Musings on 13 B and television- PART 1

PS: One of those posts which seem naive as I look today

I recently caught up with 13B-Yaavarum Nalam(in tamil), a perfect "avial"(melange) served to all tamil movie goers, serving together all the delectable thrill plots we used to enjoy in hollywood. It was howevever a welcome relief to see none of those indian goofy leitmotifs which characterised our desi horror flicks. No diaphonous saris showcasing Ujala whiteness, no mystics mumbling sanskriti gobbledygook with peacock feathers and thankfully no remnants of human bones and skulls. I dont want to review this movie. I would like to discuss about some vague explanations given in the movie over the presence of ghosts (assuming for a moment they are evil) and other evil forces in this world.

A doctor, in the movie, says that by application of Newton's Third Law, the highest supreme force of God, the embodiment of goodness, should reactively be followed by a equally potent force of Evil. I was amused by his interplaying of newtonian ideas and ecclesiastical views. The director seems to be caught up in the time warp of the biblical times, when there used to be satan, the paragon of evil, who could even lure gods to commit sin. I really dont wish to blame the director for such views. This is widely held view in our country which boasts of such high spiritual heritage. People still think that GOD is waging a battle royale with the DEVIL with human beings caught as pawns and ending up as casualties or winners depending on the outcome of the battle. Enough of gyan

Let me put it straight. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS EVIL FORCE IN THIS WORLD. I know this might sound strange, considering all the things happening in the world. I am also very much aware that I am stirring up hornet's nest. Let me try to explain with a simple analogy. Imagine a huge beam of light focussed on one small zone. The area where this light is not focussed is definitely dark. However it would be presumptuous to assume that these dark area is a separate beam of energy that has been emanating in the place where light is not present. Its jus the absence of light which is causing darkness.!! In a similar way, there is no separate force which commits all the malevolent activities in this world. They are mere projections of a soul which doesnt realize its true nature. There is lot more to explain in this analogy of light which can throw light in to this arcane subject. The extinction of darkness and showering of light are simultaneous proceses. They are not reactive activities where one activity leads to the other. They are parallel processes. Having discussed this, let me come to the main law which was used so ludicrously in this movie. For the benefit of those blisfully ignorant ones, Newton's third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Now, let us first understand what constitutes a law. Law can be taken into consideration only when it is evident across a set of defined continuum. Consider Newton's third law now. There can never be a model of universe wherein an action and its equally opposite reaction are in the same frame. The reason being, the precedent action was caused by some other action which inturn was caused by another action and so on. Hence its impossible to slice this long frame of reality into minute slices and proclaim it a theory. I am not so qualified enough to talk about the evolution of newtonian mechanics. But one thing is for sure.. with the eminence of Einstenian mechanics, newtonian mechanics has lost its sheen...