On Indus Valley Civilisation, Psychedelics for Medical Treatment and Mental Models
Three stories/books that I recommend this week:
• I finished reading Early Indians last week. It’s a book that I won’t recommend to everyone but only to those interested in pre-historic and early civilizations, especially the Indus Valley Civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappa Civilization (named after Harappa, the first ancient city that was discovered as part of the excavations), has been at the center of many a debate — including the one on the Aryan migration. Did the Aryan migration really happen, and did they bring the knowledge of the Vedas and the Sanskrit language with them, is at the heart of this debate. Tony Joseph’s book tries to answer this question based on recently conducted DNA studies. A short summary of his findings is as follows:
- The first Indians were the out-of-Africa migrants who came to the subcontinent roughly 65000 years ago.
- Between 7000-3000 BC, agriculturalists from the Zagros region in modern day Iran came to India and mixed with the local population. This mixing led to agriculture-fueled settlements - one of which became the Harappa civilization. It’s major centers being Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Kalibangan.
- Around 2100 BC, a southwest migration of the Steppe pastoralists ‘Yamnaya’ (from modern day Ukraine) brought the Yamnya tribe to India. The same people migrated westwards also to reach Europe. The people of the Yamnya tribe refer to themselves as Aryans. They bring with them horses, the practice of sacrifices, and an early form of the Sanskrit language.
- The Harappa Civilization declines soon after, either as a result of the Aryan migration and subsequent conflicts, or more likely as a result of a long draught. The people from Harappa move southwards and mix with the first Indians and settle down in what is Deccan India of the present day.
This is a rather simple summary of a thoroughly researched book, which uncovers many more layers including providing an evidence of how and when the caste system started in India. It was not a direct result of the Aryan migration but started 100 CE onwards (2000 years after the Aryans came to India), but continued uninterrupted since then. Hopefully this book should settle the debate that it wasn’t in the time of Harappa that the practices so well associated with India — the language Sanskrit, knowledge of Yoga and meditation, the Vedas — were known but rather these came much later when the civilization was declining. Moreover, it should reaffirm the belief that India remains a country that has always assimilated other cultures and peoples like its own.
• This long-form story on the use of psychedelics for mental health treatment appeared in Fortune magazine last week. It traces the efforts and investments made by the author Tim Ferris in this field. According to the story, the use of psychedelics for treatment is gaining popularity and investment in the field is increasing exponentially. “I felt there was a possibility that you could walk into the experience,” says Ferris in the interview “and walk out a very different person”. Hopefully, what comes out on the other end is a more optimistic version of yourself. There is a death by suicide every 40 seconds in the world and if the tainted universe of magic mushrooms and MDMA could do anything to help such people cope with severe depression, then it’s worth looking into. Let’s see how and if this field of research matures and finds a way into conventional lines of treatment. The other unconventional, though better tested, line of treatment for anxiety and depression that is fast gaining traction is based on breathing exercises and meditation — this is something that I would definitely put my money on.
• What are mental models and how can they help us think better? Well, here is a simple but powerful primer on the topic by James Clear. A mental model is ‘a concept, framework, or worldview that you carry around in your mind to help you interpret the world and understand the relationship between things. Mental models are deeply held beliefs about how the world works,’ explains Clear. It’s an area that I will certainly read more about in the near future. If you are looking where to start then this twitter thread is a good list to check out.
A quote that I came across last week:
“Every time you wake up and ask yourself ‘What good things am I going to do today?’ Remember that, when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it”
— Anonymous
