Reaction vs Response

Reaction vs response

As undergraduate medical students, we were taught  about muscle contractility and excitability  by electrical stimulation of a nerve muscle preparation harvested from a frogs thigh. The strength of the current applied to the nerve was incrementally increased, while closely monitoring the response. 

It was observed,that there was not  even a flicker of activity with successive increase in the current, till a threshold was reached, at which point, all the muscle fibres contracted in unison. Any subsequent supra threshold  increase in the current  changed neither  the amplitude nor the frequency of contraction. This phenomenon is called an "all or none" phenomenon ; all the muscle fibres contract beyond a critical threshold current  but none below that. It demonstrated the inherent congruence and unambiguity of biological tissue behaviour .

  This attribute ensures, an integrated , coordinated and complete response, avoiding any tentative, half hearted "reaction".  Feeble ,partial  reactions are  called as fasciculations which are not only unproductive, but come at the cost of expending energy, a very precious resource considering the plethora of stimuli, that the organism is exposed to. 

Day to day life  involves dealing with a myriad of situations, circumstances, that entice the subject  to react. Half hearted reactions, expend a lot of emotional, physical and mental energy.  They are the consequence of an excitable state pregnant with  anxiety, making one edgy, nervous apprehensive and  irritable. Trivial stimuli  stir the hormonal cauldron, cascading into a fight,flight or fright reaction. Such emotional fasciculations  more often than not are futile, unproductive, and self defeating, wreaking havoc on the internal milieu. Repeated turbulence of this type could be the substrate  of psychosomatic illnesses.Reactionary behaviour sends ripples over the surface of the  discriminatory intellectual waters or " vivekbuddhi". Extreme turbulence virtually makes the intellect ineffective, resulting in erratic irrational behaviour

Response is a stage, that precedes reaction. It involves cognition and interpretation of the stimulus, coupled with an ability to evaluate its threshold potential. Only, threshold or supra threshold stimuli are forwarded to the "reaction department " for appropriate action. Sub threshold stimuli, are processed, and at the most stored if necessary or then just ignored. The "all" response is a reaction, but  is purposeful, effective, and  complete.

A response is physiological and need based whilst reaction is emotional and fear based.  Being responsive, improves performance, whilst reaction serves to its detriment.

Reaction or response, both are in the domain of duality.  The subject ,object stimulus ,response dichotomy still permeates  perception.

In the course of spiritual progress, there comes a milestone of "Sthita Pradnya" or stilled intellect. This is a state, of dispassionate observation. It is also the objective of "Yoga", -" Chitta vritti nirodh". 

Chitta is the state of pure consciousness, and vritti is the storehouse of all the tendencies and desires,acquired over successive lives.  Yoga endeavours to disconnect  the two.  This is largely achieved by purifying awareness to a state of non duality.   The   stilled tranquil waters, of the mind and intellect permit a glimpse of the  self,  the state of beingness, awareness, and bliss - " satchitananda", a state  transcending  duality  and becoming "all and none" .

Ananda and multicellular organisms

Article was featured in the Sunday edition of Speaking Tree , 5th May 2013

All  creation is energy manifesting  in different forms. As postulated by Einstein in his famous E=mc2 equation , and later, verified under rather tragic circumstances, mass and energy are interconvertible. Energy and matter however display a conjugal  relationship. Energy excites matter, and  increases  its  disorder or "entropy"

Entropy is  the  measure of the disorder ,randomness,or  chaos in a given system.  As we heat water, the molecules get agitated and after a point, water begins to boil.  Heat, or thermal energy increases the entropy of water, and further heating causes the water to change its state, and evaporate. The tendency to disseminate  and equilibrate matter and energy across the entire universe is the basis of entropy. 

The entropy of the universe  is always increasing with time. That's a universally accepted and proven law. Time is a program that travels unidirectionally, from order to disorder. Logic however demands, that  the  reverse journey, viz disorder to order  must also  exist. When we tidy up our room that was in disarray, we are taking this path. Information systems are another example of decreasing entropy. Greater the information about a system, lesser is the chaos and disorder. The  DNA  represents a highly complex code of information. It precisely determines the structure and  function of the organism in a very orderly an structured manner. 

Szent-Gyorgyi , (the nobel  prize winner for his work on negative entropy,)postulates that there exists what he calls the "principle" of syntropy or "negative entropy." Since entropy is a universal "force" which causes organized  systems  to gradually disintegrate into lower and lower states of organisation, there has to be an opposite force, a force which causes living things to reach "higher and higher levels of organization, order and dynamic harmony."

Inanimate nature stops at the low level organization of simple molecules. 

But living systems go on and combine molecules to form macromolecules, macromolecules to form organelles (such as nuclei, mitochondria, chloroplasts, ribosomes, and membranes) and eventually put these all together to form the greatest wonder of creation, a cell, with its astounding inner regulations. The multi cellular organism, is a miracle of sorts. All the organs working independently, yet cohesively and synergistically. The billions of cells, each a unit by itself, working congruently, synchronously in a dynamic harmony.

This complex ,structured organisation of cells has become more and more complex since evolution. This is in conflict with the  law that says the entropy of the universe is always increasing.

Who is the conductor of this symphony of billions, of multicellular life forms ?

It is  a force, that is  conscious,intelligent ,pulsating and simultaneously blissful. " Satchitananda" is how it is described in the scriptures. This life force, orchestrates the plurality of cells with a  "syntropic " baton.

The  highest state of this "dynamic harmony" , a state of zero entropy or total syntropy may be the "Shiva" state.  

"Shakti" is  this entropy, that combines  with "Shiva" in varying proportions to manifest as creation.  Matter, is condensation of energy and energy , sublimation of matter. Matter and energy are inter convertible, but it's only when they are sanctified  by syntropy or "Shiva", that they manifest as life forms, to eventually evolve as the epitome of creation -  as "self realised " beings.

Consciousness may therefore not an emergent phenomenon, as believed by most neuroscientists, but a quantum coherence, a state of zero entropy, a "Shiva" state. 

Manifest creation  is a synergy of  syntropy and entropy,a  cosmic waltz  of "Shiva" and " Shakti" . A conjugal bliss of the apparent and  the immanent .

And "Brahman "the stage on which this dance is performed. 

Dr  Deepak M Ranade

(The author is a consultant neurosurgeon- deepakranade@hotmail.com) 

Free will vs Determinism, the Eternal Dilemma

Free will v/s determinism

Life is all about making choices. Right from the trivial, like what to eat, what clothes to wear, to larger and more far reaching issues like career and marriage. 

Making a choice implies that we do, indeed, have free will. 

There are however, moments when we confront the irrational, the unexpected and the inexplicable.  Situations when, despite all efforts, the tantalisingly close objective eludes, almost as if part of some grand conspiracy .

In such moments, our intelligence flirts with the possibility of a deterministic destiny.  Anxiety about the future, coupled with a helplessness of being totally at the mercy of factors beyond our control pushes us to look for a pattern or program, for some   order in this chaotic irrationality called life.  Is there any master coordinating this symphony of existence with every member playing prefixed chords and notes or is it mere free-willed  jamming? It appears a bit unbelievable that the creator would leave his "piece de resistance "on an auto mode. 

                                     Do we really have free will at all? 

Dr Libet, in the 80s performed a simple experiment where a subject was wired up to an EEG  (device to record  electrical brain activity ) and simultaneously, an EMG recorded muscular activity,  associated with a motor act, like moving the hand . The conscious decision to move the hand resulted in electrical activity from the cortex of the brain and actual movement caused a spike in the EMG.

There was a delay of 200 milliseconds between the decision to move the hand and the actual motor act of moving the hand. That was on expected lines. 

Surprisingly, the EEG revealed a buzz of electrical discharges that preceded the subject’s conscious decision  to move the hand  by about 300 milliseconds. This  famous experiment demonstrated the unconscious electrical processes in the brain called  "Bereitschaftspotential "(readiness potential) that precede conscious decisions to perform volitional or spontaneous acts. 

The trigger to these electrical discharges remains in the realm of the subconscious or then, perhaps, just testimony to determinism, or destiny.

Where do thoughts arise? What makes us think in a particular way? 

This ‘readiness potential’ recorded by Libet’s experiment does seem to lend a fatalistic hue to all our thoughts and actions hitherto believed to be the suzerainty of our free will.

   The free will vs determinism conflict looks irresolvable, simply imply because we might have to bifurcate reality into two parallel universes, just to verify this hypothesis.  In one, the subject behaves deliberately in a particular manner, (free will) and in the other there is no such proactive contribution (deterministic).

We then merge the two universes again and evaluate which path unfolds, the free will or the deterministic. This is a thought experiment, and is incredulous.

Verification of determinism or free will is seemingly impossible to investigate.

If the future of all of us is inexorably interlinked, it would seem very egoistic to believe in having the wherewithal to change the destiny of all those connected with us, along with our own.

It could well be, that the freely chosen option was precisely what was predetermined if viewed impersonally and dispassionately. This is aptly expressed in this mythological anecdote.

Garuda, the celestial eagle, who transported Vishnu, once took his master to a meeting of all the Gods. He noticed a small bird at the entrance and as Yamaraj, The Lord of Death strode in, he glanced at the small bird sympathetically and continued for the meeting. Garuda surmised that the time was up and the fate of the small bird was sealed.

Out of compassion for that weak helpless bird, he carried the bird along and flew at the speed of light for a few hours placing it secure in a deep ravine, far from any predators or danger. He returned back in time when the meeting was over and asked Yamaraj, why he looked so sceptically at the small bird prior to the meeting. Yamaraj replied, " I was wondering what the bird was doing here when it ought to be light years away in a deep ravine."

                     Subjective and objective consciousness 

Consciousness, if identified with ‘I’, as the  doer is left with no alternative but to subscribe to a conviction in free will. The "I" or ego becomes meaningless without the free will.  Free will is the proactive force that fuels the doership. This ‘I’ consciousness is totally subjective, personal, and restrictive.

Free will from the perspective of this ‘I’ is a freedom of choice from a superset of possibilities coupled with a conviction that the future is a totally  unchartered territory. 

If consciousness transcends the ‘I’, and expands beyond the subjective restriction, it becomes objective.

Consciousness dematerialised into an impersonal awareness, that just observes without assessing the situation as a cause-effect paradigm.

It is an undifferentiated primal state of conscious awareness that transcends the personal ‘I’ consciousness, an omnijective state,that is subjective and objective simultaneously. It is an awareness of the consciousness, by the consciousness, for the consciousness, prior to the subject-object differentiation. The deterministic view then becomes objective with no personal or subjective bias.

To this consciousness, it does not matter if any event is predetermined or not because it is an awareness from which springs this entire manifestation as also this quest to know. 

Dr. Deepak M. Ranade

(The author is a consultant neurosurgeon, - deepakranade@hotmail.com)

The Physics of non duality

The   Physics  Of   Non-duality

The double slit experiment in physics accorded  the photon  the  miraculous ability to be simultaneously present at two places. The monophotonic beam still effecting interference was undeniable testimony to this impossible conclusion. Closer  scrutiny of the photons by a juxtaposed camera near the slit  added to the chagrin. The photon now, reverted to its particle form, suggesting an incredulous awareness to the photon. To mutate from a wave to a particle form, when it realised it was under scrutiny. The wave and the particle  "states" are quantum superposition states that manifest in an 'either or ' dichotomy  that is observer sensitive. Analogous to the  Schrodinger cat being simultaneously   dead and alive , the photon exists in a wave and particle form simultaneously. Till, the observer squashes the superposition possibilities to an "observed" single outcome, the unobserved remains both, simultaneously.

Sensory comprehension is handicapped  with the  "either or" paradigm and can cognise only a polarised ,committed ,tangible alternative. 

Sensory perception,is processing and assimilating gigabytes of tangible  unequivocal polarity. Either one of  the duality. Wave or particle, Day or night, sad or happy, black or white, dead or alive and so on. The perceptive faculties cannot perceive  a simultaneous concurrent duality that is inclusive rather than exclusive, based on 'and '. 

Dead and alive at the same time, is inconceivable. An impossible oxymoron that paralyses the intellect into a shutdown. The sharp edge of reason coupled with a perceptive bias cleaves this integrative intangible 'superposition '  into  fragmented tangibility. An irony, where the piece makes more sense than the whole. A jigsaw puzzle, that becomes incomprehensible when complete. 

The wave particle conflict  reflects limitation of perception.  

The brain is programmed to interpret unity  as a partial 'virtual ' diversity. Much the same as a drop of water splits light into a spectral  delusion.

The brain permits only an "either or" program to serve as the operating system. A binary code that can have only one of two values at any given point of time. Assigning  both values simultaneously corrupts the software and hangs the system. Duality is a perceptive warp, that coerces the senses into a distortion of the fundamental Nonduality. 

Non duality  represents a 'paradigm shift' from this reductionist 'either or' syntax to a holistic  'and' awareness . 

Rephrasing  the immortal words of Tagore-

"Where the awareness is without illusion and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where reality has not been broken up into fragments"

Nonduality alludes to an undifferentiated whole, that is not exclusive, but  inclusive. A quantum superposition state, that reveals all quantum states as  an unqualified oneness. An awareness that transcends  'attribute and form' , sagun saakaar, the progenitors of the subject object dichotomy to an exalted 'Nirgun niraakaar' state.

An awareness that becomes aware of this duality based sensory deception.

Aptly described by philosopher saint ,Tukaram as 'saandili triputi' or ending the trilogy of  the observer,observed and observation. A grand unified theory of sorts, that makes all  answers redundant ,by unifying the questions ,the seeker,and the questioning.

Until that quantum Leap of consciousness occurs, our perception will remain mired in the 'either or' domain. 

The 'wave ,particle ' conflict will continue to haunt us till  a 'wave' of realisation sweeps over  our  'particulate '  perceptive distortion.

Dr Deepak Ranade 

(The author is a consultant Neurosurgeon - deepakranade@hotmail.com)

Binary expression of manifestation

Duality, the binary code of creation

Binary numbers were first described in Chandashutram written by Pingala in 100 BC. A  mathematician and philosopher by the name of George Boole published a paper in 1847 called 'The Mathematical Analysis of Logic'  now known as Boolean algebra. Boole’s system was based on binary, a yes-no, on-off approach. Claude  Shannon , a graduate student in MIT,noticed that the Boolean algebra was similar to an electric circuit. Shannon implemented his findings in his thesis, which  triggered the use of the binary code in practical applications such as computers, electric circuits, etc.

In simple terms, the binary code converts all information into a code, a bit, that either can be a "on" or "off". A "1" or a "0"

All the complex data that is transferred via the information technology revolution is actually transmitted as a  series of  of "on " s and  "off "s

The on and off  or 1 and 0 represent two states,  presence and absence. A duality of being and not being. The transmitting computer codes the data into this simplified binary signal, a machine language, that is incomprehensible to our conventional sense organs. It transmits this signal as a coded                     "off and on "signals . The receiving computer then decodes  this data,reconverts it into information  comprehensible to our gross senses. 

This binary system reduces all information to an "either or " paradigm, and then disseminates this information at speeds that depend on the bandwidth of the communication pathways. 

The brain, all it's intricate networks notwithstanding is also a data processing application, that not only codes and decodes but also simultaneously  generates, stores and processes data.  All that we experience, understand, comprehend  may also be transmitted and stored as a code that has "being " and "non-being" as a  bit of information in the "brain language".

Presence and absence are the units of manifestation. Consciousness supersedes both these states, as nothing also needs to be perceived. 

The tangible being expressed as a  probability of being existent or  non existent, entirely relying on cognition.  Like the paradoxical Schrodingers cat  simultaneously  dead and alive. 

For  cognition  of something existing,  a state of non-existence has to exist simultaneously. These two states are not mere opposites, but rather are complementary to one another. Each depends on the other for its comprehension. " To Be or not To Be" are the units the of expression and comprehension of this manifestation . The standard model  in physics also predicts the existence of an equal and oppositely charged particle for every subatomic particle. Anti matter is the predicted complementary opposite of matter. Quantum physics becomes incomprehensible because it is attempting to look at the conventional "either or " paradigm of  binary with a  holistic                  "and "simultaneity . The wave particle binary being reinterpreted as a perceptive delusion of  singularity. 

The brain can comprehend, store and communicate only in a binary code

"pleasure-pain, light-dark, black-white, and so on all complementary opposites.

As information gets more complex, this binary code gets further intricate reigning in shades of subtleties, but the basic "on off "remaining the fundamental  units.

 Time and space are units of the matrix, necessary to separate being and non being.  These two parameters are necessary to delude a discreteness  spatio-temporally , to generate an illusion of separateness. 

The perceiving entity or consciousness has the discriminatory ability to comprehend both states, being and non being. This state has to be supra existential, and would comprehend "non existence", as the complementary of existence.  To comprehend non existence as a "state" rather than merely an absence or void. 

All manifestation is a binary encoded expression of  "being" and " non-being" and  realisation is a state of holistic non polarised awareness that the ultimate truth is beyond  being and non being,  beyond time and space,  from eternity to eternity in eternity.

Dr Deepak M Ranade

(The author is a consultant Neurosurgeon - deepakranade@hotmail.com)

Memory of the body, mind and intelligence

     Memory of the body, intelligence and mind.

The recently concluded Olympic games was a window into mans determination, perseverance and quest for perfection. Those perfectly sculpted bodies, those precision packed performances, the grit, the competitive spirit, all very awe inspiring. The performances at times reflected a sublimation of effort that invoked an inexplicable celestial intervention.

Perfection was probably this connect with divinity at will.  An incredible coordination, that had to synchronise with a timely burst of energy, based on an intuitive assessment of the competitor.

 A masterly control  over the mind and  body. 

When the legendary Carl Lewis, who relived his heroes accomplishments of four golds ,in the Moscow Olympics was asked the secret of his success, his answer sounded deeply spiritual. He said " I have mastered the art of self denial" , a yogic discipline so to say.  

Discipline, sincerity,hard work,   develop a memory of sorts,  of the body, intelligence and the mind. 

Aptly put by  the Indian wrestler, a silver medalist  in the recently concluded games, the body seemed to forget it's training if he skipped  exercise and practice even for a single day.  The memory, generated by such dedication and discipline is quite  short lived . It needs continuous reaffirmation to function with a perfection. The body, as in the muscles and the cardio pulmonary system might have a memory of  a week or two at best. After which, the memory drops , as does the performance, and one had to restart all over again. 

Rigorous discipline, dedication, and hard work, seems to generate an acquired ,peripheral intellect and memory in each muscle and joint.  What might be referred to as the sub- conscious. Once this peripheral intellect and memory kicks in,  it no longer needs to depend on the central control station (the conscious intelligence and memory) for instructions. This decreases response time drastically, the crucial few milliseconds , that separate the gold from silver, ecstasy  from despair. If this memory is lost, it is retrievable albeit with renewed efforts and vigour.

The intellect, that is razor sharp, too needs constant sharpening and reaffirmation. If ineglected, the blunted intellect drops its surgical precision and can make a messy , decision, that grossly lacks timing with disastrous consequences. The memory of the intangible intelligence is certainly shorter than the memory of the more tangible body. The memory of this intelligence is called discrimination. (Vivek buddhi)  This memory of the "intelligence" can be infected by  a host of viruses of the mind.  It needs to be regularly updated by  an antivirus software of rationality and pragmatism . Failing to do so , the intellect can malfunction totally. To the point of acting as if it were non existent. 

The shortest memory of all is the memory of the mind. In a flash, the mind can forget that the outcome of ones efforts is not in ones control.. This amnesia is the ego. The memory that we do not have "doership" needs to be reaffirmed every moment, with each breath. Doership  , as in the ability to effect a desired outcome by ones own effort. A momentary lapse of memory, and the ego takes charge of the self.  Amnesia of this type initiates a tirade of self glorification, self indulgence that gives a high.  Till it remains in the domain  of the favourable,  one still enjoys this high. If , however it results in an unfavourable outcome, the ensuing self persecution, despondency  and frustration can adversely affect  the "Joy de vivre" of existence. A constant reminder and awareness of this truth  at a subconscious level  effects detachment, a state of liberation.  This memory and awareness that "I" am not merely the body, needs to be developed by a discipline and effort . The memory that we are not immortal, the memory that we are fallible, the memory that the transient form is merely a manifestation of the eternal formless.

The irony is that once  the memory of the mind is lost,  the sense of doership reigns.  The ego perpetuates itself,  and  becomes  all pervasive,swinging the consciousness from pleasure to pain,. It may at times take a lifetime to recover,  or, may be lapse forever. 

Dr. Deepak M Ranade

(the author is a consultant neurosurgeon- deepakranade@hotmail.com)

The True God Particle

The discovery of the Higgs Boson ,  bearing the misnomer "The God Particle" has stirred up the the passions of the scientific as well as the spiritual  communities. Censored  to God from goddamned, the act of eliminating profanity from the original  expression  of exasperation by Lederman deified this elusive particle, the perpetrator of  mass in the sub atomic realm. The standard model of physics broadly predicts two categories of sub atomic particles ,viz  fermions and bosons. Bosons, are  particles with an integer spin, with the same energy can occupy the same place in space. They are the force carrier particles. While most bosons are composite particles, in the Standard Model, there are five bosons which are elementary: the four gauge bosons (γ · g · Z · W±) and the Higgs boson (H0)n contrast,  Fermions , particles with a half integer spin,(leptons and quarks) are the building blocks of matter.  Forces are mediated by  massless particles operating at the quantum level.  The tangible at the mercy of the intangible. The Higgs Boson lends tangibility to the intangible (massless) subatomic world.  The standard model however fails to provide answers at the macro level. It cannot explain gravity, an  extremely weak force, that gets amplified by humongous sizes of the objects that seem to generate this attraction over equally massive distances. The graviton (G), a hypothetical elementary particle not incorporated in the Standard Model, if it exists, must be a boson, and could conceivably be a gauge boson.  The micro and the macro appear to have a schizophrenic dichotomy  of underlying scientific explanations.  The Theory  of everything still  a far cry aims to reconcile this existential aberration. Consciousness  as is conventionally understood  is an attribute of  the "life force" at the macro level. An extrapolation of the standard model hypothesis should   predict a massless particle to mediate this emergent phenomenon of the "animate" world.  Could  consciousness be merely a function of  neurotransmitters, an alchemy in this neuronal laboratory ?  Could there be a field that mediates this subtle yet powerful phenomenon just as the Higgs field that is necessary  to explain the genesis of mass from the massless?   The double slit experiment and it's subsequent modifications  throw up possibilities of  intelligence and consciousness at the "micro "level.  The photon behaves differently when it realises  it is being observed.  The entire quantum world behaves quaintly, as if it has a mind  of its own.  Just as there seem to be two sets of rules governing the macro and the quantum worlds, there may just be a different form of  conscious intelligence operating differently in both these worlds. There may just be another  form of intelligence - " Quantum intelligence", having its own domain and jurisprudence.  Consciousness and intelligence may not be just an "emergent " phenomenon of the macro  world, but the fundamental constituent of the subatomic quantum world. As the observer becomes vital to the existence of creation, the observed may just be observing as well, with a consciousness of its own.  Like finding an eye at the other end when prying through a key-hole. The trinity of observer, observed and observation may just be an illusion created by a grand unified all pervading  conscious intelligence.  The true "God Particle " will therefore be a particle that assigns consciousness to the subatomic quantum world. Or possibly , this entire universe may  just be a  particle of consciousness - "The God Particle". Dr Deepak M Ranade (The author is a consultant neurosurgeon - deepakranade@hotmail.com)