KOCHI: Two days ago, I came across an interesting article titled “Your mental dictionary is part of what makes you unique…” in the ‘Conversation’. Written by Nichol Castro, assistant professor of communicative disorders and sciences at University at Buffalo, the piece, in simple terms, explains how our brains perceive concepts, and process words.
Earlier, scientists believed each concept was “encoded by a single neuron”. This idea of “a neuron for every word” was called “grandmother cell theory”. Nope, it does not work that way, subsequent research showed.
Rather, as Nichol notes, “large networks of neurons across the brain work together to bring about word knowledge when they fire together”.
“For example, when I say the word “dog,” there are lots of different aspects of the word that your brain is retrieving, even if unconsciously,” she writes. “You might be thinking about what a dog smells like after being out in the rain, what a dog sounds like when it barks, or what a dog feels like when you pet it. You might be thinking about a specific dog you grew up with, or you might have a variety of emotions about dogs based on your past experiences with them. All of these different features of “dog” are processed in slightly different parts of your brain.”
Quite amazing, isn’t it?
Today, the heaviest of words is ‘pause’. Until last month, to me, the word would have brought back good-old memories of Osibisa and the Beatles, and the Panasonic tape recorder I marvelled at as a kid back in the ’80s. It had a cool spring-action ‘pause’ button.
Now, however, the word brings to mind flashes of the horrors of war. Pacifists across the world have been demanding a ‘pause’ in Israel’s vengeant onslaught in Gaza. The collateral damage has been horrid.
Israel initially announced ‘tactical pauses’ of 30 minutes for civilians to flee the hellfire zones in north Gaza. Thirty minutes of mercy.
With pressure mounting, Israel has now agreed to “daily four-hour pauses”. They call it “humanitarian pauses”.
‘Pause’ is now that slim separation between life and death for civilians in Gaza.
Down in Kerala, it’s politics in the name of Palestine without a pause. Close on the heels of a controversial Jamaat-e-Islami rally in Malappuram, the ruling CPM is set for its ‘Palestine Solidarity’ show on Saturday.
Wary of missing the bus, the state Congress unit has also announced that it would organise a “historic event of Palestinian solidarity” on November 23.
Though both parties claim the rallies are in the name of ‘humanity’, anyone watching politics would know it’s a vote-bank rat race. Well, that’s politics. And there is no harm in organising such rallies as long as they do not involve public funds or inconvenience the common folk.
In fact, we should also consider similar rallies in the name of humanity, taking note of genocide and ethnic cleansing in countries such as Nigeria, Congo and China as well. Humanity knows no colour, creed or politics.
However, what appears inappropriate in Kerala is the tendency to give Hamas a free pass while taking up the Palestinian cause. Some political leaders seem to ‘whitewash’ Hamas, and even subtly glorify it.
It must be noted that Hamas is not the same as Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organisation or Fatah. What Hamas did on October 7 was nothing but a terror attack. Brushing aside the massacre of over 1,400 Israelis would be unjust.
One can also not ignore Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Zahar’s proclamation: “Israel is only the first target. The entire planet will be under our law.” It would be heartening to see solidarity rallies seeking the release of over 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Israel has, more than once, hinted that it would consider a ceasefire if the hostages are left free. After all, the ‘solidarity’ here should be with Palestinian civilians, not Hamas, right?
British historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore, who was in India in January for the launch of his latest book ‘The World: A Family History’, argues this point firmly in a recent column in the Atlantic.
“The lack of decency and respect for human life is astonishing: Almost instantly after the Hamas attack, a legion of people emerged who downplayed the slaughter, or denied actual atrocities had even happened, as if Hamas had just carried out a traditional military operation against soldiers. October 7 deniers, like Holocaust deniers, exist in an especially dark place,” he writes.
While calling for peace, he adds: “Contrary to the decolonising narrative, Gaza is not technically occupied by Israel — not in the usual sense of soldiers on the ground. Israel evacuated the Strip in 2005, removing its settlements. In 2007, Hamas seized power, killing Fatah rivals in a short civil war. Hamas set up a one-party state that crushes Palestinian opposition within its territory, bans same-sex relationships, represses women, and openly espouses the killing of Jews.
Very strange company for leftists.”
Well, it’s a very strange world that we live in. At this stage, all we can do is hope for that ‘new world’ of enduring love and peace. Meanwhile, all I can do here is offer some new words. Some positive stimulus for those neurons up there.
Okay, time for me to go seek some blissful love. Leaving you guys with the latest Collins Dictionary update on the “most notable words of 2023”. Have a peaceful weekend ahead!
Termed the ‘talking point of 2023’, the word of the year is ‘AI’ - “the modelling of human mental functions by computer programs”; “technology which is concerned with making machines work in an intelligent way, similar to the way that the human mind works” (the terms usage quadrupled in 2023)
The other contenders:
Bazball: an exciting and aggressive style of cricket, named after England head coach Brendon McCullum’s nickname ‘Baz’
Canon event: an event that is essential to the formation of an individual’s character or identity
Debanking: the act of depriving a person of banking facilities
Deinfluencing: warning social media followers to avoid certain products or lifestyle choices
Greedflation: using high inflation as an excuse to artificially raise prices to increase corporate profits
Nepo baby: a person who has been perceived as benefitting from nepotism
Semaglutide: a medication used to suppress the appetite and control high blood sugar
Ultraprocessed: Food prepared using complex industrial methods from multiple ingredients, often with little or no nutritional value
Ulez: acronym for ultra-low emission zone – an urban area into which only low-polluting vehicles can enter without paying a charge