Articles

THE CONCEPT OF PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

There hardly passes a day, when we don’t come across problems and try to seek suitable solutions to them. It seems that our life is full of problems, some minor, to which we very easily find a solution, whereas others seem

major that need serious efforts and time-taking endeavours to reach their solutions. Some of the problems are so grave that we keep struggling for quite a longer time or even for the entire life to find the solutions.

Are the events or occurrences really problems that we consider to be problems? Let us first try to understand what a problem. The entire universe when viewed metaphysically, scientifically, spiritually, religiously or with any other point of view, is full of occurrences; there always happens something. Few things are done intentionally, the others just occur, although there is a scientific reason for every occurrence. If a star deviates from its path and goes to hit another one or if a star converts into a black hole, there is always a reason for that. If the sun radiates so much energy in the form of heat, there is a reason for it. If someone irritates on silly things, there is a reason for it. It is different story altogether how many of the occurrences we are able to explain based on our acquired knowledge, experience and exposure. Many of the occurrences we can understand, manipulate, manoeuvre, whereas others remain out of our comprehension and control.

Any unwelcome occurrence that doesn’t conform to our expectations of comfort, we call a problem and the moment we are able to convert it into our comfort and convenience, the same occurrence or phenomenon is referred to as a solution. If we look at the problem with a holistic viewpoint, we will see that there is nothing like a problem or solution; they are mere occurrences and the occurrence referred to as problem becomes the solution to the related problem after its transformation to our comfort, convenience or utility.

The concept of problem and solution also changes according to our perception, state of mind and situations; they are never absolute, but always assessed with respect to the conditions affecting our life. One of the biggest problems for a childless couple is that it doesn’t have a child. The moment the couple gets a child, the problem is solved. But, later the bringing up of the child becomes the problem, which was looked at as the solution to the previous problem. Further, when the child does not do well in his life or denies taking care of the parents, it becomes another problem. Thus we see that the solution to a problem can become another problem at a different time or in different situation.

The concept of problem and solution is, to a great extent, subjected to our expectations form the particular occurrence. Whenever some occurrence fulfills our expectations or we are capable to transform the same into a comfort-providing medium, it becomes a solution for us. In summer, the horrible heat of the scorching sun becomes the biggest problem for us. It is obviously a problem for us, but only because the temperature in summer is unbearable to us. As long as it is comfortably low, we feel and also admit that the sun is the main source of energy for our planet and it also converts the resources on earth to produce energy that we use in many forms. When the temperature is terribly low, again it is problem for us; we feel almost frozen. The reason again is the same- it causes discomfort to us and doesn’t stand up to our expectations. But, the moment we are able to convert the solar energy to our use, it becomes a boon for us and becomes the solution to the same problem; because we can use the transformed solar energy to cool ourselves as coolers, fan etc. and for many other purposes. It indicates that transformation to utility, comfort and expectations converts a problem-occurrence into a solution-occurrence. We can also infer from this that the problem and the solution are always interrelated; if an occurrence is unwelcome to us, the same needs to be made, suitable to us in order to become a solution. That is, perhaps, the reason that it is often said, “Problems are the solutions.”

When we speak of problems and solutions, the central theme of this discussion is contentment, i.e. it is also subjected to the level of our desire, greed and ambition. If we are contented with less, we have fewer problems and look for less solutions and vice-versa. We, as averagely conscious humans, try to relate problem-occurrences to solution-occurrences and try to establish a logical relationship between the two. But, there may be or may have been people, who do not at all consider the occurrences as problems and solutions; they might just be occurrences for them, because they may be more patient, mature, tolerant and knowledgeable. The pain of the problems doesn’t easily disturb them and the joy of the solution doesn’t sway them.

Impact of science and technology on human life

The history of the present human species is about 5000 years old. The history of the ancient human species, from which the present-day human species Homo sapiens evolved, is about 2 million years old.

Enduring all the difficulties of nature, we have reached to a point where we can do video calling and chatting while sitting in different corners of the world. As man began to use his brain to a relatively greater extent for his needs, his brain evolved further, which now weighs from 1.3 to 1.4 kilograms, today contains about 86 billion neurons and has a capacity of 1 million GB.

The first evolution of life on Earth occurred about 377 million years ago. About 99 percent of the species that have evolved on Earth till date have gone extinct. About 900 species have gone extinct in the last 500 years. Actually, this is also a natural process. Research and observation reveal the reasons for the extinction of a specie. One of the main reasons is the inability to adapt to natural conditions. Dinosaur, the largest and most powerful creature ever, became extinct about 65 million years ago, which used to rule the Earth.

But how do we know all these things? The date of fossils is determined by radio carbon dating system. The main purpose of every organism is survival and reproduction. The human species was and still is one of them. But how is man so different from other animals? Why 'How' ? Why not 'why'? Because the question 'why' arises when we talk about some purpose or goal. But natural events have no purpose, they only happen as a natural process. And the origin and development of organisms on earth is also a result of the same process.

Man used his brain for his survival more than other species and that is why his brain grew relatively faster. He constantly made new inventions, which made his life easier. He made from stone tools and wheels to bullock cart. And made machines, searched for different types of fuel. Industrial revolution took place, production capacity increased which in turn brought in prosperity. Various metals were produced and used for various purposes.

When you use something made of steel, do you ever think how it is possible to produce so much steel? Have you ever thanked Bessemer, the inventor of the Bessemer furnace?

Starting with the tape recorder, today songs from MP3 to MP4 format are being listened to. Have you ever tried to understand the history of the development of these inventions instead of the brutal invaders who were called great for their cruelty?

Have you tried to understand the continuous hard work of those who told you the creation and structure of the earth on which we live? Why don't we thank the maker of the things we use? Man is by nature a hardworking, active and grateful creature. But when he does not know who is the cause of the effect he is using, he thanks some non-existent imaginary thing out of fear and ignorance.

Do we ever think how much effort Copernicus and Kepler must have put in to work on the work of great scholars like Aryabhata, Al-Biruni, Euclid and others to formulate the laws of motion of the planets, to calculate the circumference of earth, to understand rotation and revolution of the planets? How many people worked on inventing the engine that Rudolf Diesel improved and made it more useful? Have you ever thought of getting Rudolf Diesel's name written on the back of your car as a thank you note?

Can a carpenter make better and more things with his bare hands or with the help of modern machines? With the advent of tractors, not only did farming become easier, but the land under cultivation also increased. In fact, today's earth - yes, today's earth, the earth was not like this before - is a huge treasure of resources, in which we create the desired utility with the help of science and technology.

Today, at the press of a button, your home gets illuminated. Do you ever remember Thomas Edison and Tesla when you press a switch? There is no need to worship them, but they should get not just the credit but also the gratitude for this artificial light, right? And how much struggle did Tesla have to make all the things that you use today? Therefore, there is a need to understand the history of that human struggle which made our life happy in every way with science and technology. The greats are not really those whom we have read in the history books, the greats are the people who illuminate the lives of the centuries to come.

Genghis Khan, who topped the list of cruelty and human slaughter, ruled large swathes of Asia, but today there are neither good roads nor rail lines in the country of those who idolise him as a hero, let alone modern technology. But why? Because he never embraced science and technology. There are also some countries on this earth, which export high-tech equipment to countries that are a hundred times larger in area and population.

The satellites through which we are able to get all the facilities today, has taken years of hard work in their modern development! After all, it is all an effort of science and technology that when you are in the operation theatre, every parameter of your body is monitored with machines and surgery does not cause pain even like an ant bite, otherwise in the nineteenth century surgery would be death. Forget the pain, most of the people used to die due to infection. Then with the efforts of Louis Pasteur's Germ Theory and other scientists, surgery became less painful and more successful. Moreover, nowadays man is able to remove the tumour by opening the skull. But alas, nothing can be done with the lies entered in the mind.

Had the polio and smallpox vaccines not been made, then today these diseases would not have been cured. Have you ever bothered to understand the mathematical contributions of David Hilbert that helped Einstein in his physical theories? History should really be indebted to those people who refuse to take a rupee after solving million-dollar maths problems. There is also a need to understand the contribution of Ramanujan, Euler, Archimedes, through whose tireless and unpublicized hard work we are learning and leading a happy life today.

And the most interesting thing is that the Solar Parker Probe launched by NASA on 12 August 2018 and running at a speed of about 7 lakh km per hour, reached the corona of the Sun (this is the corona of the Sun, not of Earth). And sending photos too. Even sending sound of sun's corona. Has anyone tried to verify that sound stored in his mind through various non-scientific sources match with the one sent by this solar probe?

But finally, why is the world's brightest creature so irrational that it has been giving the credit of every physical work to some non-existent supernatural imagination?

Language Patriotism in Indian Context

Nowadays one comes across people, to be precise, some narcissistic north Indians, who are very concerned about Hindi not getting its actual place in India. Among these people are also educators,

coaches, teachers and professors. They someday go to a foreign country, hear their people speaking only in their language and then they form an opinion that only Hindi should be spoken in our country and all works in all offices should be done in Hindi only.

These people are basically so irrational and narcissistic that they don't understand the basic history, geography and diversity of their own country.

The European countries are very small and mainly have one language and they have also developed, over the years, the linguistic infrastructure to cater for their needs. If they teach their students in their own language, they have translated the works of Newton from Latin to their own language, they have translated all required subjects be it history, geography, psychology, science, medicine, various political theories by various political philosophers into thei own language. And they know that not all the knowledge evolved in their mother tongue; of course when some theory or observation is published, originally it is in one language and those who want to be benefitted from it, they translate it into their own language for the sake of their next generations.

But in India, the scenario is entirely different. We have hundreds of languages, which have crores of population. Among Indian languages are even those languages or dialects which are not even written and don't have even a single textbook for primary school. And the speakers of such languages are in tens of crores. If even these people start a movement of language, their children can't even pass primary school.

The practical scenario is such that Hindi is the connecting language in India for the less educated working class. But English plays this role at professional level like in judiciary, corporate world, engineering, medicine etc.

Some narcissistic north Indians start demanding that Hindi should be made the language of the supreme court. Just ask them and their kids to learn Telugu and tell them tomorrow onwards it will be the language of the supreme court because it is the fourth most widely spoken language in the world. If all the languages are introduced in the high court and supreme court and in other govt bodies and in the corporate world, how many judges and the lawyers will learn Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bundelkhandi, Bengali and Assami?

Do these language patriots have an answer to this question?

In Germany they teach all subjects in German not because they have the mechanical infrastructure but also linguistical infrastructure. They have all terms of mechanical engineering in German, in fact most of them originated from there. We in India have none, not even spark plug, accelerator, gear box, tyre, puncture. They have all medical terms in German and we have literally none. And this is the case with Hindi, which is quite widely spoken in India and many books are published, let alone other languages.

Finally I observe that the diversity in India is so diverse that it is not possible to make Hindi as the language of the big govt offices and corporate world and universities. English has the power to connect us and to establish us in the entire world, whereas demand for Hindi has a dangerously narcissistic value that will push us into various kind of fights and also will disable our future generations of so many fronts.