A scary thought on Luck...

Luck, as we know, cannot be scientifically explained; it is a concept rarely understood by even the most skilled experts of philosophy. One definition I have come up with is that Luck is probability occurring in one's favor. But we, as humans, rarely understand what makes it swing one's way and what does not. A person who is believes in luck, yet does not understand the swing of luck one way or another cannot criticize anyone for being superstitious.
A superstitious individual is merely trying everything humanly possible to better his/ her course in life. Feng Shui and Vaastu Shastra, which are concepts involving orientation of objects around the household to maximize the 'luckiness' and 'positive energy', are merely trying to bring about/ maintain positive change. A person who believes in the aforementioned ideas cannot then possibly deny the possession of specific gem stones, or colors as absurd or silly. I beg my audience to convince me otherwise as I am open to an argument on this.
I very recently saw a movie titled "Kismat Konnection'. As shallow as the plot is, a statement in that movie really drew my attention. When the prtagonist is skeptical about the possibility of another human being as the source of his good luck, the witch replies that if it is easy for humans to place faith in gem stones, it should not be hard for that same individual to place faith in a human being.
People believing in gemstones/ horoscopes/ influence of planets and stars then cannot discount the factor of luck obtained by surrounding yourself with lucky people- it is a contradiction. Even in a compatibility analysis for marriage, auspiciousness of the partners towards each other is considered. The inauspicious marriages are immediately red lettered. So if people believe in gems for luck, whether it be good or bad, then those very people must believe in other individuals also for certain effects on luck, such as when in a relationship with your significant other.
So now this brings me to a very scary thought: If we all believe in several of the ideologies mentioned in the previous paragrahps, then should we not pick and analyse who we surround ourselves with, atleast in a relationship, from the POV of luck? Should one assess the impact on luck of a particular individual when in a relationship with that person and possibly discontinue it if it is not deemd 'lucky'? An absurd, yet possible thought...

A word on affirmative action

My take on affirmative action/ reservation is abundantly clear: The intent being noble, the principle on which it is based is completely flawed. Giving a person preference just because of his/ her particular caste/ religion/ race is utter nonsense.
While the intention of our forefathers may have been philanthropic, it makes little sense to allow such a system in place. In an academic institution, allowing a less stringent criteria merely to accommodate a person of a particular caste/ race implies the lowering of the universities standards itself. Allowing the ones with the best resume into the university elevates the standards of the students as well as the overall ranking, which in turns attracts better students thus spawning a spiral upwards. In a private corporation, allowing a person with a less resplendent resume just because he/ she is of a different race reduces the effectiveness of the organization. The private sector has already realized that the role of different races and sexes is essential to success due to varied (and successful) ideologies. The most prominent example that comes to mind is the pursuit of women for corporate and management positions due to their 'soft but firm' nature, which helps in motivation, creativity and negotiations.
Perhaps it makes more sense for the government to provide equal access to resources for a person of a different caste/ race/ religion than have quotas in place and lower the overall standards of the institution/ organization. Providing economic help and setting up facilities (e.g. coaching classes for examinations) must be the quintessential focus of government efforts. Once students are given access to these resources, it is upto the student to utilize them fully and effectively to ensure personal and professional development.
Finally, at the time of judgement, let genes, hardwork, and possible luck, rule the day in enabling the best to get ahead. Perhaps this view is much too Darwinian for many, but it is essential for maximizing the potential of society's growth. That is the goal of humanity as a whole isn't it...?

Comic book heroes...

Perhaps I just needed a good cry, or I was really moved by the recent batman movie; in either case, I must e-pin my thoughts down. I beg my audience to tolerate the... levity of this blog. I have seen several comic strip heroes in action, both on-screen and on paper. In my honest opinion, Batman is what a true hero is made of.
In all the other movies, a comic book hero has had to fight evil, and perhaps restore faith to the people while doing so. Never had any of them had to sacrifice themselves to ensure the well-being of a city. Some might argue that in keeping one's superpowers and undertaking the responsibility to defend a city, an individual sacrifices his/ her right to lead a 'normal' life. However, the Dark Knight is whatever Gotham needs it to be including the villain to restore the citizen's faith in the justice system. While it may be the other writers did not conceive to plot such an ending for the other heroes, these fictional stories lead me to believe that batman is the true hero among all other comic book heroes.
Heroes are whatever society at that time needs them to be, whether it is being the fall-guy/ girl, or the symbol of sanctity and hope. Perhaps the lesson I learn from this movie is that given my (potential and conceived) purpose in life and my priorities, I should be whatever my friends need me to be at any given point of time. I don't intend to be a hero for the world - I do not have the capacity to fulfill such dreams, but I do have the resources to be a good friend to those I care about and love the most. Perhaps this movie validates my beliefs further does it not...?

A word on Suicide

Usually such an argument rests on whether a suicide is legal or not, whether it is selfish or not. My view on it, as deemed by traditional diktat, is unorthodox, and possibly sinful. As termed by Christianity, and possibly Islam, suicide is sinful and consequently wrong. According to Hinduism, suicide is sinful since it is a pathway for an individual to shirk one's duties.
As I have indicated before, my views can be considered rebellious, even shocking by some fundamentalists. I believe that suicide is the right of each individual to exercise as he or she wishes because certain circumstances do warrant suicide. It is just as selfish of the individual's family to prevent the suicide as it is for the individual to commit it.
My purpose here is not to defend suicide, or to chastise people for believing in it, but to bring up an interesting point. I posed this question in regards to the selfishness of suicide to a good friend, colleague and mentor of mine. His response was rather insightful and possibly unusual. He claimed that it was selfish of society as a whole to allow this suicide to happen while idly standing by. It reflects as a failure on society to allow individuals to have reached this degenerative state wherein members of the society are willing to voluntarily give up their life out of misery.
I think this view is something that has opened my eyes to understand the concept of suicide better, and possibly deal with situations akin to some of my personal experiences better...