'BOOK' - A few years from now?

Generalized Peter’s Principle for Life

If we extend Peter’s Principle and examine each and every species of life to see how well they execute the functions coming under their purview, humans stand apart. The abject inadequacy of their actions vis-à-vis survival of the race, I think can easily show, humans are beings who are at the level of their incompetence.

The issue:

Why is human society never in a state of peace? This was (even now is) the question that prompted me to start many of my books and most of my ‘hubs. While exploring a particular case of upheaval, whatever reason I could find within the lingering discontent in the society was further examined in those writings. The most potent conclusion I could derive from this was this - the ambiance of discontent pervading the human race is, nothing but the leftover from the post-mating trauma of the animal world.

Is that it? Why is that we are not able to realize the presence of something as natural as that? Or, aren’t we already accommodating it just like all other species, as one of the distinct features of the human race? If so, how exactly does it manifest while giving rise to such disturbances? Won’t there be some additions to our life, both external and internal, that is causing this? If so, what are those?

The Answer: my Hub

Book Review: The Ultimate Guide To Brain Plasticity

'Brain Plasticity: The Ultimate Guide To Brain Plasticity' by Ryan Cooper contains proven steps and strategies on how to understand brain plasticity and how one can quickly and efficiently change ones brain to be the most effective, and useful to help one in reaching the desired outcomes.
In the first chapter, the book explains two ways to benefit from this. The first option is to master the mechanism and dynamics of the brain by learning how to fully operate it. The second option is to learn new ways to grow the skills that are already in possession, further.
The next chapter tries to prove that Brain Plasticity Works At Any Age, followed by a brief introduction to the concepts of brain plasticity, namely:
-Plasticity can vary by age. It can happen throughout your lifetime. There are specific kinds of changes that are dominant for certain life stages.
-Brain plasticity involves many different processes. It is continuous and it occurs from the beginning until the end of life.
-Aside from neurons, it also involves vascular cells and glial cells.
-Brain plasticity can happen because of any of the following: as a result of brain damage or as a consequence of learning, memory formation, and experience.
-Environmental factors in the process of brain plasticity. In addition, genetics is also a determinant.
-Brain Plasticity are of two types, functional and structural
Author thereafter discusses other areas of interest like techniques, plasticity, and memory improvement, how plasticity affects concentration, as well as, the effects of meditation on brain plasticity.
I found this book giving a good introduction to the topic of brain plasticity and its possibilities. Like any other reader would have been, I was greatly interested in taking advantage of the suggestions for personal improvement. Though a short discussion on memory improvement as well as another one on meditation is contained in this book, I wish the author devoted a few more pages to a discussion on the practical use of these and other facets of plasticity, in real life. 

Book Review: WHY WE NEED NOT MARRY

‘WHY WE NEED NOT MARRY’ by Kingofhearts (ISBN: 9781311638243/1-311-63824-5) is more than a book about marriage. The First Part of the book starts with chapters on love and infidelity, happiness and id, ego & superego. Here the author finds that love, infidelity etc are natural to humans and have a genetic cause. He ponders further. He finds that the monogamous system is not an ideal system. Love is under control of our genes and genes are not under our control, and hence it is natural for us to show infidelity. Why do we make monogamous faces? Why don’t people accept the truth?  Are there circumstances in which people should not marry? What is the role played by spirituality?

In the second part of this book, the author investigates into different marriage systems. At the outset, the author provides an interesting twist when he says, ‘marriage is a tradition flawed from the beginning of the civilizations.’ Historically, males have been fighting among themselves for three things, Piece of Land, Food, and Female. Is the allusion place marriage as a leftover of prehistoric violence? Is it that now we have stopped fighting among ourselves on this count (females), marriage is assuming an agitating role with a possibility of dispute - polygamy, polyandry, same-sex marriage? Next two chapters are on options other than marriage, live in relationship and live apart relationship. Here, an example is given of a living community - Mosuo in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, where marriage system does not exist. In the next chapter, costs and benefits of being single, married life, live in arrangements, live apart relationship as well as the Mosuo marriage system is explained briefly. “Mosuo men and women continue to live with and be responsible to their respective families. The couple does not share property. The father usually has little responsibility for his offspring. It is the job of men to care more for their nieces and nephews than for their own children.” This is quite similar to the social life existed in some other parts of India as well – for example, Kerala, where it exists even now, in a much-subdued level, of course.

On the basis of the costs and benefits, you can decide which path to choose. The last chapter tells you the responsibilities towards family members. Finally, the book ends with the final conclusion that marriage is only one of the forms of living, which necessarily need not be superior to others.

This book examines the sociological relevance of marriage in a completely new frame. However, it fails in addressing the role played by marital alliances in the physiological domain. Being an important part of life, and even more significant when it comes to peace, harmony, and happiness in our society, marriage has to have a close link with the physical dimension of our life. And it should have found a place here. But for that, the author has done a commendable job that can lead to dispelling many of the social myths, human society is always reeling under.

Book Review: Women, Sexuality and the Political Power of Pleasure

'Women, Sexuality and the Political Power of Pleasure' by Susie Jolly, Andrea Cornwall, and Kate Hawkins is a book aimed to correct a social unbalance - well exemplified by the fact that in many parts of the world, it is almost impossible to imagine women enjoying themselves.  

And we have the  suppression  of  pleasure  in  some domains, and its commodification in others, both of these, quite suiting for a patriarchal society. This is, what is leading to women's need for more opportunities to speak openly about pleasure  and  to  better  understand  the  potential  of  a  pleasure-focused approach.
This book shows why we should work with pleasure, and how we can do so in ways that change people’s lives, both on individual and collective levels. It also shows how pleasure can contribute to empowerment.
The authors of this book explicitly  argue  that  a  pleasure-based  approach  can  radically undermine patriarchal control of women.

To make their points clear, the book quotes many examples. Like the customs in rural Turkey of girls being slapped across the face when they first menstruate, or being  punished  for  knowing  or  inquiring about  sex.

The contributors to this book bring a forceful argument to fore, that pleasure  can  be empowering not just for women but for young people, people with disabilities, marginalized groups more broadly, and for society as a whole.
I think the book misses an important point. How women became a suppressed lot? Quite right the author is, when, at the beginning of the book itself 'suppression of pleasure' is identified as the significant retardant of women's  progress and empowerment. The author is again right when a pleasure-based approach is identified for its correction. I wish the authors pondered further, about the society's(say males) apprehensions about women's enjoyment. How else this could have become part of the society's(males') agenda, had it not been for the mortal fear about pleasing women.