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The Fiction and the Truth

 Science fiction movies like "Jurassic Park", "time machine", "avatar" etc are big hits. Even people who have no interest in science watch these movies. It is because these movies catch their imagination. They show a story that people can relate to. The frames move very fast, there is a lot of suspense, and the script is full of surprises. Nature reveals its secrets very slowly. In the last 30-40 years, there has not been any major breakthrough in quantum physics. We have still not been able to understand the deeper mysteries even inside the core of the Earth leaving aside other solar systems and galaxies.  

Moreover, reality is complex. Once I bought a book written by Roger Penrose to understand quantum physics and cosmos better. However, I realized that the mathematical expressions he used in his book were beyond my comprehension. That too when I did 12th with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as subjects. Calculus seems to be a distant dream now. As we grow, the memories of the subjects that we do not use regularly seem to fade away while appreciating complex subjects like quantum physics and neurology requires at least some basic understanding of the science. Most people become so comfortable with wherever they are that they give up on new learning. 

There seems to be one more reason, especially in countries like India. Competition is so huge sharp that by the time we get a job, we are almost fed up with the books. We feel allergic to the books. There is fatigue since we have worked hard for almost 25 years of our life to get a job and then we just want to enjoy ourselves. We are a product of a society that was struggling for resources and while friends started enjoying at the age of 15-20 by joining some business and dropping out of school, we continued to study and defer those pleasures and fun. That's why most people just want to enjoy their lives, the moment they get a job. Investing time and energy in new learning is quite painful, especially in subjects that require quite deep understanding. Most people end up giving up new learnings. For some "new learning" becomes a winning formula to be regarded as a top worker in their organization and they invest their time and energy in learning the new skills at their workplace. 

As we stop exploring the fields of science and philosophy, they become more and more incomprehensible. To the extent that we feel like vomiting the moment we see any video or book related to these subjects. We are happy to develop the skills at our job. However, somewhere inside us, there still remains a curiosity to know the reality, and when clever directors present the subject in the form of an interesting story, that catches the imagination of many. It is entertainment cum imagination cum knowledge. That is why movies like Oppenheimer also become big hits.

We become what we do. If we restrict ourselves to the existing level of awareness of society, we remain confined. If we try to explore outside the well, we get to know the reality. For the people inside the well, that reality will never make any sense. But if the purpose of our exploration is to know the truth, the acceptance of the people inside the well does not matter at all. No doubt the people inside the well will be happier, especially if they are blessed with whatever they desire because they are not aware of the fun of flying. However, flying has always inspired humans. It's not easy to get out of our comfort zone and make efforts to fly. It takes time, patience, and perseverance to develop the wings, and during this time such people are often laughing stock of the people inside their well. But once somebody experiences the fun of flying, it's impossible to stay inside the limited boundaries of the well. 

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