Would you like a Paradox?

Paradoxes are a fun thing to ponder upon when you have nothing else to think about. Simply put, a paradox is a statement or logic that is inconsistent with itself. These paradoxes have been a subject of discussion among the intellectual as well as the bored minds since time immaterial. We have been quoting statements that turn out to be paradox long before we knew the meaning of this word! Statements like, “I know that I know nothing” make perfect sense to us but upon further reflection, we realize that this statement does not make perfect sense!

There exist a lot of paradoxes but few really capture your attention. Consider this. A crocodile steals a child and promises to return it to his father only if the father can accurately guess what the crocodile intends to do, and the father, being a smartass, says that the crocodile won’t return the child! Now if the crocodile doesn’t return the child, didn’t the father guess right? Food for thought!

So yeah, there are many more such situations, which come in really handy when you wish to leave the other person clueless. One more such paradox is the Pinocchio paradox. Remember Pinocchio? The guy whose nose got longer each time he told a lie? I have told a few harmless lies too but thankfully, my nose is still the same!

So consider this, what if Pinocchio said, “my nose will grow now.” NOW what? If he’s telling the truth, then according to him, his nose should grow. But Pinocchio’s nose doesn’t grow when he’s telling the truth! So he’s just as stumped as our poor crocodile!

One thing that must be noted that paradoxes have no ‘conclusive’ solution. Usually a solution is given which is then widely accepted because it seems feasible. So a solution can always be improved upon or a new one can be proposed altogether. So I’ll try to provide some “feasible sounding” solutions to this paradox!

This one sounds a little far fetched but whatever. Let’s give it a go! Pinocchio’s nose grows only when he tells a lie, not what he believes to be a lie, so it basically depends on what he knows will happen! If he actually expects his nose to grow, then he’s telling a truth, and it won’t grow! If he expects it to not grow, it will. Being wrong about something is not lying. This logic would continue on indefinitely, meaning that he can’t determine if his nose will grow or not, & so he won’t know. Since he doesn’t know, he can’t lie about it, so it won’t grow!

Another, relatively simpler explanation is there too. You can’t lie about something that will happen in the future, only make predictions. Since Pinocchio’s nose only grows when he tells a lie, it won’t grow! If Pinocchio had said, “My nose just grew” when it hadn’t then that would be a lie and would cause his nose to grow!

Now, chances are you don’t agree with me. And you might be absolutely right too. But hey, give me some credit! Minds much smarter than mine have brooded over this paradox too. So you’re welcome to expound on my theory. And do tell me if you think you’ve found a “conclusive solution” to this problem! Take care!

Just hitch up those jeans, will ya?

Now this I can say with utmost confidence, I’m not the only one who is often in disagreement with his parents. I mean, if parents and children agree with each other, its almost like going against the basic laws of nature! Ever wondered why kids and their grandparents get along so well? (Wink!)

Now, as a kid, I remember that only my parents could find faults in me; as far as other adults were concerned, I was an angelic child (that’s probably exaggerating it a bit, but you get the sentiment). Parents, it seems, have a firm opinion that if their child is not doing what they asked him to, he’s probably doing something wrong! My parents are still probably thinking that I’m wasting my time “facebooking” over the laptop when I should be doing something useful. It’s a miracle when two generations are in accordance!

Now, this difference is opinion is kind of like the weather; criticize it all you want, but it’s not going to change in your favor! It took me some time to figure this one out, but I’m starting to understand why parents behave the way they do. Now I might be very wrong, but this is just my opinion!

I would like to believe that our parents trouble us so much just to take revenge on our grandparents! A pretty simple philosophy, and leaves you with hope that someday you’ll be able get even with your parents! But a tiny corner of my brain, one which houses reason and common sense, knows that it’s not true. Our parents only want what’s best for us (shit). But the problem is a complex thing called ‘generation gap’. Or maybe, it’s not complex at all! There’s always going to be differences between two generations. For every teenager, there’s going to be an old man wondering what the hell is wrong with him! Differences are not only between parents & children; both the generations often differ in opinion with each other! It’s just that this difference is much more pronounced and prominent between parents and children.

For me, my parents are still the greatest source of advice. But in some ways, they have been molded by the limitations of their time, so they probably can’t accept a new train of thought as easily as I can; in many ways, our parents will always be more conservative than we are. But this is a necessary evil; this conservative mindset helps keeps a bubbly mind like ours in order. We are naïve, and they know this, and hence they protect us from the world. But sometimes, just in the process of shielding us, they go overboard and don’t really let us become self-sufficient. Girls have it even worse than boys. Though our parents understand that they would have to let us be independent someday, their protective instinct clouds their wisdom!

And most of us have been rude to our parents at some point. What we must realize is that an argument is just as frustrating for them as it is for us! This difference of thought is absolutely natural! Very rightly has this been quoted, “By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong!"

This is not an issue where one generation can be blamed; both the age groups have their shortcomings. Our parents have faced the hardships of life and its only natural that they want to protect us from that, but they forget that someday we have to learn to take care of ourselves; and even though we’re a naïve generation today, if you entrust us with something, we just might surprise you! And you have to understand that times are always changing! That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in another!

And we, for our part, must understand that our parents came from a different time, they’re pretty set in their ways; this doesn't mean that they are not capable of changing, it’s just that change for them comes gradually and very subtly. Sometimes, our parents have to be handled as if they are kids! Be patient, don’t force your thoughts on them & give them time, and you’ll be surprised at their reactions too! After all, at some point of time, they were in your position too! Mark Twain famously quoted, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.” Same is the case with most of us; as we get older, we start realizing how right our parents were! And even if a disagreement arises between the two of you, just realize that they have been around here a lot longer, so you have to gently persuade them to hear your views.

And don’t ever think that you've already done so much more than the previous generation; after all, it was a generation that had no Google or Facebook, yet they still turned out pretty good right? And to all the parents out there, please stop talking about the new generation as if you have no hand in raising them (shows tongue). If you remember, your parents were just as concerned about you, and you turned out pretty well too! There’s nothing wrong with today’s teenager that 15 years can’t cure! So both of the generations, just think about it. See Ya!