Superstition Ignorance

 

Free Will

Frontiers have changed in last 100 years. Now to do philosophy or sociology or humanity you need to understand science as well, you will need to understand neuroscience, latest developments in psychology, you need to read Stephen Hawking. Upanishads are important but not complete, people need to know more in the light of latest developments. This Indians don't understand.

Imagine free will as something like entropy in thermodynamics: it’s always increasing. In reality, entropy keeps expanding, and similarly, the range of choices and complexity we humans experience is always growing. Over time, the set of options and knowledge that we can use and act upon expands. But only a part of this vast set is accessible to us at any given time, where we can make choices easily, without much effort.

Free will is meant to help us navigate this effortless field of choices. These effortless options—where the energy cost is nearly zero—are what we practically call free will. It’s an automatic response to environmental input, almost like the brain’s operating mode for efficient decision-making. But this so-called “free will” isn’t fully independent; without new inputs, it would cease to function. In a real sense, then, free will isn’t absolute—our sense of autonomy fades without fresh information to guide it.

However, as we learn more and stretch our mental and physical abilities, the field of options where we can act effortlessly expands. With each increase in understanding, our functional "free will" grows. It feels like this effortless part of our mind is somehow separate from physical limitations, a kind of playground for ideas that don’t require much energy to explore—similar to how lifting 5 kg feels easy if you’re used to lifting 50 kg.

But still, nothing is truly happening without influence. It might seem nearly energy-free, yet it’s constantly nudged by our surroundings. We switch between ideas and impulses as if we’re moving through states of equal energy, randomly choosing what seems best. And we associate our ego with this switching, calling it “free will.”

Machines need an operator or input to function, and similarly, we need an environment that triggers us to act. A child growing in complete sensory isolation would have no input and little to no will to act—an outcome similar to the story of “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.”

Our so-called free will is simply moving between equal-energy states, choices we switch between without much thought, assigning our sense of self to this process. But all action requires energy. Our thoughts, decision-making, rewards, and even survival instincts are tied to the energy we’re willing or able to spend. The more energy we have, the freer our thinking can become.

True freedom would mean being able to do anything, but the body has its limits—you can’t jump off a 10th-floor building and expect to survive. Our free will is always bounded by the constraints of the energy and the physical limitations we face.

Tension Between Intentions and Reality

Everywhere, people believe they’ll accomplish things, make commitments to themselves and others, but often they fail. They plan to read 50 pages a day or complete tasks, only to fall short. 

Watch this clip

https://youtube.com/shorts/THa3OR4l4pc?si=3lGkUOcMpc1uhq97

The human brain has multiple control centers and hierarchies. What we think is just one small part of equation, while others that carry out actions operate autonomously or beyond our awareness. 

These centers developed at different stages in evolution. The brain regions responsible for awareness and conscious control came into existance very late. The older, more primal areas—responsible for instinctual behaviors, habits, and autonomic functions—existed long before. Our conscious mind is still learning, it still fails to grasp its illusion of control, that this body isn’t entirely ‘ours,’ and that many things which remain completely out of our awareness enable life. We go to doctor because we need diagnosis, we cant know ourselves what is happening in our body. 

Disconnect between what we think we want to do and what we actually do. The conscious brain,  powerful in planning and reasoning, has not fully grasped its own limitations—it often holds the illusion of total control. But in reality, life is sustained and shaped by a multiple of systems, many of which function outside our awareness. It is this inability of our conscious intentions to know and dictate the deeper, more automatic systems that results in failure to meet goals, almost all the time.

Conscious mind, despite its sense of sole existing authority,  is like a new manager in a well-established engineering office and believing it runs the entire operation, believing he is everything the company is. The conscious mind often doesn’t realize that much of the body's functioning and decision-making is managed by the older systems, which operate independently, which none of us can influence as per our wishes. Mastery of life lies there, in this game. Can someone influence when and at what rate their heart beats? 

Serious point is that these automatic systems aren't just primitive reflexes—they include complex processes like emotion regulation, habit formation, and social behavior, all of which can override conscious thought and often make all the difference between what we want and what we do. Our emotional brain, for example, can guide actions based on past experiences and subconscious or unconscious drives, our good intentions become meaningless.

What we think is often very different from our results or actions, but it significantly influences what we do. Each small victory reinforces our conscious control, gradually recalibrating the balance of power between thought and action. Conscious thought can influence habits and vice versa, but only with extremely hard work and awareness. Without aligning these systems, even the best of the intentions plans will mean nothing. 

Rather than relying solely on willpower or conscious decision-making, we need to work to on habit-building, mindfulness, sometimes forcing the body to do what we want by scary or cunning tricks. Recognizing that "thinking" is not the same as "doing" is crucial and that different systems must be engaged if some result has to come out. That is maya and its solution explained technically. 

Religion involves habits which are tools to control different centers of our brain. 

Why Indians Flourish in Foreign Countries

In 1985 Indian govt approved the project to develop engines for Light Combat Aircraft for which development projects also started in 1983. Those Kaveri engines are nowhere in sight after roughly 40 years. Tejas works with American engines (GE). That is how we work, that is our work ethics, spirituality. So many people talk about their special connection with God, power of devotion, can they do anything?

Log itne corrupt hain ki kisi ko bharosa nahi hota ki koi defense deal me corruption nahi hoga. Aise me kuchh bhi karna mushkil hai. 

Human beings have the capacity to adapt to or respond to both good and bad situations, cultivating both their positive and negative selves to various degrees and in different capacities. When the environment is unfavorable and trust is scarce, many people adjust by fostering their negative traits—developing behaviors that align with the situation's demands. This negativity not only allows them to survive but also perpetuates a cycle of corruption and dishonesty, bringing out the worst in individuals. Over time, this negative attitude becomes the new norm, establishing a kind of equilibrium where corruption and distrust dominate, making change extremely difficult.

There has been no opportunity or meaningful growth in India in last 400 years compared to west. While our material desires remain like that of a western person. That leads to fight for small pie which percolates to every other matter of life. That brings lot of toxicity and negativity in life and society. 

One can deal with Toxic people and negative people, but there is emotional cost involved, will power is limited. It is an opportunity lost. It is better to stay away from them as much as possible. In that, living outside India makes more sense. One loses more in terms of lost opportunity than in anything else. It's a cost—both emotional and intellectual—that many underestimate. Living outside of India gives more space and freedom to focus on what truly matters to me without the constant push and pull of societal expectations or familial pressures. It's an opportunity to shape life around intellectual inquiry and work, rather than the emotional entanglements that can suck your mind away from goals. The cost of dealing with toxic influences isn’t just about the momentary discomfort—it’s the lost time, the missed intellectual opportunities, and the compromise on the depth of your focus.

It's often better to protect your energy by staying away and creating a life that supports your deeper values.

Extra living cost in west is still bearable. 

Also there is a cost to being close minded. If people cant move, one has to move. We regressed in last 1400 years, main cause given by Al Beruni and Swami Vivekananda is being close minded. People are not close minded to protect some gem or national solidarity, they are close minded for themselves, to protect their ego and vanity, hence also ignorance. Then they cover it under tradition, but dont good things from tradition. How can you expect good results? 

Our shashtras have explained about Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja, Acharya Chanakya asked one to immediately move out of country where people are ignorant....it is dangerous. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E93PIbwhu74

Searching the Roots of Passivity in Hindu Society

Indian Society has often been organized or moved by force of religion, not governmental authority or other things. So it makes sense to search for roots of passivity in Indian religion as it changed with time. 

All the trouble in India is result of restricting religion to rituals, which is very easy to break, Hindu became more like Muslims, doing magical rituals without seeking truth; as a result rituals alone being weak, lost power to guide people in other matters. There was little commitment expected in actions, and interhuman matters. I think 99% Hindu people are followers of Bhakti, sincere seekers are almost nowhere, people have no idea what it means. 

The transition from a deeper, truth-seeking spiritual practice to a more ritualistic, Bhakti-centric focus has altered the dynamics of religion in India. Bhakti, while a powerful path for personal devotion and love for the divine, can sometimes overshadow the original intent of deeper inquiry, self-realization, and ethical action that ancient Hindu philosophy advocated.                                                                                                                                                                                       

Hinduism had a balance of Gyana (knowledge), Karma (action), and Bhakti (devotion). The Upanishads emphasized rigorous intellectual inquiry (Jnana), ethical living (Karma), and devotion as complementary paths. However, the emphasis on Bhakti over time has led to a more passive form of religion, where bhakti becomes an end in itself rather than a means toward collective spiritual and moral growth.

Any dumb Muslim or leftist makes fool of Hindu and Hindu cant even respond, he is so much ignorant about his own religion, its moorings in real world. Doom of Hindu civilization was preceded by Bhakti movement in which karma and Janana were reduced to rituals. Bhakti movement is often celebrated for bringing democracy in spirituality, making it accessible to the masses. It is true that masses can only be moved by feelings and emotions, there is no other way. And Bhakti does that, but atleast some people have to think and manage; like body walks on legs but is guided by invisible brain. Bhakti movement brought emotional unity, but in doing so, it may have also laid the groundwork for a more passive approach to life. By sidelining the intellectual and action-oriented aspects of Hinduism.  Doom is caused by this imbalance, when a civilization stops valuing knowledge and action, it becomes vulnerable—rituals, without ethical commitment and intellectual inquiry, fail to sustain a society's strength in the long run.

In India opinion of educated people is also weighted sum of opinion of people around them. No capacity for independent thinking and validating. In that way a billion people are reduced to few big rigid lumps, not a billion brains. Caste, and regional identities, though once mechanisms for organizing society, now often contribute to reinforcing stagnant thinking. With the power of a billion brains, India could be a hub of intellectual diversity and innovation, but the reality often falls short because people are incapable of thinking or acting outside the boundaries of their immediate social contacts. If none in that group think then there is no incentive to think. That is the main reason India fails in innovation., we become a factory with half billion unskilled workers barely utilizing the brain capacity.

Intent is important in long run. Intent of Brahmins in 700 AD onwards was not knowledge but establishing their hold on society, knowledge or debate was a mean to that. Once they subdued Buddhist, they consolidated their grip on everything. Sought no further expansion or need of knowledge. Indian people hardly see any use of knowledge other than getting govt job. They like fun things, celebration. Indian society places more emphasis on fun, celebration, and external rituals rather than reflective intellectual pursuits. Thing with knowledge is that, only those who have it can appreciate it. Discrimination is like taste, only those who have tasted know it.  

When society sees knowledge purely as a tool for material or social advancement (e.g., securing a government job), it loses the transformative power that knowledge can have. This narrow view limits intellectual curiosity and suppresses the possibility of meaningful advancements, whether in philosophy, science, or ethics.

Ancient Indian Knowledge and Modern Science

Maharshi Kanad (600 BC) thought about indivisible particles called "anu" (atoms). He believed that atoms combine in various ways to form more complex objects and that these atoms are eternal, unchangeable, and indestructible. 

Kanad's idea of the atom (called anu) was rooted in metaphysical speculation rather than experiment. His conclusions were based on logical deduction and philosophical reasoning about the nature of reality. Modern understanding of atoms is based on scientific experiment and empirical evidence. 

If we remove books and videos and knowledge from Indians and put India back to 18th century. Even if we give Indians a 500 year, they would not be able to think about atoms. That is the level of regression and ignorance. That is the absence of curiosity, original thinking, creativity. 

It was British Indologist who reinterpreted the Vaisheshika sutras and found in Kanad's philosophy interesting correlation with modern understanding of Atoms. That is the level or ignorance in Indian society. Indian society doesnot have those seeds needed for modern science, and as I stated, earlier work which we like to equate with modern science were result of a different quest with its own limitations, would not herald into an era where experimental method, and rational empiricism originating in west has lead humanity. Ancient Indian intellectual traditions and modern science represent two distinct paths of inquiry. Kanad, Patanjali, Kapila their pursuit was qualitatively different from the modern scientific approach. Without the framework of the scientific method, their insights remained confined to area of philosophy and most likely would not have evolved into modern science. 

Video below is Rutherford God foil experiment. Students of Vaisheshika are nowhere in position of taking this path in their thoughts. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBqHkraf8iE

Divergent Paths

Ancient Indians aimed at moksha rather than material understanding. Their approach was often based on logic, contemplation, and reasoning without an EMPERICAL FOUNDATION. There was absence of empirical FEEDBACK LOOPS. The cognitive step of integrating mathematics with physical experiment did not occur. The cognitive leap to apply mathematical principles to the empirical study of physics, astronomy, and other sciences was not fully developed. Gurukula system of education focused on transmitting  Vedas, Upanishads and interpretations without stress on CRITIQUE which is at the heart of progress in Modern science, so I am sorry to say that Upanishads are not sufficient. Even the seeds of experimentation, trial and error, and empirical curiosity were largely missing from the Indian imagination, which are crucial for scientific progress. While ancient Indian thought made significant contributions to philosophy, mathematics, and spirituality, it did not produce the cognitive frameworks necessary for the emergence of EXPERIMENTAL science.

Most of modern science came from trial and error and experiment, while Indian mind was set on virtue, moksha. There was no scope for other mundane things. Focus on virtue, moksha, and metaphysical truths in ancient Indian thought created a cognitive landscape that was quite different from the empirical, experimental approach that defines modern science.

School Curriculum 

Many Indians express deep concern about the current state of the country and its scientific development, often advocating for the reintroduction of ancient texts like the Vedas and Upanishads. Gurukula tradition do not provide the systematic and empirical framework that modern education emphasizes. Simply reverting to ancient curricula will not equip students with the critical thinking skills, experimental methods, and scientific knowledge necessary to thrive in today’s world.

Indian gurukuls where rich well meaning families send their kids, organization like RSS are repeating same thing again and again, they are trying to put ancient spirit and in that fit facts and figures of modern science without bringing critical enquiry and skepticism, questioning habits in tradition. This approach is fundamentally flawed, bound to fail. They are not ready to honestly investigate about why we Indians failed, they are not able to identify the problems, they are not ready to solve fundamental issues in our system, how will they guide the students? That is why most RSS people take pride when their son or daughter does well abroad. And they still somehow manage to convince themselves that it is entirely Indian spirit and they have just added western facts and chores in it. That is only partly true, if at all it is true.

That is why most RSS people take pride when their son or daughter does well abroad. And they still somehow manage to convince themselves that it is entirely Indian spirit and they have just added western facts and chores in it. That is only partly true, if at all it is true.

Success in the global arena often stems from a comprehensive understanding of modern systems, critical thinking, and the capacity to adapt to diverse environments—qualities that are not inherently rooted in traditional Indian education. By attributing these to an ancient cultural heritage, they overlook the significant influence of modern educational practices and global exposure that have played a crucial role.

The utility of Indian philosophy lies primarily in its moral and philosophical insights, which remain highly relevant today. However, these aspects cannot serve as a substitute for modern scientific methods or be equated with science itself. Appreciation of its utility in one should not be confused with it embodying universal solution for everything. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5kIZvcqGdg

Probably this is why people wore stones. 

Vanity of Caste, Region 

Caste, as it is practiced today, is not merely a division of labor as it may have been among Indo-Aryan groups. It is a sense of exclusivity assigned at birth, propagated by Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and others. The root of caste lies in the belief that one’s group is superior by birth, negating the need for cooperation with others. They believe all knowledge originated from within their group, particularly that Brahmins were the sole creators of knowledge. But does this belief stand up to scrutiny?

Take ancient innovations, for example—boat building. Sanjeev Sanyal is trying to reconstruct a stitched boat, claiming that Indians were the first to build such boats. However, stitched boats were made by the people of the Indus Valley before the Aryans arrived, and by the Egyptians and Mesopotamians as well. Sanskrit, too, was not independently developed by the Brahmins; it has its roots in a large group from Central Asia, from whom many languages evolved, including those of Europe, Iran, and India. A Brahmin with completely white skin and blonde hair (a rare occurrence) would find, if he traced his ancestry, that it connects with people from many countries. The ancestors of all humans lived in Africa just 200,000 years ago, and they were all dark-skinned; some people became lighter only after living in colder climates.

As for writing, while its exact origins are uncertain, it is widely accepted that writing first developed in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Indians in Sindh and Gujarat traded with Romans, Greeks, and Arabs, showing that every human group has exchanged information and skills with others. The notion of caste superiority, then, is simply the product of ignorance and vanity.

What Alberuni observed about India was a sharp diagnosis, but even before him, travelers like Huen Tsang and Fa Hien wrote about India. Unfortunately, few in India took an interest in traveling to other parts of the world or studying the observations of those who did.

Reading travel writings from China and other countries that visited India during ancient and medieval times is invaluable for understanding why India fell behind in various aspects of development. While some travelers, such as Christians and Arabs, may carry biases in their observations, many accounts provide insightful perspectives on India's social, cultural, and political dynamics. These narratives can illuminate the factors contributing to India's decline.

It’s not limited to caste; people from various regions in India often discuss half-informed statistics without grasping that development relies on collective existence. They act as if they can sustain everything alone within their states, which is a convenient mindset for the ignorant masses.

As Swami Vivekananda observed, the problems facing India stem from a lack of education, exposure, and widespread ignorance. Other eminent thinkers, like Tagore, shared similar sentiments.

किसी को कुछ नहीं पता, लोग पागलो की तरह बढ़ बढ़ करते रहते हैं। ज्ञान होता तो ये हालत न होती।

Identity, Invented Past, Romanticism

What is this nonsense about hobby which people write on Linkedin and matrimonial websites? 95% Indians have no hobby except lazying on the couch, watching TV and gossip. Only time they think about hobby is when they have to fill in CV or shadi dot com. When we look on shadi dot com, everyone is passionate about this and that, poetry, singing, sports, painting. But how many good poets we have seen in Indian languages or English? How many athletes, painters?

There’s a real lack of depth behind these labels. The idea of being "passionate" has become superficial, something thrown around to fit a narrative, not something truly pursued or lived.

The idea of being passionate (on CV or shadi dot com) about poetry or singing, travelling, being a universal citizen, feels like an easy-to-claim label. But results of that are nowhere, people remain narrowminded so deeply that small commonsense like marrying to a person of different language is like life and death kind of difficulty for them. It is like putting on a show for others rather than being committed to developing genuine skills or interests. Whole culture has become show. 

People also write on matrimonial websites about their respectable family from xyz place, caste. 

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Today on 8th October 2024, I was watching Haryana election results. Bhupinder Singh Hooda was most formidable politician in Haryana, so I tried to know about him. 

Wikepedia on Bhupinder Hooda says his father was freedom fighter. It is same with Nitish Kumar, Mukhtar Ansari etc. Hooda was framed in many corruption charges. But it doesnot creates any dissonance with his claim of freedom fighter lineage.  How do we Indian people manage both? 

This is another nuisance in India, everybody's father/forefather were freedom fighter, everybody is honorable, from honorable family lineage. And still country is full of corruption, nobody has any sense of responsibility towards anything communal or national. Cult of honorable family and all that, it's a deeply ingrained cultural narrative in India.  It's almost like people cling to past achievements or associations to gain social legitimacy. There's a lot of romanticizing of past family achievements or connections. The country continues to struggle with corruption, and much of the civic duty is left unaddressed. Whether it's with hobbies or their sense of public responsibility. In the end, it feels like people wear labels and family legacies as badges to impress others rather than a true reflection of themselves.

This obsession with family honor and heritage has become more about social positioning and less about genuine responsibility toward the country or community. Instead of facing the real challenges of today with any integrity or responsibility, people hide behind these inherited stories. It's like living in a society full of borrowed prestige and empty gestures, where the real duty—whether it's character building, helping needy, or national contribution—is often ignored. A lot of these so-called stories of past honor are often exaggerated. It’s a kind of myth-building. It's like a form of collective self-delusion, a romanticized version of the past that people not only project to others but also internalize. They manage to convince themselves so deeply that these fabricated stories of family honor or personal legacy feel entirely real. How widespread this self-deception is—entire families, communities, and even regions sometimes build their identities around these narratives. With repetition stories become ingrained in their sense of self, almost like a personal mythology. 

It becomes part of ego, people protect their ego from everything. Our society is very competitive when it comes to honor. People are conditioned from a young age to believe in the greatness of their family’s past. This conditioning is so strong that questioning it feels like an act of betrayal. The environment itself fosters this belief system, making it hard to break away or see through the falsehoods. If people think of themselves as honorable, successful, or from a "great" lineage, it becomes easier to invent or believe stories that support that image, even if those stories are false. People become emotionally attached to these narratives. They derive pride, security, or self-worth from believing in them. Once emotions are tied to a belief, letting go becomes extremely difficult, because challenging that belief would also mean questioning one's identity and sense of self. 

These narratives often get reinforced by others—family, friends, community. When everyone around you shares similar stories or accepts them without question, it becomes easy to convince yourself that they are true. Our brains are wired to accept familiar ideas as more valid, and after telling themselves or hearing these stories long enough, people start to genuinely believe them. What started as a little exaggeration or fabrication can evolve into a "truth" that’s hard to distinguish from reality.

People have a natural tendency to remember things that support their worldview and forget or downplay things that contradict it. This selective memory allows them to hold on to the positive aspects of their narrative while ignoring or rationalizing away any facts that might threaten the story they’ve built.

This kind of historical reinvention also speaks to how shallow our sense of identity has become. That is why I dont buy these caste and honor levels. I did not have great labels, being born in lower middle class family and unsophisticated parents. I started to question all this. People are more interested in looking respectable than actually being worthy of respect. It creates an illusion of depth, but when you scratch beneath the surface, there’s often not much there- inflated or false narratives.

When people attach their sense of identity or pride to someone, especially someone from a freedom-fighter family, they elevate that person to an almost mythical status. In this case, Hooda’s father’s legacy as a freedom fighter gives Bhupinder Hooda a kind of "immunity" in the minds of his supporters. 

In Indian society, family honor, especially if it’s tied to something as revered as the freedom struggle, is often seen as something that cannot be questioned.  People are conditioned to respect such legacies without critically examining. 

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There is demand about caste census, and 75% people want it according to C Voter survey. It also reflects that people are unable to move beyond their traditional habits in meaningful way, so caste still matters. If people were really open to hobbies and passionate, that would not happen. If people were more open to pursuing hobbies, passions, or intellectual pursuits that transcend such societal boundaries, these traditional markers of identity would not be so significant. Caste becomes limit, people are limited by smallest things, to pursue any passion meaningfully. 

It shows that they’re not breaking out of inherited patterns. True passion or intellectual pursuit would force people to transcend these boundaries because it requires individual thought, self-expression, and often standing apart from societal norms. 

People allow themselves to be constrained by the smallest things—caste, family expectations, societal pressure—leaving no room for real exploration of interests or passions. Instead, these hobbies are ticked boxes, used to project a certain image. If people were truly invested in their hobbies and passions, those external markers like caste would likely diminish in importance, because the mind would be consumed by deeper, more fulfilling pursuits.

Just like caste, language and region can lock people into narrow. And it is often hell of struggle for individuals to break them.  It is not a sign of mind open to hobbies and passions. 

We have not seen expression or outcome of creativity in Industry, movies, innovation, solving societal and governance issues. We only see them in CV, and matrimony websites. In India we have an army of engineers and workers willing to get trained and do work, but no independent thinkers, no problem solvers, everywhere in most of things Indian only copy. There seems to be a lack of genuine creativity, problem-solving, or original thinking.

In industry and technology, instead of creating something novel or disruptive, many Indian companies and professionals tend to follow established paths, adopting ideas and models that have already succeeded elsewhere. 

Creative expression, if it exists, is often stifled before it can grow into something meaningful. People give up under the pressure. Because cultural expectations that are not designed to nurture or support such pursuits. Environment—social, cultural, and professional—often doesn't allow for the kind of risk-taking and independent thought that real creativity demands. The emotional ecosystem around them isn't optimized to support those who wish to pursue something outside the narrow definition of success.

What remains is a country with the tools to build but hesitant to step outside of the frameworks that have been handed down for generations.