Friday, July 17, 2009

A Conceptualization of Love

Purpose of the writing
Love has been often described as an elusive concept by many researchers and "practitioners". The above statement finds credence from the oft quoted statement on love : "Love is blind". However nothing stops us from taking a plunge into the depths of this phenomenon that is supposed to be the panacea of majority of the problems of mankind. If we can make an attempt to elucidate the dimensions of human love scientifically we can provide a face to this supposedly mysterious phenomenon. This article exactly aims to do so.

The conceptualization
Before I proceed, I wish to clarify that this articulation is limited to human love only. I define human love as any love expressed between humans, or between humans and inanimate/animate objects. Having established the purpose and limitation, I argue that human love can be thought of comprising three dimensions - affection, commitment and expectation. Below I make an effort in deducing the contents, span and scope of the three dimensions.

1- Affection: Affection can be defined as an affinity for some person/object on account of attraction for his/her/its origination or attribute(s). The definition is not as complicated as it sounds. Affinity can be understood of comprising of two basic dimensions i.e. attraction and attachment. Affection thus begins with attraction to some noted attributes of a person/thing which in turn leads to attachment. Apart from that sometimes affinity may also arise based on the origin of the object/subject or due to classification of object/subject to a certain cluster that is viewed favorably or in awe by the prospective lover.
2- Commitment: Commitment can be defined as an unchangable decision to stand by the object of love through thick and thin. If viewed critically, it can be observed that commitment can be decoded to consist of two dimensions - valuation and steadfastness. By valuation I mean the prospective lover values the object/subject of his/her affection over others. And by steadfastness I mean that the valuation does not decrease in absence of the attibutes that initally attracted the prosepective lover. If there is a fall in the stature of the object of love the prospective lover helps in stabilizing and then aids in ascent of the object to its previous level of glory. Thus commitment is one step ahead of affection in that it supports the maintenance of the loved attributes of the object of love.
3- Expectation: Though it is often advocated that love is selfless and the reward of love lies in loving, however I argue that expectation does charactrize love. In my opinion, human love is sustained by reciprocation. We need to see that we are wanted and the time and energy we bestow on the object of our love is valued. However what is the guideline for effective reciprocation? Its the expectation of the partner. Expectation serves as a lighthouse to guide us in our degree and type of reciprocation. It helps throw light on the needs and desires of the loved one and makes us reciprocate in defined appropriateness. Thus we define expectation as expected, desired and guided reciprocation.

Having established the dimensions of love, we can now make an attempt to define the same. Love can thus be characterized as an emotion that begins with attraction to some attributes, goes beyond it by displaying commitment and is sustained by fulfilled expectations. Hoping this shall give a guidance to structure our emotions and make love a productive and fulfilling endeavour.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Exported Netas-Lesson unlearnt

The Indian electorate and their political representatives have not learnt their lessons after sixty years of Independence. Now that the election jaggaurnaut has started rolling, it is really comical to see Netas being 'exported' from some region of the country to represent people in another region. 

What is the logic of one Sanjay Dutt from Mumbai fighting elections in Lucknow to represent it in Delhi? And one Azharrudin from Hyderabad to fight elections in Rajasthan? Is it not a joke of democracy? 

How aware is Mr. Dutt of the problems in Lucknow? Lucknow is literally an extended arm in the busy air route from Mumabi to Delhi which Mr. Dutt shall frequent. With all due respect to him, he must look forward to contest from a constituency where he is known for what he has done - Bombay. Public servce is best done after one is aware of the social problems first hand. And for that one must have roots in that particular place and society. Mr. Dutt do you belong to our society? Most of the electorate you wish to represent in the hallowed Parlaiment house will never have seen you personally other than the movies you acted in. Very few of them can afford the parties you go to and most of them are contented to lead a simple life. Learn something from your father who contested from Bombay the place where he built his career and represented the people whose day to day problems he was aware of. It shall do a world of good to this democratic drama that the nation is about to go through in a month's time. Or else its just a joke. 

And do the citizens have any right in deciding who shall stand in elections for them? How did the Samajwadi Party boil down on Sanjay Dutt? Did they ask the people of Lucknow before doing that? Will the Congress party ask the constituency in Rajasthan whether they agree to their choice of Azharruddin as their candidate? Lot of hue and cry is being raised over the inclusion of 'none of the above' in electronic voting machine in this election. However if looked at an economic point of view its a sheer waste of resources and time if at the end of all this activites one lands up with no result. This can be avoided if quality control is done right from the beginning and public opinion about their prefered representatives from every party is listened to . 

The silver lining in all this is the example of Ms Mallika Sarabhai, the famous danseuse and social activist. She is contesting from Gandhinagar constituency the place she was born, the place that she describes as 'karmabhoomi'. She is part of the people residing there breathing the same air they breathe and facing the same challenges they face, no more and no less. That is an example of principled politics. That is an example one must look up to. That is an example both the electorate and the political parties must derive lessons from. Mindless fielding of candidates shall do no good to the nation for the ultimate goal is standing up for the people in the Parlaiment which can be only accomplished if one is more aware of the problems of the people than preferences of one's parties. 

Its time we make our People Representation Act more specific and go beyond the usual criminlaization of politics. Till then its a wait and watch policy on the game plan of these exported netas. Amen!

Its deflation now !

Well it is really a revealation for me to witness inflation and deflation in a span of less than 12 months. I had heard about the deflation that had hit Japan in the 1990s termed as 'the lost decade' and also of the Great Depression of the 1930s yet in one case I was geographically constrianed and in another case I was constrained by time to have a feel of it. Now both of them have come to visit India and analysing the consequences of these is really giving me a good chance to apply my knowledge in decoding the consequences. 

Inflation has caused deflation
Well the first thing first. Inflation is the reason for the current deflation level. The price rise had actually made many goods and services inaccessible to the consumers. And the credit crunch initiated by the RBI to fight inflation has actually decresed the free money available to peopel to splurge. People have become more concerned about savings than expending. Hence demand for goods and servies had gone down over time. Thus manufacturers have started decresing the price of the goods and servies to coax people in buying there products. This causes deflation in the economy.

What are the consequences?
Manufacturers start to decrese prices for they see infront of them inventory piling up. Hence they need to dispose them of to at least break even. Hence they stop production for time being. Workers lose pay and the economy slumps further. Long term deflation may end in manufacturers firing employees since labour accounts for the highest cost of production in any industry. Thus long term deflation may result in unemployement. 

Since internal demand is low, exploration to harness and supply to external demand may increase. Hence exports may proliferate. However it is yet to be seen whether increase export can counter the effect of low consumption. This also differs on the prevailing foriegn exchange.

Where to invest?
Invest in industries where the demand will never cease to decrease. For eg. telecommunications and healthcare. Good returns is assured.