A lot of furore has been created over the health ministry’s proposal to make a year’s rural service mandatory , post internship for the award of the MBBS degree. Understandably so , many might say – yet in spite of much introspection and soul searching , I have personally not been able to decide which way to put my weight . Claims on both sides have some iron clad points in favour of them. The solutions are not that simple , as the roots go deeper than most people realize , or if they do realize , then do not like to get their hands messy probing into such depth.
As a young medico , who has witnessed the struggles of the system , I still get more than the odd pang of guilt at the overwhelming shambles in which the health care setup of the country lies (yeah ! yeah ! Call me humbug !) . Lets examine in detail both sides of the coin and then attempt to offer possible solutions.
THE HEALTH SETUP & MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM
At the outset let us examine the care setup in the country – to state that it is pitiful would an understatement. Why this should be so in spite of 60 years of democracy and , as we would be led to believe , a booming economy , is beyond the scope of this discussion. Dedicated volumes could be written on the same. Let it suffice for the moment that the population is bursting at the seams , basic sanitation is conspicuous by its absence , and the captains of the men of death – the likes of Messers Tuberculosis and Malaria are remarshalling their forces with hitherto unseen hostility. Add to it India’s overwhelming participation in the propagation of global pandemics like HIV and infectious hepatitis. There is a shocking absence of basic obstetric care with unacceptable rates of maternal and infant mortality even in the urban centers. The brunt of this is borne in the rural areas, from where, a sizeable number of figures do not even reach the health statistician’s desk.
The infrastructure in the primary health setup is grossly inadequate with the staff lacking proper training and experience. Feeding off this lack in trained health care personnel and the prevalent socio-cultural superstitions and taboos , quacks abound in multitudes and indulge in downright barbaric criminal practices. Back in undergraduate days , our professors would come up with tales witnessed by them in the rural setup such as administration of intravenous milk , use of sharpened metallic objects as abortifacients and so on. Is there anything to suggest that such practices are still not prevalent in today’s day and age.
It goes without saying that the 2 prime requirements of the rural health setup are trained personnel and optimal infrastructure. A trained medical officer is the natural leader of such a system. Presently the number of doctors in the primary health system are markedly deficient and hence the attempted move to make rural service compulsory for all doctors. It is logical that the fresh crop of doctors should be the ones to attempt to bridge the gulf between the rural and urban health setup. Ideally they would be the ones to initiate some kind of scientific and ethical protocol to combat the terrifying practices that are prevalent. At the very least , sanitary conduct of labour , recognition and management of major emergencies, basic environmental hygiene , family planning , reproductive and child health should form part of the charter of responsibilities of the medical officer.
So as myopic as ever , we pass the legislation to make a year’s rural service mandatory and then sit back and give ourselves a congratulatory pat. Before even starting with the case of the doctors , the move will not achieve anything significant simply because of the sheer lack of infrastructure. Our rural centres lack basic amenities such as oxygen cylinders, emergency drugs like adrenaline and atropine , iv fluids and ambulance facilities for urgent referral to higher centres….the list is simply endless. You put 5 doctors per PHC and they will not be able to make any difference with the existing infrastructure.
DOCTORS – FORCED HUMANITARIANS ?
Let us now consider the case of the students and the young doctors. The problem is quite simple here – as the present scenario stands , the best a medico can do post schooling is 5 ½ yrs for MBBS plus 3 yrs of PG , equaling a minimum of 9 years till the completion of post graduation, which in today’s setup is absolutely imperative for any decent employment with some sort of permanence. However , even this arithmetic is for the select few , what with many colleges and universities still exceeding the basic 5 ½ year stipulated period for the completion of the MBBS curriculum. As for PG, it is either the exceptionally brilliant ,or the monetarily privileged who are able to secure a seat in the first attempt , with most students requiring at least 2 attempts and many going on to 3 or more.
So you have a young doctor , typically from a middle class Indian family , nearly 30 till he/she is sufficiently able to sustain himself independently. Just imagine – nigh on 10 to 12 years of dependence on the family post schooling. Most of us would cringe at the thought of the same , especially with the booming corporate and IT sectors which provide lucrative incomes at much younger ages. For all that has been written about the BPO industry, the fact remains that it offers quick money, easily the biggest drawing card for the modern youth. Already school going children are shying away from pursuing medicine as a career. The reasons for the same are the ones I have just named – too long a time to get settled coupled with inadequate financial remuneration. If such a thing did exist upon a time , the so called nobility of the profession and work for a ‘social cause’ is perhaps the last thing the macroscopic majority of students look for in a prospective career. I am not trying to be judgmental here as everyone is completely free to choose a career as per their priorities in life. However the fact remains that there is a steady decline in the quality of the students entering medicine , ironically the one branch where basic intelligence and quality should not be compromised.
In the midst of all this , the mandatory clause for rural service has implications deeper than simply 365 days of physical service. The frenetic pace at which medical science moves has given a new dimension to the age old method of studying . The internet now forms an integral part of the same along with the revered monstrous textbooks. With the ever increasing trend of postgraduate medical exams being centered around molecular biology , genetics and receptor mechanisms coupled with numerous online coaching services and preparatory exams – the one year hiatus would just widen the gulf in front of the student to secure that elusive PG seat. In addition it would spell the virtual death knell for the sizeable amount that have their eyes fixed on foreign universities for their post graduation. Sitting in a primary health care centre in some far flung corner of the country is hardly the ideal way to prepare for USMLE.
SOLUTIONS ???
Well , I have no idea whatsoever else perhaps I would never be asking so many questions. As I have mentioned earlier , the roots are much deeper than we care to admit , and embedded firmly in the age old socio-cultural norms that shall forever prove the nemesis of the country. Merely posting a large number of doctors to rural centres is hardly the answer to cope with the health care problem of a country with a sixth of the world’s total population , and yet spending less than 3% of its GDP on health services. It is only an ad hoc measure akin to reservations for the backward classes. The basic issues of education of the masses , population control , environmental sanitation are the ones to be tackled , and unfortunately the government happily chooses to play the ostrich when confronted by these issues , by burying its head in the ground.
On a different level, perhaps we might look to revamp the entire system of medical education in India , amalgamating post graduate and undergraduate training, similar to the system followed in the US.
It is tempting to say that doctors should be paid better for their government services but as ever this idea is laughable. The salaries proffered by the government health services are a poor joke when compared to the dividends reaped in the private sector.
Can we perhaps privatize the health sector in some manner , if not anything else , at least operationally while the policy making can still be done at the government level. There would be many hindrances here which I’m not aware of and will require the likes of my economist friend Shyam to enlighten us. The one thing I am sure of is that though the cost it will incur would not be acceptable to the powers that be, it will at the very least ensure better cost-effectiveness and cost benefit.
For the moment I end here . Further ideas might be forthcoming on hearing views to the questions I have put forth.
Showing posts with label Socio-Cultural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Socio-Cultural. Show all posts
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, November 08, 2007
....to the blessed perpetrators of pyromania
Its that festival time…..the time of the year people get orgasms at willie-nilly little nothings…total strangers who otherwise would never glance at you, come around wishing you ‘happy diwali’….making you guffaw in the inside on such iron clad memes rampant in the society. The pyromaniacs of society test out their vestibulo-cochlear reserve to the maximum, leaving in their wake a haze of murky smoke and choked lungs ….
….but you do not mind, after all, you get the whole day off , to do exactly as you please….its one of the few times when people don’t bother you on a holiday…amazingly, for the first time, in quite a while you are actually cheerful ..…what could be better, Friday holiday…Saturday half day…Sunday holiday….even more astonishingly , people seem to stop falling sick on these festivals as well, or perhaps their ‘gods’ postpone it till after the festivities are over…the next week’s gonna be chaotic in the hospital….but who looks that far in advance….maybe, just maybe….you mightn’t even survive to see the next week (now, now there…I know it’s the season of optimism….but lets not get carried away, shall we!).
Way to go….. deluded humanity….may you be blessed with more gods…one for each day of the year, if I have my way.…and may your gods continue forever to bless heretics like me , at your dear expense.
People are crazy and the times are strange,
I'm locked in tight,
I'm out of range,
I used to care, but....
Things have changed !!!
….but you do not mind, after all, you get the whole day off , to do exactly as you please….its one of the few times when people don’t bother you on a holiday…amazingly, for the first time, in quite a while you are actually cheerful ..…what could be better, Friday holiday…Saturday half day…Sunday holiday….even more astonishingly , people seem to stop falling sick on these festivals as well, or perhaps their ‘gods’ postpone it till after the festivities are over…the next week’s gonna be chaotic in the hospital….but who looks that far in advance….maybe, just maybe….you mightn’t even survive to see the next week (now, now there…I know it’s the season of optimism….but lets not get carried away, shall we!).
Way to go….. deluded humanity….may you be blessed with more gods…one for each day of the year, if I have my way.…and may your gods continue forever to bless heretics like me , at your dear expense.
People are crazy and the times are strange,
I'm locked in tight,
I'm out of range,
I used to care, but....
Things have changed !!!
Friday, April 13, 2007
GOD ?
Of late , I have been speaking to lots of people with regard to their belief in god, divinity and their religious philosophies. As a confirmed atheist, I’m quite frequently dumbfounded at how educated people with otherwise extremely logical minds, are all of a sudden, trapped in a cell of insecurity when approached with this topic. More than once have I sensed the feeling , indeed occasionally, the overwhelming desire among such individuals to break free from these age old shackles, but the fear and insecurity of the unknown grips them at the last moment; and they willingly continue to let the memetic virus of god and divinity prey on their minds and hence the society as a whole. I have no doubts that were such people to read a little bit more on the subject , namely authors like Dawins and Dennet, a lot of their ill-founded insecurities and fears would be removed. However suggesting books to people is one thing and , and them acquiring and reading the same is quite another. Hence the purpose of this post is to bring out in a nutshell the most basic arguments pertinent to this matter. Indeed reams could be written , and have been written on the subject, but my objective is to condense all the major arguments into as brief a post as possible. As I have just mentioned , most of my points are grounded firmly on the bastions set by Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennet, 2 of the greatest thinkers of the modern era ; whose works are in turn based chiefly upon Darwinism and the great theory of Natural Selection.
Definition of God
Before mounting any discussion on god, I think it is pertinent to first clear up what the word implies to the educated, amenable to reason , 21st century man. On the face of it, I think most individuals would deny god as being a kind of ‘every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you’ tyrant Big Brother…as depicted in most scriptures. I fathom that the modern theist’s identity of god is based on the following philosophy – Creation of the universe and of life by intelligent design…. all leading towards some final purpose….the purpose : which most people believe to be the existence of man and his civilization.
To quote the creationist philosopher John Locke – original intentionality springs from God ; we are God’s creatures and derive our intentionality from him
From this stems the cosmic pyramid of Locke, at the top of which sits god, who in turn gives rise to the mind. Most creationist philosophy derives itself from the origin of the mind from God…..when there is a mind , anything that springs from it must have intention. Hence everything that exists and the way it exists is because it was specifically intended to be so by the mind of god and his mind……in other words , a Human- Centric view of life.
GOD
M I N D
D E S I G N
O R D E R
C H A O S
N O T H I N G (The Cosmic Pyramid)
Reversal of the Pyramid : Complexity from Simplicity
The major upheaval that Darwinism brought to science was a complete reversal of the cosmic pyramid. In its most basic form Natural Selection can be defined as a blind , utterly purposeless, mindless, algorithmic process which over long stretches of time gives rise to complex designs from primitive beginnings of sheer chaos and simplicity. These complex forms that have evolved through billions of years , have no purpose; or meaningful existence- they are simply there because at various stages in the past, their ancestors were better suited for survival and propagation under the conditions that prevailed at that particular time- than other species, who did not meet the desired survival criteria and hence do not have any ancestors today. We humans find it impossible to imagine such species and hence cannot imagine their possible existence. For instance, say , if 500 million years ago there were different climatic and environmental survival stresses, then who knows, instead of humans we might have had fire-breathing dragons , and goblins as the dominant life form on earth. Absurd as this may sound, who is to say that of all possible A/G/C/T combinations that form genes and hence , genomes – there could be a possible combination that if expressed correctly could give rise to a Pegasus or a Sphinx. The chances are extremely unlikely, just like randomly picking up letters from the English alphabet for a length of time and expecting to end up with Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. However, that is precisely what natural selection is - a mindless game of chance which over billions of years gives rise to design and organized form from chaos. Thus, what the reversal of the cosmic pyramid has most effectively achieved , is to overthrow the ‘Human-centric’ view of life- which essentially claims that the universe , the earth and all the laws governing them were made so that humans and their civilization could exist . Humans exist simply because their ancestors had survived and undergone serial modifications in their genome , culminating in the 46 XX/ 46 XY.
The Weak Anthropic Principle and the final rejection of intelligent design
The weak anthropic principle is a summation of the above concepts and serves aptly to deal a veritable death blow to Human-centrism. In its most basic form it states that – “the world does not exist so that we , humans, may live here ; but if the world existed in any other form , we would not be here to see it.”….simple and lucid enough, I think , to not warrant any further explanation.
A lot of theist scientists still hold onto one final hope for intelligent design by postulating that – for life to exist, even at the origins, where 2 nucleotides drifted together in the primitive soup to form the first semblance of nucleic acid (i.e. RNA/DNA); at least the original machinery of replicator and replicator power – i.e. of DNA and protein – that makes further evolution of comples design possible , in an intelligent meaningful manner. In other words , god created the start of life , set the laws for its evolution and thereafter let nature take its course.
Dawkins convincingly refutes this theory and the final hope for intelligent design in the following statement – “ Organised complexity is the thing we are having difficulty explaining. Once allowed simply to postulate organized complexity , if only the complexity of DNA/protein replicating engine – it is relatively easy to evolve it as a generation of yet more organized complexity…..but any God capable of intelligently designing something as complex as DNA/protein replicating machine , MUST HAVE BEEN AT LEAST AS COMLEX & ORGANISED as the machine itself.” In other words, it is far more likely and easier to explain for life to have originated totally by random chance in the primitive soup, than by the designs of an intelligent creator.
Thus, Darwinism , at its very core explains the existence of a world that is purely mechanistic and entirely devoid of any ‘meaning’ or ‘purpose’ – working blindly within the framework of the scientific laws without a single thought to what the end product is ; and as a result , very efficiently bringing to naught the hypothesis of intelligent design and creation …in other words, GOD.
Occam’s Razor : The Celestial Teacup
The final point which I wish to touch upon is to encounter the accusation of philosophers who claim that the God hypothesis is beyond science, and since science cannot effectively disprove the existence of God, you cannot comment on his non-existence….in other words atheism v agnosticism .
The analogy of the celestial teacup is a delightful counter to this point. What would your reaction be if someone told you there is a huge teacup…say 30 kms wide , which orbits the sun ; somewhere between the orbits of earth and mars. You cannot see it evenwith your mostpowerful telescopes, but you have to simply have faith and believe in it…in case you cannot do so remain silent. Even the strongest theist would laugh at the idea , saying that although it cannot be disproved , the idea is so improbable that it is not worth believing. The same applies to the God Hypothesis – the absolute non-existence of god cannot be proved ( till date at least) – but science has made the probability of god’s existence so micro-miniscule that it is not worth believing in. Since you are not agnostic about the teapot, why should you be agnostic about god ?
There are plenty of points, theories, examples which I would dearly have loved to toush upon but that would have compromised on the brevity of the post…something I was very loth to do . Already , I fear, the length of the post maybe too long for the patience of some . For those who’ve read through the whole post , would be glad to discuss any points , objections , contradictions etc etc ….drop me a mail or a comment .
Suggested Reading :
Charles Darwin : The Origin of Species
Richard Dawkins : The Selfish Gene
The Blind Watchmaker
The God Delusion
Daniel Dennet: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea
Matt Ridley : Genome
Definition of God
Before mounting any discussion on god, I think it is pertinent to first clear up what the word implies to the educated, amenable to reason , 21st century man. On the face of it, I think most individuals would deny god as being a kind of ‘every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you’ tyrant Big Brother…as depicted in most scriptures. I fathom that the modern theist’s identity of god is based on the following philosophy – Creation of the universe and of life by intelligent design…. all leading towards some final purpose….the purpose : which most people believe to be the existence of man and his civilization.
To quote the creationist philosopher John Locke – original intentionality springs from God ; we are God’s creatures and derive our intentionality from him
From this stems the cosmic pyramid of Locke, at the top of which sits god, who in turn gives rise to the mind. Most creationist philosophy derives itself from the origin of the mind from God…..when there is a mind , anything that springs from it must have intention. Hence everything that exists and the way it exists is because it was specifically intended to be so by the mind of god and his mind……in other words , a Human- Centric view of life.
GOD
M I N D
D E S I G N
O R D E R
C H A O S
N O T H I N G (The Cosmic Pyramid)
Reversal of the Pyramid : Complexity from Simplicity
The major upheaval that Darwinism brought to science was a complete reversal of the cosmic pyramid. In its most basic form Natural Selection can be defined as a blind , utterly purposeless, mindless, algorithmic process which over long stretches of time gives rise to complex designs from primitive beginnings of sheer chaos and simplicity. These complex forms that have evolved through billions of years , have no purpose; or meaningful existence- they are simply there because at various stages in the past, their ancestors were better suited for survival and propagation under the conditions that prevailed at that particular time- than other species, who did not meet the desired survival criteria and hence do not have any ancestors today. We humans find it impossible to imagine such species and hence cannot imagine their possible existence. For instance, say , if 500 million years ago there were different climatic and environmental survival stresses, then who knows, instead of humans we might have had fire-breathing dragons , and goblins as the dominant life form on earth. Absurd as this may sound, who is to say that of all possible A/G/C/T combinations that form genes and hence , genomes – there could be a possible combination that if expressed correctly could give rise to a Pegasus or a Sphinx. The chances are extremely unlikely, just like randomly picking up letters from the English alphabet for a length of time and expecting to end up with Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. However, that is precisely what natural selection is - a mindless game of chance which over billions of years gives rise to design and organized form from chaos. Thus, what the reversal of the cosmic pyramid has most effectively achieved , is to overthrow the ‘Human-centric’ view of life- which essentially claims that the universe , the earth and all the laws governing them were made so that humans and their civilization could exist . Humans exist simply because their ancestors had survived and undergone serial modifications in their genome , culminating in the 46 XX/ 46 XY.
The Weak Anthropic Principle and the final rejection of intelligent design
The weak anthropic principle is a summation of the above concepts and serves aptly to deal a veritable death blow to Human-centrism. In its most basic form it states that – “the world does not exist so that we , humans, may live here ; but if the world existed in any other form , we would not be here to see it.”….simple and lucid enough, I think , to not warrant any further explanation.
A lot of theist scientists still hold onto one final hope for intelligent design by postulating that – for life to exist, even at the origins, where 2 nucleotides drifted together in the primitive soup to form the first semblance of nucleic acid (i.e. RNA/DNA); at least the original machinery of replicator and replicator power – i.e. of DNA and protein – that makes further evolution of comples design possible , in an intelligent meaningful manner. In other words , god created the start of life , set the laws for its evolution and thereafter let nature take its course.
Dawkins convincingly refutes this theory and the final hope for intelligent design in the following statement – “ Organised complexity is the thing we are having difficulty explaining. Once allowed simply to postulate organized complexity , if only the complexity of DNA/protein replicating engine – it is relatively easy to evolve it as a generation of yet more organized complexity…..but any God capable of intelligently designing something as complex as DNA/protein replicating machine , MUST HAVE BEEN AT LEAST AS COMLEX & ORGANISED as the machine itself.” In other words, it is far more likely and easier to explain for life to have originated totally by random chance in the primitive soup, than by the designs of an intelligent creator.
Thus, Darwinism , at its very core explains the existence of a world that is purely mechanistic and entirely devoid of any ‘meaning’ or ‘purpose’ – working blindly within the framework of the scientific laws without a single thought to what the end product is ; and as a result , very efficiently bringing to naught the hypothesis of intelligent design and creation …in other words, GOD.
Occam’s Razor : The Celestial Teacup
The final point which I wish to touch upon is to encounter the accusation of philosophers who claim that the God hypothesis is beyond science, and since science cannot effectively disprove the existence of God, you cannot comment on his non-existence….in other words atheism v agnosticism .
The analogy of the celestial teacup is a delightful counter to this point. What would your reaction be if someone told you there is a huge teacup…say 30 kms wide , which orbits the sun ; somewhere between the orbits of earth and mars. You cannot see it evenwith your mostpowerful telescopes, but you have to simply have faith and believe in it…in case you cannot do so remain silent. Even the strongest theist would laugh at the idea , saying that although it cannot be disproved , the idea is so improbable that it is not worth believing. The same applies to the God Hypothesis – the absolute non-existence of god cannot be proved ( till date at least) – but science has made the probability of god’s existence so micro-miniscule that it is not worth believing in. Since you are not agnostic about the teapot, why should you be agnostic about god ?
There are plenty of points, theories, examples which I would dearly have loved to toush upon but that would have compromised on the brevity of the post…something I was very loth to do . Already , I fear, the length of the post maybe too long for the patience of some . For those who’ve read through the whole post , would be glad to discuss any points , objections , contradictions etc etc ….drop me a mail or a comment .
Suggested Reading :
Charles Darwin : The Origin of Species
Richard Dawkins : The Selfish Gene
The Blind Watchmaker
The God Delusion
Daniel Dennet: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea
Matt Ridley : Genome
Sunday, June 04, 2006
The evolution of a crisis
I sincerely wished to desist from commenting on this topic as myviews are quite tangential from those which have been aired so far.However grant me the ramblings of an idle mind .
The concept of reservations and equal representation are a smalltenet of an inescapable aspect of human evolution into a thinkingspecies with an immensely complicated social structure. The solecause for this stems from an aberrant development of the humanbrain, which makes it think that it is the supreme being on theplanet that the earth and everything on it is meant for humansalone. From hereon developed our social structure with its multi-layered hierarchy. Contrary to what most people believe, and what isone of the more universally prevalent behavioral patterns innature ; humans are possibly the most altruistic species on theplanet. By this, I do not imply that everything humans do arealtruistic …they are definitely not, but that humans show morealtruistic actions than any other species on the planet. I do notbelieve that there is any other organism which concerns itself soclosely with the welfare and the survival of the entire species.Altruism in other species is restricted to the family , the group orin extreme cases the herd. Most organisms however are solelyconcerned with themselves and their progeny. Paradoxically, we arealso one of the more selfish species doing the rounds. As in manyother species , you will find in humans examples of individualsconflicting with others to gain dominion over the ecosystem. Thecomplicated bodily and mental makeup of humans along with theextensive social structure gives countless dimensions to thisselfish behavioral pattern. This constant conflict betweenaltruistic and selfish behavioral patterns finds an extremelyinteresting outlet in the present scenario of reservations in India.Consider an example. If an external environmental change threatenedthe welfare of an organism, most or all organisms would tend tomodify themselves physically, socially or genetically so as toenable itself and its progeny to combat the impending threat.Humans are possibly the only species, which tries to modify theenvironment to overcome the threat. Of course, in the present day wecan argue that we are so dominant over our ecosystem and so mentallyadvanced that this is an easier method for us; but for whateverreason the fact remains that we do so, that we are inherently madeto do so : and in doing so , not least in our reasons comes the oftsited " for the betterment of mankind".Again we humans are the only species, where as a rule rather than asan exception, the stronger sections are concerned with the welfareof the weaker sections. There is an inherent tendency within us toform social groups, but despite having done so, still be concernedwith the welfare of members of all groups. So strong is thisbehavioral pattern that it is only disrupted when a dire andimmediate threat is perceived to self and family, a phenomenon whichis mirrored almost to precision in the ongoing events in our countrytoday.I do not think any examples are required but still- just a few dayswe were all very concerned about genocide and HR violations inDarfur. For a moment, laying aside the humane aspect, is there anyreason why we in India should be concerned about events halfwayacross the globe : No , but we still are because that is how we haveevolved and for all of Ayn Rand's philosophising cannot change whatis an inherent trait to our species. I am not a Rand fan simplybecause I do not believe that humans can inherently display suchbehaviour.So , fortunately or unfortunately, we humans have this habit ofcarrying everyone in our train. It is our `duty' to uplift theweaker sections of our species. The result: we are a tremendousecological success having attained dominion over the entire planetbut evolutionarily we are slowing down , reaching a dead end or assome put it even going in a opposite direction. Agreed , evolutiondoes not work in a handful of generations but our evolution andsubsequent ecological success have robbed quite few of the basicrequirements of evolution. It is not my lot to discuss Darwinismhere as I have already deviated a lot but one final point isrequired . At the very core of evolution is a much derided wordcalled `Purge'. Evolution tends to purge species of the weaker andthe ill fitted for survival, ultimately paving the way for origin ofnew species. Quite paradoxically , evolution of humans hasinculcated them with this behavioral pattern of altruism whichappears to inhibit evolution itself. The result appears only to bethe imminent extinction of the species. It may not come within thenext 2 or 20 generations , but sure as an arrow, it is imminent.Before proceeding further let me emphasise that these views are notmy own but these are what we humans are . Secondly coming back toour main agenda of reservation in India , I am not for one momentsaying that there is any altruistic motive behind it. It is simplyone of vote-bank politics but the idea is drawn from age old humanideals of upliftment of the weak and equal representation of allgroups.History is replete with such examples. All the major religions :Christianity , Islam and Hinduism cite numerous instances of uniformrepresentation, not necessarily from weaker sections but from allsections of society . The 13 apostles were from diff areas andsects. The Argonauts came from all corners of Greece, the 9 gems inAkbar's court were all from different castes, religions and havingdifferent trades. These are not merely coincidences. Cutting back tothe present area , I can think of an all too obvious example in theforthcoming WC Football. If we were to concentrate just on merit (which in football parlance translates to exciting skillfulfootball), we should ideally be having only European , S Americanand possibly a couple of African teams. Why then do we have quotasfor all continents and bear with Asian teams which either depress uswith their sub-standard football or as in the case of S Korea , useFIFA's considerable backing to gain semi-final entries by the backdoor.On the present scenario in India, I have nothing but contempt forreservations …mind you , reservations of any kind, be it SC/ST,OBC , or have what you may. I think even the most vehement socialistwould ultimately agree that in spite of our best efforts wecannot ever completely eradicate economic inequality . Theeconomically strong translates in evolutionary parlance to a fittermodel more suited for survival by a better combination of `nature vsnurture' i.e. gene pool + environment. By our inherent altruistictendencies we try an improve the ill fitted , a concept I can stillreconcile with. However I do have very strong reservations againstthe horizontal fragmentation of society based on caste , religionand the likes , something that is a virus in the society and canonly serve to impede our progress and quest for excellence. Ibelieve we are civilised enough to at least stop the division ofsociety on the basis of these superstitious cultural beliefs .However I do not have much sympathy for the protesting groups eitherbecause I believe that their allegations and accusations are toomyopic and more importantly are based more on selfish motives thanon any fundamentally conceptual beliefs and philosophies. To sitean example, tomorrow when the UK and US denies visas to Indianstudents on grounds that they would settle down there and encroachon the employment of that nation's own citizens, I do not see anyIndian come forth to say that it the correct thing is being done.Rather, people behave almost as if a fundamental right of theirs isbeing snatched away. People protest in the name of reservationsagainst SC/ST and OBC's in the name of equality but noone is heardthat such a classification should be done away with in the firstplace. Unfortunately, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.There has to be some kind of consistency in your views.In my eutopian world, there would be no social divisions, noreligion, caste or countries. The entire humankind would work onlytoward one common goal…. Progress. The emphasis would be solely uponexcellence and nothing else would supersede it. However it is justwishful thinking…. it will never be. For humans are nor made toexist in that manner. Till then, que sara sara.
The concept of reservations and equal representation are a smalltenet of an inescapable aspect of human evolution into a thinkingspecies with an immensely complicated social structure. The solecause for this stems from an aberrant development of the humanbrain, which makes it think that it is the supreme being on theplanet that the earth and everything on it is meant for humansalone. From hereon developed our social structure with its multi-layered hierarchy. Contrary to what most people believe, and what isone of the more universally prevalent behavioral patterns innature ; humans are possibly the most altruistic species on theplanet. By this, I do not imply that everything humans do arealtruistic …they are definitely not, but that humans show morealtruistic actions than any other species on the planet. I do notbelieve that there is any other organism which concerns itself soclosely with the welfare and the survival of the entire species.Altruism in other species is restricted to the family , the group orin extreme cases the herd. Most organisms however are solelyconcerned with themselves and their progeny. Paradoxically, we arealso one of the more selfish species doing the rounds. As in manyother species , you will find in humans examples of individualsconflicting with others to gain dominion over the ecosystem. Thecomplicated bodily and mental makeup of humans along with theextensive social structure gives countless dimensions to thisselfish behavioral pattern. This constant conflict betweenaltruistic and selfish behavioral patterns finds an extremelyinteresting outlet in the present scenario of reservations in India.Consider an example. If an external environmental change threatenedthe welfare of an organism, most or all organisms would tend tomodify themselves physically, socially or genetically so as toenable itself and its progeny to combat the impending threat.Humans are possibly the only species, which tries to modify theenvironment to overcome the threat. Of course, in the present day wecan argue that we are so dominant over our ecosystem and so mentallyadvanced that this is an easier method for us; but for whateverreason the fact remains that we do so, that we are inherently madeto do so : and in doing so , not least in our reasons comes the oftsited " for the betterment of mankind".Again we humans are the only species, where as a rule rather than asan exception, the stronger sections are concerned with the welfareof the weaker sections. There is an inherent tendency within us toform social groups, but despite having done so, still be concernedwith the welfare of members of all groups. So strong is thisbehavioral pattern that it is only disrupted when a dire andimmediate threat is perceived to self and family, a phenomenon whichis mirrored almost to precision in the ongoing events in our countrytoday.I do not think any examples are required but still- just a few dayswe were all very concerned about genocide and HR violations inDarfur. For a moment, laying aside the humane aspect, is there anyreason why we in India should be concerned about events halfwayacross the globe : No , but we still are because that is how we haveevolved and for all of Ayn Rand's philosophising cannot change whatis an inherent trait to our species. I am not a Rand fan simplybecause I do not believe that humans can inherently display suchbehaviour.So , fortunately or unfortunately, we humans have this habit ofcarrying everyone in our train. It is our `duty' to uplift theweaker sections of our species. The result: we are a tremendousecological success having attained dominion over the entire planetbut evolutionarily we are slowing down , reaching a dead end or assome put it even going in a opposite direction. Agreed , evolutiondoes not work in a handful of generations but our evolution andsubsequent ecological success have robbed quite few of the basicrequirements of evolution. It is not my lot to discuss Darwinismhere as I have already deviated a lot but one final point isrequired . At the very core of evolution is a much derided wordcalled `Purge'. Evolution tends to purge species of the weaker andthe ill fitted for survival, ultimately paving the way for origin ofnew species. Quite paradoxically , evolution of humans hasinculcated them with this behavioral pattern of altruism whichappears to inhibit evolution itself. The result appears only to bethe imminent extinction of the species. It may not come within thenext 2 or 20 generations , but sure as an arrow, it is imminent.Before proceeding further let me emphasise that these views are notmy own but these are what we humans are . Secondly coming back toour main agenda of reservation in India , I am not for one momentsaying that there is any altruistic motive behind it. It is simplyone of vote-bank politics but the idea is drawn from age old humanideals of upliftment of the weak and equal representation of allgroups.History is replete with such examples. All the major religions :Christianity , Islam and Hinduism cite numerous instances of uniformrepresentation, not necessarily from weaker sections but from allsections of society . The 13 apostles were from diff areas andsects. The Argonauts came from all corners of Greece, the 9 gems inAkbar's court were all from different castes, religions and havingdifferent trades. These are not merely coincidences. Cutting back tothe present area , I can think of an all too obvious example in theforthcoming WC Football. If we were to concentrate just on merit (which in football parlance translates to exciting skillfulfootball), we should ideally be having only European , S Americanand possibly a couple of African teams. Why then do we have quotasfor all continents and bear with Asian teams which either depress uswith their sub-standard football or as in the case of S Korea , useFIFA's considerable backing to gain semi-final entries by the backdoor.On the present scenario in India, I have nothing but contempt forreservations …mind you , reservations of any kind, be it SC/ST,OBC , or have what you may. I think even the most vehement socialistwould ultimately agree that in spite of our best efforts wecannot ever completely eradicate economic inequality . Theeconomically strong translates in evolutionary parlance to a fittermodel more suited for survival by a better combination of `nature vsnurture' i.e. gene pool + environment. By our inherent altruistictendencies we try an improve the ill fitted , a concept I can stillreconcile with. However I do have very strong reservations againstthe horizontal fragmentation of society based on caste , religionand the likes , something that is a virus in the society and canonly serve to impede our progress and quest for excellence. Ibelieve we are civilised enough to at least stop the division ofsociety on the basis of these superstitious cultural beliefs .However I do not have much sympathy for the protesting groups eitherbecause I believe that their allegations and accusations are toomyopic and more importantly are based more on selfish motives thanon any fundamentally conceptual beliefs and philosophies. To sitean example, tomorrow when the UK and US denies visas to Indianstudents on grounds that they would settle down there and encroachon the employment of that nation's own citizens, I do not see anyIndian come forth to say that it the correct thing is being done.Rather, people behave almost as if a fundamental right of theirs isbeing snatched away. People protest in the name of reservationsagainst SC/ST and OBC's in the name of equality but noone is heardthat such a classification should be done away with in the firstplace. Unfortunately, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.There has to be some kind of consistency in your views.In my eutopian world, there would be no social divisions, noreligion, caste or countries. The entire humankind would work onlytoward one common goal…. Progress. The emphasis would be solely uponexcellence and nothing else would supersede it. However it is justwishful thinking…. it will never be. For humans are nor made toexist in that manner. Till then, que sara sara.
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