“There is nothing called universal right or wrong” challenged the girl. “Driving on the left side of the road is ‘right’ in India, but the same is ‘wrong’ in the US. There driving on the ‘right’ is right while driving on the ‘left’ side of the road is wrong! There is no universal right or wrong Dad! You just don’t understand!!” The father looked brokenly at his daughter “But there are some things that are universal my child! Your personal liberty ends where the next person’s nose begins! Cannibalism is universally unacceptable to human beings even though it exists in other species and life forms. As a society, we need to follow certain collective right and wrong!”
God looked at Science who was calmly enjoying his piece of mango.
God: You seem to be totally unmoved by that dialogue between father and daughter! Aren’t you concerned with any of this?
Science: O Lord! I have nothing to do with this. This mango is delicious… (Slurped Science)
God: But what if I asked you to make it your concern. How would you react? Which side would you take?
Science: Father! I cannot analyse the emotions behind these statements. But logic does say that what the girl says is right. There aren’t any universal rights and wrongs. After all it is a relative world. So theoretically and logically she is correct.
God: Hmm….. Come I want to show you something.
God held Science’s hand and led him to a house where a mother was teaching her son Mathematics. God signalled to Science to remain silent and merely observe.
Mother: Sajju! Let us try this sum. Ten apples cost Rs.150/- What is the price of one apple?
Sajju: That’s easy Mom! If ten apples cost Rs.150/- one apple will cost 150 divided by 10, which equals Rs.15/- Correct?
Mother: Good! Now what if I asked you this question – Ten apples cost Rs.150/- How much does 100 apples cost?
Sajju: (after a brief pause) I know… this is a multiplication sum!!! If 10 apples cost Rs.150/-, one apple costs Rs.15/- and so 100 apples will cost Rs.15/- multiplied by 100 which equals Rs.1500/- Correct?
Mother: Yes!! You are right!!! Ok! Let us try this sum. Hundred men take ten days to complete one task. How many days will ten men take?
Sajju: This is a little confusing. But wait! I know the answer. If hundred men take ten days to complete a task, ten men would take much longer. So it will be Hundred men divided by ten days multiplied by 10 men. The answer is one hundred days!
Mother: Superb!!!
God was intently looking at Science. While Science did enjoy witnessing this camaraderie between mother and child, he nevertheless did not see any special significance to the whole thing. Why was he being asked to observe this scene?
God: You did not understand the significance my child! Let me ask you are you familiar with this type of word problems?
Science: (with a hint of surprise and arrogance) Lord! Of course I am! This is taught in the very basic lessons on multiplication and division! It is part of 5th grade portions!!
God: (with a smile) Then you should be able to clarify my doubts for me Science! I understood the first statement ‘Ten apples cost Rs.150/-’ Now the child was asked to find the cost of (a) one apple and (b) 100 apples. Please explain to me how he found it.
Science: (So full of himself that for a minute Science forgot he was actually talking to the Lord) It is really so simple. You divide the cost of ‘n’ apples (here 15) by the number of apples ‘n’ (here again 15) to get the cost of one apple. Then you multiply the cost of one apple with 100 to get the cost of 100 apples.
God: Will the answer be the same for everybody?
Science: Most certainly my Father! The formula does not care who is applying it! It will give the same answer to anybody who applies it!!
God: So all I need to know is multiplication and division to get the answer to this sum right – correct?
Science: Yes Father! And ten tables are the simplest!! Nobody can get it wrong!!
God: If you are so sure, let me try it too! But no cheating eh? Don’t help me till I am done OK?
Science: (laughing) Of course!
God: The cost of 10 apples is Rs.150/- So the cost of one apple is Rs.150 multiplied by 10 which equals Rs.1500/- Now, If the cost of One apple is Rs.1500/-, the cost of 100 apples will be Rs.1500/- divided by 100 which equals Rs.15/- Correct?
Science: (Suppressing his glee) You got it all wrong!
Now God seemed angry!! How can His child Science tell Him the Lord of the universe that He had got it wrong!!
God: What do you mean I have it wrong!! My ten tables are correct!! 150 multiplied by 10 is equal to 1500/- do you deny it?
Science: No. But…
God: You mean 1500 divided by 100 is not 15??
Science: That is also correct Father. But…
God: Then how dare you say I am wrong!!!
Science: (Stunned at this sudden behaviour of the Father Science quietly whispered) I don’t understand what you are trying to prove my Lord! But it is my job to say what is right and what is wrong. Yes 150 multiplied by 10 is equal to 1500. Yes 1500 divided by 100 is 15. But you should have first divided 150 by ten to get the price of 1 apple and then only you should have multiplied 15 by 100 to get the price of 100 apples.
God: Oh! So you say first I divide then multiply… eh? So that’s where I went wrong!! Never mind, let me try the next sum. In ten days hundred men can complete a task. So in one day the number of men required is ten divided by one hundred… which doesn’t make sense… how can the answer be 1/10th of a man??
Science: Lord!! Please! Why are you doing this to me? You know very well that the second problem is inverse proportion. The less number of men employed the more number of days it would take to complete the task.
God: But you said as long as I know my multiplication and division, my answers will be right. And my ten tables are right…
Science: Yes Father! I did say the formula does not care who applies it – it will give the same answer – always. But you have applied the wrong formula Father! Your actual multiplication and division is right, but the very formula of when to apply what is wrong! And if the formula is wrong no matter who you are or what you do, you cannot get the correct answer!
God: (Smiled and hugged the perturbed Science) That is all I wanted you to tell me!! My child, there is no universal right or wrong in terms of all of existence! But it does make a huge difference whether you are applying the correct formula or not to get the desired result.
The scene reverted to the father and daughter. With enormous love and patience the father was holding on to the hands of his daughter and soothingly whispering to her – “My dear baby! I want the best in the whole world for you! But you have to understand. Yes the good Lord made apples and oranges. But you cannot plant an apple tree and expect it to reap oranges. That can never happen!”
Written by Gita Krishna Raj | Published in infinithoughts in April 2010
When Science met God… | Segment Seven: Formula to Life | Chapter One: BODMAS
