Book Review: Lifespan by David Sinclair

This is a ground breaking research in the field of genetics by Harvard Scientist David Sinclair. I had first watched his hour long video and then was convinced to read this book. The book has an interesting sub title “why we age and why we don’t have to”. That would surely attract many readers not only those who want to live longer but also who have the scientific temper to understand the theory behind it.

He separates just a handful genes (of 20,000 + total) which govern aging mechanism in the living beings not just humans. He proves that triggering those genes (either on or off) can alter lifespan in rats. He takes twin rats who have similar sets of genes and shows that they age differently with his experiments in the lab.

These genes can be triggered naturally by making fewer adjustments in our lifestyles which are known to benefit from forgotten times but this research only enforces it. They are:

a. Regular Exercise and Intermittent fasting

b. Sweating out occasionally and also taking cold showers exposing our bodies to thermal shocks which it can bear without permanent damage

With intermittent fasting, idea is not to starve your body of nutrients but to trigger the internal repair mechanism which aids in expanding the lifespan. Skipping a meal a day or fasting couple of days every few months (whatever works for you) would reverse the aging process with biological functions getting triggered that may result in you looking younger than your age. Instead we supply meals to our bodies at such a regularity, our bodies become complacent and the repair mechanism at cellular level gets shutdown and we begin to age. Similar effects are produced by exposing ourselves to milder thermal shocks. Apart from this, author also suggests consuming fewer supplements to help reverse the aging process further.

The book is more of a scientific read and if the reader has good knowledge of cellular biology and a good knowledge of genetics, he or she would appreciate it more.

Remember this author will give more years to your life but adding life to those extra years is up to you.

Suspicious world

China was struggling with corona just a month ago. Now it is opening up the city of Wuhan. Wow, what gives the confidence to China for such a bold move? Has it learnt to tame the wildfire? Did it find a way to cure the patients? How come there is no spread in Shanghai or Beijing when rest of the world is in the middle of a storm? Rest of the World is watching China suspiciously.

What is happening in the stock market? Last week’s relief rally is real? Or is it a bull trap? Investors all over the world are watching equity markets suspiciously.

India has announced lots of measures and freebies to the poor. But the migrant poor are leaving the cities to their rural natives in whatever vehicle they could find. If they aren’t lucky, they have resumed the hundred miles walk in desperation. They are suspicious of what Govt can do for them.

My friends from my native place are posting on Facebook asking people from Bangalore not to return to native. They are suspicious that these people would bring the deadly virus along with them. Sons of the soil aren’t welcome in their homeland.

I go for walk just around my house. Though hardly people are there, the one or two I encounter have suspicious look on their faces. Maybe for right reason.

There is dust in the air. I sneeze. I suspect myself if I have become a fresh victim.

World after Corona

The way we live and work are being changed with the onslaught of corona virus. My attempt to see what’s ahead is here.

1. Bio-weapons: Covid-19 has successfully demonstrated what damages a bio-weapon can do. All the war weapons of the past like fighter aircraft’s and missiles seem less damaging and more expensive now. And the healthcare workers are the new age soldiers.

2. Rivalry between US and China: This has not remained just a trade war now with allegations of Trump that corona is a Chinese virus. Expect that their relationship get worse before getting any better.

3. Pandemic preparation become election issue: What do you think the voters in Italy and Spain would do in next elections? For that matter, citizens of any country would be worried if their Govt.’s are not capable of handling pandemic effectively.

4. End of Centralised manufacturing hubs: Will China remain a manufacturing factory for the world? I don’t think so as businesses would look at reducing supply chain risks for the right reasons in the changed world.

5. Social distancing to remain even after Corona: You would pack a sanitizer into your bag when you step out, say “Namaste” instead of an handshake and take care before eating out etc. as these precautionary measures would become part of your daily routine.

6. Work from home and reduced business travel: Whether companies like it or not, they will be forced to embrace work from home else they wouldn’t be able to attract right talent. And business travel would be limited to only essential and necessary cases.

7. Abroad shine is gone: Going abroad for education or vacation or such reasons would take a back step with getting visa’s becoming tougher and it is seen as a risky affair now.

8. Why spend a weekend at mall?: Go out, shop, watch a movie, eat out and return late in the night to home. If that was you were doing before during weekends, likely you would reduce doing some or all of this. Good for Netflix and Amazon and bad for mall keepers.

9. More gratitude than complaints: I assume people would become grateful for being alive and not killed by some tiny virus. We would understand the Nature as a force and it’s ability to rebalance things so we would become humble.

Every revolution has brought a societal change, killed few industries while giving raise to others, marking a permanent shift in our approach towards life. I consider the lessons from this pandemic are no less. Hope the humanity rekindles and steps up the challenge successfully.

Book Review: Bliss by Osho

Osho occupied my hands, mind and soul this month and for sure I learnt few important aspects of meditation. He says meditation is doing absolutely nothing and remaining motionless (body) and thoughtless (mind). No techniques are needed for meditation but they are needed to avoid distraction. Doing Yogasana would make your body strong and flexible and would let you sit comfortably for meditation. Similarly, pranayama and chanting mantra would help in reducing and avoiding thoughts. What is important to note is, one has to maintain a distance between oneself (soul) and the body and the mind and remain an observer. When you are hungry, you should think my body is hungry rather than I am hungry. While body is quite easy to master, mind throws lots of tantrums before giving up. But again distancing from it helps. Rather than trying to avoid thoughts, simply observe them how thoughts come and go. Don't get associated or identified with them. With this approach, you would be able to slip into meditation. The idea here is to remain aware. With time, this awareness would gradually extend to your sleep and dream states too. Then you have become a Buddha. That is the essence of this book.

How much I learnt from this book? Well, it is the better understanding of what meditation is and what it is not. However I had grasped the same message in the books and talks of people other than Osho, this book made me realize the essence much clearly. Though I have been attempting to distance myself from my own body and mind, I know it is a long way. As Osho puts across in this book, it may take its own time and may be few life times too. I am not in a hurry either. Let the bliss come when the time is right. Distancing myself from the mind itself is a great bliss as desires and sorrows are also at a distance from me. Thanks to Osho for this teaching.

Books I read in Jan'2020

I have been busy reading books, one after the other and throughout this month. I thought of publishing the list of books I read this month.

1. Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari (This is my second read of the book. It has such a concentrated content, I need to read it again to understand it better)
2. The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
3. Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban
4. Myth breaker by Seema Singh (This book is about Kiran Shaw and Biocon)
5. Ikigai by Hector Garcia
6. Your Money or Your Life (Vicki Robin)
7. Rasayana by Dr Mayank Vora
8. The Wellness Sense by Om Swami
9. Learning to silence the mind by Osho