Rene Descartes

I remember reading Descartes in engineering school, wasn't crazy about him then. But I found a great online source for all classic books and have been reading some of them again.

I think, therefore I am is an awesome concept. I think the myth of the Matrix can be debunked by this one principle of philosophy.


I thence concluded that I was a substance whose whole essence or nature consists only in thinking, and which, that it may exist, has need of no place, nor is dependent on any material thing; so that “I,” that is to say, the mind by which I am what I am, is wholly distinct from the body, and is even more easily known that the latter, and is such, that although the latter were not, it would still continue to be all that it is.
After this I inquired in general into what is essential to the truth and certainty of a proposition; for since I had discovered one which I knew to be true, I thought that I must likewise be able to discover the ground of this certitude. And as I observed that in the words I think, hence I am, there is nothing at all which gives me assurance of their truth beyond this, that I see very clearly that in order to think it is necessary to exist, I concluded that I might take, as a general rule, the principle, that all the things which we very clearly and distinctly conceive are true, only observing, however, that there is some difficulty in rightly determining the objects which we distinctly conceive.

The world is flat.

Just ordered The world is Flat and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. If you read the New York Times you'll know who Thomas Friedmann is. Will post my thoughts once I start reading them.
He also wrote a series of articles while travelling around the globe after September 11, 2001. One of his stops was Bangalore, India and he wrote an intersting series of columns about how the two India's are trying to outpace themselves to catch up with the world. The India of the farmer and the India of the techie.

Engaging India

Just finished reading Engaging India by Strobe Talbott. After reading this book, I will never ever complain or crib that the United States always sides with Pakistan in this little street fight we call 'Indo-Pak Tensions'. Strobe categorically talks about how the pakistanis use every trick in the book to extract benefits from the US. He compares them to a New York mugger who instead of holding you up with a gun to your head, holds it up to his own and threatens to shoot himself if you don't dish out money. Yew...that should hurt the pakistani political ego.(Mind you, I am not anti anything, I am just anti political establishment that runs Pakistan. I have pakistani friends who are great guys). Very well written, shows how the american perspective of India has been changing over the past decade or so.

One of my Poems

Here's a poetry of mine that I pulled out of the covers while digging through my piles of written material.

All reminds me of home!
Author : Karmayogi

Those fresh grown tomatoes, mom's kitchen patch.
That little culvert, was my imaginary brook
The coconut tree, stout unlike any I've ever seen;
Cobbles under the washline laid by dad and me.
All remind me of home. Home sweet home.

The moss on the rain swept walls
The stairs, slippery, patches of mosaic showing
Dad's garden chairs, brown and rickety;
The love birds in their own little mansion.
All remind me of home. Home sweet home.

The rainy days spent at the window,
Nose against the glass as puddles formed.
Small ones and large ones, big enough;
For boats made of paper and all.
All remind me of home. Home sweet home.

The corner in my room, books stacked high.
Lying on my bed, the ceiling fan I painted.
Memories of the books I read, during holidays
The little gadgets I made, strewn all around.
All remind me of home. Home sweet home.

It feels sad, when I think about it.
Gone are those days, we moved on,
There's probably concrete all over now.
The rain must be collecting in drums for all I know.
But still I am reminded of home. Home sweet home

Albert Einstein's Biography

I am currently reading a biography of Albert Einstein by the writer Albert Folsing. Pretty good. Its called 'Albert Einstein: A Biography'. Bought it at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum down in DC.

Reader's Nook

Hi Everybody, this is the Literary corner of my blog. I will be putting up all the books I read and the comments I have about them. Hope you find it interesting.

Peace,
Karmayogi