Why you should Judge a Book by its Cover

By my estimation I have reached the half way point of my life. I have been betrayed by people who have been my friends for years. I have seen people change so much that they can barely be said to be the same person (save and except that their physical characteristics remain the same.)

It takes years to really know someone, and even then you will most likely not truly understand them. I am being reminded of a dialogue in Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead”. I’m paraphrasing the same here -

“What’s the matter with you? Why such talk—over nothing at all? People’s faces and first impressions don’t mean a thing.”

“That, my dear, is one of our greatest common fallacies. There’s nothing as significant as a human face. Nor as eloquent. We can never really know another person, except by our first glance at him. Because, in that glance, we know everything. Even though we’re not always wise enough to unravel the knowledge. Have you ever thought about the style of a soul? … I think, that every human soul has a style of its own. Its one basic theme. You’ll see it reflected in every thought, every act, every wish of that person. The one absolute, the one imperative thing in that living creature. Years of studying a man won’t show it to you. His face will. You’d have to write volumes to describe a person. Think of his face. You need nothing else.”

“That sounds fantastic. And unfair, if true. It would leave people naked before you.”

“It’s worse than that. It also leaves you naked before them.”

The truth is, we do judge people by first impressions. To my female readers, I think you will agree that you avoid men who look, for lack of a better word – “rapist-like”.  On the other hand, we sometimes decide to give people, who look pleasant, the benefit of the doubt.

In the end, your first instinct is usually right and you tend to focus on those few rare instances where you by chance were wrong and conclude that’s it is wrong to judge too quickly. I agree it’s not ideal but it is a great time saving and labour-saving device, and only mildly less accurate.

So go out there, and trust your instinct, and pay attention to first impressions. You may find that your first instinct is usually right, and all the steps you painstakingly take to confirm your suspicions has been a waste of your time.

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Accepting Mediocrity

Since we were in school, we were told to follow our dreams. But this comes with unexpressed caveats. Your dream can be a doctor or astronaut, but not to be a sweeper or waiter. Here lies the grand flaw.

Its true that society’s progress depends on everyone aspiring higher, but lets keep in mind Edgar Allen Poe’s words - “I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.”

A dialogue from the movie Lakshya can also be referred to here:

Romi's Dad – “Tum jo bhi karo achha karo. Agar scientist bano toh achhe scientist bano. Agar ghaas kaatne wale bano toh achha ghaas kaatne wale bano. Warna kya faayda?”

(Translation: Whatever you do, you must do it well. If you become a scientist, become a good scientist. If you become a grass-cutter, become a good grass-cutter. Otherwise what's the point?)

I would go one step further. It is not important that you even be the best at what you do. It is not even necessary that you do something. If you are happy dreaming your life away, then do it. After all, Y.O.L.O. and you should live the way you want to without being influenced by others.

Happiness is a choice. As long as you have your health, you can get happiness too.

I must differ from Friedrich Nietzsche as I believe that the happiness which is the fruit of labour is merely a different kind of happiness, but not necessarily, sweeter. We must stop pressurizing little children and make them all believe that they all will be President some day. On the contrary we must teach them that success is good, but not always necessary to attain happiness.

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Why I pick Trains over Planes

The Indian Railways is one of the biggest employers in the world. Even without statistical data, this is rather apparent to anyone who travels in inter-state trains, especially for long journeys exceeding 24 hours. Travelling in these trains will show you a variety of people, from different parts of India, having different backgrounds.

Trains v. Planes

From a plane one can see a whole stretch of land or a vast portion of the sea. But in order to really feel minuscule or insignificant you have travel the same distance by rail, since travelling in trains is like observing each and every dot of an impressionist painting. The only question you have to ask yourself is whether you are ready to witness the world from that perspective.

Building Character

I have, personally, found that travelling in General compartment for over 24 hours at a time builds character and endurance. All modern day philosophers must perform exercise at least two or three times. If you are not ready for that level challenge, the next but best thing is to climb into Sleeper class with a General ticket and pay the fine to the T.C. You won’t get allocated a seat, but you’ll be allowed to be inside the sleeper coach. Please don’t pick a high-end train like Rajdhani. Pick one of the lesser known trains.

This way you will have to learn to “manage”, and share seats. Your sitting down will depend on the kindness of others. You may find yourself constantly shifting from one place to another. Getting a place to sleep will be exceptionally tricky. If you are not so lucky you may have to stand for most of the journey.

You will get plenty of time for self-analysis and to be lost in thought. You all know what its like to sit at the window seat during a 20 minute bus journey. Now, imagine that lasting for about 24 hours. If you don’t have any luggage your mind will be free to wander. Keep a pen and paper on you in case you are the type of person who likes to jot down good ideas or thoughts that may end up be life altering.  However, if you do have luggage which you have to keep an eye on, that will make the journey all the more challenging.  

As for myself, I will be performing this ritual annually so that I am reminded to remain simple, considerate and cautious.

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