Differences, we hear this word a lot of times. We see that difference are there, differences in perceptions, differences in assumptions, differences in opinions, differences in thoughts, differences in life styles !!

Now the questions which arise are,

What are the disadvantages of differences?

Why do these differences occur?

What are the advantages of Differences?

What I feel is, if I have the clear understanding of why differences occur, appreciate them, adapt them and live according to it, then my learning speed may be highly increased. If I learn more then I can solve existing problems more and in better way, I can be more responsible citizen !!

Lets follow the top down approach and first discuss, what are the disadvantages of Differences?

Due to differences, contradictions occur, due to contradictions altercations happen, and ultimatly it leads to violence. People want to kill the difference with violence. Violence may be Active or Passive, but it happens, and due to violence peace is lost. Due to Differences arguments happen, in an argument everybody wants to prove “I am right”, and this kind of competition leads to altercations, which ultimately leads to violence.

People find Differences in their religions, their casts, their lifestyles, and are trying to prove their possessions better than others, and others are wrong. This kind of competition due to differences leads to violence.

It is the Difference which leads to world wars, it is the Difference which leads to altercations and violence between the countries, it is the Difference which leads to altercations and violence between states within the countries, it is the difference which lead to altercations and violence with the society, it is the difference which leads to altercations and violence within the family, it is the Difference which leads to altercation and violence in our own thoughts, and all this ultimately leads to loss of peace, disharmony, and unhappiness.

Now the question which arises is, why these Differences occur?

Now we know that Differences are there, so lets analyze what are the reasons behind them?

What I feel is Differences are there due to Different Opinions ..

Now question which arises is, why do we have Different Opinions?

What I feel is Differences in Opinions are there due to Different thoughts ..

Now the question is, why do we have Different thoughts?

What I feel is Differences in thoughts are there due to Different Assumptions ..

Now the question is, why do we have Different Assumptions?

What I feel is Differences in Assumptions are there due to Different Perceptions ..

Now the question which arises is, why the heck do we have different perceptions?

Yeah, here the chain breaks, “why do we have different perceptions?”. I have been analyzing this topic since a long time and I came up with few reasons which I feel could be responsible for Differences in Perceptions. Following are those reasons:-

1. Due to our own Physical Limitations.

2. Due to Past Education.

3. Due to Past Envionment.

4. Due to Past Experiences.

5. Due to Past Conditioning.

The same thing is shown in the following diagram.

In the above diagram, “Reality” is the absolute reality associated with the “Object”.

Past Conditioning is actually the super set of, Past Education, Past Experiences, Past Environment. It might include some more factors.

Actually Opinion and thought keep on reinforcing each other and ultimately we settle down to a more contcrete opinion.

Now lets analyze how above specified points are responsible for Different Perceptions !!

Physical Limitations

Physical Limitations play an important role in forming different perceptions. Here first we should realize that we have only 5 senses, and they also have limited capabilities. Suppose I have a ball, which is black from one side and white from the other. Two persons person1 and person2 see the ball from different sides and consider the balls to be different, as shown in figure.

Two persons person1 and person2 see the ball from different sides and find the ball to be different. Lets assume that the smell of the ball, touch feeling of the ball, sound which the ball produces and taste of the ball are same, so the only difference which the two different people perceive is the color. If person1 and person2 are seeing the ball for the first time, then person1 will assume that the ball is black and person2 will assume that ball is white.

Now this is how difference arises. Two people due to their physical limitations are not able to see the other side of the ball, so perceived them differently, formed different assumptions about the ball, which lead to different opinions and thoughts. These different thoughts lead to contradictions. They can see the other side of the ball too, if they are ready to change their positions.

Problem arises when they are not ready to change their positions !!

If both the persons are ready to change their positions then they might be able to see the absolute reality of the ball, which might vanish the contradiction between them. This unwillingness to change the position, is similar to unwillingness to learn, unwillingness to improve. This happens when people themselves do not know that their knowledge is incomplete. They assume that they already posses the Truth !!

Truth!! is continuously changing, and if I hold onto what I said earlier then it would be wrong. My perception and understanding of Truth, must be on the basis of what Truth appears to me today.

– Mohandas K. Gandhi

When we have the Rigidity and Ego, learning ceases. When we assume that we already posses the Truth, learning ceases. When we become closed minded, learning ceases. When learning ceases, and when we don’t want to change our positions then we just keep on fighting on the color of the ball, and we try to kill the difference with violence, which ultimately leads to loss of peace and unhappiness.

So the problem which arises here is, both the persons are seeing the partial Truth, and are not willing to change their positions, or we can say that they are unwilling to learn more, due to which they have got different thoughts and contradiction is occurring, which might ultimately become the reason for unhappiness.

The problem which arises in such cases we assume that the world is limited to the places till we can see or we have seen, sounds are limited to the variety I have heard, tastes are limited to the variety I have tasted, smell are limited to the variety I have smelt, feelings are limited to the variety I have felt. Once we realize that the world is not limited till the star we can see, but the universe is infinite then we become more open minded. Once we realize that there are infinite many things which we still don’t know and our knowledge is limited, then we become more open minded.

When the doors of perception are clear then everything appears as it is, INFINITE !!

Past Experiences, Past Environment, Past Education, and Past Preconditioning contribute a lot in forming different perceptions.

Suppose I have seen an Egg from one side of it say from the broader side only and I am told that this is Egg, then I will assume that, OK Egg is spherical and is white in color. Suppose next time I am shown Egg for the second time in my life and from the other side, and I am told that this is Egg, then I see some elliptical kind of shape, then this new image of Egg will contradict from my previous image of Egg in my mind. For the first time I will refuse to accept this new object as Egg, because I am preconditioned that Egg is spherical and white in color. But since I am told that this is also an Egg, then I will modify my previous image of Egg in my mind to the newer and better one. This is how we learn and improve our perception. Problem arises when we refuse to accept the newer image of Egg as Egg.

Our past preconditioning contributes a lot in developing our basic assumptions. They are generally assumptions of others which they have made in their lives due to their own perceptions or even they got those assumptions from others in their environment. In our childhood we don’t know anything except the things which are natural to us, which we can call our “natural acceptance”. In that stage whatever training we are given we just accept without analyzing. We make assumptions on the basis of what our parents, our environment say. If I am born in a Hindu family then I will assume myself Hindu, if I am born in a Muslim family then I call myself Muslim and so on.

It really feel sorry for those people who fight on the name of religion. People of different religion are fighting on the name of their religion and trying to kill the contradiction which they have assumed that it is there, through violence. On the other hand if we refer to the Kuran, Bhagwat Geeta or Bible, then we come to know that they are not saying the different things. Problem is people who are fighting on the name of religion, they themselves have never referred to their scriptures they are just being driven by the wrong interpretations of their ancestors, and they have assumed that differences are there. Problem is they want to kill the difference through violence. They do not want to increase their knowledge. They are not even aware of, that the knowledge which they have may be wrong, or incomplete.

The kind of values we get from our parents, environment and experiences become the basis of our education. Teach a child that “winning is everything”, and he will try to win by hook and crook, Teach a child that “success has no meaning if it is going to give you unhappiness”, he will make sure that he is not making himself as well as others unhappy on the way of his success and will automatically have good relations with people. It all depends on preconditioning. A child is like a robot with no training, his environment and education can train him however they like. By the time a child grows he is so much preconditioned that even if he tries to analyze he couldn’t find the exact reasons that what he is doing is out of preconditioning or he really wants to do that !!

Really, its really very difficult to stop and think in which direction you are moving when you already have a very heavy momentum.

– By Me

Our preconditioning and the values which we get from our parents and environment contribute a lot in our education. These days what I have found is, the base of education has become money and recognition without any direction. What I feel is, With direction ed, purposeful and values based education, money and recognition come automatically, as by-products. Problem arises when money and recognition become the primary aim.

In our current education system we are just being taught how to earn a living, but not, how to live !!

In my opinion there are two kinds of educations, first which teaches how to earn a living and second which teaches how to live. In my opinion a person who has had only first kind of education is a menace to the society. What I feel is, a person who is technically poor and morally bankrupt does small thefts, but a person who is technically sound and morally bankrupt does a bank robbery.

Values give a person a base of what is going to give him Happiness in the end and what is not !! and ya it is true that Happiness, prosperity and continuity of them is what we want to achieve in our lives. If the main aim i.e. Happiness is not being achieved in the process of being “successful”, then such kind of “success”, is not worth achieving, or such kind of process for achieving success is not worth following. We want to be successful or to win because we want to be happy. Happiness is our goal, which we want to achieve by achieving the “success”, “success” in whatever way we define it if it is not not going to give us Happiness in long term then that kind of success is not worth achieving or that battle is not worth winning or even fighting. Now the problem which arises here is the long term vision, sometimes we don’t realize that the way we want to achieve “success” is not going to give us happiness in long term. Here the importance of values come into picture. Values teaches us what can give us happiness and what can not. How can we achieve happiness and how we can not. What should we do to achieve happiness and what we should not.

One question which arises here is,

What makes a man unhappy, lack of physical facilities or lack of relationships?

Answer of this single question alone solves a lot of problems. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam shows the importance of purposeful education in the following stanza ..

When learning is purposeful,

Creativity blossoms,

When creativity blossoms,

Thinking emanates,

When thinking emanates,

Knowledge is fully lit,

When knowledge is lit,

Economy flourishes.

– A.P.J Abdul Kalam

In my opinion in the primary education, self-observation as well as observation outside based education should be included, in which children try to learn from observation, understand the limitations as well as beauty of their senses, understand existing relationships between various entities in nature, that will evolve their creativity and understanding towards themselves as well as the objects outside.

The main reasons for Differences which I could identify are, Incomplete or wrong knowledge, rigidity and ego. Incomplete or wrong knowledge is responsible for creating the Differences between people. Rigidity and Ego motivates them to kill that Difference through violence.

Rigidity and Ego are hurdles in learning !!

Rigidity and Ego make people reluctant to learn. These people assume that the knowledge which they have is already complete. They feel that they already posses the Truth. These kind of people are closed minded and do not learn anything new, are not receptive to new ideas and do not change.

On the other hand if we talk about the advantages of differences, then they are also many. But differences may be advantageous only when we are open minded, we are receptive of different ideas, we are a good listener, we know that there are infinite many things which we still don’t know. If we have an open mind then we can learn from every moment. As we have seen above that due to our physical limitations we can not perceive the absolute reality associated with an object unless or until we are ready to change our positions, and if it is not being possible to change the position, then we can learn from others who have seen the other part of the object which we couldn’t perceive or those who have different opinions than us about the same object. Here we can not be sure that the reality which is perceived by the other person will be correct, but we can at least find out the position from where the other person perceived the reality, and if we are ready to change our position and look at the object from the point from where other person looked at it then we might realize that we did not observe the complete reality. The previous version of reality was the partial reality. Now the currently perceived reality should be the new reality to us. This is how our perception improves. If we keep on changing our positions then one day might come when we might be knowing the absolute reality associated with the object !!

In the complete process the most important thing is, changing the positions !! By changing the positions I mean we should be receptive to the ideas, we should have an open mind, we should realize that this world is infinite and is not limited to the places till I can see, or I have seen. There are infinite many things in this world which we still don’t know.

As we have already analyzed that the main reason for Differences is Incomplete Knowledge. Knowledge obeys First Law of Motion given by Newton.

Law of Knowledge: Our knowledge will be the same unless or untill some unbalanced force is not applied on it. In case of knowledge this unbalanced force is a Difference. So this is how Differences contribute in our learning. If there are no Differences or if there is nobody to contradict me or there is no counter argument which I could figure out in nature then my knowledge will remain same. It will not increase. But the major thing here is no external forces can ever work on me, no counter arguments can ever work on me, if I am not willing to learn !!

The only way to kill the Difference is Knowledge.

Pragmatism means practicality, well almost all of us are familiar with this term, in my opinion there is no absolute definition of this term, the interpretation taken by people of this term is, if you are the part of the “system” or if you are making use of weak elements of the system then you are practical otherwise not. It may be possible that you are being “practical”, because you have no option left with you instead of being “practical”. Aren’t we hiding the reality that we are equally contributing and promoting corruption or cynicism in the cover of being practical??

The definition of honesty has been changed,

A person who does the job by taking the bribe is honest.

A person who does not do the job in spite of taking the bribe, is dishonest.

A person who does the job without taking the bribe is merely a fool.

On the other hand,

A person who gets his work done easily by giving the bribe is practical.

A person who gets his work done by many difficulties and by a sufficient amount of delay, but without giving the bribe, is a fool.

If we take the concept of pragmatism in our society then

A person who never trusts anyone in the society and just treats everybody either a commodity to use or a parasite of no use is “practical”. Or if you metamorphose yourself in the diplomatic or hypocrite society into the same, then you are practical.

On the other hand,

A person, who lives his life simply on some moral values, honesty, trust and love, will be odd-man-out, will be called a fool, and will be either exploited or rejected by the “practical” people of the society.

And we call it Pragmatism; we just give a statement in our favor that “you have to be practical, if you want to survive in the society”. Is it really practicality or our cowardice that we are unable to fight against the corruption and are succumbing to the corrupt system??

Some of the points or arguments which people generally give in favor of being “practical”.

• People around me are sufficiently “practical”, if I am not then I will be either exploited or rejected by the “practical” people of the society.
• It is not possible to change the system, if you want to really survive in the system then you will have to become the part of it.
• I don’t do anything wrong with anyone, and if I am replaced with the corrupt elements of the system or if I get power, then I will not do anything wrong and will try to decrease corruption, but in my position I am helpless, I have to be “practical”.
• In today’s life it is very easy to talk idealistically but very difficult to be “practical”.
• If you want to live your life happily without any kind of torment, then be “practical”.
• I don’t do anything wrong with anyone, but I don’t trust anyone. I am quite pragmatic and I use my pragmatism in my defense from the evil society.
• If you want to grow quickly or want to increase your “success” rate then be practical.
• Idealistic people always fail in current society or they get success after a big struggle.
• I have to be “practical” because I am in “need” and my needs can not be fulfilled by following my ideals.
• I want “power” on any cost, without being “practical” and “cynical” it is not possible.
• I can not tolerate people around me “growing”, I too want to grow with same rate, for that I will do whatever I can do.

Corruption is increasing because it is a low risk high profit business, which in turn in increasing cynicism. In our society or country being corrupt or cynical or “practical” is rewarded or appreciated. And it’s the universal truth that the thing which is rewarded or appreciated is repeated. So when the reward is more, risk is less and profit is high, it encourages people to become corrupt or cynical. On the other hand, for the honest people who want to fight against corruption or do not want to loose their identity, it becomes a high risk, low profit business, they stand firm on their views for some time but when they find themselves weak and helpless they succumb to the system and become the part of it. Now the question is who is making these honest people to succumb to system?? It’s us, our society who appreciate and reward corrupt and discourages honest people.

All of us like simplicity and want trust in each other, but we all are lacking this thing. We say that people around me are not good and we can not trust anyone, but if you ask other people near around you about their opinion then they will also have the same opinion about you and the system, that they can not trust any one and people around them are not good. Who is the originator of this distrust and cynicism?? And the answer is simple we are all are equally contributing in making the system corrupt. We are assuming something and doing something, we need to change our perspective. It’s our ignorance and tolerance towards cynicism and corruption which is increasing it. Unless we are not part of solution, then we ourselves are the problem.

Condition in our society and country can be compared with a “rat” race in which every “rat” to go ahead is not making his own effort but is pulling the tail of the “rat” in front of him, to pull him back and to make himself ahead, due to which none of the “rats” are achieving the goal, which is ultimately leading to the degradation of complete society and country. The main reasons behind this are Inferiority Complex and Jealousy. People don’t want to make their own efforts to win the race but are pulling others back so that they go ahead. But it is the true that the “success” achieved through short-cuts and by dishonest means is also short term, on the other hand success achieved through honest means and by following ideals is long term. But the way of honesty will require struggle, hard work, and may be confronted by opposition of people but the success achieved by this way will be enduring and the person will have a good self confidence. The only thing which discourages people from being honest is the struggle and hard work, because people think that they can achieve the same goals by easier, short and dishonest means then why to do hard work ?? This is the result of short-sightedness, people don’t see the long term consequences of their movements, they just want the “success” on any cost, without the fear that they might be loosing the trust and credibility of other people, which is very much required in long term business, and good relationships. Trust and credibility are the only two things which are responsible for a good relationship. Trust and credibility leads to Team Work, while distrust and dishonesty leads to individualism, cynicism, materialism, and contract based relationships in which two person keep on working together till the time they both are getting benefited. .

People are becoming the part of the system because of two reasons Greed, and Need. Many people who are in need, find themselves helpless in front of the system, either do not have courage to fight against the system or do not have time to indulge in the complexities of the system due to their needs, succumb to the system and indulge in bribery, dishonest means and cynicism. While on the other hand people who become the part of the system because of Greed are worse. It is their Greed, Greed for power, Greed for Money, and Greed for Position, which encourages them to follow dishonest means and to follow the low-risk, high-profit strategy by becoming the part of the system.

It is true that to change the system you have to be the part of the system, but people who be the part of the system to change the system, either become permanent part of it or succumb to system either due to the fear of corrupt elements of the system or they loose patience. It is not the responsibility of one man to change the system, we all must do something or should contribute in changing the system. We all have to be the part of the solution.

Almost all of us have right aim in the life but most of fail to press the trigger. There is a difference between knowing what is right and to do what is right. There is no utility of plan without action. There are two things Action and Inaction and you decide what is more expensive?? Remember always that honesty and hard work are directly proportional to each other, and there is no substitute of hard work on the way of honesty. Success achieved through honesty is enduring. All the good companies, good managers, and good decision makers are successful because they stick to their values and never compromise their values for anyone.