Is a number governing my life?

Is a number governing my life? Different numbers have governed my decisions, choices, and happiness... Be it percentage of marks, Merit-rank, CGPA (Grade Point Average), Performance- Appraisal Ranking, Dollar-Rupee Conversion Ratio, Productivity, Customer-Satisfaction-Index, GDP, Inflation... The list is endless. I also found that most of the times, these numbers are not my own "invention". These numbers are given by the systems I worked under - for classifying, grading, and branding. When I discussed this situation with others, I found that I wasn't alone. Most people find that their lives are being seriously affected by metrics or standards made by "others". Now who are these "others"? There must be some people behind setting these metrics and standards. And they must be doing it out of certain mindset, or thought-process. .. What's that thought-process? Is that thought-process OK?

This eagerness to quantify, measure each and everything is coming from the scientific-mindset. "What can't be measured, can't be controlled." - is the underlying principle here. And "Control" or "being at the helm of affairs" is identified as the most important need by Science. Struggle for "taking control" becomes inevitable with this mindset. If we look closely - Science is full of mathematical equations. There is a ruthless zeal to put number to everything in Scientific worldview. Scientific world-view leads to struggle. Science accepts struggle and competition as natural. For example - struggle for achieving higher percentage, higher performance- rating, and so on... In this way, a number starts governing my living. Such living is ridden with conflicts. Why there's such zeal for putting number to everything? Can living at all be captured through numbers? Let's look at it more closely.

We get some understanding of realities "outside" through our senses - like seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. We can understand more aspects of these with use of mathematics. One simple example of this is - our eyes capture only shape and area aspects of a reality. The aspect of volume stays uncaptured through eyes alone. The volume can be understood through mathematics. Science recognized this fact. And this very recognition is at the root of ALL advents of Science. This is the root-cause for the zeal for putting number to everything. The measurement was done for both macro dimension - measuring distances between planets, galaxies, their speeds, etc - and micro dimensions - measuring distances between atoms, subatomic particles, etc. With these measurements Science tried to arrive at mathematical formulas which attempt to describe the working of realities outside.

Thereafter Engineering and Medicine (Applied Sciences) used this mathematical- understanding for doing what it considered as useful. For example - Science arrived at mathematical- understanding of planetary motion. Thereafter Engineering used it for going to the moon, sending sattellites etc. The mathematical understanding arrived by Science led to both positive-results (like tele-communication) and negative results (like global-warming) .

Mathematical- understanding of Science couldn't define a human-being and its purpose. It is because of the approach Science had taken. It was always considering the realities "outside", and didn't consider that it is the human-being (scientist) who is the observer, and observation- results are essentially outcome of observer's mindset. Science couldn't define or understand human mind. Science didn't incorporate human-being into its mathematical- understanding. Science falls short for becoming humane thus - in a very fundamental manner.


Madhyasth Darshan proposes:

What can't be seen, Can be measured;
What can't be measured, Can be understood;
What can be understood, Can be lived with.

There are aspects which can be measured. For example - one kg rice, twenty humans, forty cows, twenty ampere current, etc. There are aspects which can not be measured. For example - Knowledge, Jeevan (Self), Human-Values like Trust, Respect, Affection, Love, Motherliness, etc. These aspects can be understood by a human-being - is the proposal for Madhyasth-Darshan (Jeevan Vidya). Madhyasth-Darshan gives a studiable proposal for understanding these aspects.


"We can live harmoniously with the aspects which we understand. We can't live harmoniously with the aspects which we don't understand fully." - proposes Madhyasth-Darshan.

Living requires understanding. Measurement is not complete understanding.

Now coming to the point where we started.... Is a number governing my life? "I" or Self is not measurable through any number. The faculties of expecting, thinking, desiring, imagining, knowing, and experiencing - can't be captured under any number. These are inexhaustible. "I" is inexhaustible and can be used infinitely without diminishing. Mathematics fails to capture "I". This is the reason, "I" gets into conflicts when one tries to discipline it using some number - however sophisticatedly chosen. Human-Behaviour can't be described through number. Family can't be described through number. Society can't be described through number. Happiness can't be described through number. Wisdom can't be described through number. In fact, everything that's valuable for living can't be described through numbers. Numbers can be used for living though. Numbers are for me. "I" am not for any number.

- Based on Madhyasth-Darshan (Jeevan Vidya) propounded by Shri A. Nagraj Sharma.

This presentation is in my capacity as its student.

- Rakesh Gupta.