"Common Sense"

I guess I should put up one last post on this Blog of mine before I stop writing here.

First of all, apologies for the sudden leave; I was caught up in a VERY tight net of academics. I had been putting a lot of stuff off for a long time, and it took its toll. I guess I should have written this post a long time ago, but I had to really put myself together for my last exams. Second, thanks very much if you've been visiting this place even in the utter neglect I gave it.

Many ask me the reasons for my plan not to Blog anymore. Well, First, my Life at IITB is over. The purpose of the Blog is over. Second, Blogging is one of the "Intuitive Loops" I fall into. With such a plethora of ways to express your creativity on the Blog world (and that you always want to find out what others think of it,) you tend to find yourself deep within a mire, especially if you're a perfectionist like me. You tend to forget everything else and soon deviate far from the original purpose of your Blog. The Blog stays at the back of your mind in all aspects of your life, and in a way, you're caught in a big Loop.

Well, now that I'm back to my most liked mode of creativity (Programming,) I no longer have that itching desire to write here. If anything, this Blog has been my mate for 3 years. I'd like to keep it that way: as a memory of those days. My original plans of writing all about IIT life don't seem so lucrative anymore; in fact, I'd like to keep those memories within me. Whatever I wrote here in place of it reminds me of those times in a very different way, and I think it's pretty intriguing to anyone (with the exception to myself and those who know me very well) to infer my state of mind from what I wrote. That's pretty brilliant, in my opinion.

But I think this place deserves one final rant. Here goes:

I hate it when people say, "Common Sense." Everyone's so up in their brains with this concept. Anyone without it is instantly seen as dumb and not worthy of company. Frankly, I don't understand a bit of it. Isn't it common sense that says lighter objects fall on Earth later than heavy objects based upon the common observation that a feather falls later than a stone?

It's "Common Sense" to wear great clothing. It's common sense to impress others with your dress sense (including a job interview). It's common sense that a man who "thinks too much" must have some kind of a problem. It's common sense that a man without Confidence is worthy of no responsibility (A man who doubts his decisions has a better chance of anticipating potential flaws and disasters in schemes and plans, and hence is better adept at handling them.) But no; We want "Smart" people in the lead, who take decisions at lightning pace, and who, when things go wrong blame "market conditions" or "the government" for everything. Why? Common Sense.
I was once among a group of people who were talking about how they deal with Life and it's vagaries. There was this person who said, "I don't believe in Hard Work. Smart Work is everything. It's this age's necessity. You can't go anywhere without Smart Work." All such people are capable of are coming up with witty Advertisement Taglines or catchy Bollywood tunes.

Well, why am I so angry about this? If all we human beings ever used was Common Sense, we would still be living in caves. "If fire were such a good idea, why weren't all the other cavemen using it already?"

If "Smart Work" is all that we ever cared about, nobody would have invented the Wheel. Everyone would have been busy attempting to look pretty/fight with others in order to mate.

It seems, under the shelter of society, most have forgotten cold, bitter reality: Nature is not kind. We might have left our primitive roots far behind, but we're all animals in our hearts. Sex is still a big issue in all our minds; food is what makes us go; power is highly desired; and fights between tribes (now called "countries") still exist.

I wish people would leave "Common Sense" and for once look at reality, cold and bare. I wish to see a place where nobody is trying to show others how "Confident" they are. Rather, I'd like to see a place where people find themselves in a perpetual state of enquiry and wonder. That's where we'd reach the Next Level (if that doesn't make sense, I guess you're one of those who thinks we've reached an endpoint in our evolution.)

I urge you to look around you and try to find out what you know about the things around you, and how they work. Now imagine yourself in a primitive state without those things. You'll begin to understand what I'm hinting at. Try, for a single day, doubting and questioning everything around you. You'd experience something akin to childhood; and it will give you a very painful feeling. You'd want to run away, back to the sweet shelter of society and technology. You can choose to do that and keep in that inertial state forever. Or you can face the pain for a while and enter a state of pure wonder, back to reality.

Anycase, enough ranting. I'm staying with my parents at Bilsapur, and here's an advertisement designed by one of the "Smart Workers" at this place:

Bbye from me on this Blog. I hope I actually made a point here, in this sea of opinions that is the Blogosphere.