I had to get back to Delhi urgently for some reason and only train I got confirmed was from Mumbai to Delhi. But this experience was definitely very different from my previous one. This experience was after knowing about the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train serial bombing when seven bomb-blasts were executed in just 11 minutes. This experience was after watching movies like "A Wednesday" and "Mumbai Meri Jaan". This experience was after watching the huge crowd on platforms and in trains, people crushing in like in a concentration camp and hanging out of the bogies (compartment) and not a single place for security checks.

All the time I was in the train, scenes of movie "Mumbai Meri Jaan" was running in my mind; in which Nikhil Agarwal (played by R. Madhavan), an executive who got luckily saved from being a victim of Mumbai train bombings, made him too scared to take train again and later diagnosed with acute stress disorder. Also running in my mind were the dialogues of the movie "A Wednesday", where "A Common Man" (played by Naseeruddin Shah) talks about his fear of boarding train or to travel in a bus after the blasts. And I was wondering if I should be concerned as well; but interestingly I saw such a large crowd, none seemed to be bothered by any such thoughts. Probably because that's their everyday life.

This brings another thought; why after the blasts (not just the Mumbai train serial blast, Mumbai has big list of them), we hear so many times in media, praising the spirit of Mumbai and Mumbaikars who soon are back to their everyday work, being not intimidated by any such terror attacks. Or probably the "Common Man" of "A Wednesday" is right - 'We common man just thanks the God that we are saved being victim, and soon forget everything'. And the media, do they intend to sympathize with unfortunate ones or to fend off the seriousness of the issue.

Only two types can avail the luxury of being unconcerned about anything like this - those who think they are never going to be in any such place which can be target of terror attacks; and I can't think of any such place when we have 2001 Indian Parliament attack and Sept 2011 Delhi High Court attack. Second kind are those who are dead.

Its so strange and unfortunate that even after all these attacks, there is hardly any security. I mean forget about any security, hardly I have seen any cops around the place. It reminds me of a real wise answer to question - why to put locks when you know that there is always someone who can break it. Or in IT terms, why to have security when we know that there is always someone out there who can break it. Well the answer is quite simple and obvious, security needs to be placed to get 'not so skilled ones' out. With no security, its becomes so easy for anyone to get along with their mischievous acts without any doubts of being caught.

I am not sure what I can do about, or any of the guys who board these local trains everyday; but one thing I am sure now, the media claims of spirit of Mumbai or Mumbaikars is a pun played with us. When such a crowd traveling everyday in Mumbai Local trains, that clearly shows its role like the backbone of the city. Thousands if not millions travel everyday through these local trains. Even when there is an attack like these, they can't sit in their houses or stop doing their job. It may seem cynical, but it is not the much applauded 'courage' that defines the so-called 'spirit' of Mumbai. It is simply the 'survival instinct', which we all have. ^[1]

Its not the spirit of Mumbaikars, its their only option.

References

1. Survival instinct, not spirit, defines Mumbai

Friday, 5 August 2011

Ode of Life

This is a creation of the poetic self of me. Influenced by Hindi Song - Tujhse Naraaz Nahi Zindagi.

Not complaining, I am just surprised,
with you my Life.
I am troubled with simple question,
You bring along as strife.

Never envisaged to live you life,
I need to solve your puzzles.
For one desire of cheery smile,
There's lot of inflictions to cuddle.

Today that you endue me,
I am accepting it graciously.
Who knows about tomorrow, may be,
I will be craving for it breathlessly.

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Can mind go beyond the capacity of the brain?

Today finished the movie, 'Paa'; that I started 2 days back (it’s another of my ideas, to rarely finish a movie in one sitting). 'Paa' is based on a rare condition called Progeria, an extremely rare genetic condition (1 in 8 million birth); where aging like symptoms are marked in relatively very early age. It’s a genetic condition that occurs as new mutation and is not inherited. ^[1]

As I was watching the movie, there was a question in my mind all the time. Auro, the character played by Big B, is a 13 year old kid suffering from Progeria. As in Progeria, though Auro is a kid, he looks like a very old guy, got glasses (though it’s not rare to find 13 year old having glass), is bald, has wrinkled skin and looks probably like a old Lilliputian guy. But interestingly, he behaves just like any 13 year old would do. He hangs out with guys of his age, he does things, plays and talks like a 13 year old. Does this means that though he is aging physically, his brain seems to be growing at normal pace. For once I thought maybe it’s another Bollywood flick, where you are not supposed to think too much and apply too much logic. But later I started looking about Progeria to find if it really does has no affect on the pace of brain growth.

I found few information about Progeria, but none that answered my question. I found characteristic symptoms include extreme short stature, early loss of hair, wrinkled skin, head disproportionately large for face, prominent scalp veins, low body weight, high-pitched voice, etc. that starts to show from 18-24 months. However, individuals retain normal mental and motor development. ^{[2] [3]} This is interesting to know; but then does it means that - though rest of physical body is deteriorating fast; brain which is also a physical lump of mass, does not deteriorates.

One interesting finding is related to the abnormal formation of lamin A protein caused by mutation in the gene known as lamin A (LMNA). The LMNA gene codes for two proteins, lamin A and lamin C, that are known to play a key role in stabilizing the inner membrane of the cell's nucleus. Abnormal formation of this protein seems to destabilize the cell's nuclear membrane in a way that may be particularly harmful to tissues routinely subjected to intense physical force, such as the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. ^[3] But then does this explains all the symptoms of Progeria, or maybe there is more than this.

This does sound a good explanation for the causes of Progeria, but it does not seems to answer my question - does physical deterioration of brain occurs and if it does, why cognitive development is normal? So, I started my own thinking machine and came to following argument -

We are born with this physical mass sitting on top of our body, which grows in size as we grow old; but note that no new neurons are formed other than the ones we are born with. Interesting fact is, as a new born, we have the most number of neurons that we will ever have in our life. Because as we grow right as infant, many of the earlier neurons die. So a person with Progeria, should also have same brain capacity to start with as a normal human would. So Progeria person is not disadvantaged by not having grown enough neuronal count, because as said, even though he has Progeria, he is born with more neuronal count than he will have later in his life.

This physical lump, even when taken off a dead person, kept in some laboratory, showing no signs of life, doing no function and no neuronal firing, is still a brain. But when its working, its produces what we will call certain behavior, which in itself is the product of our mind. In simpler terms, mind is the product of the processing going on in the brain, that gets manifested into certain actions that we perceive as behavior.

A person with Progeria has a disorder where his physical body is deteriorating faster than that of a normal human being. So I assume that the physical brain might also be deteriorating and maybe at the same pace. But does that physical deterioration of brain has any affect on his mind, or eventually to his behavior. Maybe yes, but probably not too much. Our mind is created out of the physical connections, i.e. synapses between the neurons. Those synapses are different in different person, and formed mainly by a person's own experiences. And so does behavior changes, as the experiences change, as person grow old (not considering the hormonal changes).

In Progeria, the brain may be deteriorating, but mind is still evolving. Even in a normal person, as he gets old, his brain is definitely deteriorating, causing things like forgetfulness and hallucinations. But his mind might still be evolving, probably the reason why old guys are considered the most wise ones.