Why We Die

 

"Why We Die" is a non-fiction book by Indian-origin Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan. The book delves into longevity and current research efforts to extend human lifespan.

Before reading the book, I wondered about why we die from an evolutionary perspective. I initially thought that if humans lived forever, or even significantly longer, it would lead to resource scarcity. Since evolution prioritizes the transmission of genes to offspring, it seemed that extended lifespans wouldn't offer an evolutionary advantage. I was reassured to discover that Venki Ramakrishnan had similar initial thoughts. However, this reasoning seems flawed. If an individual developed a genetic variation that promoted a longer lifespan, that gene could, theoretically, provide an advantage in passing on their genes. This seems logical, at least for men. However, women experience menopause long before they die. The reason for this seems to be that evolution has prioritized successful gene transmission. Genes that are beneficial early in life for this purpose may contribute to aging later in life. Mutations that increase lifespan often reduce fecundity (the ability to reproduce).

The book explores the causes of aging, such as the constant damage to DNA and the declining efficiency of DNA repair mechanisms as we age. The cells in our bodies continually divide. Telomeres, the protective ends of DNA, shorten with each division, eventually preventing further cell division. Cellular senescence (inability of cells to divide and properly function) occurs as we age.

Biology is so complex that significant progress in extending human lifespan may not be seen for several decades. Currently, the most effective ways to promote healthy aging are exercise, sleep, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Caloric restriction (fasting or consuming fewer calories) has demonstrated increased longevity in some studies, but it can also cause problems like muscle loss.

Finally, Venki Ramakrishnan poses the question of whether living longer is truly desirable. Perhaps, he suggests, we find meaning in life precisely because it is finite. Would I want to live for 400 years like a Greenland shark? Many people would say yes. Monogamy would be an exception over such an extended lifespan. Many people dislike their work but continue doing it for financial reasons. 400 years would be an exceptionally long time to spend doing something one dislikes. 

MBA and philosophy -1

I have sometimes wondered the courses taught in my MBA are science or plain nonsense. There are two kind of knowledge: a priori and a posteriori. Mathematics is a priori: you don’t need to refer to experience to test the validity of mathematics. It is innate. A posteriori knowledge on the other hand has roots in experience. Physics, chemistry and other sciences belong to this category. Science is a generalization about the nature of the world. You observe facts and come up with a theory to explain it. Of course you can never be absolutely be sure about the truth of science. I think Popper uses falsification criterion. You can only falsify a scientific theory with reference to experience but you can never be sure that the theory is absolutely certain. For, we can observe only limited things and you cannot even be sure of observed things as your senses might deceive you or you have a defective memory.

Do MBA courses at least fall in the category of science? Let’s look at course by course. The fist and most interesting subject is Managing across Cultures. What is the certainty of Hofstede’s dimensions? 

To be continued....

Reflections about MBA - 1

Our first semester is over and I have finished half the MBA in three months. What do I think about the course so far?

I learned a few things. I especially liked finance and one regret I have is that we had only one financial accounting course. I guess I loved the course because of its logical and numerical nature. Leadership, HR and Corporate Social Responsibility courses were pretty shitty though. I was especially disappointed with leadership and HR because I hoped to gain at least something in these courses. I learned more about leadership from HBR publications than in class. HR Professor was more interesting, but I thought he talked only about firing people and managing politics successfully to your advantage in an organization. The course seemed like Machiavelli’s version of HR.

There was one interesting session of leadership I forgot about. It was about ethics and we were supposed to choose one person, out of a mother whose kids would become destitute if she dies, a socialite turned philanthropist, a rehabilitated drug addict, who is running an NGO now, a smart little girl and four others, to award a kidney. There is only one kidney available and all of them would die if not given the kidney. There was a heated discussion about whose choice was right and for my part I was pretty undecided, so I wrote couldn’t decide. Most people chose to give the kidney to the mother. Drug addict was the last option by most people though most benefit to humanity as a whole would be from the rehabilitated addict as he is running a successful NGO now.

Ethics is an area in which we don’t seem to have an answer.

Two of the best courses were decision sciences and negotiation skills. We were taught principled negotiation and this means that when you are negotiating you need to keep in mind the interests of the other party, avoid victimization and work towards a mutually win-win situation. The course ended with a show of the movie “12 Angry Men”. I really liked the calm and rational protagonist.


There was another course I used to like till the professor gave me an average grade for my paper: Managing Across Cultures. Its amazing how you can change your opinion without any change in perception. It probably has to do with defending sense of self-worth. 

The life of an Indian is worth less than that of an American

It’s been three months since I got to Belgium. Belgium is the rich world. Even though people here are as stupid and as intelligent as they are in India, wealth disparities between the west and India are pretty wide. We were supposed to give a presentation related to Business and Law as part of the course exam and our group chose the Bhopal Disaster. After our presentation the Professor said, referring to the meager and pathetic compensation, the words I used for the title of the post. Our conclusion for the presentation was that accidents of this type keep happening especially in undeveloped countries like India because nobody gives a shit in those countries. 

There is another difference between India and Belgium. I once saw an ad here by an insurance company with a nude man showing his ass in all its eternal glory. If this happened in India, Shiv Sena (a right-wing extremist political party) would have made sure the man didn't have his cute butt to look at any more.

Belgium Visa for students

Getting a Belgian visa is a complicated process. Having gone through the process, I will offer some advice on how to get the visa. This post will especially help applicants from Andhra Pradesh, India.

One needs the following documents to apply for a Belgian student visa.

1. PCC (police clearance certificate) 

2. Apostle for Degree certificate
3. Proof of financial support
4.Medical certificate


PCC: Getting PCC is the toughest and most time consuming part. I had been living in Hyderabad for a few years at the time of my application, so I had to apply to the regional passport office in Hyderabad. After 10 days of inactivity at the passport office, I realized that it was better to get the PCC from Cyberabad Commissioner's office and applied there. I got the PCC within 8 days of applying here. (Some areas of Hyderabad fall under Cyberabad and the other areas under Hyderabad).   So, it's always a good idea to try to get from the Commissioner's office rather than the passport office (at least in Hyderabad. In other cities in India, passport office might be a better option. One of my classmates got his PCC from the Delhi passport office in one day and another got his in a week from the Chennai passport office) . After getting the PCC, I went to A.P Secretariat and got the Apostle done. Apostle is some kind of authorization by the Indian government that the documents are legal and can be accepted. The concerned office has branches in Hyderabad and in other major cities.


Apostle: I did my under-graduation in Orissa (NIT, Rourkela), so I had to go to Orissa and then probably Delhi. Instead I paid www.attestation.in a few thousand and they did the job for me. The entire process took around 15 days.


Proof of financial support: I took a bank loan to cover my tuition and living expenses and the loan sanction letter was all that was required to serve as a proof of financial support. I think it's not enough if you have enough balance in a bank account. You need to show support from a guarantor or a bank loan.


Medical certificate: In Hyderabad, Appollo hospital is the designated hospital for issuing medical certificate. One can find the authorized hospitals in other cities on VFS website. I went to Apollo and met a beautiful doctor who asked me to test for 7548 diseases. After giving blood etc, I spent two days worrying about the outcome and on the third day, I was told everything was fine and was issued a medical certificate.


Once I submitted all the required documents in Mumbai, I got the visa in one day. 


As I didn't have much time, I had a tough time getting all the documents on time. If you are considering applying for a Belgian visa, bear in mind that collection of documents alone will take up to a month. There are no agents available for Belgian visa and it's advisable to submit on your own.