When I read this statement, I was not surprised: “American problem-solving approach at work: identify the problem, apply the right tools, and a solution will appear. Then move on to the next problem.” [Andrew F. Walls, *The Missionary Movement in Christian History*, New York, Orbis Books, [1996], Tenth Printing 2005, p. 234]
This is no longer just an American solution; it is now a modern one. Since several modern ideas, solutions, and problems have come mostly from the West, more specifically from America, they could have the patent rights for this formula. But will such an approach work in real life? This is my question. As instant satisfaction is the curse of this age, the modern world tries to find quick and easy problem-solving approaches. It may help in a few cases, but it won’t remain a universal solution to all the problems in life.
In contrast, the Eastern, specifically the Indian approach, is: don’t expect and accept easy and instant solutions to any problem in life. First, learn to live with it. Then, as you begin to live with it, your experience alone can help you find your own solution. But you alone cannot solve it. Along with you, your family, community, society, and country also have to be involved. Here, any individualistic approach to a problem won’t work. However, that could work in Western or Westernized countries where individualism is foundational.
Consider marriage problems. Though I am not married [God bless my soul], I haven’t seen even one single marriage without any problems. In fact, only problems, particularly between husband and wife, make marriage meaningful. Otherwise, it will remain boring and routine.
Though not all are advocating divorce as the practical solution, even in the West, it still won’t work that easily in India. Anywhere in the world where divorce is considered the best alternative to solve marriage problems, it becomes another ‘problem’ in life and can never be a solution. In extreme cases, it could be the only solution but not without any side effects.
In most Western countries, its side effects aren’t as serious because divorced people can easily find another life partner. However, a second marriage for a divorcee is a Himalayan task in India. In most cases, a widow can find another partner but not a divorcee. Of course, there are exceptions. But as we say in Tamil: Marriage is a thousand-year crop (aayiram kalathup payiru), it needs patience and long endurance to cultivate and harvest the benefits. In India, marriage is not between two individuals but two families, and it continues the family legacy.
For every traditional view, there is a counter modern view. I accept and respect it. But my suggestion is that there exists no normative one-time ‘tool’ to solve all the problems in life. When such ‘tools’ are implemented, thinking they have solved the problem, they might create several other problems, leading to the need for more such approaches. This doesn’t mean there is no ‘right’ tool for any problem. But in life, each one has to find and work out her own ‘tool’ to solve her problem, not just execute some readymade tool for any problem in life where you can easily solve one problem by identifying it, applying the right tool, and moving on to the next.
I would like to close with another modern problem and my own ‘tool’ to solve it. Now I use AI [ChatGPT] for editing, correction, and translation from one language to another. I even use this to convert my Tamil songs into both simple English songs and typical classical English-style songs. This was unimaginable for me in the past, though I made a few attempts requesting some people from the West to help, if not with all my songs, then at least a few. But none could help me, and I understand the issue. I use my laptop for translating my poems into English, both in simple and classical styles, and I only get some information from my Android phone. The translation software on my laptop is very good, but the one on my Android phone makes a complete mess when I request it to translate some of my Tamil poems. Sometimes, it cannot even translate properly from Tamil to English or Hindi. However, the laptop translation software is very good in this area, though it restricts the use of its data for a single session for free.
When I saw two different platforms giving different kinds of finished work for the same task by the same ChatGPT, it surprised me. Confused by this, when I asked them both [same ChatGPT but using different platforms; I use one on my laptop and another on my Android phone], they both gave the same answer. As different platforms use different kinds of data they have stored, I find the difference in their finished work.
Initially, this remained a problem for me as one platform gives very restricted data for a single session use. To use it more, I have to buy ChatGPT Plus. It is not only expensive but also, as I cannot pay in dollars, I found my own solution. For one work, I use one platform, and for another kind of work, I use another platform.@ And this relatively solved my problem. Of course, ChatGPT, which is again going to edit this, might be irritated by such an ‘Indian solution’ to our problem rather than using their American tools of buying extra data to work. But now it also has no other option but to tolerate us. Because in a cutthroat competition in the AI industry, more consumers are important than ‘customers’.
One good example of the different results from the same translation software on two platforms is this: Recently, for one of my articles, I asked both of them to give the top ten people who made history. To my surprise, while the Android version didn’t include Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, the laptop version included them both. I had already mentioned in that article that probably both Jobs and Musk might be the creators of that platform, and that’s why they were included. Or, as they both promote AI as the best American tool for all modern problems, it could have favored them. But for me, including Jobs and Musk among the top ten people who made history in the world is a ‘cosmic joke.’ Of course, Musk’s inventions create several comforts, but like all other human inventions, his inventions have also started to create problems. The more dangerous part is that if crucial decision-making to control certain AI programs is in his hands, it might lead to another kind of technological authoritarianism. Though he wisely prevented Ukraine from destroying some Russian targets by not allowing them to use his satellite, which Ukraine and many other countries have started to heavily depend on, still, such an accumulation of power in one individual, especially one with a strange character, is really dangerous for all humanity. That’s why the governments of several countries now call for strict vigilance against this kind of power accumulation outside state control in the hands of individuals.
So even though modern technology tries to give some universal tools to solve problems and move to the next, we Indians have a different approach to every issue in life. We always repair broken instruments and reuse them rather than throw them away and buy new ones, as most people do in the West. In fact, there are more repair shops in India than manufacturers. This is the Indian Art of Living.
Db. Gurukulam
27-6-2024
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