Digital Goverment

We can turn democracy into a very efficient and trouble free form of governance, if we can remove the bumps that are always associated with the governmental machinery, primarily of the decision making process. And for this, when we utilize the incomparable capability of modern computers, one can expect fantastic results.
There are many options. One, where each and every voter can be given the choice of suggesting any name, except one's own. The one getting the maximum mentions can then become the representative. Two, voters can choose directly the government, doing away with the necessity of representatives, or of a house itself. Three, all can be given the opportunity to approve, modify, or discard each and every decree or other relevant activities of the government, which can do away with the need of an elected part of government, altogether.

Universal income

Guaranteed income, like the recent announcement by RG, or of Govt, is not at all a usual gimmick. If looked at in this way.
A society comprising of people who can take care of themselves, can continue to flourish, if nothing occurs to prevent it. The aim of every welfare state should be to become one such society.
Because of extreme disparity, some people are not in a position to look after their needs, and, to help them there, welfare measures are introduced by the state. Hence, the state's attention needs to be on removal of such disparities. This is what all welfare states do.
The issue here is, only an insignificant part of the money spent reaches the needy, the expenses of running a huge governmental machinery taking the rest, and the disparities continuing to exist. How much ever be the outlay, only part, a small amount, will reach the needy. In case of guaranteed income, these expenses can be minimized, since there can be direct payment. The money, then shall get circulated through the hands of many small and big players. Which means, almost all of it gets transacted, each and every member of the society standing to gain. Since all of this points to a greater value for velocity of money, a small outlay should be leading to a big benefit.

About Fear of Death

What is the origin of the rather irrational fear of death, we humans have? We are quite willing to forgo anything, or happy to inconvenience ourselves to a great degree, just to extend our life span. Which is easily noticeable, since all other forms of life show such struggles only when the end is inevitable.
Think of an activity, say, a game. All those who take part in it can be divided broadly into two. Those who are doing very well and belonging to the winning side, and those who are unable to register a win. For the former, the final whistle is of no consequence. Rather, they shall be eagerly looking forward to it. And for the latter, at every moment, the final whistle shall be an imminent threat.
I think the fear of death too, needs to be seen in this light. Agree, each and every form of life show some resistance, when  one's life is in danger. But for humans, fear of death is much more than that, it effectively is the primary determinant for everything in life. An all pervasive, acute form of fear, which, I am sure, needs more explanation.
Here, the thoughts I expressed in my book, 'The Unsure Male', is a perfect fit. Humans, especially the males, seem to be on the losing side, as far as the most significant activity of life, namely, the one of perpetuating it, is concerned. Who shall therefore find in the final whistle, a big threat. Also, studies in this regard exist, which talks of gender differences in the manifestation of this dread. Women seem to be less frightened about death, though they show a higher degree of anxiety over private or personal losses that can happen as a result.
Woman acts as a member of a winning side, and man, as one of the losers.

Intolerance, my view

However tolerant I am, that will be gone, the moment I am no more. And so, for all. But, if the society is tolerant, however intolerant I am, tolerance shall reappear, the moment I am gone.
A good question therefore is, how to make the society tolerant.
A society is constituted by abstract citizens, whose fundamental aim is to maximize one's own benefit. (Our system of bringing up the next generation essentially is nothing else but efforts to make us forget this aim!)
People can be divided into two, those who have their eyes set on the present, and those who look far ahead. The former always look for immediate gain, and the latter shall have a wider view.
For both of these, one will choose to be tolerant or not, based on the comparative benefit that can accrue. See, it is possible for an intolerant one to maximize one's benefits, only in a tolerant society. Hence, if we find intolerant people everywhere, it is an indication the the society is a tolerant one.
The West and the East are good examples. Societies of the west are open to change, but an average westerner is not. But look to the east. Societies full of individuals that revel at the traditional, and a society that has accepted the most.
I therefore feel, we need not find fault with our society on account of the levels of tolerance shown by its members. We in fact should be letting such individual expressions flourish, knowing well that the society will gladly and wholeheartedly accept a change, as and when it happens.

The Irrational in Us, Once Again

Our society constantly faces many explosive issues. A current one relates to the ecological disaster, the coastal region of Alappat is waiting for. Where amelioration is feasible by erecting suitable structures, or by reappropriating the composition of soil, or other scientific measures. But, rather than focusing on this, our society is busy with loud accusations, mainly about how such an issue came to be. And forgetting totally, the need of the hour as far as the damages that have already taken place.
Say, the finding regarding the ill effects of mining is fully right. Assume we stop mining notwithstanding the inconvenience, it could lead to. Isn't this too high a price, that too with no real gain, except perhaps the difficulties associated with the discontinuation of mining.
Hence, ask the right questions. Can the land be restructured, and if so, how?

Another recipe for peace

Why is human society not peaceful? I think this question has been attracting a lot of attention ever since the very beginning of mankind. And over the years, many reasons has been proposed. Class rivalries, religious strife, and cultural divides, are only some of those, each bringing out certain differences, like that of standard of living, beliefs, or outlook and behavioral traits. Which gave rise to an elaborate mechanism for keeping the human society in check. The vast structure of religions, sects, and countries belong to this. Do we really need it? Is there such an unease?
I tried to go a little deeper, and found that whatever be the origin of this unease, it gets compounded by many reasons.
All those probing into this naturally shall then identify this compounded version as the one needing attention. Since it will be having many different, prominent features depending on the particular force that acted on it, differing theories can arise, from those analyzing the uneasy society. And a host of variables shall be found to act here, like political, cultural, or religious differences. Each of those variables calling for the attention of a dedicated reformer, we have come to accept human society as an imbroglio.
But all of them miss one point. The unease has to originate somewhere, perhaps in something not so complex. The search for this is taking me to matter itself, in which I now see new possibilities. (In fact, notwithstanding our best efforts, human society remains to be a turbulent one, since we are yet to identify the primary cause)
Life, and sub-atomic particles
It seems the behavioral quirks of sub-atomic particles are quite similar to the peculiarities we see in the way life manifests. A distinct feature of life, presence of the element of free will, is almost the same as the conundrum associated with the behavior of sub-atomic particles, which we currently explain by terms like superposition, or uncertainty.
Hence one may say, the rather unpredictable nature or the element of chance present in matter when it is at the sub-atomic level, compares well with that associated with life as a whole. Which could portend a totally new approach to life. Like, quelling unease should necessarily involve redefining ease.