INTELLECTUAL FOG
Clear Your Vision
PARTS of northern India get very cold in winter, resulting in thick fog. Trains get held up in the fog or move very slowly. To solve this problem, the Indian Railways has developed a ‘fog-safe device’ and plans to equip more than 2,000 trains with the device. These portable GPS driven anti-fog or fog-safe devices will track in real time the location of the next signal on the train’s route. It lets the driver know exactly how many metres away he is from the signal. This device now enables trains to be driven at high speeds even in dense fog and ensures they reach their destination safely.
While this anti-fog device relates to material fog, there is also something that can be called ‘intellectual fog’ that hampers intellectual development. In ancient times, the means of acquiring knowledge were limited. With the prevalence of print and electronic media it has become very simple to acquire knowledge. People express themselves— through writing and speech and with new forms of communications and media, the volume and exchange of such expression have increased enormously. The internet has made it very easy to access information on any subject.
The information overload has only resulted
in a jungle of confusion for people.
But there is a problem with this information overload. Despite access to a wealth of material on any subject, many are unable to decipher a clear understanding of the matter. The information overload has only resulted in a jungle of confusion for them and it is easy to be trapped in this ‘intellectual fog’. One’s thoughts and actions will then get determined by the ‘thick fog’ that surrounds them.
How do you keep yourself safe from this fog? How do you maintain right thinking in the midst of such intellectual darkness?
The ‘fog-safe device’ that trains use illustrates a solution to this problem. We need to have our own ‘intellectual fog-safe device’. This device is an internally prepared mind trained in the art of differentiation.
How does this device work?
One should develop the capacity to put aside all unrelated matter and extract only information relevant to the subject. This technique could be
Eliminating the irrelevant from the relevant is critical for success.
called the principle of elimination. Eliminating the irrelevant from the relevant is critical for success. This ensures that our thinking remains untouched by the intellectual fog that is present all around us. In line with the laws of nature, this external fog will never end. All we can do is to develop the skills to stay safe from its negative effects and proceed on our intellectual journey, just as the train moves ahead and reaches its destination in spite of the fog. o
Intellectual Boost
Living in worry or stopping your thinking process is not the solution.
Instead of stopping your thinking process, enhance it,
and you will soon discover that the stress you felt was
acting as an intellectual booster in your life.
Making your Critic Speechless
When provoked by a critical remark, you generally react.
But if you resist provocation and do not react,
you will be in a position to give an answer that will render your critic speechless.