Whats your dangerous idea?

"I can answer the question, but am I bright enough toask it?" — James Lee Byars, founder, The World Question Center

The Edge Annual Question — 2006 WHAT IS YOUR DANGEROUS IDEA? The history of science is replete with discoveries that were considered socially, morally, or emotionally dangerous in their time; the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions are the most obvious. What is your dangerous idea? An idea you think about (not necessarily one you originated) that is dangerous not because it is assumed to be false, but because it might be true?

Opinion — Columnists Seebach: My dangerous idea: Each child deserves an IQ test January 21, 2006 Most of the contributors appear to have interpreted "dangerous" as meaning something like "subversive," challenging to one or another received orthodoxy. ... In that spirit, here is my dangerous idea: Every child in school deserves an individual IQ test. ... And the corollary: Every statistical analysis of school- and district-level data should include individual IQ as one of the variables measured. ... Why is that subversive? Because so many people, especially in education, are terrified to admit that individual IQ has anything to do with academic achievement, because it is not evenly distributed demographically. Editorials What is the worst thing that could go wrong with our society? By Alok Jha Jan 04, 2006 Academics see gene cloning perils, untamed global warming and personality-changing drugs as presenting the gravest dangers for the future of civilization ...Richard Dawkins, of Oxford University, said our increased understanding of how our brains work would lead to difficult questions in defining morality. "As scientists, we believe that human brains, though they may not work in the same way as man-made computers, are as surely governed by the laws of physics," Dawkins said. "When a computer malfunctions, we do not punish it. We track down the problem and fix it, usually by replacing a damaged component, either in hardware or software. Isn't the murderer or the rapist just a machine with a defective component? Or a defective upbringing? Defective education? Defective genes?" he said. ... #for more go to www.edge.org or purchase the book whats your dangerous idea?. The book is available at Crosswords.

Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Dan Brown
*I have just finished reading two books by Dan Brown : - Da Vinci Code & Angels N Demons.
I have avoided reading them due to contoversies associated with them. I am not interested to read a book who target religious sentiments to grow its seeling neither I am interested in reading a thriller like typical Hollywood movie. But, after recommendation coming from a trusted source, I went for it n Gosh ! It made me running after each word of if up to the end.

well, I like Da Vinci more. I m still not sure how much historical facts Brown has blended with fiction. I found mysteries related with the words and symbols fascinating. How the power hungry male rewrote the Bible vanishing the historical & rational facts about Jesus Christ is very very interesting to observe. After much controversies,Brown was able to publish the book n release the movie. I suspect if such thing is possible in our religiously over sensitive society.

 Angels & Demons is the first adventure of the hero-Robert Langdon (Da Vinci is the 2nd). I guess Brown tried to play safe in his first book,though the topic is quite sensitive to handle-like the antimatter. The lines related to the topic-science vs faith(read religion) are very appealing and I found them quite useful to clear up my doubts. This book also opens up our eyes wide about the true base of all the religions-fear. Also, Brown took the universal subject-two persons with similar childhood,grows up with different mindset due to the interpretations they have made of their circumstances n thus by making different choices(here CERN chief n the secretary of the Pope).

The Female characters of Brown's stories are with THE substance. Da Vinci speaks loud n lot about the history when the muscle power of  male ego crushed out the equal capacity n capability of the woman leading to the non equality on our planet.

Voice From Gujarat

 A River :

The Ganges is the holy river but I think that the water of Ganga is very polluted and it is like poison.

I like to see the river,alone,sitting on a rock, at the sun set time The saffron colour reflecting in its water.I like to think n be alone at that time. Many a poet has got inspiration from the river for the River is a beautiful thing, is priceless and romantic.

Many romantic and sad scenes in films are set with a river in the background night when there no other sound than that of the river. Then it is awesome for it is wonderful to realize the river through its sound.

People says that our sins are washed out by bathing in Ganga. But I believe that all rivers are holy. If  our sins are to be washed out by bathing in Ganga,then we will become pure but the dirtyness of our sin will remain in the river. Then how can we call a river pure or impure.

If there is a river i will bath there for a long time and share my thoughts with rivers for I .

can trust them. They dont open up and tell our secrets to others.

-Dhruv Mehta,14 yrs

Ishmael-Daniel Quinn

Have u ever tried to turn ur head round to a thought of yours? If Yes, u will certainly like this book.

It evolves around the problem- How to save the world?

The teacher,with its alertness of questioning like Socrates, lead the student to use the gray matter. And so the readers.

It discusses about following issues:

- How thing came to be this way?

- The life of man as an enact of human race as par the myth story whispered by Mother Culture.

- An analysis of Biblical stories in the light of Evolution Process.

- Importance of what we call The Environment.

- Search for the way to the life.

As a good teacher might do, no answer is given for the main problem.

N plz,do not rush for the reviews on the Net. Alteast save ur mind from such conditioning.

Ladakh

*Its not new in India to experience different culture within a pocket area but the experience at Jammu & Kashmir state is different. Here the cultural change echoes religious change n nationality change(up2 certain extant). In Jamuu valley, one experiences Hindu culture n Indianness, at Shrinagar valley, its Muslim and at Ladakh, its Budhdhist religion that stink in the air. At Shrinagar, the air filled with Army presence, one drives to think more about patriotism than the beauty of the valley,at least it happened to me while being there on 14th n 15th of August.At Ladakh, its all about monasteries, Tibetian food and fight for Free Tibet.

* The road Shrinagar-Kargil-Leh is spectacular. Some areas r such that one feels like being on the other planet. The dusty hills r with all sort of wonderful carvings by nature. The concrete road seems disturbing the beauty and at the same time, adding to the scenery.
This road also helps to see the evolution process. The dusty hills show no sign of life except their wonderful colour. But with a little more observation or with the help of a binocular, one can find the life. Small vegetation is struggling its way to break the hill into the plains. Remember that this area stays under snow for 3 to 4 months n the snow literary burns out the vegetation. Still, it tries again n again to survive and evolve with a single ray of sun. It takes many generations to a seed to become fit to survive and then it takes many more generations to evolve it. Evolve as a plant,tree. And we cut a tree with a labour of few hours( in developed countries it might tale few minutes, may be !). Many insects n animals (including goats n ships) survive and evolve on this scattered vegetation. One passes through these beautiful barren mountains with such thoughts aching in brain n come across a village suddenly. The village seems like a green patch on the modern art painting.

The mountains also displays the finest work on nature's artistic hand. One will find such a wonderful carvings due to the process of depreciation & reconstruction ; and wonderful colours due to geographical process. The river Sindhu flows side by side. Local call her 'dariya', which is the meaning of its name(i.e., whn to talk abt Sindhu, ppl use the word 'dariya' instead of 'sindhu').

The well known Sindhu Civilization didn't perished here, it developed in the plains of Gujarat n its adjoining plains in Pakistan. Because, for the development of a civilization, people need an easy life. In Ladakh, as in other mountain area, life has to struggle a lot only for survival. In such condition, development process suffers.

brain ache

• a thin line between love and care ; love supports indipendence.
• a child is pure because it is yet to socialize and has not any value system.

'summerhill' by a.s.neill

What is freedom?

'Summerhill' is a book about a school n yet one find the answer of above question in it.
It is batter that I quote A.S.Neill rather then commenting on his work.

• Fashion typifies the crowd's dislike of freedom.
• As individuals,we calmly accept crowd rulings that are stupid.
• If a man is shocked by anything, it is by the thing that he is most interested in.
• the business of being sincere in life and to life is a vital one....Yet we educate our children in such a way that they dare not to be sincere....The greatest discovery we made at Summerhill is that a child is born sincere.
• The aim of life is happiness. The evil of life is all that limits or destroy happiness.
• Self-regulation implies a belief in the goodness of human nature; a belief that there is noe, and never was, original sin.
• Any idea, old or new, is dangerous, if not combined with common sense.
• The man, who holds his family in bondage. is, and must be, a slave himself- foe in a prision a jailor also is confined.
• But the question arises : Is it possible to approve of children if you do not approve of yourself? If you are not aware of yourself, you cannot approve of yourself.
• The one commandment that every parent and teacher MUST obey is this : Thou shall be on the child's side.
• ...but heads never cause neurosis; only hearts do.

well,,, n all this stuff is from only one chapter- The Free Child.
# order this book at : Pitara-Gujarat (02633-240409),its also available in hindi(175rs)

Rajasthan Trip

Jivashmi ni parat jeve mahel,killa ne baag
Tikha cahera par mrug madhel nain ni aag;
Laheriya saafe vintaay shubrh shuratan
Ret faadi ugyu ek trun...
Wah ... Rajasthan

Seagull-Rechard Bach

Its a wonderful febel of the journey to find oneself.

I like it for following reasons :

1> Jonathan is not the chosen one. It is as everage as anybody n everybody. What differs him is his burning quorisity(abhipsa) to find out 'what I am?'

2>the second phase of Jonathan's journey. Here he is at a level above n so is his burning quorisity. As Chayan says:"u r learning again Jonathan.";he is nt satisfied or impressed with his 'achivements'. Generally,on the path of spirituality,a person stops his journey at second level. Because,at that level he gets mistirious power to perform wondurful act. Worldly paople easily follow such person who can perform CHAMATKAR. n the person get traped in his image of-the guru,the mistic man,the achiever. Ofcourse he is a level above,but yet not reached on that destination of infinite journey.

Jonathan constantaly practices here,n as Chayng advices him,he practices LOVE.

3>LOVE !....it is love that make Jonathan return to his community. it is love that make him to prepare second cader of seekers. N it is love that makes him able to leave his community again to walk on the road of infinite journey...

Education is considered as a midiam to pass on learning gained by previous generations.
Upto certain extent,,the objective is reasonable. Education should pass on knowledge of Mathematics,Geomatry,Science,Languages,History...
But let not pass on 'SHOULD'....
Maths is for logical development of the brain n Science(s) for development of observstion-without pre-judgement.
Does education happen that way?
DO not blame schools/teachers.
As a parent,how much freedom we allow to our child? How many times we 'order' them-this is not to be done n u SHOULD do this. Do we have trust on our child?
Do we allow a child to ask STUPID questions?
Aren't we making our children a machine that fulfil our parental ego :"MY child achieved this !"
Is it LOVE?

freedom ?

# Plz read Jay Vasavda's SPECTROMETER in Gujarat Samachar ( Gujarati Daily) of 12/7/09

#Does a lady teacher must wear 'sari' n not any other dress?

According to me,,NO.

Sari is a good n graceful dress but not a convient one. But Panjabi Dress/trouser-kurta r more convient dress at workplace. Its easy to move around in such dresses.

Panjabi(salwar-kamiz) in itself is a very much Indian dress.

and its the sincerity with the duty which is imporatnt,not only the dressing.

Whom would u prefer for ur child?-a lady teacher who wears sari but poor at teaching OR

a teacher who is good at her job n commited to her duty ???