There is a lot of debate in the UK right now about whether the country should continue giving aid to India, a country that's no longer among the poorest in the world.
It's not my place to decide how the UK spends its money, but the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested more than $1 billion in programs to fight disease and poverty in India, I am pleased with the results of those investments, and we are going to continue to invest more in the future.
There are two reasons for our commitment to India. First, our mission as an organization is to help all people live a healthy, productive life -- and a huge number of people who are sick and impoverished live on the subcontinent. There are 400 million Indians living in extreme poverty, more than in all 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa combined.
Half of the malnourished and underweight children in the world live in India. These children are in no way less deserving of the opportunity for a good life, even if their country's GDP is growing.
A lot of India's disease and poverty is concentrated in the poor states in the northern part of the country, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where our foundation -- and the UK government -- focus a lot of our work. If Uttar Pradesh were a country in its own right, it would be the fifth largest in the world. Bihar would be twelfth largest. And both would be among the poorest. We invest in India because that's where the need is, and we know we will have an enormous impact by working there.
Another reason we invest in India is that we've found the government can be a very effective partner, especially by scaling up the very best ideas and sustaining them over the long-term. India started paying for its own polio eradication program and did a great job running it, which is why the country recently marked an entire year without a single case of polio.
Here's another example: One of the first programs we worked on in India was called Avahan, an HIV prevention program that's now reaching millions of the people most at-risk for contracting and spreading the virus. With many international partners, we helped launch the project, refining it and measuring its impact along the way. After the first 10 years, the government of India has decided to take it over.
This is a great example of what collaboration between funders and governments can achieve. Avahan is saving lives, and it would not exist if we hadn't provided funding and technical assistance to test out a promising new idea. However, the Indian government is scaling and sustaining the effort over the long-term. This pattern has been repeated across the country over the past several decades, and aid has steadily become a smaller and smaller portion of the national economy.
I go to India at least once a year to see the progress of the work our foundation is doing there and I'm always struck by two things -- the dynamism of the place, and the tremendous need. Unfortunately, the former doesn't cancel the latter out. The UK has a long history of extraordinary generosity and an established track record of making an impact on the lives of the poorest people in the world. There is no better place to have an impact than India. That is why I believe India is a solid investment for anyone who cares about development.
Bill Gates is the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He regularly posts his thoughts about the Foundation's work and other projects on his personal website, The Gates Notes.
Follow Bill Gates on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BillGates
How to converge into one religion that is acceptable to all human beings …all nations ….and all religions. ?
What can be that `Standard model` of philosophy/religion that satisfies one and all?
In my opinion the basic fundamental criteria to be adopted in arriving at one`s religion is that it should be fully compatible with, and should not be required to reject an already established truth by Science.
After reading Einstein`s ``Ideas and Opinions’’, Erwin Schrodinger`s ``What is life and Mind and Matter``, and Paul Davies` ``God and the new physics``, and a few other books, some of the elements of philosophy that I think, might be acceptable to all, could be:
1) That there is, what is known as the `Law of causation`, that every `Effect` is preceded by a `Cause`. Quantum Physicists may tell you that this law is only applicable at Classical level, and does not apply at Quantum level. But Quantum Physicist may also tell you that probabilities even at quantum level of particles, atoms or molecules evolve deterministically, but seemingly via some mysterious larger scale action connected with the emergence of a classical world that we can consciously perceive ( Roger Penrose …Emperor`s New Mind ).
( To be continued)
2) That there is what we call the `Anthropic Principle` according to which, the laws of science and the constants of nature are extremely fine tuned, in a way that ensures life and consciousness to emerge and then understand this universe.
3) That we need not deny the existence of God but at the same time we must accept the fact that a physical function God made up of atoms and molecules, sitting somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy and keeping a comprehensive record of all our deeds and then rewarding and punishing accordingly, is impossible to imagine without violating the laws of science created by him.
4) That It will do no harm to anyone`s religion if we say that God is a mind that is omnipresent in time and space, it is a universal mind that becomes conscious in an environment with an appropriate biochemistry, but this consciousness is always in the singular.
5) That there is a universal law of probability which implies that this Anthropic Principle is not exclusive for us human beings. In short there is nothing special about the human being in the eyes of the mind called God.
(To be continued)
Thus if our human civilization is moving towards self destruction - caused by the interactions of the Universe – the God who plays dice, may not come to our rescue. We must act on our own to create such probabilities that can save us from self destruction.
Once this convergence of religions is achieved, the desire for the followers of any religion to outnumber the others will disappear.
It will then be possible, by all nations, to frame appropriate laws to control rising population trends, by ensuring that the numbers arriving `A` do not exceed the numbers departing `D`.
Easier said then done of course…… but if not done…. We know the consequences.
All in all it’s a race between a horse called `Intelligence` and another one called `Ego`. For the former the winning post could be 500 years away – the danger zone that must be traversed. For the latter which is currently having a big lead, the winning post – The SD of the TC – could be well before that.
I am in the process of writing a book entitled `Six words – Seminar held in a parallel universe`` which has a chapter (about 75 pages) that deals exclusively with this subject. I can arrange to send this…. If required.
Mr. Gates. I once again express my deep appreciation of what you have done… are still doing… and will continue to do … for humanity.
Regards and best wishes
(Concluded)
Very nice work. Waiting for Parts 7-10.
It seems that Gates thinks simply decreasing the infant mortality rate will change things. I’ve lived in many parts of the developing world for the last 40 years. It’s more complicated than that. There’s culture, resources, attitude, religion, wars and many other things that affect it. Even in the West families increased with 3 to 4 times the surviving offspring for the first generations before voluntary reductions.
I’ve also noticed in Africa with the rapid increases in population there how the farmers are having to eradicate the wildlife, whose land they’ve encroached on to support their families, in spite of wildlife conservation efforts. It’s even magnified since the Chinese are there buying up land to support their own growing population.
I have completed the write up ... it took 12 parts. I could not manage in 10.
He really does know more than you are giving him credit.
http://www.physorg.com/news196489543.html
PART 7 OF 10:
Perhaps this – Blind eyeing – is already happening in some parts of the World.
Consider the situation in Pakistan. Now I am from India, a Hindu, and one of several millions who have no problems whatsoever with our Muslim friends in India or Pakistan. We lived together for centuries, We all look alike, we speak the same language, we sing the same songs, we watch the same movies, we have the same passion for Cricket, and I can go on and on. But sometimes we have misunderstandings, we sometimes fight …. Even brothers do…. There are complexities involved…. Not insurmountable ones and If left alone we can resolve them, provided there are no interferences …and no blind eyes after interfering.
The US of A cannot be unaware of the fact that US and Pak are partners in fighting terrorism of only one kind viz related to Al Qaida/Taliban considered dangerous for the West, and the US is not unduly concerned about terrorism inside Pakistan itself, or Terrorism directed against India, or about the possibility that a few more 26/11 type of attacks could test India`s patience leading India to target the terror camps in Pak territory, ultimately leading to the use of nuclear force by certain elements in Pak.
All this is blind eyeing I think.
(To be continued)
It is not possible that the US is unaware of the fact that a substantial portion of the aid they are giving to Pakistan for fighting militancy is going towards strengthening and expanding its nuclear arsenal.
I think its blind eyeing. I could be wrong.
Am I out of my mind to be thinking like this ?…. Perhaps I might be….. But a hundred years from now…If good sense did not materialize in time… with about six times as many people living in our two countries…..Creating misunderstandings…. Creating situations for a conflict…. Allowing nuclear war between us …. And then blind eyeing…..Might even be the done thing…. In the larger interest of survival of the human race.
May be that would conform to an Anthropic Principle of a different kind.
But why take a chance like that. ?
100 years from now means 21 billion people… Well nigh impossible to sustain. …There will be host of other problems…huge environmental issues…. Global warming….. Depletion of resources…. Top soil issues…whatever ( not my line)…. More reasons to fight.
But we are an intelligent race…. We cannot wait that long before thinking sanely
Time is running out Mr. Gates… We must act now….. 7.5 Billion Should be the point at which the U turn must take place. 7.5 Billion Souls should be the upper limit that can be accommodated on the planet.
(To be continued)
Thereafter the numbers leaving must equal the numbers arriving, or maybe the former should be in excess of the latter to allow the Souls some time to rest in peace before entering consciousness again. At the 5 billion mark it should stabilize.
How to achieve this?
The first requirement: Conflicts and wars must end.
Realization must manifest itself that Religion – the mistaken belief that our religion is superior to others - is at the back of all wars/conflicts.
All religions are good if they are understood properly… And all religions must converge into one religion, and that one religion must converge with Science. By all means follow the teachings of the great religious leaders of the past, be it Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Gautam Buddha or Krishna. They were all great men, call them Gods if you like, They all taught good things to mankind. Follow them..as many or all of them… but there should be no need to believe they rose from the dead… Or walked on water…. Or carried a mountain on their fingers. That will be considered as breaking the laws of Science created by the original God.
At least in the following respects all religions must converge:
1) To live and let live
2) To help our neighbor
3) To take care of the environment around us.
4) To reduce our numbers.
(To be continued)
PART 4 OF 10:
Nuclear wars followed by chain reactions are the only way of causing sudden massive falls in world population, but it is also the only way of causing the extinction of the human race from the planet (Apart of course from cosmological causes such as a major asteroid hit).
In any given year there is a certain probability index showing the percentage chance of a nuclear attack taking place somewhere in the World during the year. There was a time in the early sixties (the cold war years) when this index was quite high. It came down thereafter, fluctuating within a narrow range. In recent times it has started rising somewhat. Even assuming that the probability of a nuclear attack during an year is as low as 1 in 200 ie 0.5 percent and rises each year (due to increase in population) by as little as 0.01 percent in the first 250 years and by 0.02 percent per year thereafter and assuming further a 25 percent probability of a full fledged chain reaction for each nuclear attack, then the probable chance of our technological civilization self destructing itself within the next 250 years can be worked out as. in excess of 50 % and if still no action is taken to reverse the rising population trend, the SD of the TC is virtually certain well before we can see the 27th century.
(to be continued)
Am I out of my mind to be thinking like this ?…..Perhaps not….. Stephen Hawking thinks 200 years is all the time left out for us, which means we may not be here even in the 23rd century.. forget the 27th. Martin Rees is even more pessimistic and considers the 21st as our final century.
Where will all the souls go? …. Hitchhike to another planet on another star and strive to find another biochemistry and regain consciousness in another form?…. Or maybe remain on earth…get inside termites and start devouring concrete structures?.
Chilling thought.
But….. We are an intelligent race….. with men like you, Warren Buffet, Stephen Hawking, Barrack Obama (not as POTUS) Roger Penrose, Manmohan Singh (not as PMOI), Paul Davies, Steven Spielberg, Charles Townes, etc etc… few and far between … but still in thousands… How can we allow egos to overtake and conquer us?… How can we self destruct ourselves?
Political leaders of the world .. in particular of the overpopulated countries are unlikely to be much concerned about these things. They will always look for short term success.... so as to remain in power…. In their own country.They are unlikely to bother about whats going to happen to their great grand children. Its belonging to one country and to one religion that is at the back of all problems of the planet.
(To be continued)
But you .. along with those referred above… can help.
Time is running out for us Mr.Gates….. Lets analyze…. And find solutions to the problems of the Planet Earth…. Not just of India.
A study of the non uniform growth of populations in different countries will reveal that if the same trend continues, the combined population of India/Pak which is currently about 4 times the combined population of US/Canada will be 8 times 100 years hence, 75 times 400 years hence, and about 3500 times 700 years from now.
Another exercise will show that if the same trend continues, then the five countries Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Sudan, and Pakistan will leave all other countries way behind and together will constitute 99 percent of the total population while occupying only about 10 percent of the total area whereas the remaining 1 percent will occupy 90 percent of the area.
Chilling thought…. I doubt if the above scenario will be acceptable to anyone….Only two possibilities come to mind …. Either good sense must prevail or Nuclear wars must take place to prevent that sort of a situation.
But how will nuclear attacks take place?….. Surely it is not good enough reason to attack another nation just because its population is increasing….. What then should we do? …
Let them fight among themselves. Create situations for it ….And then give a blind eye.
(To be continued… After a break)
.
Respected Mr. Gates
This is just the kind of blog I was waiting for to give my response to in the way I want to.
I hope you read this…. All of it.
At the outset, I am in total admiration as well as in total appreciation of the great work that you are doing for India. However, I think you are addressing the wrong problem. It is not poverty that is the key issue that needs to be resolved, without doubt, it is `OVER POPULATION` that is the key issue. Mr Gates you have two powerful resources at your disposal.. Your `money` and your `time`. With your money you can continue to help the poor and the downtrodden, but with your `time coupled with your intelligence, your concern for humanity, and your limitless resourcefulness`, it is the overpopulation of the planet that I feel you must look into and try to address it. In my humble view, I can say that if this issue is not resolved … I mean resolved quickly… It has the potential to cause a total collapse/extinction of the human civilization from the Planet earth.
In the next four parts (each part being limited to 250 words) of this response, I will endevour to explain `with statistics` why I think we are proceeding towards `Self destruction` and in the subsequent parts will give some suggestions as to how this problem can be resolved.
(To be continued)
CONSIDER THE STATISTICS ( arrived at after a detailed study of the population records of the planet ):
`` In one hundred thousand years (ending 1900 AD) the population of the world increased from a few hundreds to about 2 billion, in the next one hundred years it trebled to 6 billion, presently it stands at 6.9 billion `` --- --- (a)
``10 percent of all the human beings who ever lived on the planet Earth are still alive today in the year 2012 (Assuming about 62 billion deaths so far).`` --- (b)
``The figure `10` in statement `b` is considered as the `P` Factor corresponding to the year 2012.This factor keeps rising with time. Its value was only about `3` in the year 1900``. --- --- --- ( c )
``The rate of increase of population has also been increasing though non uniformly, however even if we assume there is no further increase in the rate of increase ie trebling every 100 years, the factor P will increase to about 21.5 in the year 2112, and about 36 in the year 2212. Thus in the year 2212 a category `b` type statement should be something like:
`36 percent of all the human beings who ever lived on the planet Earth are still alive today in the year 2212 (Assuming about 60 billion still living and 104 billion deaths so far` `` --- --- --- ( d )
(To be continued)
``From the above statements it appears… Not only that all who are leaving are coming back again but there are others who are joining us on a regular basis (perhaps from other life forms) `` --- --- --- ( e )
``Perhaps it may not be incorrect to assume that `No human being who was once alive on this planet Earth, is not alive today`` … (f)
``The rate of increase in population is not uniform in all countries or religions. In some cases it is as high as trebling every 60 years or so.``--- --- --- ( g)
``If no steps are taken to reverse the trend of rising population, then a simple calculation will show that in some areas of the World the density of population just 500 years from now may be as mind boggling as 20 people per square meter, which means the entire land area filled with people literally touching each other`` --- --- --- ( j )
Surely this cannot possibly happen. Nuclear attacks will become imminent long before that stage is reached. The notion that large scale conventional wars may help in reducing population levels is not correct. The 20th century witnessed several wars including two world wars and the number of lives lost was unmatched in any previous century, yet the real population explosion took place in the 20th century, in fact the rate of increase of population experienced a sudden surge around the year 1930.
(To be
What a saint he is.
Answering that question can point people in the direction to solving India's poverty problem.
we're hurtin' here at home
For sure there are plenty of people in the UK that would also dearly love to have a healthy and productive life. How about a few billionaires investing in enterprises that provide jobs here too?
India does not spendy money on toys, it spends defense budget money on items that are needed to defend itself, just like the U.S. does.
He's investing in an abundant source of cheap labor. He'll invest in America someday, after wages approach third world status and we decide to invest in education once again, out of sheer desperation.