There is no built to last

Fundamental research questions: 1. why bad always dominates good? 2. at what point in time corporations / individuals start failing? What are the symptoms? what are the usual causes? - Failure to adjust to new environment/reality - why does it happen? While I was walking back home, carrying my lunch for the noon, asked myself the question "why it is always so that bad dominates good?". I realized that decay (going bad) is inherent to all systems - this is a truth known to most people who think. When I say systems, there are 2 - organic and inorganic. The systems have to collapse or be supplanted at some point in time. The organic systems simply decay after a point in time. The inorganic systems reach limits that are defined by laws or physics/other constraints such as change demanded in systems functioning due to changes in external environment. These systems at that time can't grow/can't change themselves fast enough and are replaced by newer systems. So there is no "built to last", but there can be "good to great". A system usually gets better when up to certain point in time. A system tends to be perceived as less useful (bad), because other systems which are better than the existing evolve to supplant the existing. The evolution of new ones increases variety and entropy. The new systems also need resources to survive and grow. The resources are always finite. There comes a time when contention for the resources leads to fights and eventual collapse.

Then comes the question - why create/live/exist, if we know that eventually all things have to devolve? The answer is simple - as all paths lead to destruction, if one is given a choice to do something and be destroyed, or be destroyed without doing anything, I believe, one would choose to do something and be destroyed; but the catch is really being happy & getting destroyed, rather than doing something & getting destroyed. When I know I will be destroyed, the understanding will help me limit my desires. As I have written elsewhere, there is no way to attain happiness other than being without a desire, because desire is the root of all sorrow as said by Buddha. I am without a desire only when I have fulfilled all my desires, or when I don't desire. It is impossible to fulfill all desires. Hence only way to be happy is not to desire (Same principle as that of yin-yang. The extreme of one is the beginning of the other).

Being without desires helps me to focus on attaining happiness through doing/being, rather than having. Isn't that what Karma yoga all about? Why such a crazy post? Understanding the big picture gives us a context to think. If I understand the context better, I may make a different choice when I am in some dilemma.

A post in Anger & Disgust

Any non caste based, but need based act in the direction of making education more accessible to all strata of the society is most welcome. There was an incident in Bangalore where school forced the children who got admissions under RTE to cut their hair really short so that they could be differentiated from other children studying along with them.

It is simply heinous. If we continue in the same vein of thought why can't we make the doctors, engineers and many others who have got admissions to professional courses by paying money rather than being selected through competitive exams, print/display clearly on their letter heads/advertisements/in places where they practice that they were not meritorious but got seats because somebody somehow paid lakhs and crores of rupees for their coveted degrees? I am not saying that people with money are not meritorious, but questioning the rationale that only money is the qualifier to determine whether a person gets the education or not.

What is essence of leadership?

I was reading an eulogy. Again as it happens I believe I found answer to the essence of true leadership / true leader.

True leader/leadership is the one who/which brings out the altruistic human nature hidden deep within various people and focuses that collective positive energy on improving the condition of the people.  The leader/leadership also ensures that the path chosen for this improvement is humane and just.