Random Thoughts

I recently met a fascinating individual, and we talked about knowledge, information, and wisdom. Inspired by his podcasts, I'm writing on a similar topic while borrowing the name from his podcasts. I've been walking the path of intellectualism for a while now, not that I've become one. Nowadays, I spend most of my time learning about new ideas and concepts. I rarely watch movies and series and rarely go out and party; instead, I watch lectures from all walks of life, but why? Why did a person like me, a complete extrovert till a few years ago, start shying away from his past habits? It is partly due to my shift to Belgium and rest due to the new and exciting world of ideas. Unfortunately, the path of intellectualism doesn't necessarily lead to happiness, and often you find yourself troubled for no apparent reason. I don't even remember how often I've lost my sleep because of an idea. And the biggest problem is that no one can help me get these answers; I must wa...

Ever since I was a wee lad, bedtime stories were my lullabies, carrying me into the world of dreams. Up until the tender age of eight, these yarns spun their magic on me, filling my slumbers with fantastic adventures and heroic characters. Sure, the tales often donned the same guise, but their charm wasn’t diminished in the least. My memory, as fickle as any child's, generously hit the refresh button each time! My fascination with stories didn't stop at mere listening, though. As I sprouted into adolescence and dove into the intricate pool of human psychology, a revelation dawned on me: Stories were more than just bed-time fables or leisure-time chronicles. They were the invisible threads that wove the very fabric of our perceptions. Who cares if you forgot the damsel in distress or the dragon-slaying hero? Each tale imprinted a unique model of the world in your mind. Like a kaleidoscope, the models shift and change with each story, painting the world with vibrant hues and nuan...

I recently heard this amusing quote, "Your mind works 24x7, 365 days a year, until you fall in love". But is there any truth to this statement apart from some anecdotal pieces of evidence? Yes, there is, researchers found that falling in love has the same effect on your brain as cocaine or some other power pain relievers. It has been studied that love can alleviate not only mental pain but also physical pain. It has also been correlated with the lowering of testosterone, and for those who don't know enough about testosterone, this neuromodulator is not just about anger, but primarily it's about motivation and goal seeking. Testosterone is similar to dopamine in terms of motivation, with the primary difference being their time frame. Dopamine works for moments, but testosterone determines long-term planning, execution, and work ethic. Also, the brain circuits involved in love are the same circuit that evolves over time from the ones we have for our parents. Guys look f...

There is no denying that we are living in the most peaceful and safest time world has ever seen, yet, so many of us are addicted or depressed, why so? Because most of us have never witnessed a true calamity, like World War, famine, or a plague thus we fail to understand how harsh the world could actually be. The reason for our misery is often self-inflicted. Constant comparison with the fake online persona of people is one of the major factors in the conditioning of our brain thus making us primarily unhappy and dissatisfied. But let's ask ourselves, is there a way out? Can we do something about it? Definitely yes, it's just about changing our perspective. Let's have a detailed look at this through various arguments and analogies. In order to treat a disease or a problem, first we need to do a proper diagnosis of the problem. Let's ask ourselves, what is the base cause of most of our problems? I think most of us can agree that it is very likely our unfulfilled desires t...

One of the hardest things to manifest in life is honesty. It doesn't come easily and needs an extreme amount of courage, strength, and wisdom. But here's the funny part about honesty, everyone thinks that they are honest, and almost no one will agree with the idea that they are dishonest. But why honesty is tough and why do people lie about it? There are three primary reasons for this, firstly, it is mentally exhausting to convince oneself of the truth than to accept a false idea. Secondly, most people can't see past the short-term benefit and thus they will lie in order to gain that particular advantage or opportunity. And lastly, one's brain doesn't want to associate bad things with their own self-image. Let's talk about the association of lies with self-image. One thing that evolutionary biology is super clear on is that our brain is not evolved to show us the truth, contrary to popular belief, it evolved primarily to protect oneself from the dangers of the w...

When we are young, life is chaotic potential, and it's ready to manifest into something extraordinary. As we grow old the chaotic potential starts taking shape and we start losing the freedom to pursue different paths. Over the past few years, I've met some very interesting people and noticed that almost everyone had one thing in common; a strong desire to get away from their ordinary life, almost everyone I meet is seeking solace in traveling, drinking, or partying. There is nothing wrong with seeking a little bit of fun, but we must ask ourselves if it is sustainable? I've met a lot of people who are probably equally or more intelligent than me in some sense but I still believe that most of them will conform to the ideas of society and are going to spend their lives in the most ordinary ways imaginable. There is nothing wrong with living a normal life but there is no adventure in that, following the path of fun and games is not going to make one's life extraordinary. ...

I don't have anything against IASs but also nothing in favor of them as well. I do acknowledge that the post of an IAS is considered extremely successful and the greatest thing by many but certainly not by me. In this article, I'll try to point out the fundamental flaws of choosing to prepare for the IAS exam in the most unbiased way possible. For an apt comparison, I will take a developer or researcher in a company like Google, Apple, or Microsoft. Let's break down the details of why choosing to prepare for the IAS exam is not a good idea. Skillsets: The skillset one gains while preparing for IAS is almost useless in the practical world and personal life. The gained skillset is largely useless as it can't be used to land any other job in other sectors or countries. The work assigned to an IAS office is of two types: administrative or handling the problems of poor people. I do get that one might feel good helping poor people but in no way does that means that one is ope...