Sensory Overload

An overwhelming few weeks involved jumping from one expensive destination to the next with little time for reading or writing and mostly running around engaged in touristy activities. In terms of skeptical thoughts, I might highlight the most banal points. I suppose the most common these days is pointing out the cultural relativism which most foreigners hold, while locals hold the opinion that progressive changes are needed fast. It would seem some foreigners subconsciously prefer developing countries remain undeveloped for their own delight. 

I thought I would post a less serious ‘Top Five’ advice for Indians, purely from the perspective of a traveler. Yes, I am fully aware this may be biased, and from the view of an international traveler, but I hope you might find a chuckle, or for those of you who have ventured to India, something to smile about.

1)               Bodily Noises

To what seems to be a cultural challenge, the inhabitants of Incredible India are congested into forming the most unusual and often colorful array of bodily noises you might ever wish to find. 

Proud to share their last meal, the gasses are dealt out in a variety of forms for your olfactorous pleasure. No need to inhibit the flow of these delightful smells, because locals deliver them to you without hands over the mouth, or hesitation to help disperse the noxious cloud for all to share. 

From the depths of one’s gut, a rumbling wave ripples through the esophagus accumulating the last ten minutes of phlegm, or whatever one can gather in what I suppose is a declaration that one has eaten well. This ceremonial habit usually coincides with the urge to expectorate, typically on the floor or ground in front of the gobber, regardless of the environment.  Avoiding the spittle is like remaining dry in the monsoon season. 

Lastly, it seems impossible to breathe without your mouth in India. Whether standing on the train, shopping, or eating, mouth-breathing is in fashion in the sub-continent. No need to use the proboscis here, according to observation. Perhaps the half of each meal falling from the mouth goes to the gods, but I can be sure with all the spices, it is no wonder smell plays little part in the consumption part of dinner. 

2)                  Driving Behavior

If the trains were not affixed to their rails, they would attempt to pass each other in India. From ‘all-way stops’ to ‘yielding’, it would seem as if the entire country had simply woken up one day with the roads laid out and combustion engine automobiles resting nearby without their manuals. In their attempt to utilize these miracles of the industrial age, it was trial and error as they all zoom about without the slightest of standards or organization. 

The word ‘chaos’ does not do Indian motorists justice. Despite the factory installed mirrors, turning signals and brake lights, it would seem the sole method of on-road communication is the horn. Indeed the loudest and largest horns indicate who has priority on the pavement. Domination by deafening is the rule of the road.

Certainly without the noise how would one know where to drive? Some prehistoric civilization painted arbitrary white lines on the sides and in the middle of the streets, yet to decipher what they were to mean might be impossible. Why restrict the 4 meter wide road to two lanes? Push those shoulders in as well and you have four lanes at all times! Double speed! 

Now those massive busses are thrown around like a dune buggy, flying around mountain hairpins and passing semi-trucks on blind corners. It would seem the smoldering remains of the last two busses lying on the side of the road simply did not make the right offerings to the gods, and that can be only explanation for the misfortune. 

The only way to maintain sanity would be to close your eyes and pretend you are on roller coaster. After all, the locals are not surprised when foreigners throw their arms around and scream anyway.

3)                  One Photo Please!

For any first time visitor in India, three words will ring through your ears more than any other, regardless of where you go, or who you find. Perhaps the highest form of currency in India is a snapshot with a foreigner, or maybe Indians are vampires who feed on pictures with strangers. Either way, most of the young people you find will stop you for the opportunity to hold you close (for the guys) and prove that they know an expat.

I strongly suggest not giving into these requests as you might find yourself overwhelmed by the zombie like mass which may follow. It is not ‘brains’ they mutter, but ‘ONE PHOTO’. An alternative would be to ask them why, perhaps they may reason on their own how creepy it is to ask strangers for a photograph, not to mention that they smile in it. To answer ‘No.’ not only seems unsatisfactory to them, but is usually followed by pleading.

My personal sure-fire way to avoid this dilemma is to respond in the language native to all Indians.

“Fifty rupees, one photo!”

This is typically followed by disappointed eyes and slumped shoulders. The Grinch’s heart shrunk three sizes that day. 

4)                  Maintenance 

They don’t make them like they used to! Well by that I suppose, the things used to just fix themselves, and now they simply fall apart. That is all well and good when it comes to the more disposable things in life, but now everything is allowed to fall into dilapidation until unusable. 

Buildings, cars, gardens, machines, and anything you can think of will be in pieces in no time, as time and nature takes its toll, to the confusion of its owners. Who knew rust was avoidable? Is it true buildings don’t have to fall apart after ten years? It turns out boats don’t have to sink five years after purchase. Gardens grow into national parks with ‘Enter at own risk!’ posted at the entrance. 

Everybody follows Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but what is the point of a public toilet if it becomes overrun by an entire ecosystem? New shopping malls from last year look like they have been hit by a tsunami , and the architectural delights of the old British rule are now part of some apocalyptic experiment. Perhaps Wall-E will be needed sooner than expected. 

5)                  Hygiene

Not to make a cheap shot, but it had to come up.  I am far from a germophobe, but you know, some things are just crossing the line. I honestly have to ask where people wash their clothes and dishes. If they live near the river, the most common way is to gently dip the plates into the river water, then air dry them before deploying one’s dinner on it. 

I suppose nothing takes the cake more than when I saw the restaurant owner bring in wood for the fire, pat the feral  dogs,  clean up the kitchen scraps, take a piss on the wall, scratch his belly, digging for nosegold, then come and hand serve me some fresh chapatti, all without a single rinse of the hands. 

Oh you are not satisfied with the booger-belly-hair-piss-and-fleas-coated chapatti? The imagination takes over from there. Universally, every single hotel and restaurant I have ever been to in India, the word cleaning means the floor and table surfaces only. For anything else, refer to the maintenance section.  

Lastly, I am obliged to mention the universal toilet: everywhere! It would seem to be a public works project, to blanket the entire country in piss. Every wall of every street, if you smell nothing in particular, then society should be ashamed. Down a couple cups of tea and get at it! My stand-out photo however, should speak for itself.

------If anyone has anything else to add, I would love to hear it! Please comment.

Siddha

Ten years ago, before my travels, I met a younger guy than myself, braving the world as an exchange student in Minnesota. Vipul Shaha greeted me with a smile in what would become a friendship of thoughts and words. Despite knowing Vipul for such a short time, we kept in contact over the years and finally finding the time to visit his home of Pune, India, I find that he has, for the time being, been living back in Minnesota again. Ironic how the timing worked out so badly, yet I was still invited to his family’s home, and to spend time with his wonderfully hospitable brother, Anuj. 

A man of great accomplishments already, Vipul has just graduated from Harvard University, and plans to make great improvements to India, starting with the education. When I met him years ago, I was myself confused about what to believe, so disillusioned with Christianity and ‘western faiths.’

It was at that time I first heard of Jainism and the meditation technique of Vipassana. Recalling that time, I had very little memory of what was said, but the names stuck out to me. Now a decade later and so little experience in the world with Jains, I had the great pleasure to sit down with a very intelligent and respected business man in central India, Vipul’s father. 

And despite the historical associations with idols, Buddhism, and Hinduistic worship, I found his Secular Jainism to be remarkable. Let it be said, I can find not a single objection to Secular Jainism as a belief system. Surely the way it is practiced explains why there are so many Jains in the world, yet is begs to ask the question, why has Jainism not been in the spotlight as an example of what religions should emulate? 

The primary tenant of Jainism is a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Other principles follow teachings of other religions, in some ways very similar to Buddhism, such as in Celibacy and non-possession, in other ways, Hindu in idol worship, although it is not obligatory. It also seems Jains have achieved the reputation of wealthy businessmen and leaders in society. 

 It would seem on the surface that the teachings of Jainism are compatible with modern education and learning, but I still have a tickle in the back of my mind. It comes from the subjective reality given by introspections. I still think we need to tackle the big questions in life with doubt and curiosity; however that said, if I had to imagine Jainism as a majority religion, I can’t imagine it encroaching on our schools or government. 

With an open mind, I would like to entertain a week at a vipassana ashram, to get a sense of their mentalities.  I send a huge thanks and my gratitude to the entire Shaha Familiy.

Slums, Science, and Solecism

As a teen seeking a direction in life, I remember stumbling upon Bertrand Russell’s version of the ten commandments in a school library. They changed my life forever. Naturally to the disdain of those around me, I became a bit more stubborn about discussions, and I at the risk of becoming an idealist, I found myself rooting out peoples’ fear of controversy.

Those commandments are as follows:

1. Do not feel certain of anything.
2. Do not feel it's worthwhile to hold on to a belief by concealing contrary evidence, for that evidence will surely come to light.
3. Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.
4. Overcome opposition via argument, not force or authority. A victory based upon force is unreal and illusory.
5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there will always be counter-authorities.
6. Don't use force to suppress opinions which you think are dangerous, for if you do they will surely suppress you.
7. Don't fear being different and eccentric, for every mainstream idea was at one time eccentric and different.
8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent that in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9. Be scrupulously truthful, even when the truth is inconvenient, for it is always more inconvenient when you try to conceal truth.
10. Don't feel envious of the happiness of those living in a fool's paradise, for only a fool would see it as true happiness.Likewise, in a New Statesmen interview with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens advised to “never be afraid of stridency” Combined, I sometimes find myself in situations which are tantamount to social rejection, even expulsion in some cases.  Verily, this is the worst of feelings, yet I feel an obligation to enlighten, despite the unwillingness to hear. 

Such was the case in Goa, India. This sand-laden state has been a hotbed of hippy activity for decades, and without knowing what I was getting into, I was invited to stay at a woman’s house in the north. A lovely and warm-hearted woman who dedicated her time to helping slum children, I found great difficulty in commenting on the various delusions she ascribed to. 

That said, her mistaken understanding of science and nature has the potential to cause great harm in India, with locals and foreigners alike. Namely, the ‘ancient Indian science’ of Ayurveda came into talks many times within the first day. As she swears by its ability to cure everything from aches to cancer, I had to inquire how she knew this. Listing various anecdotal and testimonial evidence, including her own recovery from deadly diseases, she invites me to experience the therapy for myself. Out of my price range, I had to settle for a little time surfing the web to read about the peer-reviewed studies detailing the efficacy of this treatment. 

Despite my interest in analyzing the pseudoscience, my host was not entertained. In fact, as soon as I saw she did not find it amusing, I laid off the subject. As well as hosting three other people at the same time, numerous other guests visited her apartment while I crashed there. And although my efforts at conversation were relatively tame, I found myself in a community of people not only apathetic about objective truth, but vehemently opposed to people with strong opinions. Minding my own, I tried reading instead, that is, until someone mentioned that evolution was phooey. 

And after decimating this idea, ensuring that an admission of ignorance was made, I merely pointed out that this line of thought, although it is advisable to be skeptical, undermines the people’s understanding of science and potentially education itself.  This did not further my position in the group. I took my leave the following day as I realized I might be giving a bad name to science myself.  In hindsight, I have never had this much of a reaction in India so far, yet it was inevitable to happen sometime, and of course, I should have expected it in Goa. 

Then again, lesson be learned here, don't expect much from those who are willing to break all ten of Russell's rules.

Skyward I went to learn

Amongst the central hills of Karnataka state, India’s majestic Hindu past lingers about as massive stone structures like a network of ant hills. Fifty meter Gopurams, deistic monoliths, and hilltop temples remain to remind us that social cohesion and civilization-wide efforts were vital to the success of the Maharajas.

As a traveler, I bask in the idea of these mega-structures, and their ability to stand more than 600 years. I am also in a position to absorb much history and culture from the locals, and yet as a skeptic, I choose to play along, open my mind, just to the point where I can gain an experience from a different perspective, regardless of the naiveté required. 

In this spirit, I have wonderful opportunities all the time, like today. While walking through some ruins in the area, I spotted a path leading up a nearby hill. Assuming a decent vantage point, I hiked skywards.

Nearing the top, voiced could be heard and caught sight of an ancient building at the peak. Recognizing the sound as chanting, I cautiously peeked through the window, when I heard a rumbling voice, croaking in an Indian accent. “Ah, a young man, come come!”

Rounding into the ‘courtyard’, I saw smoke billowing out of the door to the man’s room. Gleefully entering, I was greeted by four aged Yogis sitting around a small fire, wearing longyis, shawls, and covered in paint.

The elder Yogi spoke English well, the others seemingly not, and I was invited to sit down for tea and a round on the “enlightenment” pipe.  Such opportunities should never be passed up. 

As I took a seat on the floor next to them, I decided to not speak out of turn, not discuss, but simply to ask questions pertaining to the lifestyle, the ideals, and the philosophy of the Gurus of India. Now, most of the responses I got reminded me of similar philosophies or teachings elsewhere. 

“If you want to meditate, you should best do it at either sunrise, or sunset. The sun represents good, and the night, darkness. Meditating at this time allows you the balance to see all things.” So basically Taoism, in it’s dualistic nature. 

“By emptying the mind, you are able to become one with the universe and look upon all things.”  I expected this, but it reminded me of the study by Andrew Newberg about loss of blood flow in the parietal lobes, causing a lack of time and spacial awareness. 

For the rest of the talk, I heard regurgitated Deepak Chopra, mismatched stories in philosophy, and a constant belittlement because I have not aligned my higher chakras. I even heard a bit of Gnosticism in there, when he discussed how we desire to remove our evil physical bodies, and become entirely good metaphysical bodies. 

This went on and on, and finally he realized he had me hooked.  I was told if I made a small contribution, he would demonstrate meditation for me, and allow me to ask any questions I had about the cosmos or life. The contribution? A bag of grass! Best of all, he suggested I could record it and put it on the internet so to confirm his findings!

This seemed too good to be true. Of course I was enthused.  I asked for tips on how to be a better person. I was told to remove all desires and needs. To stop requiring my mobile phone, my fancy clothes, my material possessions.  Five minutes later, a phone rang, and the material-less Yogi reached under his cloths and pulled out a phone, and started to chatter away. 

Biting my tongue, I decided it better not to make snide comments. About twenty minutes later, security showed up and asked for what I presume to be written permission to be on a World Heritage site, making fires and smoking.  Evicted and disappointed, the Yogis started to pack.

Understandably, it seems the Yogis of yesteryear have little place in today’s society. Upon asking other locals, it seems there are not enough large temples to sustain the number of people who practice the lifestyle. They wander from town to town, taking food and supplies from locals, then moving on. It also seems Yogis are not universally respected. It was made to seem like a huge burden, a sacrifice for the rest of society to live away from family, to spend your days traveling and teaching.  

To become a Yogi, you should lead a normal life, then after getting married and having children you can leave and take care of only yourself.  Astonishing.  If I lived in a society that forced early marriage within one’s own caste, forced child bearing and hard labor, I would find the courage to leave my family as well, to live my life on hilltops smoking weed all day and hanging out with my friends. 

Needless to say, I will not have the opportunity to get the Yogi stoned off his ass, ask him questions and post it for the internet. Perhaps next time. 

On a related note, I can say that in cities of India, atheism is on the rise, and I would put the figure higher than the recent US figure of 5% confirmed atheist. I met a host of people in Bangalore who described themselves as “near-militant” atheists, who participate in daily life to dispel delusions. 

Incredible India, I have high hopes for you.

Sanal Edamaruku

The streets of Fort Cochin has a dramatic collision of the illustrious colonial history, with it’s Portuguese Manueline architecture, cathedrals, Dutch homes with hanging gardens on the windows, and the iconic English estates, clubhouses, and monumental feats of infrastructure.  The drama comes about when contrasted with the sprawling, unregulated slums overflowing to occupy every plot of land. This effect was compounded by the gross lack of awareness on behalf of Mohandas Gandhi, the disastrously poverty-stricken effects of Mother Theresa’s programs, and the gross misuse of power by Indira Gandhi. 

While wandering the streets, looking for the Indo-Portuguese museum , I was remarking how Christian this part of India is, finding symbols of the faith in every restaurant, shop, and street corner. The bible thumpers have been here.  Yes, Catholicism is rife here, and it turns out that the Museum I sought was an extension of the Bishopric house.  Waiting for lunch time to finish, I had the opportunity to sit and found myself in the company of many priests. As a group we had a wonderful discussion, and being invited to meet the bishop, I was obliged to say yes.  Oh how little they knew what they were getting into. 

I sat down with Bishop Joseph Kariyil for tea and engaged in a discussion of Aristotle, Indian habits, and education. It was when I brought up the subject of Sanal Edamaruku that things got a bit tense. For those of you who have not heard, Sanal is a skeptic, the founder of Rationalist International, who debunked a miracle Jesus statue which was claimed to drip holy water. Mr. Edamaruku demonstrated is was from a leaky sewage pipe.  Now the Catholic church and their police-for-hire have hunted him, threatening him with prison, until he sought refuge in Europe.  

“Leaders of two Catholic laity organizations have launched charges against me under Section 295A of the Indian penal code. This charges a person with "deliberately hurting religious feelings and attempting malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class or community.” It is absurd to claim that I did anything of the sort.” According to a  www.slate.com interview.

Following this Interview, this report has said: “4 July 2012.This morning, officers of the Delhi Police reached Sanal Edamaruku’s house to arrest him. They came upon directions of a Delhi court to execute an arrest warrant issued by a Mumbai Metropolitan Magistrate Court (second highest Criminal Court). If Sanal had been at home, he would be in jail now….

The officers were informed that Sanal is presently out of Delhi and traveling. They insisted on details of his whereabouts, addresses and contact numbers. Some hours later, they came again to press for information, to no avail.”

According to Wikipedia, “On July 31st 2012, it was reported that Edamaruku had fled to Finland, where he was staying with his friends.” However the link is in Finish, and I will have to rely on my Finish friend's translation.

Back to our friendly Bishop Joseph, he had nothing to say on the subject, and not surprisingly, I found that tea time was soon over. Browsing the museum, I found wonderfully meticulous collection of catholic artifacts, symbolizing the powerful affluence the church had since the 15^th century in India. Such a large private collection, I had to inquire where they received the funds. I found the curator of the museum, Shaji, a delightful conversationalist, to be immensely helpful answering questions. A seminary pupil himself once, he found more pleasure in the family life, and more fulfillment. As someone who is close the catholic hierarchy in India, he was eager to talk with an outsider. It was said there were ‘concerns’ about the sexual abstinence of the leadership, as well as rumors of a ‘misappropriation’ of funds. I love how Indians use the English vocabulary.

I did a bit of scrounging on the Google and found why the current Bishop is trying to remain out of the spotlight. Although I found nothing regarding financial issues, the previous bishop Cochin has been known as an eccentric one. According to indianexpress.com, the bishop adopted a young woman for, get this… “spiritual refreshment.”
And according to this source, said bishop blessed his house and other priests by sprinkling the woman’s blood around.

“Considered a black magic ritual and disapproved by the official church, the ‘bloody ceremony’ was conducted to bless the bishop’s residence itself. The bishop said he had his own interpretation of the Bible and it was purely personal.”

Can you imagine how different history would be if the Catholics had always allowed their own personal interpretations? Well nobody doubts Catholics have blood on their hands, but now they admit it.
Beautiful museum though…

For the sake of Sanal, please everyone go to this change.org petition, and to this Dawkins Foundation page which urges readers to write to the press and to the Vatican. This man is guilty of enlightening people, destroying myths, and debunking illusory claims. I support Sanal Edamaruku.

Subjectivism

Now, I have been putting off my trip to India for quite some time, primarily because I had been waiting for an Indian friend to get out of Harvard, but also because I thought it inopportune to make the jaunt without enough time. Six months is just going to have to do. I had, over the years, amassed a number of stories about the country, gathered from other backpackers. Vicariously traveling, naturally you start to make an image in your head. 

I promised myself I would not make any presumptions, and as much as possible, try to view the country ala tabula rasa. As a traveler, I have a propensity to draw attention, not because I desire it, but more due to my insatiable lust for debate. Discussions grow tedious when repeated, but as you travel, you get another local flavor of logic, usually regurgitated from similar sources, yet cooked in the each culture’s perspective.

So as an unpublished, unknown free thinker, I do not have the luxury of Sam Harris, Matt Dillahunty, or Hitchens to blow off the less-intelligent challengers. In fact, I employ the minions of god and hippy-spawn to hone those skills and references which I should keep fresh.  

So last week, I was invited by a charming Indian waiter, who felt he could not do Islam justice in conversation, as he was a Muslim by name only. Thus I was invited to go hang out with an Imam and a respected Muslim in the area. I was more than happy so long as they agreed to be cordial and honest. I typically refuse to start unless they would be willing to admit that they might be wrong, as I openly do. This sets the stage for a friendly conversation. 

Walking along the shore to our destination, with my newly-made T-shirt “There is no god” brazenly getting the message out there. I often have to clarify that it should read “there is probably no god” to be logically sound, but the letters were too expensive, and well, this is a far better conversation starter. 

It went through the typical stuff, basic philosophy, science, Al-Quran, but after five plus hours, I realized my company were being fundamentally dishonest, not only to me, but to themselves. No matter how many times I drilled the point in, and they subsequently agreed, they would go back to mantra it all up again. 

So this entry will be about what bothers me most about Asia, whether we discuss philosophy, religion, spiritualism, medicine, politics, or just about any subject asking you for an iota of thought. What I hate the most is the persistent subjectivism of this part of the world. Certainly I could gander at the causes. Perhaps the thousands of years of invasion after invasion kept the people’s minds at bay. Perhaps it was the oriental philosophies such as Siddhartha Gautama or Confucius. Perhaps it was the lack of western philosophies starting with the stoics and ending with the empiricists, which never made it past the Muhammadans. Perhaps the Monotheistic religions’ demands of this god and only this god, started the trend of accepting what our sensory perception gives us.  

Either way, that subjectivism is rooted in the minds of most on this continent.  This concept that all knowledge and moral values are based on a subjective rather than an objective truth or reality is poisonous to education, democracy, human rights, environmentalism and many more ideas. 

Taking people through the logical steps from subjectivism to solipsism seems to do little to sway the minds. Pleading for any knowledge which can be obtained this way, results in no more realization. The simple truth is, for millennia, people have been avoiding the problems of reality by shirking responsibility. You say that our problems are not your problems, you mention that you can solve any issue by inner clarity, or meditation, and you have not dealt with anything but your awareness of the issue. Recategorizing a problem as ‘solved’ in your mind does not help anyone else.  

While in a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar, I discussed at length with the monks what they hope to accomplish by meditating. In that case, the result is a majority of the population keeping their heads down in servitude while a few brave men and women desperately try to rally the people to democracy, while risking everything. 

In general, I feel it is safe to say, religion favors the poor, the simple-minded. Those in power often reap the prize of the humbled mind. Subjectivism, likewise, is the bond of the mind which disables any critical thinking or positive action. 

That said, the education systems in Asia are typically authoritarian, encouraging not participation, but results. This often does not expose methodology or thought patterns in school, and pupils are left to find their own way to solve problems. In education based on critical thinking, we see more participation, usually allowing students to correct logical errors or identify fallacies they make. 

Combine that with a society rife with superstition, unquestioned religion, and traditions and you have a brew of misapprehensions.  In my travels, most people are simply unaware they are making the most common of logical errors, but simply because no one had corrected them. 

So after a week in India, I am happy to report that the people show far more skepticism and rational thought than the foreigners who come looking for enlightenment. And I dare say, enlightenment never did Indians any good anyway, for they are the ones trying to get positions in western universities to learn.