Quite a few people have started complaining that a "step-motherly" treatment is given to hockey players... Their argument lies on the fact that awards of astronomical amounts have been announced for the cricket players who brought home the first T-20 world cup, whereas the hockey players who brought home the Nehru Cup were given awards in the multiples of meager thousands.
To a certain extent, their argument is definitely right. The various state governments have announced huge awards to various cricket players............ and where does the money come from.........our pockets.....the taxpayers money. The government is expected to behave sensibly, it should treat all sports equally on its part, the difference in the awards bestowed upon the players of both the sports should be equal. Governments cannot be partial in this regard and hence, the government should award the players of all the games (not just hockey & cricket) equally. The failure to do so on the governments part has already been brought to focus by the media, i.e. a lot of former athletes are forced to take up jobs like house-maids and sweepers to support their families, as a result of lack of support by the government. Encouragement to all in all the sports events is a duty of the government. If the attitude of government does not change we can forget about having another P.T.Usha who can win accolades for her country. The protest of the hockey players in this regard is definitely valid and should be taken seriously.
But, if they have reservations over the awards coming out of the BCCI's kitty bag, then they have missed the target by a whole mile! BCCI does not fill its money bags from tax-payers money. The money comes as a result of the sport and no one has the right to argue if it distributes a chunk of it amongst the players that cause the moneybags to be full to the brim in the first place. And the government has no role to play in this. The masses love the game of cricket and that is because of the nature of the game..........its not anyone's fault that other games are not loved so aggressively. The money earned by cricketers or BCCI is a result of a great demand and supply equation with the masses. If the players of any other sport 'demand' similar monetary benefits then it can't be provided. It is not a thing to be demanded. Unless the sport appeals to the masses, that kind of money will not make its way towards any federation of any sport.
The affection and money showered upon the cricketers is grossly because of the appeal of the game and the attraction of the masses towards it, and rationally there is nothing wrong with it. So, the appeal against the government is definitely a 'lbw' but, an appeal against the masses or the awards given out by any organization other than the government is a 'no ball'........
Ring a bell??? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.......
Author : Vj
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
The Scientific Explanation Of GOD........
This is a very interesting topic about which I heard from one of the guys I was having a discussion with.........don't remember who he was or when we talked about this............I only remember the idea.........ONLY THE IDEA........and that is because I found it very fascinating & it still fascinates me. Here it goes........
For centuries humans (not sure of other creatures though, I wouldn't be surprised even if say dolphins or apes did too....) have argued about the existence (or rather the very concept) of GOD. There are enough number of theories (proposed and self-evident both) on both sides to prove the other wrong but, very few (or none) to prove any side right. Some say GOD has to be there else how do you justify the very existence of the Universe , God has created it all. The other side promptly puts up a question "If you question the existence of the Universe, then how do you explain the existence of God? Is there a God's God to explain that??" Similar is the case with the other side.....even they can't convince everyone that God does not exist because then there is the obvious question about how does the universe exist which has no answer (as of yet). Its a kind of never ending debate.....
One explanation of the possible existence of God that the guy gave me (which fascinated me) is what I want to tell you about. It doesn't take any side, proves nothing but, it really is creative I must say. It is called the scientific explanation of God.
It has got something to do with frames of reference and the thermodynamic concept of a system. Imagine this, a small boy sitting in a train (in motion), throws a coin in the air and allows it to fall on the floor of the train. What was the motion of the coin? For the boy in the train, the coin went up & came down - a straight vertical path of motion. Now here's the catch.... what is the actual path of the coin? Anyone who knows about the frames of reference concept will easily understand that its not a straight line. While the coin was thrown in the air, the train was moving forward - since the boy was in the train, he was also moving forward. He did not observe any forward motion of the coin because he himself was moving forward at the same speed as the coin was (relative velocity = 0). So, the actual motion of the coin can be better viewed by a person not in the train, say a guy on the platform. According to him, the coin moved forward while also going up & then down again i.e. the coin actually followed a projectile path...... Interesting huh?? But, did the guy on the platform observe the actual motion of the coin? "Yes" you may say but, the answer is "No". The reason is again the same. The guy on the platform was on the earth which is itself rotating around itself & revolving around the Sun. So like the boy, he also did not observe the 'actual' motion of the coin. Both observed the motion of the coin relative to themselves.
If we consider a train as a thermodynamic system, we may conclude, in thermodynamic terms, that a person who is outside the system, understands the activities in the system better than someone inside the system i.e. the person outside the system knows the TRUTH better. So, the guy on the platform understood the motion of the coin better than the boy in the train. Similarly, someone outside the solar system will know the truth better. To extend on similar lines, someone outside the milky way will know the TRUTH even better and continuing in this fashion, who will know the ultimate TRUTH????? Someone outside the universe.....Someone who is not a part of any system, someone completely outside the system. He will be the only one to know the entire truth.......in other words, he will be GOD!!!!!
But, does that mean that what the boy in the train or the guy on the platform knew was false....it was also true......only that it was the relative TRUTH that they knew..........and this is what can be called the concept of MAYA, referred to many times in the Indian Mythology......
So, logically, anyone outside the entire system knows the real TRUTH, he is the-all-knowing, he is free from MAYA............and hence, he's GOD.......but, can someone really exist outside this system, outside the universe (or mathematically just inside it)? Does such a God exist??? The answer is no one knows..........and I don't know if anyone will ever know...................
Ring a bell?? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment......
Author : Vj
For centuries humans (not sure of other creatures though, I wouldn't be surprised even if say dolphins or apes did too....) have argued about the existence (or rather the very concept) of GOD. There are enough number of theories (proposed and self-evident both) on both sides to prove the other wrong but, very few (or none) to prove any side right. Some say GOD has to be there else how do you justify the very existence of the Universe , God has created it all. The other side promptly puts up a question "If you question the existence of the Universe, then how do you explain the existence of God? Is there a God's God to explain that??" Similar is the case with the other side.....even they can't convince everyone that God does not exist because then there is the obvious question about how does the universe exist which has no answer (as of yet). Its a kind of never ending debate.....
One explanation of the possible existence of God that the guy gave me (which fascinated me) is what I want to tell you about. It doesn't take any side, proves nothing but, it really is creative I must say. It is called the scientific explanation of God.
It has got something to do with frames of reference and the thermodynamic concept of a system. Imagine this, a small boy sitting in a train (in motion), throws a coin in the air and allows it to fall on the floor of the train. What was the motion of the coin? For the boy in the train, the coin went up & came down - a straight vertical path of motion. Now here's the catch.... what is the actual path of the coin? Anyone who knows about the frames of reference concept will easily understand that its not a straight line. While the coin was thrown in the air, the train was moving forward - since the boy was in the train, he was also moving forward. He did not observe any forward motion of the coin because he himself was moving forward at the same speed as the coin was (relative velocity = 0). So, the actual motion of the coin can be better viewed by a person not in the train, say a guy on the platform. According to him, the coin moved forward while also going up & then down again i.e. the coin actually followed a projectile path...... Interesting huh?? But, did the guy on the platform observe the actual motion of the coin? "Yes" you may say but, the answer is "No". The reason is again the same. The guy on the platform was on the earth which is itself rotating around itself & revolving around the Sun. So like the boy, he also did not observe the 'actual' motion of the coin. Both observed the motion of the coin relative to themselves.
If we consider a train as a thermodynamic system, we may conclude, in thermodynamic terms, that a person who is outside the system, understands the activities in the system better than someone inside the system i.e. the person outside the system knows the TRUTH better. So, the guy on the platform understood the motion of the coin better than the boy in the train. Similarly, someone outside the solar system will know the truth better. To extend on similar lines, someone outside the milky way will know the TRUTH even better and continuing in this fashion, who will know the ultimate TRUTH????? Someone outside the universe.....Someone who is not a part of any system, someone completely outside the system. He will be the only one to know the entire truth.......in other words, he will be GOD!!!!!
But, does that mean that what the boy in the train or the guy on the platform knew was false....it was also true......only that it was the relative TRUTH that they knew..........and this is what can be called the concept of MAYA, referred to many times in the Indian Mythology......
So, logically, anyone outside the entire system knows the real TRUTH, he is the-all-knowing, he is free from MAYA............and hence, he's GOD.......but, can someone really exist outside this system, outside the universe (or mathematically just inside it)? Does such a God exist??? The answer is no one knows..........and I don't know if anyone will ever know...................
Ring a bell?? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment......
Author : Vj
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Who fired first???
Well I'm choosing quite a controversial topic for my first blog.....
What is your opinion on Pakistan?
Most Indians feel a kind of hatred towards it. Though this scene is changing now-a-days with people bending more towards peace (thankfully!!!!)...... But why do they feel this hatred? Leave aside the historical reasons of the partition, it is said that time is the best healer of wounds. And its about time we got over it. Kashmir is another very complicated issue on which an entire discussion can be kicked off......Leaving that aside, is it true that a major part of our hatred is created by our own government ( with the aid of the media)?? Consider this, India & Pakistan go on war..........Indian media reports "Pakistan fired the first shot today & India is firing in reply".....And what does the Pakistani media say? "India fired the first shot today & Pakistan is firing in reply". In some cases where Indian media has reported that they shot down some Pakistani troops on the Indian side trying to infiltrate, Pakistani media reports that some terrorists who were trying to cross the border were shot by Indians........Its a cover up you say...but what if its true? How do you conclude who is right? Generally the conclusion depends upon your nationality I would say. But, what do such reports do? They create hatred among the citizens in both the countries. Now, who knows the real facts? Only the government (depends on how faithful the military is to them). So, if both the governments are pointing in 2 directions, how do you decide which one is right? Do you really believe that people in your government always share the truth with you? (I dont think an answer is needed for that question).
The point that I wish to prove here is that, information regarding the 2 countries given in the newspapers (by the press or by the officials), which usually goes into shaping the opinion of common people maybe highly unreliable. So, if you have a strong feeling against any country, its time to introspect......Are you being shepherded by the so called "sources" to believe what you believe?
This is one of the topics that really & visibly has 'more to each side than we know'.........
Ring a bell? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.....
Author : Vj
What is your opinion on Pakistan?
Most Indians feel a kind of hatred towards it. Though this scene is changing now-a-days with people bending more towards peace (thankfully!!!!)...... But why do they feel this hatred? Leave aside the historical reasons of the partition, it is said that time is the best healer of wounds. And its about time we got over it. Kashmir is another very complicated issue on which an entire discussion can be kicked off......Leaving that aside, is it true that a major part of our hatred is created by our own government ( with the aid of the media)?? Consider this, India & Pakistan go on war..........Indian media reports "Pakistan fired the first shot today & India is firing in reply".....And what does the Pakistani media say? "India fired the first shot today & Pakistan is firing in reply". In some cases where Indian media has reported that they shot down some Pakistani troops on the Indian side trying to infiltrate, Pakistani media reports that some terrorists who were trying to cross the border were shot by Indians........Its a cover up you say...but what if its true? How do you conclude who is right? Generally the conclusion depends upon your nationality I would say. But, what do such reports do? They create hatred among the citizens in both the countries. Now, who knows the real facts? Only the government (depends on how faithful the military is to them). So, if both the governments are pointing in 2 directions, how do you decide which one is right? Do you really believe that people in your government always share the truth with you? (I dont think an answer is needed for that question).
The point that I wish to prove here is that, information regarding the 2 countries given in the newspapers (by the press or by the officials), which usually goes into shaping the opinion of common people maybe highly unreliable. So, if you have a strong feeling against any country, its time to introspect......Are you being shepherded by the so called "sources" to believe what you believe?
This is one of the topics that really & visibly has 'more to each side than we know'.........
Ring a bell? Agree with me? Disagree with me? Leave a comment.....
Author : Vj
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