Video Information: 16.05.2022, IIT-Ropar, Greater Noida, U.P.
Context:
~ How to cope with the uncertainty?
~ Where do our thoughts originate from?
~ What leads to a feeling of disability?
~ How can we develop an ecosystem to help people?
~ How to deal with mental issues?
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~~~
Context:
~ How to cope with the uncertainty?
~ Where do our thoughts originate from?
~ What leads to a feeling of disability?
~ How can we develop an ecosystem to help people?
~ How to deal with mental issues?
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~~~
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, sir. Am I audible? Yes, you are. Yes, sir. My name is Sumit Saxena. I'm
00:07a research scholar and in my fourth year of PhD. And it is a kind of my second meaning
00:14I was earlier a teacher, I was teaching in university. And I've left that I started my
00:19PhD. And it is like the situation is since last seven, eight months, I am actually diagnosed
00:26with a condition called cosidinia, in which I'm having tailbone pain. And due to this,
00:33I'm not could not sit for more than 30 minutes. So yes, but this is only a physical condition.
00:40But what I've experienced is that along with this physical condition, I was I'm also experiencing
00:47last few months, a kind of mental stress. And that stress, I realized it is not only
00:54the case of me, but 1000s of people like who are young, and who want to do a lot of
00:59things, but due to their physical or intellectual limitations, they are not able to do it. So,
01:06of course, being a mature person, I know I have to engage myself positively. But then,
01:13my question is just how to cope with this uncertainty. So I, when I'm whenever I'm doing
01:19rest or taking my routine things and all, but at the back of my mind, it's always there that
01:25I have to complete my research work, some pending projects are there. So the thing is,
01:30when we are ill for one or two weeks, we satisfy our mind, yes, we will recover and we'll get back
01:35to work. But when it comes to eight, nine months, then it's a problem. And second question,
01:41so this, so how to cope with the situation? And how to cope, come out with this kind of
01:48self acceptance, we can say, for which we are not accustomed to, obviously. And second thing,
01:55at a broader level, as a society, how we can develop an ecosystem to help people,
02:01like many of us. So, because personally, when I feel when I approach the people,
02:08to my friends or relatives, all those people who are young, they are busy in their work.
02:12So hardly they can do is they can give you good, get well soon wishes and all these things.
02:17And sometimes it also feels like that they give you more of a sympathetic instead of empathetic
02:23understanding. And that again, gives more negative vibes. So, and in these seven, eight months only,
02:31I have been very regular YouTuber and watching your channels, spiritual understanding,
02:40and it really helps me, I am doing doing meditation and all that also, but still I'm
02:44struggling. And in general, also for people like me, what will suggest what could be the
02:49coping strategy? What could be the roadmap? What should be the style and how as a society we can
02:55evolve in this aspect? Sorry for being long. That's okay. Doctors say you'll be all right in
03:02eight, nine months. Actually, he's saying that it's it can take even four or five years, it can
03:10take someone could recover in one year also. The only thing he said, it is not complete disability.
03:16The only thing is you have to change your position every 20 minutes. So if I'm standing,
03:21I have to sit down after 20 minutes, then I have to lie down and then I have to take rest. After
03:26two hours, I have to take rest for maybe half an hour. So of course, you can understand the pressure
03:31in IITs. I have my few research papers pending in revision, few chapters, although I have done
03:37a few publications already. And this is my last year. Of course, maybe my director would extend
03:44it for six months on these grounds. But on a bigger picture, how to overmind that what I was asking.
03:55All right, let's begin with a thought experiment.
03:58What if we had brains twice as large?
04:09And let's assume that the number of brain cells is directly proportional
04:13to our IQ. Let's have that general assumption. What would happen had we had brains twice as large?
04:22We would be able to do a lot of things in a better way, right? Yes, smartly, quickly.
04:32So is it not then a disability to have these kinds of ordinary brains?
04:40Yes, it is. What if we had four hands?
04:45Four hands. What if we had legs twice as strong?
04:57Is the current body itself not a disability if you compare it to an ideal?
05:06But we do not take our current situation as a disability because we think of it as normal.
05:13You will never find anybody complaining that his IQ is only 110.
05:19Yeah, true.
05:19Whereas, theoretically, with a different kind of brain, IQ of 250 is possible.
05:27Right? But nobody says, oh, I am disabled because my IQ is only 110. Why?
05:32Because we do not nurture an imaginary ideal to compare it with.
05:43We take this as normal and therefore, it does not trouble us.
05:48Now, if someone starts thinking of a 250 IQ brain all the time, then he will definitely think
05:57of himself as disabled even with 110 IQ. Do you see that?
06:04Yes.
06:05Do you see that? If you start thinking of a model like height as normal, 6 feet 2 inches,
06:14if that is normal, then you will definitely think of yourself as a dwarf. I hope you are not 6'2".
06:23No, sir.
06:24I am not, so safe.
06:29I am 5'9".
06:31Good. If you start thinking of a NBA basketball player as normal, 6 feet 8,
06:43then I am vertically disabled, am I not?
06:47Yes.
06:48I am clearly almost one foot shorter and therefore disabled.
06:59Are you getting it?
07:02All these thoughts do not arise out of your present condition. They arise out of an imaginary
07:11comparison. It is not condition that leads to a feeling of disability. It is comparison that
07:18leads to a feeling of disability. I am saying this because herein lies the solution as well.
07:25Sir, but the problem is coming when we have to ask for favours. Like one of my paper was in revision,
07:32so they said you have to submit it by 25th of May. Now, as I said, I could not write fast,
07:39so I have to ask, write a letter to editor that I am suffering from this condition and I could not
07:44submit on 25th of May. So, now, how you would see these things?
07:51It has to be taken as normal. It hurts when you think of the alternative.
08:00It hurts when you think of the so-called healthy ideal. It hurts when you compare it with your
08:08past when you were supposedly healthy. That's when it hurts. Just take this as normal. This is
08:18how it is and there is no alternative. This is how it is and there is no alternative. Just as
08:26110 IQ is what it is, there is no alternative to raise it to 250.
08:32And if I keep thinking of 250, I will only suffer. Similarly, you have a certain cut-off when it
08:41comes to one posture, 30 minutes. Now, that's normal. That's normal. That's normal and there
08:48is no alternative. If there is no alternative, there is no comparison. If there is no comparison,
08:53there is no suffering. It's normal. I too suffer from a chronic autoimmune thing.
09:03I don't think about it. It is normal. I don't even envision a future in which I'll be
09:14completely healthy. I have no such aspirations. I have total acceptance for my state.
09:23So, I don't suffer. It pains and it greatly pains in the morning hours before I have to
09:32get up from bed. But that's normal. I know it's coming. It's as normal as the milkman
09:40pressing the doorbell in the morning. We don't take any milk, by the way.
09:45So, let's think of it as the newspaper vendor. He comes, he presses the bell. That happens
09:52early in the morning, 6 am. Similarly, my pain comes at 6 am. It's normal. Someone has
09:58pressed the bell. And it has to happen. In fact, if it doesn't happen, it will feel weird. It has
10:05to happen. And sir, I was having one follow-up question with regard to earlier discussions.
10:14Can I ask? Sure.
10:16Yeah. Sir, like you were saying in most of your questions that collective efforts is required
10:21when it comes to eradicating, making the good institutions or eradicating corruption or making
10:28climate change and all. So, like, and also you said that when you are enlightened, you try to
10:35enlighten others. Like Buddha also believed in that. But in today's society, have you ever
10:40experienced these things? Like I personally experienced, like one of my friends was
10:44driving and I asked him at the signal to please switch off your car. And he says, don't worry,
10:50I have enough money and I have filled my car tank full. So, and similarly, I give you one
10:58more example. In my neighbor itself, in a colony, there is a family, they celebrate their child's
11:05birthday every month. And they say, we are very excited. See, the problem is not that they are
11:11celebrating the child's birthday every month. The problem is there that the child took birth in the
11:17first place. No birth, no birthday. And that's also numerically true. You see, even putting your
11:30engine to idle won't help if there are so many cars. And if you keep giving birth, you are giving
11:41birth to cars as well. Are you not? Yes. The fact is that bigger than all our climate activism
11:51is the decision to not to give birth. Not to give birth. There is data.
12:01Yeah, sir, my question was, like when you interact with these kind of people, like I was saying,
12:05so I outrightly advise him, he's a good friend of mine. I said, instead of celebrating your
12:12birthday, child's birthday every month, why don't you go and donate to some needy people?
12:16Okay. Then what happens? And similarly, like when I advise the person to…
12:21It won't happen. Please see, your advice is bound.
12:30It won't happen. See, had he had that kind of wisdom,
12:33yeah, to go and donate to the right people,
12:38why would he keep procreating in the first place? So, your advice will fall on deaf ears.
12:48So, under this situation, how we can enlighten the collectively? Like,
12:52I could not enlighten my friend, my neighbor, then how we will enlighten people?
12:56Join me. Join me. I'm doing that. That's the best advice I can give. Join me. I know no other way.
13:05Okay. My pleasure, sir. Nice interacting.
13:10Welcome.
13:12Thank you, sir, for sharing insights on varied topics today, starting from today's Buddha,
13:17consumerism, wage system, language on climate change, social validation. It was a highly
13:24enlightening session. A lot of our day-to-day queries got answered. We would love to hear you
13:30in person at our campus IIT Roper soon for more enlightening sessions. Thank you again for taking
13:37out your valuable time for us. We wish to host you again soon, many more times.
13:43I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you.
13:45Thanks a lot, sir.