Knowledge without character is a dangerous thing

The 21^st century is the century of knowledge. The last stage of data processing, knowledge is what the world is competing on. With knowledge comes responsibility- the responsibility to bring about a change in the society. Knowledge only for aesthetic purposes does not do any good to anyone.

The “Google guys”- Larry Page and Sergey Bring, put their knowledge and algorithm to use to serve the society. They made the task of searching things easier. They did not have a source of revenue for a long time. What motivated them was to make the search mechanism easier. What became of Google is history.

The society ranks and respects ethical companies more highly than companies in the same industry. People like philanthropy and would prefer to transact with an ethical company than even a neutral one. There is a trust that people build when dealing with a company, which shows character.

Knowledge put to use only for selfish proposes can do more harm than good. If Albert Einstein had not documented or shared the energy emission formula or would have had a bad character to put it to use for destructive purposes, we would not have seen the progress in the world of physics that we have seen today.

People don’t like a person who is an excellent student and aces at academics but does not share his/her notes. One who is not of a helpful nature is despised by people. It might benefit the person in the short run with grades but is harmful in the long run as one has to deal with people in life and not only knowledge.

Critics of this argument may argue that necessity is the mother of invention. But the question that remains is does the invention come about at the right time from the person of right character who can put the knowledge to constructive use.

Hence, knowledge with character applied in the right direction is a boon. It can show us the untrodden paths which might lead us to the light we are yet to see. Without character knowledge can be dangerous. It does not serve any good. It might only be partially beneficial to the person holding it. 

The Small step towards a stronger Anti-Rape Law

The Shakti mills gang rape convicts being sentenced to death is a victory for the society at large. There have been opinions that the death sentence left some organizations in a sense of “betrayal.” What I really fail to understand is the fact that where lies the question of betrayal? Who should be talking about the betrayal? Weren’t the photojournalist and the school dropout telephone operator betrayed when they entered the mill to fulfill their respective objectives?

No matter what background the convicts came from and whatever their financial status was, the crime they committed repeatedly was heinous. When pardoned once, they had the guts to attack again. This type of crime doesn’t need any sympathy from any section of the society. Yet I am amazed to see people offering their sympathy to such people. What is all the more shocking is the organizations which are trying to help the victims recover are also sympathizing with the “criminals.”

It is very poignant when it is said that rape is not murder and does not belong to the “rarest of the rare” case. Should one wait for the rarest of the rare cases so that the death sentence is awarded in that case? To madam Flavia Agnes, with all due respect to you, your organization and the work that you have done but could you justify how being raped it not the murder of a girl? Physically the victim may be breathing but I don’t believe it would be easy for one to get out of the trauma faced. The society that we live in won’t accept the girl and it would become all the more miserable for one to live in such circumstances.

Do we really need to ask those girls who have been traumatized by the crime what would they like to offer to the committers of crime? That would be a “serious mockery” of the system. Such transgressions should be dealt with at the earliest. This would show to the potential criminals what would be their fate in case they want to “hunt” another “shikaar.”

I would like to ask the girls and women of our country that isn’t rape the rarest crimes and an equivalent of murder? It is the murder of a girl’s respect and her sanctity. It is said that other countries are abolishing death penalties and we are moving towards them by punishing the criminals with death sentence. It would be worthy to study the punishments that are awarded to the criminals in countries such as the UAE in case of rape. Should our country adopt the same policies I would not mind the convicts being awarded punishments similar to those in countries such as the UAE instead of death penalties.

The sad part is that when we take a small step towards development of a holy society it attracts criticism from different corners of the same society. The court was in the right in awarding the 3 butchers death sentence. Let there be light and the society have its justice.

Is the purpose of education to change the world?

'Education is not just about information. It's about formation.' This was the line that I came across while attending classes at ThinkC during my high school. It beautifully states that the main aim of education is to bring about a change in the world through the intellectual formation of human minds. The notion behind educating an individual is that he is made capable of applying what he has learnt in the process of being "educated." If education was just about remembering facts and figures, then the most educated class of people would only have been quiz masters.

In the process of developing ourselves to face the real world we encounter problems and various other issues which we need to put in order so that we can solve the problems faced by the world. Education, besides being an integral part of a man's life also helps in bringing reforms and develop schools of thoughts.

The erudite duo, Larry Page and Sergey Brin who graduated from Stanford University are not unknown to anybody. The founders of Google, gained knowledge and realised its application to solve a variety of problems by developing a "pagerank" algorithm which would distinguish between more relevant pages and the irrelevant ones. They brought about a reform in the world by helping people do faster searches. At a time when none paid heed to search technology, the "Google Guys" took up the issue to give refined results. They have made their mark in the history of internet and their names will forever remain in the sands of time.

At the school level, I was educated in two institutions- The Frank Anthony Public School and a revered boarding school, Mayo College, Ajmer. Both these institutions have instilled in me a sense that I should develop myself in such a way that I can return what I have gained from the society. I learnt to make relations and maintain them. I also learnt the importance of getting educated in a bookish way- to simplify situations and know about the ready-made solutions.

It's easy to say that education is essential to bring about a change. People like Albert Einstein brought about changes by solving issues which could have troubled the 21st century scientists. The people who cannot bring about change in the society are good only for aesthetic purposes. Education does not only require an intellect, it can also mean excelling in various other forms such as art. There is nothing which can supplant education if global changes are required to be made for a better life.

Is growth necessary to produce a happy and productive life?

Countries, companies and common people are striving for development. Individuals are seeking a better life and are determined to achieve their goals. Achieving one's goals and living a better life is what one aspires for and happiness is the product of the reaction between one's ambition and achievement. Growth can be in the form of better wealth, fame, control or power in the society or even achieving one's self actualization needs in the form of wisdom. In what form it is achieved it is never undesirable.

This was illustrated by the Prince Dance Group, the winners of India's Got Talent, a reality show aired on Indian television. This group comprised poor farmers who toiled hard to earn a day's meal. The reality show was a turning point in their lives. They won the adulation of all the viewers. After winning the contest, they got a sea of opportunities to perform in India as well as overseas. This changed their lives for the better and they now live in better conditions and lead a happier life.

They saw growth come to them in the form of wealth, fame and success. Their life was rendered more productive. Performing arts acted as a spur for them to produce something new in the dance forms they endorsed. They showed the world a dance style in which formations played a major role.

Another example which removes the cloud from this issue and illustrates the fact that growth clearly is necessary for one to lead a happy and productive life is the growth of human beings in the course of their lives. We grow spiritually and intellectually. Our actions serve as an example which juniors could follow. From infancy to adulthood we are struck with numerous ideas. These ideas when presented in their raw form in childhood or adolescence seem vague. As we grow they take a better shape and it becomes possible to bring these virtual ideas to reality in the form of inventions or successful companies.

Hence, as elucidated, growth brings us happiness and makes our life more productive. Often growth is surreptitious and we don't even realise it and aspire for more. Nobody ostracizes growth. Growth can lift a person from the state of penury to opulence. It can convert a hedonist to a successful social worker and a frivolous person into an erudite. It goes unpolemically contested that growth is the root of happiness and productivity in life.