The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man persists in attempting to adapt the world to himself. All progress in the world, therefore, is dependent on the unreasonable man.

–G.B. Shaw

We Indians (yes, call me a racist here, but I still plod on) are not taught this when we are kids. We are told the story of the king.

Once there was a king who used to live a luxurious life — as is very expected of kings in stories. Once, he had to make a long journey — by foot or something? — and he realized that the hard roads were very uncomfortable. In his paranoia for luxury everywhere, he commanded his subjects to spread leather all over the roads, so his feet never hurt in walking on them. And then, one very smart subject — a clone of Birbal perhaps? — offered an instant solution — lets make a shoe of leather for the king, so wherever he went, he’d feel comfortable. 

Henceforth, we were taught that we aren’t supposed to go about changing the world. We ought to change ourselves. It is “easier to point out other’s faults than our own, but it’s still easier to rectify what’s within us, than what’s outside of us”. This is how we went. I was strongly reminded of this when I read this post by Espera — which talked of some stereotypical very shameless guy who actually went about telling that it’s the rape victims who ought to protect themselves — it is only their fault they get raped at all. 
Many of us Indians, anyways hold that opinion. Go ask my mother. Ask her what she  thought should be done to get rid of eve-teasers etc (I asked that because it was in context of the TV serial we were watching), and she’ll say herself — the girl should choose a better route, and dress more decently. How will it benefit us if we get on to improving the world?

For God’s sake, we need to learn to get rid of that mentality. We were also taught to be satisfied with what he had — and this lesson was pushed in way more often than — “We should want more and more out fo life — until we’ve conquered the world”.I don’t know why we are directed in such a way, but it is definitely very annoying. It is also very frustrating — to think that you live in such a country of passive people — people who are willing to accept a visibly imperfect society, in just such a way, that they manage. Is that what we were born for? To manage? To adjust? It is freaking unimaginable when you think strongly about this.

It is a remarkably brainless characteristic, and it explains a hell lot as to why people can lie back and say that stuff ain’t how it ought to be; and then do nothing at all about it. They’ll live. They are not exactly doing what they think they’d have liked to. But what the hell? They have a salary, a family — what more could they want? Really? You couldn’t want more, could you?
Well, I couldn’t want less. I’d rather die than live that life. I’d want to be a politician someday, and that’s after I’ve done a hell lot of that stuff I love to do. Why? Becasue I want to see change. And actually, I want to cause it. I want to be that one lame guy, totally unremarkable person with no business, or political background, who causes change — most importantly in the mentality of the country. I know that that sounds impossible, but I don’t think it very highly is. I will very soon rant on the absurd mentality of the Kapil Sibal removal of class X Board exams move too. I wish I could help change that. For the meantime -

Read A Mathematician’s Lament, by a certain mathematician called Paul Lockhart. You might get some insight into what direction of mentality change I want. And also why I’d rather prefer to be an education minister.…

Q. Prompt:

“History repeats itself. This is a testimony to the stupidity of man.”

–Adapted from Edith Hamilton

“History does not repeat. It rhymes.”

–Mark Twain

Assignment: Does history repeat itself? […] Write an essay.

A. Does History Repeat Itself?

No — in my view, History does not repeat itself. I would concur with Mark Twain — ‘It [history] rhymes’.

It has been recognized since time immemorial, that there are certain patterns in nearly all our lives. These have also been extensively explored and researched in numerous fields. But we can see through numerous examples, the repetition of history — that ‘deja vu’, but just not quite.

Since the start of the Earth, it has undergone climatic changes of alternating heat and cold. Every few thousand years, an ice age sets in. The intensity is known to vary — but still — that’s quite a long-term rhyme, isn’t it?

We can see how we ourselves are currently suffering from a swine flu pandemic — ninety years later, once again. Perhaps even the disease evolved alongside human technology, and changed, but periodically it happened once again. Another rhyme, eh?

We are also suffering from a depression in the worldwide stock markets. Its coming was not entirely unexpected, though perhaps its intensity was. Stock market corrections happen approximately every five years, with some variance, and this depression is seventy years after the last one. The Great Depression of the 1930s was because of overproduction, and this time — the sub-prime crisis. Next time, the cause may be different, but stock market falls are bound to rhyme, and come again and again. 

This repetition — underlying pattern in the events of the world — have also been scientifically explained. Mathematicians believe in the Chaos Theory, which possesses techniques to spot patterns in the seemingly chaotic world, and even predict the future! Of course, it’s nowhere close to telling us when we’ll die; but it’s adequate to confirm how history does not exactly repeat itself, but it definitely rhymes with itself.

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How’dcha like it? Do tell me. You might’ve spotted it, but if you haven’t, there is a reason as to why I wrote this…