Life without a Girlfriend (or, a Smartphone)!

Living without a smartphone is like living without a girlfriend after a breakup:

1. For the first few days you think that all is lost and life will not be the same anymore. All that you see are only happy people gleefully using their phones.

2. After a few days, you start getting used to a life without a smartphone. You miss your smartphone often, but you are slowly learning to live without one.

3. After a while, you learn to live life freely, without relying on a smart phone. Of course, you depend on so many other gadgets to do the work that a single smartphone did - alarm, calculator, post-its, sketchpads, etc., - but at least you no more feel tied up with a single choice.

4. And, once you have crossed that point of no return, you feel amused about about how crazily you were once addicted to the phone and thought that you couldn't live with one!

P.S., Of course, and then you get a new one!!!😛

Book Review - Outgrowing God - A Beginner's Guide, Richard Dawkins

I believe I was a little too eager to grab this new work by Richard Dawkins to have read the reviews first. This 'new' book doesn't exactly feel new if you have read Mr. Dawkins' other books already. This seems to be sort of a summary of all his previous books.

As usual,  Mr. Dawkins generously bashes the religions - Christianity and Islam in particular - denouncing the evils and superstitions found in them. Then he argues as to why scientific thinking, and not religions, should be guiding our mind and life. Then he goes on to wrap it all up by highlighting how science has helped us so far, both in improving our lives and our knowledge of the world around us. Feeling a sense of deja vu!

The God Delusion + The Greatest Show on Earth + The Magic of Reality = Outgrowing God. Can't give this book anything more than 3/5!

Book Review – Live and Let Others Live: Life Lessons from Mahavira

There are so many books that we enjoy reading. Then, there are many books that leave within us a deep impact and stay within us for a long time. There are very few books that, once you finish reading, stir up an urge to buy a lot of copies and distribute to every one you know. If only I have the wherewithal, I would definitely buy as many copies of this book as possible and distribute to every other person I know and meet. Such a gem!

Bhagwan Mahavira does not need any introduction. Known widely as someone who revived the Jain religion, he was supposedly the contemporary of another noble soul, Gautama Buddha. Born 2500 years ago, his thoughts and ideals have stood the test of Time, shining all along. From inspiring the kings of early days to inspiring one of the greatest personas of the modern time, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavira have shone light on the path of righteousness and proper living to saints and simple householders alike.

His teachings of non-violence, tolerance for contrary viewpoints, equanimity in behaviour and equal treatment of all beings, along with his views on caring for the environment around us all set him apart from other religious founders / leaders. Reading this work, millennia after Mahavira first thought these thoughts, I find them as relevant today as they were then and they will be after even many more millennia.

For a long time I had been searching for a good work to begin learning about Jainism and Mahavira. In this book I have found the ideal beginning. Beautifully chosen thoughts and cohesively compiled chapters make this an authentic read. This is a book that you should read, read again and again and again. Worthy words of wisdom!

Book Review – Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil DeGrasse Tyson

In the unimaginably vast, inhospitable territory of the universe, even the pebble-sized asteroids are said to hurtle faster than the fastest vehicles that we human have here on earth. It is needless then to elaborate on the impact they can create upon collision with any object on their way. This little book by Neil DeGrasse Tyson is one such impactful work that will leave a deep impact on our minds, shattering away our ignorance and ego.

I have always been fascinated by whom I consider the trinity of scientific, rational writing – Christopher Hitchens, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins. And, this is the first proper work of Mr. Tyson I had laid my hands upon. I must admit that I was thrilled throughout. Easy to understand, interesting to read and intriguing enough to leave you wanting for more, this is a brilliant read.

The author commences the book right at the time our Universe was born and narrates the timeline of its evolution, its constituents, the current state and its probable future. Scattered along the pages are lessons on quantum physics to cosmic black-holes. The author ends the book in a deeply contemplative mode, pondering over our place in the universe, our pitiably petty quarrels and possible changes in attitude that could stem from inculcating a cosmic perspective in our minds and lives.

Must read for every astronomy aficionado!