BRIEF HISTORY OF MY SAND TIMER

 

I have wondered about time all my life.

                                      - Stephen Hawking

 

To understand time, you need not understand the Einstein's ''Theory of Relativity''.  It is simply within everybody's reach.  

If you read science, it is so gripping that you go on clinging one book after other.   The concept of time in layman's language is entirely different.   It means, hours, minutes and seconds.  

 

Before the advent of these clocks and watches, we have sand timers in good olden days.  Now they are more as antique pieces.   I read about them in my childhood days, but I  saw them only during 1999 when my ex-boss got it ordered from Chennai.  That brass frame sand timer caught my eye.

 

I used to watch the passing sand granules in early morning to feel the significance of time.  When I gaze the passing granules  from one bulb to other, I wonder what this phenomena called Time.  

The sand timer on my Study constantly reminds me the eternity of time.  Whenever, I spend my time unproductively, to feel its significance  I gaze at  which itself reminds me my  lost time.    

BOOK REVIEW : THE UNIVERSE INSIDE YOU by BRIAN CLEGG

 

Nobel laureate Max Planck once said that science can't solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of  the mystery that we are trying to solve. But that can't stop us from doing scientific research which is taking us to new frontiers.

The book "The Universe inside you' by Brian Clegg is such a minefield of scientific information that would surge your scientific temper. Irrespective of stream you studied in your academics , it is a book that must be read to know more about human body and functioning of brain. Here there should not be an argument that my genre is fiction or something other etc. Some books that provide you basic information should be swallowed like hot peanuts.

It is true that some scientific jargon create hurdles but if you are ignited  with curiosity you could easily peddle up on your reading journey. The book has interesting chapters like atoms to standard model, fourth state of matter to what kind of stuff you are to mysteries of brain. 

 

The author in his introduction says that we all have our own laboratories in the form of our bodies – hugely complex structures that depend for their functioning on all of the many facets of science and nature. 

 

Honestly the book needs to be adorned in your personal library !

 

BREAKTHROUGHS ON BRAIN

 

There are similes between these two : Internet and Human Brain.  Both are network of networks. Perhaps the idea of internet must have come  from the brain's way of functioning.

Human brain is the most complex  and mysterious organ in the universe.  It is a  three pound mass of jelly with 100 billion neurons, each  capable of making up to ten thousand connections with fellow neurons.

Some years ago,  Indian origin Professor Rajesh Rao of  University of Washington  has achieved a breakthrough.   He established a 'brain to brain communication' link using the Internet.  
According to the experiment, 'brain to brain' connection was established between two persons sitting in different buildings. The signal from the sender's brain using EEG ( machine that records electrical activity of brain ) was interpreted by a computer and transmitted over Internet to a TSM machine (transcranial magnetic stimulation - a non-invasive method of brain stimulation that relies on electromagnetic induction using an insulated coil placed over the scalp, focused on an area of the brain thought to play a role in mood regulation) which delivered a magnetic impulse to the receiver's brain.

The experiment proved that the human brain is capable of sending a signal to another person for  motor action, like hand moving.  It  triggers  new hopes of treating cognitive disorders such as autism. 

 

Prof Rao's  has a lofty goal  of discovering the computational principles underlying the brain's remarkable ability to learn, process and store information, and to apply this knowledge to the task of building adaptive robotic systems and brain-computer interfaces.   Brain research is an evolving science which  helps to harness our powers to reach greater heights in life !

SUN - THE SHINING STAR

 

In fact Sun is the living wonder right in front of us. Without His rays, no living species would survive and the Earth would freeze into an ice ball.   Though we made some inroads into knowing other stars in the Solar System, our research on Sun is still at nascent stage.

When I talk about Sun, I am reminiscent of a Sun Temple in my Home State Andhra Pradesh, India, called Arasavalli Sun God temple situated in the coastal district of Srikakulam. It is one of the ancient Sun God temples in the country. The beauty of the temple structure is such that sun rays fall on the feet of the idol twice in the year during March and September in early hours of the day. This ancient temple is believed to have been built in the later half of the 7th century by Devendra Verma, the Ruler of the Kalinga Kingdom.

When it comes to  research on the Sun, it is reported  that   a group of scientists from Hawaii, Braziland California have measured the diameter of the Sun with unprecedented accuracy by using a spacecraft to time the transits of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun in 2003 and 2006. They measured the Sun's radius as 696, 342 km with an uncertainty of only 65 km.

It is believed that this gigantic ball of spinning gases is about 5 billion years old. The base material is Hydrogen (71 %), Helium (26.5%) and other elements (2.5%). The nuclei of hydrogen collide and fuse to form helium and this chain reaction produces energy, which among other things, lights and heats the solar system.

Scientists estimate that the mean distance between Earth and Sun is about 150 million km. If translated into flying hours, it means that a jet aircraft with 1000 km/hr would need more than 17 years of non-stop flying to reach the Sun.

Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer (1571-1630) produced the first accurate model of the solar system.  Inspite of so many advances in science,  deeper aspects of life and origin of Universe are  shrouded with mystery.  We can't be able to connect dots and what Arthur Eddington said to the world 84 years ago in his work : “ The Nature of The Physical World, 1928 (291)” still holds good: Something unknown is doing and we don't know what it is.

So the home point is, we are part of that mystery which we are trying to solve!

STEPHEN HAWKING, THE EINSTEIN OF OUR TIMES

 

Stephen Hawking needs no introduction. This Einstein of our times was born in 1942. When he was just 21 , he contracted with 'motor neurone disease' which only gave him 2 years to live, but that kept on extending till March 2018   to the utter amazement of medical fraternity.

This former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge gave mathematical proof for the Big Bang theory.

As far as I remember, it was during 2001, I got a glimpse of his much acclaimed book ' The Universe in a Nutshell' I was terrified to comprehend the concept and scientific jargon used in the book.  It  narrates the origin of Universe in common man's parlance. His other amazing books include 'A Brief History of Time', 'The Grand Design'.

I read so many articles about him especially his computer-aided voice synthesizer without which he can not share anything with the outside world. The science came to the aid of this physicist to share his insights on the mysteries of Universe.

I personally feel that the scientific temper might have kept Hawking alive till 76 years. Under normal circumstances, a crippled body could have led to diminishing mental efficacy.   But in his case, it proved the opposite. He personifies that scientific temper which helped for ground-breaking theories on Big Bang and Black Holes etc. What I have learnt from his life is his unparalleled scientific temper to remain inquisitive all through life.

Science is fast changing the way we see the world and we must constantly update our knowledge dished out by these great minds.   It will be a fitting tribute to this man if we ever expand our scientific temper which refines our everyday living.

WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT ?

He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself  is enlightened.

                                                                                                - Lao-tse

Life should not be seen only from the prism of suffering.

No doubt that suffering would give you heavy pain, but it also gives valuable lessons to make life robust in terms of actions and  endeavours. In fact, seeing the sufferings of people pushed the Buddha to the path of enlightenment.

Many people wrongly connote that enlightenment is simply denying all the worldly pleasures and lead a hermit's life in the forest. This concept is totally ridiculous. Enlightenment is a possibility field to know the mechanics of life beyond physical realm and  find your connection with the Creator.

The essence of enlightenment is respecting life in whatever form it is. When you become sensitive to everything around you, it means you are perfectly in tune with the symphony of the universe.

Once you   know your position in the universe, you feel so humbled of your tininess. Astro-physicist Joel Primack, a pre-eminent cosmologist who pioneered the Double Dark Theory opines that about 70 % of the universe is dark energy, 25 % is Dark matter. There are 4 % of invisible atoms and interstellar space. Helium and Hydrogen is 0.5 %.  The stars and planets form less than 0.1 % of the Universe which includes, humans.

Enlightenment happens in personal space and more so, it is a subjective experience. All the life situations should be seen in the larger frame so that you get a better understanding of  slice due to you. Excessive wavering for the things which are not due to you is totally unwise. America’s famous talk-show host Oprah Winfrey suggests  to write ‘Gratitude Journal’ daily so that you can count your daily blessings to lead a serene life.

One major road block in the path of enlightenment is our mindless comparison with others in material comforts of life. We are so obsessed with comparison mania that is the root cause of all sufferings. The solution lies with  a sense of gratitude which comes  just by watching those who are  in more agony.  In fact enlightenment is not a transferable energy/product   which we obtain from the market. It is a natural state which is well within you and it could be reached only by ' Self Search'.

EDUCATION - ARE WE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ?

Man is on the top of evolutionary ladder. The ability to think put us on the highest pedestal amongst animal kingdom.

In the process of educating ourselves, we evolved a system with an institutional mechanism to tap our mental potential and update the information on the Nature's basket. We formally call it as education.

But I am skeptical of  current educational system where there is a fundamental lacuna on the priority of things to be taught first. Tony Buzan, the father of Mind Maps concept, in his much acclaimed book ‘Use Your Head’ felt that ‘ in our worldwide educational systems we have spent so little time learning about how to learn is that we as a race have not known the fundamental principles of the operation of that bio-computer – BRAIN’ In computer metaphor, we have not known the software for the hardware of our brains.

Myself being a product of this current educational system felt low when I was restricted to read the subject of my interest citing that it is not in my stream of subjects in school/college. At that time, I cherished a system where education is based on individual’s inherent  inclinations and capabilities so that he or she can march forward on the desired path unhindered. But this radical approach pitiably has no takers in the market place where your testimonials matter a lot more than your self worth.

After my graduation, I started my hunt for real knowledge and got an opportunity to read some of the world's greatest books. After somehow grasping the ideas of so many renowned people in the field of education, my perception on education dramatically changed. The education which is now centered on rote learning has not inspired me much.

To strengthen my concept of ideal education, I started culling the ideas of great souls. Swami Vivekananda who is my role model  said that education is the manifestation of  the perfection already in man.

According to Jiddu Krishnamurti  Education is not only learning from books, memorizing some facts, but also learning how to look, how to listen to what the books are saying. Education is also listening to the birds, to see the sky, to see extra-ordinary beauty of tree, shape of hills to feel them directly in touch with them.

I feel that the pinnacle of education is to know the Source of Life or what we call as God , Almighty or Creator. I have great a opportunity to read the book ‘Code Name God by Mani Bhaumik  who is one of the pioneers in laser technology, acknowledged the fact that the deeper mysteries of life remain unresolved.

When you look into the latest research in science, you would find that still we are intrigued with the questions of how an electron gets it's energy to revolve around the nucleus. What you call as solid is not at all a solid but only a light or  wave at sub-atomic level. The latest breakthroughs in science re-affirms the fact that there is a mysterious power beyond the realm of human comprehension that is dictating our destinies.

One notable point is we can’t have direct control of even our bodily processes like heart beat, functioning of brain etc. You could find answers to these nagging questions only at spiritual level.

So, my aim in life is not to accumulate material possessions and go into oblivion, but raise my awareness to get a glimpse of that Supreme Intelligence !

YOU ARE THE CREATIVE EXPRESSION OF GOD

A dictionary defines 'God' as "the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe." It says that the word 'God' was first used before the 12th century (source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary) But Indian Ancient Texts, Vedas proclaimed about God, Universe much earlier i.e. in 1500-1200 BCE (source : Britannica.com)

The Bing Bang theory says that the origin of this Universe is 13.8 billion years ago (source: Wikipedia). Joel Primack in his much-acclaimed work The View from the Centre of the Universe says that the visible universe is only 4 %. Dark matter is of 26% and dark energy 70% and their characteristics are that they would be detected only through gravitational effects. They don't emit electro-magnetic radiation. Why they are like that is not fully understood.

Deepak Chopra, the American - Indian doctor who spent a considerable amount of his life time studying the science and religious texts says that the essential stuff of the universe is non-stuff. He further says that matter is made up of molecules - atoms moving around in huge empty space with lightning speed.

The more you study the science, the deeper would be the mystery. Deepak says that the cosmic horizon is about 47 billion light years which is continuously expanding. He also says that there are roughly about 500 billion galaxies in the universe. To understand the arithmetic of the universe at this grand scale is very difficult.

We have so many intricacies in the present theories. Scientists when they started calculating time backwards, they faced utter difficulty to go beyond 10^-43 seconds which is known as Plank epoch. The reason is that their theories and calculations would stop working at that stage, because natural laws stop working beyond that point and the state of the universe before that point of time might be a thick quantum soup.

Not only that we are shrouded with so many mysteries within our own bodies.  In the midst of all these unknowns, if the man earnestly tries to make a self-search, he may find answers and this wisdom is not transferable and it must be earned only through ‘self-experience’.