The Doctor

The Doctor by Sir Luke Fildes.

Photo courtesy-  www.tate.org

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2249807/

Procrastination

This is an essay which i wrote for some assignment.

"I would like to address the universal problem of procrastination  This behavioral problem rooted so deeply in human nature can be credited to human intelligence. Our limited analytically brain cannot comprehend the consequences of procrastination till it has caused enough damage to make us act in a fire fighting mode. We have a local proverb, "When the beard catches fire, one starts digging the well". Let me highlight the impact of procrastination.

1. People decide to quit tobacco or alcohol only to procrastinate it for the next day!

2.Students procrastinate completing their assignments till the last day. This was highlighted by Dan in the lecture.

3. Governments procrastinate investments in basic research or projects which will not yield results in their lifetime. 

4. Individuals procrastinate exercising or eating healthy.

Procrastination is a problem of large magnitude affecting individuals, organizations, nations.

When we try to understand the reasons for procrastination we realize that it is more to do with results in the distant future. Erudition and analysis may make one aware of the fact that smoking/tobacco is bad for health. Not investing in education or for a country in research and development can result in poorer economic growth in future. Not exercising can have detrimental health consequences.

But this realization does not result in change of behavior. People procrastinate to do the right thing.

Why?

One of the main reason is that they cannot completely fathom the consequences. Observation bias tricks them into believing that they can get away by procrastination  Let me explain, you see 70 or 80 year old guy smoking. The brain interprets that smoking is not harmful. All the people ho have died of cancer or COPD are not there to create that visual impression. So the realization which had come from reading takes a backseat. 

Same is true with exercise or nations. The fact that few nations are able to get away with financial bailout will impact the policies of other nations.

Research on procrastination has looked into the psychology behind it. Dan Ariely has also researched the topic.

Few salient features from research:

1. Dan's research focuses on self-imposed deadlines, cost of them, timing or spacing of deadlines and externally imposed deadlines. Externally imposed deadlines work the best followed by self-imposed well spaced deadlines. 

http://people.duke.edu/~dandan/Papers/PI/deadlines.pdf

2. Psychological parameters, avoidance behavior, negative self-image, impulsiveness  loss aversion (Prospect theory, Kahnemann and Tversky) have all been linked to the behavior of procrastination. 

http://www1.fee.uva.nl/pp/bin/refereedjournalpublication2030fulltext.pdf

In future we may understand better about the genetics, dopamine pathway, serotonin pathway involvement in procrastination.

One more aspect of the behavior of procrastination is to accept the consequences of procrastination as the stress of overcoming it is more costlier for brain than accepting the negative consequence of procrastination.

So what solution can be proposed?

We know that our behavior is shaped by incentives and punishments. If the incentives are in distant future which the brain has difficulty in imagining. Also it has difficulty imagining the positive experience of overcoming procrastination.

The other aspect is constantly seeing individuals escaping punishment or adverse consequences of procrastination.

So the concept of positive paternalism steps in!

Organizations, governments can penalize those who smoke by deducting a significant part of their salary and locking it in a investment account. This can either change the behavior or the corpus will be useful for his health crisis!

Positive discrimination, rewarding healthy individuals with financial, vacation rewards. This should be based on outcomes. An employee can have diabetes and there may be hundred diabetics, but the one who exercises and has glucose levels in normal range for three months gets quarterly incentive. 

Peer pressure is a strong force for behavioral changes. Rewarding groups or people with positive behaviors and punishing detrimental behavior has potential to change behavior. 

Multifactorial causative agents can mislead the brain in understanding the importance/contribution of single agent. Videos of patients who have suffered from lung cancer, COPD needs to be displayed in smoking rooms if they still exist! This may sound dictatorial but necessary considering human fallibility in modifying behavior.

Governments which invest in infrastructure, research and development, increase GDP spending on health and education are rewarded by World Bank or G7 nations. A economically stronger, healthy, educated Asia and Africa will revive economy of the world. Penalizing nations which do not spend on education and health will compel them to change behavior. The penalty should hurt the political fortunes of the ruling party thereby inducing change of behavior.

I conclude by stressing that procrastination is a big challenge all around us. It can be tackled by employing means and mechanisms of rewarding individuals who have overcome procrastination openly at home, office, city and national level. Equally important is punishing or dis-incentivizing poor performers."

Plastic And Health

It is the age of plastic. We find and use plastic everywhere. They have made certain things hygienic, for example disposable spoons and plates. They  in innumerable ways touch our life from bags, toys, cellular phones, walls, water bottles and so on....

The chemicals in plastic do get released and have an impact on health. The health of present and future generation is continuously at risk. Judicious and safe use of plastic is need of the hour.

One important tip is do not consume anything stored in plastic which has been exposed to heat for a long time. Plastics leech chemicals when the temperature increases. So water stored in water bottles for a long period are no no. Packing food in plastic bags or containers is hazardous. There may not be any immediate effect but consider that from the time we are in our mother's womb to adulthood we are continuously exposed to chemicals. Prudent to avoid at least in the growing years when our organs are far more susceptible to damage.

Animal models and computational models give us the clue about risk of plastics. Prudence will be to take heed and not wait to take action till concrete evidence of harm is established.
Few highlights:

1. They release estrogenic chemicals. Estrogen is the female hormone. It can have adverse endocrine and other effects.

2. Phthalates in plastic can increase obesity and insulin resistance (promote risk of diabetes).

3. Plastic fumes are injurious to lungs.

Ubiquitous presence of plastics need to challenged by judicious usage.

Reduced usage and better disposal of plastic needs attention from everyone.

Plastic industry should accelerate technology of plastic disposal.

References:

1. Read to understand different types of plastic. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/11/plastic-use.aspx

2. An excellent review
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873021/

Animal models and computational models give us the clue about risk of plastics. Prudence will be to take heed and not wait to take action till concrete evidence of harm is established.

Missing You

Day or night
There is no respite
From your thought

Moments spent loving
Are not forgiving
Creating new thought

Even when we fought
There was no love lost
Fueling passions sought

This temporary absence
Does not make sense
Creating vacuum to be fought

Waiting for you tonight
As darkness awaits light
To end my drought

Missing you my life
For you are my darling wife
Always filling my thoughts.......

Honesty And Age

5 years back few things which i noticed and reminiscing about the same made me to create a hypothesis.
The hypothesis is that as we age we have tendency to become dishonest.
To be dishonest and corrupt you also need a position of power. So between a young Prime Minister/President and old Prime Minister/President, the elderly person is going to be more dishonest.

When a person is young he has lot to gain by being honest. The returns from being honest diminish as one ages. This can also be influenced by other factors like society, culture, behavior of peers, punishment for being dishonest etc.

But i believe that a strong force is age!! Also risk of cancer increases as we age!!

Police Brutality

In one of my previous post had mentioned about the officers who were killed for doing their job, you can read it here.

Today I look at the other end. I am disturbed, aghast at the misuse of power. Power corrupts. It probably also numbs our empathy. Look at the video below to understand what i am talking about...

Where does such brutality come from? What happens to our brain under pressure? What happens to all the rational thoughts when confronted? 

Have heard and read about more brutal and heinous acts by people in power. There is no justification whatsoever for such brutal acts. 

Empathy gets killed as one tastes power for a long period. 

If i have to feel empathy for the police force what would it take? Are they frustrated to such extent in their job? Do they feel powerless and helpless most of the time as they have to deal with criminals and corrupt politicians? 

Guess they are under great stress for not being able to do their duty. All police officers probably join to help the society. To get rid of the ills and keep crime away. But soon they realize the difference between what they aspired to do and what they can probably do. Few try to be upright and fight the criminalization of the system but end up as martyrs. Few smart ones probably balance the act. I am conjuring all this !!

But the majority are underpaid, frustrated and hate themselves for not being true to their dreams. They loathe themselves for being corrupt. This frustration is let out on the hapless beings like women and children.

Let me reiterate, whatever may be the reason, they do not have the right to trample the rights of another human being. Brutality of any degree is unacceptable from anybody on anybody.

How do we build a society which feels and shows compassion? How do we ensure empathy is converted into concrete actions?

How do we educate ourselves and our children that under pressure, under attack we are not to hurt the helpless, weak. If we have to win battles, it is to be against the strong. 

Tree And Its Virtues-Ah!

There was a television soap opera in Kannada called Mukta Mukta. The title song of this was melodious and very well written. You can watch/hear the song below.

Some part of the lyrics praise the tree for its virtue. The meaning of those few lines is, "The tree which eats mud/soil and gives fruits is liberated, free or has attained moksha".

I seek apologies if my translation do not do justice or match the meaning intended by the poet.

One day when this song was being telecasted, being a believer in selfish evolutionary biology i offered my views to my mother. 

" The tree does not nourish itself or grow big to help others. It does so because it is in its nature. Its roots penetrate deep into the heart of the earth, extract water and nutrients and with help of sunlight grows. It bears fruits because it wants to propagate itself. The seeds of the fruits are its way of ensuring its survival beyond what nature intends for that single tree. The trunk, the branches grow stronger to sustain the vagaries of nature and to bear more fruits in the years to come.

In this thought process I do not want to deny that humans and animals do benefit from tree in multiple ways. But they are purely incidental. We have evolved to take benefits of trees as much as possible. In forests where there may be no human beings, they still grow taller, wider and bear all kinds of fruits. They are not concerned or bothered about who eats them.

The other aspect is grass does not grow under large magnificent trees.This is because sunlight does not reach the earth where there is thick foliage preventing the grass to grow. It is a different matter that the grass is smarter and grows in areas where it can!

A tree which decides not to be selfish and allow grass and other plants to grow will not do justice to itself, its fruits or others. A selfish tree which grows and produces more fruits and wood, does maximum benefit, intended or unintended. The gardener, nature, knows how to prune it.

Different fruits, flowers are all beautiful, wonderful and enticing because they serve nature. They blossom to sustain nature and enhance the beauty of nature."

We need to be true to our nature. We need to be strong to be beautiful. We need to understand our passion and live true to it. We need to know the talent we have and nurture the same. We need an ecosystem which encourages us to give our best. We need an ecosystem which identifies and exploits the best within us. The fruits which are byproducts will automatically liberate!! 

And remember at times the gardener is pruning us for our own good.

You Are Loved. You Are Important !

How important am I? Is this life worth living? Do i make a difference to anybody? Am I loved? What role do i play in this large universe? It will not make a difference whether i exist or not.

Guess such thoughts come to human beings. Feelings of rejection. Actions or words by near and dear ones which make one feel discarded, abandoned, lost. Human contact, acceptance by others is an integral desire and need.

Nature probably does not offer this luxury of thinking to plants, trees, lake, river or ocean.

A friend of mine when passing through a bad phase asked me questions which reflected above thoughts. It is always easy to preach, advice but sometimes still one goes ahead and does that much to the discomfort and pain to the aggrieved person.
I tried to make my point by an analogue.

If each drop of water questions the importance of its existence and ceases to exist will there be a river or ocean. Each drop of water with its uniqueness merges with other drops equally unique to make ocean. There would be no waves kissing earth if each drop protested. The phenomenal strength, relentlessness, depth, mystery, treasure, life of ocean exists because of each drop of water. Even though each drop of water may not realize this significance but each contribute to it.
When they depart from the ocean because of evaporation as individual molecules they may have existential questions. But this journey, the reunion to form clouds is all to sustain and nurture life. If not for this journey there would be no clouds, no rain. Without each drop of rain there would be no life.
The rivers, lakes and ponds embrace each drop of rain water and welcome them to their fold. Each drop which plants and trees drink through their roots makes the journey of each drop a pilgrimage. A journey complete and fulfilling at each step of the journey.

We are all drops of water. We forget but each one of us is special,  important and loved. There are times when we fail to notice this, be aware of this significance.

Celebrate life. You are loved. You are important. You make a tremendous difference.

Farsighted Or Shortsighted

When you bless
You are farsighted
When you curse
You are shortsighted

When you love
You are farsighted
When you hate
You are shortsighted

When you are at peace
You are farsighted
When you are angry
You are shortsighted

When you plant  trees
You are farsighted
When you cut trees
You are shortsighted

When you have compersion
You are farsighted
When you are jealous
You are shortsighted

When you are happy
You are farsighted
When you are sad
You are shortsighted

When you are young
You are farsighted
When you are old
You are shortsighted

Children are neither
Farsighted or shortsighted
They have perfect vision

Adults are neither
Farsighted or shortsighted
When they play any play !

Design Like Da Vinci

Design Like Da Vinci from Brian Sullivan

House I Built

Why should I complain
If the house I built with clouds
Has watered your garden

Why should I complain
If the house I built with wood
Has been burnt to keep you warm

Why should I complain
If the house I built with dreams
Has collapsed to fill you with dreams

Ah! I complain........

SEARCH FOR SELF

I look at the mirror
I search myself
But I don't see myself

I look at the mirror
To see a father
But I don't see one

I look at the mirror
To see a lover
But I don't find one

I look at the mirror
To see a son
But there is none

I look at the mirror
To see a human being
But i don't see any being

Have my eyes grown old !
Or is there dust on the mirror ?
Neither
Eyes cannot see what the
Mind does not know.....

Officers Killed For Doing Their Job--- We Are All Responsible For Their Death.

I used to be a fan of market dynamics. A theory that markets corrects itself over a period of time. I used to believe that human beings are rational.
Behavioral economics and self-reflection have shattered these thoughts. We are not rational. We misplace our anger and misdirect our efforts. Brain is structured like that!!
A year back "Anna Hazare" had great sway and we all responded with great vigor. Today Anna is no more in scene. Kejriwal has separated from Anna. Politicians have cleverly used "Divide and Rule" to nullify this emerging force which had got united in the name of corruption.
Such is our nature that we disregard the individuals who are doing honest, good work. Some have also been killed in the process. They get a brief mention. The media does not highlight them!! Public do not make candle light marches or hold dharnas. Let me illustrate with the following examples.

1. Ashok Khemka-apparently a honest civil servant gets transferred again. So far at least no hue and cry. He brought to light the dealings between DLF and Robert Vadra.  http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ias-officer-ashok-khemka-transferred-again-after-robert-vadra-row/1097699/

2. Zia-Ul-haq-got murdered. He was an IPS officer. Professorial hazard!! He dared to work.
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/murdered-up-cop-zia-ul-haque-had-prepared-list-of-cases-against-raja-bhaiya-340648

3. Sand and mining mafia routinely kill officers. "March 09, 2012: A young IPS officer of the 2009 batch, Narendra Kumar, posted in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, was brutally crushed to death under a stone-laden tractor trolley belonging to the illegal mining mafia.

The ghastly killing happened in Banmur industrial town, when the officer, who was on patrol in his official jeep, noticed a tractor-trolley loaded with stones following which he overtook it and signalled the driver to stop it.

June 11, 2012: A policeman was killed in Faridabad when truck loaded with sand allegedly ran over him. The incident was suspected to be the work of sand mafia in the area. The constable Mahaveer Singh was run over by the dumper truck after he tried to stop it near Palla chowk. The cop was on nakabandi duty following a tip-off about the sand mafia.

More from http://post.jagran.com/honesty-kills-officers-who-fell-prey-for-exposing-corruption-1362381864.

December 11, 2012: Paulose Thomas, an expert consultant for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), was found dead in his apartment in Coimbatore. His family was first told that he had suffered a cardiac arrest. Then they were informed that he had hanged himself. But the autopsy report ruled out suicide or cardiac arrest, confirming a case of murder instead. Police are yet to identify any irregularities in the NHAI road widening project which the victim was engaged in.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/honesty-can-get-you-killed/article2978808.ece

4. Yaswant Sonawane, the additional district collector of Nashik district in Maharashtra, was burnt to death for exposing oil adulteration mafia. If the country is shocked, students are anguished. They want to know how can a common man dare to report a crime when this is the fate of a gazetted officer.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-31/mysore/28357237_1_mba-student-oil-adulteration-mafia-common-man

Few years back had mentioned about Manjunath, here it is http://rangdeindia.blogspot.in/2006/03/remembering-manjunath.html

We are not bothered about the rape of mother earth. We hardly acknowledge heroes who try to protect us and mother earth.

I am also a culprit. I am also responsible for inaction, apathy.  Need to act. Cannot wait for "The Invisible Hand" to correct things.

Empathy And Anger

Many have written about empathy and anger. Emotions which come to us periodically. As a believer in evolutionary biology, i consider, every human quirk, emotion is to help her/him in survival. We get angry when we are not treated fairly, when we get deceived, when we get insulted and conflicts either external or internal of any nature. Anger displayed helps us to get  attention and reaction. This attention and reaction can lead to a correction of events resulting in justice and fairness. This can help one get the needed resources for survival of self and progeny.

Empathy is the other face of the same coin. It helps us to relate and feel the pain of the sufferer. It helps us to understand the situation, circumstances and possibly the suffering of the individual.

How does one become a person with empathy?

What circumstances lead to the development of empathy?

Why empathy is required? Why is it not universal?

When should one employ empathy?

Perspective taking is considering the view point of others without emotional component.

It would be too tempting and romantic to say that we need more empathy in the world. Cultural, religious animosity can be better handled if the capacity for empathy is increased. But in this world there is increasing tendency to view empathy as a weapon of weak person.

Also as empathy is not something which is unlimited in its supply. Empathy like will power is limited and one needs to use it judiciously. Of course being humans one needs to work constantly on increasing the capacity for empathy.
The world has changed in large measure. Developing and deploying empathy should not put one at a survival disadvantage. Theory of abundance!

Anger, the much more common emotion, found everywhere creates regret more than satisfaction. It is a difficult task to master the art of using anger effectively. We burn ourselves and others when we get angry.

What is the best way to cope with anger?

How does one deal with an angry individual?

How does one empathize with an angry person?

What can one do to eliminate or master the emotion of anger?

Is anger more common in individuals who blame others for results, situations? Is anger a manifestation of helplessness in a situation? Does anger subside when harm is inflicted on the opponent?

I have only raised questions rather than answering any.

Few things which i did learn as i was reading about empathy and anger are as below:

1. Empathetic engagement in patient care leads to improved patient outcomes. http://www.themindfulorganization.com/empathy_and_health_care.pdf

2. Very little is known about the neural circuitry of anger. Lack of serotonin can make one more prone to anger as well as suicide!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18578600
www.med.or.jp/english/journal/pdf/2009_03/184_190.pdf

3. "Mirror neurons" found in our frontal cortex could be responsible for empathy.
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/do_mirror_neurons_give_empathy