Attention Mechanisms.. Tuning the Truth Tables of Life!

Sujatha Ratnala
3 min readJun 3, 2024

#nobleprizestories #kenopanishad #deeplearning

In the era of AI and attention mechanisms, I happend to hear this wonderful talk by the Nobel Laurate Katalin Karikó.. An amazing story of resilience, grit, faith and deep learning. Life can throws situations that can provoke enormous stress. Learning a bold lesson for life instead of getting trapped by the event and situation.. Moving on to ‘what next?’.. And seeking gratitude in those tough situations that has shaped her.

At an early age of 16 having this sense about Life.. Her high school biology club exploring and reading a book about Stress, and reflecting on the meaning of Life and Self!

I myself wondered at times in my 30s.. Why did highschool biology end with mere anatomy and cells? Why did it not teach about the complex layers that life presents, and how is the mind to digest and comprehend the syllabus of Life?

When her teacher said -He will make sure she will not get admission into that College.. She just learnt one new lesson in Life.. ‘Not everybody around will root for You!’ Wow.. What a terriffic learning at that young age..

I was reminded of a talk about Shankaracharya’s life. Great minds feel, experience and learn from little event and turn of life. It is like tuning the truth tables of life. Sometimes we are lost in the samsaara deluge of events, and navigate the same situation and stress again and again till we learn to deal with it.

Attention is all in takes.. A sporty car passes by the eye, but the mind has not guaged it, not given the attention perhaps.. And the car goes by..

Or rather, the mind is some what entertained by this car.. But another errand lands by, and the fleeting distraction of the car is lost.

Or perhaps, the mind is so distracted by the Car even after days.. tormenting, conflicting thoughts.. even hallucinating and projecting about riding this car..

Or perhaps.. Inner reflection snapping the thought.. New cars will come and go.. I am on a tight budget.. Need to buy a house.. Wake up and move on..

This line from Kenopanishad beautifully resonates with this story..

By contemplating and gathering the truth tables of life, one can free from the mortal clutches and reach for the infinite.. This brave act has to be done by one self and by means of knowledge..

In this moment right here, if one can realise the truth, he realises it.. Or else, a an oppurtunity is just greatly wasted..

प्रतिबोधविदितं मतं हि अमृतत्वं विन्दते
आत्मना विन्दते वीर्यं
विद्यया विन्दतेऽमृतम्‌

इह चेत् अवेदीत् अथ सत्यम् अस्तिन्
महती विनष्टिः

In pursuit of Infinity, perhaps it needs too much courage to see the truth tables with this clarity. Till then the middle path of Human evolution..

Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/6bc7d919-1bbe-4727-ae07-37a9b79a71d5/664c88d34f58ea0012cd2e51

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Sujatha Ratnala
Sujatha Ratnala

Written by Sujatha Ratnala

I write.. I weave.. I walk.. कवयामि.. वयामि.. यामि.. Musings on Patterns, Science, Linguistics, Sanskrit and other things..

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