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The narratives we choose to tell about ourselves help define who we are, who we would like to be and/or how we wish others see us. This doesn't happen in a vacuum because society chooses to privilege certain attainments above others, in recent times having a PhD being one of them, at least within a certain segment of society.Granularity reveals further hierarchies even within this grouping. For example, within academia, getting a PhD is par for the course, being a PhD holder professor is prestigious and being a PhD holder elite university professor is even more prestigious.Arguably a PhD holder who insists on being called a “doctor” is using a more blatant approach to garner a successful life's standard perks (money, power, prestige) in an ostensibly meritocratic society.Problem for everyone though, for those with such attainments, at least on paper, and for those who serve as arbiters and gatekeepers within society as well as for the rest of society, is that these systems are inherently fragile, far from fool-proof and poorly rather than robustly self-correcting.Even within elite groups with similar academic credentials, all too often looking in from the outside, it isn't possible a priori to tell apart a bad egg deserving or destined to be outed sometime in the future from an as-yet hidden bad egg from a genuinely merit worthy good egg.Even when bad eggs are identified within elite circles, it occurs largely happenstance, either because a chain of unforeseeable events inexorably causes proverbial dominoes to fall (example 1 below) or because one rare person or two or more refuse to go along, fight the long hard fight to expose serious wrongdoing and ultimately prevail in the face of tremendous odds (example 2 below) or the system eventually works as it should...decades later when skeptics finally uncover serious wrongdoing (example 3 below).Example 1: Notwithstanding that the female students in question have law degrees from Yale Law School, Yale law professor Amy Chua - Wikipedia has now become even more infamous for apparently coaching them on how to dress to 'exude a “model-like” femininity' (1) to stand a better chance of bagging a law clerkship with US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (2, 3).Example 2: Avital Ronell - Wikipedia seems to have sought disgusting levels of abasement from her graduate students (4, 5, 6).Example 3: Brian Wansink - Wikipedia appears to have instructed his students to slice and dice the data any which way that got them statistical significance (the hackneyed p-hacking that simply refuses to go away) (7, 8, 9, 10, 11).These recent examples from fields as disparate as law, philosophy and nutrition psychology suggest that elitism and careerism make for a toxic mix in what is euphemistically termed the ruling class.Such scandals are highly informative because they let us pull back the curtain a bit and allow a closer examination of the presumption of meritocracy. Helping us divine how well practice matches theory, such cases suggest that groupthink dictates a great deal of the decision making process and that appearances may matter more than merit. This has implications not just for individuals in these elite circles but for all of society.Being well-educated doesn’t preclude well-educated morons, which beings me full circle in my argument.One could argue that people with PhDs who demand to be called “doctors” are merely more explicit in invoking the usually unstated privilege that society accords such educational attainments. After all, proxies such as greater prestige for those with PhDs wouldn't work if society didn't already implicitly give such proxies the nod of approval. They exist because we, the societal we, have implicitly ordained they should.On the other hand, the examples I chose suggest such proxies don't work as well and/or as often as assumed, turning out to be rather more contingent and less unconditional than society had assumed. If such examples are generalizable across a society, that's a crisis for those in it. In any case, such proxies for excellence likely never worked as well in practice anyway.The crucial issue is the degree to which practice deviates from theory now compared to times past. How big is the gap between assumption and reality, what's the likely frequency of bad eggs; such critical questions determine not just the lay of the land in a narrow sense, within a given field of study for example, but also the health of a given society in a broader sense.In general, it may be prudent to exercise caution when using so-called elite attainments such as PhDs or even other degrees from elite institutions as proxies of merit. However such a deduction has problematic implications all around, especially about whether an existential crisis is plaguing elite institutions. After all, these days many examples other than these three abound. Worryingly, the behavior and decision making of many among the elite in many fields of endeavor seem to resemble nothing so much as a dumpster fire.As for me, rather than the perks that attend elite attainment, getting a PhD was simply a means to an end because I wished to do basic biomedical research and this degree is deemed necessary if one wishes to be in the driver's seat as regards process. It's not that my PhD wasn't an accomplishment. After all, relatives have pointed out that I was the first in my entire extended family to get one, and I may well still be the only one for all I know.However, such an observation is balanced out by the fact that the relative privilege of my birth circumstances meant that I could pursue such a path without perceiving it to be a serious obstacle. I merely had to check the academic boxes (written tests and interviews) necessary to get a fellowship and to get a placement at an institute largely of my choice, privileges I try to not overlook nor take for granted.Resting on my laurels, such as they are, is antithetical to my nature. As Jimmy Iovine reportedly said,'Just because you did something once doesn't mean anything. You have to be willing in your heart to begin again everyday.'Or as my father used to say 'drawing premiums on past achievements is the definition of mediocrity'.Bibliography1. 'No accident' Brett Kavanaugh's female law clerks 'looked like models', Yale professor told students2. Brett Kavanaugh Liked Female Clerks Who Looked A ‘Certain Way,' Yale Student Was Told3. YLS professors said Kavanaugh picked attractive clerks4. What Happens to #MeToo When a Feminist Is the Accused?5. The Unsexy Truth About the Avital Ronell Scandal6. An N.Y.U. Sexual-Harassment Case Has Spurred a Necessary Conversation About #MeToo7. Emails Show How An Ivy League Prof Tried To Do Damage Control For His Bogus Food Science8. Here’s How A Controversial Study About Kids And Cookies Turned Out To Be Wrong — And Wrong Again9. Sliced And Diced: The Inside Story Of How An Ivy League Food Scientist Turned Shoddy Data Into Viral Studies10. Food Research Articles Retracted by Leading Medical Journal11. Cornell Review Finds Academic Misconduct by Food ResearcherThanks for the R2A, Daniel Kaplan.

Glad that you asked this question. You are right, there are lots of symbols and symbolism found throughout the entire concept of Hinduism. There is a lot of symbolism present in almost every aspect of Hinduism, and you rightly mentioned the statues.For example, in every Shiva photo, the earrings he wears are of different sizes(you can check that if you want). This symbolizes male-female equality, as the right earring(larger) symbolizes male while the left one symbolizes female. Symbolism of Shiva, anyways deserves a separate post altogether. We should talk of the question asked here, ie Hindu templesI have written a blog post on the same linesThe Temples of Ancient WisdomFrom the same blog,The knowledge of Ancient Vedic Men was of such high degree, the customs they popularized and inbred among the people in their daily lives was of highly scientific and logical nature. A highly scientific marvel like Aum is remodeled to be an important religious symbol, while the Gods are attributed with Vahanas akin to their individual divinities. It is but very obvious then, that the places where the Gods reside, the temples are deemed to be resplendent of similar scientific and symbolic imagery, which not only appeals to the devotee's sub-conscious, but also helps him meditate peacefully.The Architecture-The location and The Garbhagraha:It is a mighty known fact that most of the ancient temples were designed to be more than mere places of worship and meditation. The Vedic temples were built strategically at places where the positive cosmic energy is in abundance because of the magnetic and electric fields.The main idol is always located in the core center of the temple, known as the Garbha-Griha. As a matter of fact, first the idol is placed at its position and then the temple is built around it. The Garbha-griha is chosen to be the place where magnetic waves are the strongest. As a practice, some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic Shlokas are kept beneath the main idol. Copper absorbs the magnetic energy and radiates positive energy to the surroundings. This specific attribute of copper makes it useful in curing arthritis by wearing it in bracelets.As a person revolves around the main idol in a clockwise direction, he receives the positive energy radiated from the copper, and this, gradually helps him, in meditation and maintain a good health on a regular visit. In a way, the temples were designed as "Public charging sites".The pyramidal shape:The particular pyramid shape of these temples serve manifold purposes. However hot or humid the entire surroundings may be, one could never feel hot inside a temple. A tall, gradually narrowing structure, along with water being poured all across the floors keeps the inside of the temple premises cool, and the magnetic fields stronger(heat reduces magnetic energy).In the year 2005, an article was published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. A group of scientists in Bangalore took containers of various shapes and placed various food items in it. As days passed, it was observed that the container which was pyramidal in shape demonstrated the slowest decay out of all the containers.Various temples use flowers to further keep the atmosphere inside light and comfortable, to negate the effects of moistness. These flowers and fruits get decomposed as slowly as possible because of the pyramidal structure.The Bells:As per legends, the bell sound is to ward evil forces away. A well designed bell, if struck, produces long strains of AUM.Symbolically, the body of the bell represents time. the tongue of the bell represents Saraswati. Striking the bell would mean the message of Saraswati, which is knowledge and wisdom itself, being spread all over.Scientifically, a temple bell is made up of a variety of metals, just in the correct proportion. When struck properly, a bell sound lasts for at least seven seconds, and touches the seven healing centers, or the Chakras in the body. It also unites the left and the right part of the brain. As soon as one hears the bell, all pre-thoughts are emptied, or in a way, it wakes one up before entering the temple itself.The bells also dont allow any insect to remain inside the temple. The reason, why even the oldest of temples wont have any insects or pests inside them.Dhwaja:Another inseparable ingredient of any Vedic temple, Dhwaja or, the Flag, serves purposes more than mere symbolisms of a number of legends. The color of the dhwaja, red or orange, symbolizes the fierce energy of the sun. As the flag flutters, thanks to its very peculiar spear shape, it symbolizes sun's life-giving glow. As the flag flutters, it also symbolizes great wisdom and bravery together.Scientifically, the flag acts as a conductor to transfer the energy from within the Garbha Griha to the entire atmosphere, thus radiating positive energy all across. It also acts as a lightning rod which saves the temple structure from lightning.As per legends, the pillar holding the Dhwaja, the Dhwaja-stambh represents as a connect between heavens and earth. The stambha symbolizes the Holy Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The flag when seen by a devotee from a distance, informs him about the deity being worshipped within the temple and sometimes, even the rituals are symbolized by the Dhwaja.The ingredients of worship: Lets take a step back from here, ie. the temple premises, and have a look at whats all happening inside the temple. Even under scorching sun and intense heat, the insides of the temple are still pretty cool. Water is being sprayed continuously and devotees are lighting up incense sticks, striking bells, and offering flowers to the deity. Lamps are lighted all over, which emit talismanic low light. Add to that the positive vibes which are already present all around.All these ingredients of a 'perfect' worship create a state of trance, where from the point a devotee enters the premise, he enters into a state of trance and is almost hypnotized in the entire settings of the temple. His mind is now singularly focussed on devotion, and the body is absorbing positive energy. According to the very scientific Vedas, this is the state of trance when a man himself becomes God. Its only then, it is said, that one could build a temple inside his heart and can meditate without even needing one temple.I wont say that each and every older temple of India has been built keeping the same concepts and ideologies in mind as stated above, but every temple that's based on Vedic notions, follows the same architecture and model as stated by the Vedic principlesNeither did I try to comprehend nor find any logical reasoning to why certain temples allow animal sacrifice. I personally feel that's an incorrect practice and should not be encouraged in the name of religion.Its nothing lesser than a colossal tragedy with what happened in Uttarakhand a few days back. Thousands of innocent souls lost their lives and we all must pray for their souls to rest peacefully.However, one cannot take away the fact that only Kedarnath temple kept standing along with the central sanctum, primarily because they were based on Vedic foundations and the calamity couldn't shake it's very foundations.Hoping that our governments take some lesson out of this tragedy and embrace the state with better disaster management facilitiesPeople go to temples to wish for money, success, luck, and what not. But, this was not the primary reason for which these temples were built. The temples can help you attain a better health and peace of mind, and guide you towards spirituality. Sadly, modern day pundits have made temples an easy way to earn money, promising people of their wishes being fulfilled, but a temple visit would not serve such a purpose. Go there for your betterment, not to trade your time for your wish.

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If you have a personal favorite, please share it with everyone in the comments.Like this article? Then join the Conversation with many others in EWAO !Credits: DIY Genius