The Deep and the Dip

The power of a nation-state largely depends on the number of mega-corporations headquartered in the state and the nationals having a major share in those corporations.

 
In the current age of the knowledge economy, the biggest corporations are high-end technology companies.

 
It is science, technology and the free market that makes the difference. Even a slight edge or a little drawback brings vast differences in no time.

 
Niraj Kumar Jha

Knowledge Value Depreciation

The ease of access to and availability of knowledge resources has increased dramatically. With easy-to-use personal devices, anyone can know anything anywhere. The phenomenon can only be compared with its absence.

 
Yet, we see amazingly dumb people even in the most unlikeable places in the world. Has the easy availability of knowledge devalued meaningful and connected knowledge? Do people depend more on their instincts, fancies, whims, and beliefs?

The answer is, very disappointingly, yes.

What may be other reasons other than the easy availability of knowledge resources? I think of these.

1. Knowledge is more about experience, and its effectiveness depends on shared practices. The isolated, lonely or aloof people can not gather knowledge to effect.

2. The exercise of mind is more important than access to knowledge. People do not exercise their minds to know as the pieces are easily available. One must understand that knowledge is an endeavour.

3. People survive without applying their minds within a working system. They should understand that exercise holds the system and its cessation causes decay. After a threshold, it is disastrous.

Niraj Kumar Jha

The Fundamental of Economics and Politics

The economy runs best according to its own rules, which appear as the invisible hands of the market. These rules come from human nature, the basic innate drives of human beings. A person wants to own and retain. Here politics makes the next stage of civilized human life; it seeks to ensure fairness so people possess, maintain, and enjoy their lives without much ado.

These are the basics of two fundamental domains of life and disciplines of knowledge: economics and politics. But they are hardly known or realised. 'Geniuses' play spoilers.

Economics is most effective when it follows its own rules. Otherwise, it causes only pain and results in regress.

Niraj Kumar Jha

सभ्यता संस्कार

कुम्भ महानता से भी महान है। यह प्राणवान सभ्यता का स्पंदन है। यह जीवन का महोत्सव है। यह हर पीढ़ी का सभ्यता संस्कार है।

कुम्भ स्नान की यात्रा का गंतव्य भारत के विराट स्वरूप का दर्शन है, उसमें एकाकार हो जाना है। यह स्नान भारतवासी को भारत एवं मनुष्य देहधारी को मानव बनाती है। वे सभ्यता से एकरूप होकर अपनी पूर्णता को प्राप्त करते हैं। वे जल से उठते हैं तो दिग्भ्रम और क्षोभ से मुक्त होकर शुद्ध होते हैं; अस्तित्व की अमरता एवं सूक्ष्मता से सिक्त हो पुनर्नवा होते है।

भारत क्या है? यह सनातन की अनश्वर काया है।

यह त्रासद है कि इस विराट संस्कारोत्सव को सूक्ष्मता से अनुभूत किए जाने और सृष्टि के मूल के दृश्य रूप को आधार बनाकर व्यष्टि और समष्टि के आध्यात्मिक और सामाजिक उत्थान हेतु सार्थक विमर्श के स्थान पर क्षुद्रता ही चर्चा में आ रही है। यह और कुछ नहीं, कुशिक्षा और कुसंस्कार की व्याप्ति का द्योतक है। हमें अपनी अनन्य परंपराओं के प्रति गंभीर होने की आवश्यकता है।

नीरज कुमार झा

लोग गंदगी क्यों फैलाते हैं?

लोग गंदगी फैलाते हैं। गंदगी में रहना उन्हें असहज नहीं करता है।

ऐसा क्यों है?

यह मुद्दा समाजशास्त्रीय इतिहास से जुड़ा है।

यह इतिहास जनित मानसिकता है। दीर्घकालीन अधीनता के दौरान व्यापक और निरंतर उत्पीड़न और दोहन के कारण सामूहिक अस्तित्व के प्रति उपेक्षा का भाव लोगों का मानस बन गया। व्यक्ति अभी भी जीवन की परिस्थितियों पर नियंत्रण करने के स्थान पर उनके समक्ष अपने को निरूपाय पाता है। वह भले ही शारीरिक शुचिता के प्रति सजग हो लेकिन स्थानिक स्वच्छता के प्रति वह उदासीन रहता है।

नीरज कुमार झा

Dignity

People do not recognise the dignity of others. They find it very gratifying to insult others. They venerate some people if they talk fancy things, present themselves exotically, or can reward and harm others discretionarily, but never respect a fellow human being. This behaviour is so common that it is hardly noticed. It also escapes pedagogical attention. Highly educated ones are also very arrogantly scholarly. They eagerly seek opportunities to demean laypeople or people of lesser credentials even if these people may be more sensible as they face life more closely. Pedagogy and academia must pay attention to this gaping hole in their ecosystem. Instead of parroting the word dignity ad nauseam, they should acculturate themselves and the graduates to human dignity.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Artificialization

It is artificialization, which leads to advancement; this fact stands against the general belief. Civilizational evolution is a story of moving away from the natural state. As it is, artificialization may also cause severe debasement. Artificialisation, therefore, is an enterprise requiring both, competence and commitment.

Historically and sociologically, there have been cases of both types: artificialization serving well and putting people in peril.

Yet, there is a third type of cases, where artificialisation is carried out through imitation. These people do not get to the reason behind the structures they erect having seen those working somewhere else or times earlier and even their appropriate way of working. As a result, these structures hardly serve a purpose or even turn dysfunctional.

Niraj Kumar Jha