Airbus 320 and Andreas Lubitz

I was reading about the fatal aircrash of the Germanwings Airbus 320 flight in the French Alps. All the 150 people aboard were killed in this tragic incident. As the details emerge, it becomes clear the crash was the result of a deliberate descent into the mountainous terrain initiated by the copilot Andreas Lubitz. He apparently shut himself in the cock pit while the pilot had left for a bathroom break and forced the plain down a midst repeated pleas from the pilot to let him in and   screams from the terrified passengers sensing the impending disaster.

What went through the mind of this young killer-suicider? He was being treated on and off depressive illness. I would bet  that he have had unsuccessful attempts to kill himself in the past. He might have returned to life at the very last minute, unable to gulp down the lethal medicines they found in his apartment room, unable to jump off the bridge in his neighborhood, unable drown himself in the icy cold waters of Rhine. His fiance's rejection might have prodded him again into the nihilistic path again . He might have had fleeting thought taking the world down with him in his jump off the precipice. His life doesn't matter. Why should anyone else's life matter? Everything is pointless. He might have been experiencing the numbness, the sort of coldness in his heart where you feel you are locked up in this iron vault immune to all emotions, where you simply do not care yourself or anyone else in this world, where everything would feel pointless, and an exit from the meaningless void becomes the only rational way out. He was breathing calmly, throughout the process. The numb mind control your body which would be devoid of the adrenaline surges that a regular person would experience in a such a scenario. No rapid heavy breathing. No palpitations. No sweating.  Just his frozen soul controlling his robotic actions to crash the plight, unaffected by the heartbreaking cries around him.

A plan for April

This is going to be something like a blog marathon for me. I really want to reflect on my day to day experiences and put my thoughts into words, learn some thing new from them, and transform myself into a better person.  I want to get rid of the world block that plagues me. I want my words to tumble down from the neuronal networks  into my tongue and finger tips like a sparkling mountain stream, composed of cool and crystal clear prose. So almost everyday in April I'l try my best to post something new. It could be about life in general, the folks around me, the events in news, the books I read..I just want to write and write till the process becomes second nature to me. So here we go...

Book Review " Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell

In the weeks after demise of the Apple founder Steve Jobs, the web and print media were inundated with articles on his genius, his remarkable path to success as the innovator of one of the most coveted devices in the world. In the midst of paens of praise, I stumbled upon a well rounded story of Job's life by Malcolm Gladwell published in the Newyorker. For the first time in my life, I felt like I understoood Jobs better as a person, still human with all his faults, foibles and eccentricities, and not just a divine figure in the techno world. Gladwell's fresh and unbiased approach, his thoughtful analyses of various issues and his crystal clear prose thoroughly impressed me, I simply had to read more of his works. A quick wikipedia search introdcuced me to Outliers, a work of non fiction on the story of success.

Why are some people so succesful in their lives? Hardwork, intelligence, ambition - these are characteristics commonly attributed to the members of the uber succesful club. But every hardworking talented person that you know haven't been a part of this club. Outliers delves into the depth of the phenomenally succesful folks and showcases to the readers, the often ignored or unacknowledged factors that play a pivotal role in the their success. It focuses on the role of opportunity and legacy in shaping a person's future. Does month and year of your birth influence you chances of being succesful? I did not think so. However, after reading Outliers, I am convinced that these do matter. Gladwell's example of the Canadian Hockey League where majority of players are born in the months of January and February drives home the point. In Canada the the eligibility -cut off for age class hockey is January 1. A boy who is born after January first, but in the first few months of the year has a significant advantage in terms of the physical maturity, and the amount of time put in practice when compared to his peers born later during the same year, and hence a higher chance at being selected to the team. Gladwell's research also shows us that most software tycoons were born in 1950s, thye decade where the computer industry was in its infancy and had a potential for enormous growth. If Bill Gates was born in 1960s or 40s its quite unlikley that he would have transformed himself to one of the richest men in the world by striking it big in the world of computers and software.

One aspect of Gladwells work that particularly appealed to me was his 10,000 hour rule. Your IQ and innate abilities could only help you to a certain degree - once you cross a threshold, it is the amount of effort you put in that really matters. Christopher Langan might be the smartest man in America with his IQ over 190, but Albert Einstein with an IQ of 150 was the one who made significant contributions to the scientific world. By the time you have spent around 10,000 hours practising a particular skill, you would have tranformed yourself into an expert in that particular field. He supports this argument with convincing examples - the time Gates put in before making it big in the computer world, the time that Beatles practised in different clubs of Hamburg before transforming into rock and roll legends all roughly equal 10,000 hours. This 10,000 hour rule motivates me to put in more effort in my academic pursuits without worrying too much about my innate intellectual abilities.


Outliers abounds with examples of success which stemmed from a confluence of factors - right opportunities at the right time, presented to a person with innate and developed skills and the right attitude. In a few cases, like for example when tries to figure out why Asians are better at Math when compared to their western counterparts, I felt the explanations where still insufficient, and there potentially could be overgeneralisations. I still doubt whether the fact that the numbers take longer to say in English and other western languages compared to cantonese have a potential role in accounting for the perceived difference in the mathematical abilities amongst cultures. Gladwell's is a masterful observer and skilful interpretor of cultural nuances and their often unrecognized role in certain event outcomes.


My second favourite section of the book ( the first being the one on the 10,000 hour rule) is his analysis of the conversations in the Korean air flight crew before its crash. As an East Indian, I'm quite familiar with culture where the so called mitigated speech is employed to downplay or sugarcoat what is being id said to an authorative figure.Before reading Outliers, it never dawned to me that being less assertive or being overly deferential to authority to the point that you feel uncomfortable or emabarrassed to question them could have far reaching and potentially drastic consequences. The Korean flight officers reluctance to question the captains decisions and their difficulty in communicationg the need for emergent help to the air traffic control as they were used the 'mitigated speech resulted in a fatal plane crash. As a primary care physician, I some times employ mitigated speech when communicating to the subspecialists, but would be less likely to do so, thanks to the insight gained from Outliers. I would strive to be quite assertive when communicating the patient care needs, though it might go against my cultural instincts.


Overall, Gladwell has gone a great job of picking convincing examples to prove his points, walking his readers through the maze of varied data, putting forth his ideas clearly through his simple yet elegant process, all the while ensuring that the readers interest in the subject remains unwavered. Gladwell has truly mastered the craft of writing, I am sure he would have spent 10,000 hours and more on his journey to reach his current stature as the award winning author of many new york times best sellers.

Teacher’s salary must be based on their student’s academic performance.

A strong foundation in education is a prerequisite for the social and economic progress of a nation. Several studies in recent times, including the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results showed that United States is lagging behinds other industrialized nations when it comes to education.  In such a setting, efforts to revamp our educational system and improve our students’ academic performance are called for. Many people argue that teacher’s salary must be based on their student’s academic performance. I do not agree with this proposal.  Several factors play a role in a student’s education, and teachers being just one of the factors, should not be penalized for the lack luster performance of their students.

The academic performance of students varies among different school districts. The socioeconomic status of the students, the effort and interest their parents or care givers put in their education, the inborn and nurtured talents of the students, the guidance of the teachers, the environment at the school, the friends they have , all play a role in determining  a student’s performance in school.    While the role of a great teacher in fostering interest in education is significant, the role played by the students themselves and their caregivers cannot be minimized. Poor neighborhoods, communities with racial minorities and immigrants may have schools with students who do not perform as well as their peers form a different socioeconomic background. If the teachers’ remuneration is undermined by the poor performance, many teachers may just leave their jobs, or move to better school districts.  Without enough teachers the school may even have to close, jeopardizing the already poor state of education in these underserved communities. 

Students’ academic performance is usually measured by the standardized test score or grades they get in class. This system however is not foolproof. The recent school cheating scandal in Georgia where teachers and supervisors manipulated the answers to obtain better test scores is a case in point. The grades given by teachers also vary greatly, and some teachers may be tempted to give better grades if their salaries are going to be based on the grades. Better strategies to identify stellar and ineffective teachers need to be developed.

We do not have an effective system that will measure student’s performance after nullifying the factors that teachers have no control over like poor socioeconomic status, abusive caregivers etc.  Hence basing the salary on teachers on student’s performance should not be encouraged.

If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable.

Does the end justify the means? Many people believe that a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it are justifiable. I do not agree with this argument.  The worthiness of a goal is an abstract notion,  and can vary from person to person.  Almost always, there are more than one way to accomplish a goal, and the one which is morally and ethically appropriate should be chosen. Unscrupulous ways to achieve a goal  cannot be encouraged. Let me illustrate this with a few examples.

Getting a college degree  and obtaining good grades  can be considered as worthy goals for students.  However that does not justify plagiarizing others works  to obtain better grades. Pursuit of happiness can be considered a worthy goal. Reaching levels of euphoria through alcohol or recreation drug abuse however cannot be justified. Spending time with the family can be a fine goal, but one can’t leave the work place before  the work hours  to attain that goal.  Bridging the gap between the rich and the poor in the nation is a worthy goal, but forcing the rich to give away all their wealth  to attain the needed equilibrium. Eradicating AIDS from the face of the earth is ideal. But that goal cannot justify killing everyone with HIV infection.  Winning a Presidential election is a worthy goal. However  spreading false claims about the opponents or trying to leak their election strategies (eg. Watergate scandal) is not pardonable.

In summary the goals, no matter how ideal they are, may not justify the means to achieve them. Ideal goals through ideal means should be what we aim for.

In order to become well-rounded individuals, all college students  should be required to take courses in which they read poetry novels, mythology and other types of imaginative literature.

A solid foundation in education of its citizens  is one of the prerequisites for the socioeconomic development of a nation.  The educational process  as whole has a lot of potential for improvement and efforts to revamp the system are called for . In order  to increase its ability to develop and nurture  well-rounded individuals, some people argue that all college students  should be required to take courses in which they read poetry novels, mythology and other types of imaginative literature. I do not agree with this argument. Though options of pursuing imaginative literature should be widely available in the curriculum, I do not think that it should be made a mandatory requirement.

Every individual is unique in terms of their talents, passions and style of learning. Not everyone shares the same level of appreciation for poetry, mythology and fiction. It is  unreasonable to force some one to take courses in imaginative literature  if they loathe the same. A student who is  passionate about science, one who aspires to be a lab scientist or researcher, one who wants to be a mathematician, all  may prefer to spent their time and efforts  in college where they can build their skill sets for a solid career in their chosen field. They may find the mandatory literature courses tedious and boring, and a unrewarding distraction for from their focus of interest. A college education is expensive, and in these trying economic times,  such mandatory courses may not provide the value to the money spent. Even worse some students may just not complete their college education if forced to take courses they have no interest in, there by jeopardizing their future.

Poetry, novels and other types of imaginative literature, all help to widen a person’s imagination. They  take them to a different realm of experience. Depending on their topics, these works of art have the potential to educate and  inspire students, motivate them and  may also play a role in developing  into them into well rounded individuals. However,  more than a few courses in college, several other factors help to mould the character of a well rounded individual . Practical experiences in one’s life, active participation in sports and other activities, volunteering in the community , all may contribute to personality development. By the time a students completes high school, they should have adequate exposure to the field of imaginative literature. If this is not the case the curriculum in schools may be modified to achieve this goal. Once out of high school, students  who have decided on a strong career  path should be given the option of focusing more on their chosen field on interest. For all others, the option should of taking courses in various other disciplines including imaginative literature can be encouraged.

Politicians should pursue common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals

Should our political leaders pursue common ground and reasonable consensus? Or should they focus on elusive ideals? While it is true that a pragmatic leader would aim for reasonable consensus and succeed in accomplishing a common goal, their achievements may only be mediocre, where as the rare  iconoclastic leader achieves greatness by  attaining goals  thought to be  unattainable,  holding true to  ideals which  many people may classify as elusive. Let me illustrate my viewpoint with some examples.

Abraham Lincoln is considered as one of the greatest presidents of the United States. He led the country through a great consititutional, military and moral crisis – the American civil war – preserving the union, while abolishing slavery and promoting economic modernization. Had he strived for a consensus and compromised his ideals of true equality for every individual, regardless of their race, the course of our nation’s history might have been different. Slavery, a  brutal injustice could still have flourished in this country for longer.  The life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi  is another case in point. When India was under the British rule, when the demands for the independence of the nation was being ignored and  Indians were treated like second rate citizens by the imperialists in their own country, Gandhi advocated for a nonviolent resistance as a strategy to fight the British. Many thought that the principles of ahimsa and nonviolence were elusive ideals, however through his words and deeds, Gandhi was able to convince the masses and go forwards with the nonviolent freedom struggle which culminated in India attaining independence in 1947.

Is it always worthwhile pursuing elusive ideals? I do not think so. The recent failure of the super committee in reaching a consensus regarding deficit reduction is an example. The Republicans and Democrats both stuck to their ideals, were unwilling to compromise, and no effective deal could be made. This indecision is frustrating when United States is going through trying economic times, and the debt levels are at an all time high.

In summary, I believe that politicians should try their best to reach a consensus and pursue goals benefitting the public while aspiring to stay true to their ideals. If a consensus cannot be reached, and the ideals at stake are the ones that would lead to a greater common good, they may have to try alternate strategies and unconventional methods to attain those ideals.