IDEAS ARE COOL

  I have always wondered what drives people to purchase things that are pricey on a cosmic level, behave in an quaint disposition whether that be posting exuberant images on social media, flashing how they read “The Subtle Art of Not giving a F*ck” although they do, using a gratuitous and esoteric vocabulary, behave like a hipster, the rage to appear ‘cool’ in social gatherings etc. – all alluding to something which we are going to explore today. Let’s recourse to the most familiar example – What makes people spend exorbitant amount on an i-phone? Well, you might already know this. ‘Status signaling’ is the term we all are thinking of here. This was intriguing to realise how capitalism has commodified intangible abstract nouns such as ‘status’. You want to attain a higher status, then just purchase a newfangled smartwatch, buy a fancy phone etc. and ‘pay money’ and your status will be delivered at your doorstep. Interesting right? It is reflective of the changing culture where the...

  I have encountered a general lament from a slew of people that they aren’t happy, or “it is life”, and to placate their misery, they affirm another adage that nobody in this world is happy. It is true and we all can attest to this behaviour. We desperately wish to be happy but the larger question is – Is it at all possible? Happiness is intrinsically an emotion facilitated by hormones namely four of them: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphin. Whenever you feel ‘happy’ it is the result of these chemicals at work. Our brain’s abstruse structure is in a manner which can decipher our ‘reality’ and command our glands when to release these hormones at relevant situations. Thus, when you are gifted something on your birthday, purchase a new-fangled device, have sex, kiss, cuddle, hug your partner, perform a workout, achieve a goal or simply have a semblance of ‘achievement’ as expatiated by canker of social media usage or porn addiction, smoking, weed etc. your brain is inundat...

The fundamental biological built of human body is purposed for only for two objectives– survival and reproduction. Our body’s functions, anatomy and the tools we use to comprehend reality (5 sense organs) have a predestined biological purpose which is to ensure survival and procreation. Hence, every aspect of our body which we currently decipher is genetically constructed to keep us alive and further our species. But a rudimentary wedge between human beings and other organisms is that we decipher reality using our brain which is capacious of collating information from our surroundings and make us efficient in the two aforementioned purposes. Here, our intellectual capacity is superior to that of other organisms because we are able to ruminate and come up with quick solutions keeping in mind the various variables we gather from around us. We are able to solve ‘problems’ radically better than any other species. It is imperative to note because our brains and psychological make-up is weav...

Ten years before, I could not have fathomed the radical transformation “internet” would bring at all levels – social, cultural, economic, political and also areas which I can’t currently imagine. Internet has been a result of the sheer ease through which data can be transmitted across devices and geographical areas. This has allowed people to access data of discursive themes with tremendous alacrity. Not only has this contributed people to leverage the availability of cheapest data in human history for various purposes but as a member of the generation that has been raised with this phenomenon, I can easily construe the revolutionary advantage that my generation possess contrary to the past ones. This post is not about the generic advantages/disadvantages of the internet but a realisation of the limitless possibilities we can realise. We  need to understand the tremendous effect of this ceaseless pool of information we find ourselves suddenly drowned in. One of the results ...

“Who am I?”: a question people often offer contemplation to and it is indeed a deep one. One cannot digest cursory explanation of the existence of oneself hence, there are various identities people attach themselves with. The fundamental idea of oneself is started by their ‘name’ which means for me I am Jeet, for you it is your name. But, I find a problem with our names being the only criteria to distinguish each individual from others. It is not because that names are not unique, but our name is just an idea to allow ‘other people’ to comprehend our existence. I am a human whose name is “Jeet”. It is just an idea which my parents passed upon me so that I can have an idea of my unique existence. I am not Jeet, my name is Jeet. It is necessary to make sense of all the happenings around me without being nonplussed about my own existence, hence all the information revolves around the idea of myself – Jeet. I am a boy, 18 years old, quite well in academics, son of my parents etc. It is ho...