880. Not everyone can be manipulated or exploited. Why? Only if there is some weakness, like ego, emotion, greed etc., or compulsion, can we be so victimised.

- Sujit Mukerji

879. Technology – good or bad?

- Josheca Mukerji

Technology means the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. So, quite evidently, technology isn’t good or bad in itself. It’s the man behind the tools who determines how he wants to implement his knowledge. So, where’s the technology at fault?

It may be opined that technology is the reason for pollution or for other miss-happenings. But is it? There are 26 alphabets in all. It depends on a person how he uses the alphabets. Not that the alphabets are guilty! Similarly, it’s the person at fault and not the technology!

It may also be countered that had there been no technology, man could never have misused it. Again, taking the prior example, had there been no alphabets, man couldn’t have misused it. But, he couldn’t have used it either! Yet again, it may be contended that it’s better not to use than to misuse. And this just isn’t practical!

Everything depends on how a person uses it. It depends on a person if he uses the water to stay alive or uses it to drown himself and commit suicide. But is it possible not to use the water at all because it can be misused?

Further, it can be argued that only those things should be used that are essential for survival and since, man survived even before technology, it isn’t needed and rather it is causing more harm than good. That means, it is better being a cave-man than using technology. To those who think it is so, practice what you preach and charity begins at home.

All that really counts is balance. Nothing is going to happen by blaming anything. Nobody can ignore the fact that technology has made our lives much easier. Everything comes with a price tag. So does technology. The only thing that can be done is to use technology, or for the matter anything, judiciously and work to ensure that the negative fallouts can be reduced as much as possible.

After all, man has brains and not the technology!

878. There comes a time when summer asks what you have been doing all winter.

877. Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.

-         Hermann Hesse

876. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain.

- Dolly Parton

875. Fear not, provided you fear but if you fear not, then fear.

- Blaise Pascal

874. Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

873. Many a man thinks he has an open mind when it's merely vacant.

872. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

871. No destiny attacks us from outside. But, within him, man bears his fate.

-         Antoine De Saint-Exupery

870. Preventive vigilance is sine qua non for equitable growth

- Josheca Mukerji

Absolute freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

-          Former US President,

Ronald Reagan

As rightly said, absolute freedom, which means absence of preventive vigilance leads to the collapse of a system. Our topic speaks of equitable growth. If a system collapses, then how can there be equitable growth?

The word equitable itself implies that there should be a fair deal which means that there should be a balanced approach and certain undesirable factors owing to human failures should not be allowed to go unchecked. That means it is all a game of checks and balances. As we all know, the level of willingness determines the level of success. If equitable growth is desired, it is imperative that there should be a high degree of willingness to ensure fair play and justice. In any organization, there are so many rules and regulations to ensure proper functioning and holistic growth. Obviously, for proper implementation of such rules and regulations, we need monitoring at different levels.

A point can arise here that those responsible to finish off corruption by monitoring people can misuse the power and can be corrupt themselves. But this is where transparency comes in. Ours is a democratic system which means everyone is answerable to someone and, ideally speaking, it should therefore be particularly easy for a democratic country to bring out equitable growth. The answerability or accountability itself acts as a preventive vigilance. As we know, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, preventive steps should be taken to ensure that power is not kept concentrated in a few hands.

If there is no preventive vigilance,  then that would mean no transparency which in turn would mean complete chaos resulting from corruption, negligence, bias, insincerity, ignorance, lack of interest, favouritism, carelessness, ulterior motives etc.

We keep hearing about so many scams. Proper monitoring of the systems will definitely ensure their proper functioning. There will not be any such unhealthy fall outs.

Conceded, some free- play is required for the smooth running of any machinery but certain precautions are also a must for the continuance of the functioning. If a system is too tight, which is to say that there are too many restrictions, it cannot function at all. Likewise, if the system is too loose i.e. there is insufficient preventive vigilance, it will simply go haywire. In other words, excess of anything is bad. So, we can safely conclude by saying that preventive vigilance, in just the required measure, is absolutely necessary.

  

869. Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.

868. Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention.

-         Abraham Lincoln

867.  There are offences given and offences not given but taken.

- Izaak Walton

866. Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.

865. Advice is the only commodity in the market where the supply always exceeds the demand.

864. I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

- Confucius

863. A peace is of the nature of a conquest; for then both parties nobly are subdued, and neither party loser.

-         William Shakespeare

862. The hardest part of any journey is taking that first step.

861. The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.