Most of us have a tendency to take things for granted. That's natural of course since the mind doesn't bother to think about something which will not affect our lives in any way(or so it thinks). But just think about it; there are more than 10 million species of living beings in this planet, out of which we were born as humans, the single most advanced and intelligent of them all.
For this simple reason, I feel myself so lucky to be able to sense and experience so many aspects of the world and nature which I would have missed otherwise. I have the ability to appreciate art, and to study and know about so many things. I would have been simply squashed under something if I was just a cockroach(though I can still get squashed under a truck on the road if I am not careful but probabilities are much higher for a cockroach; and also I am not trying to imply that insects are useless, they are wonderful creatures and I admire them too), or eaten up by some lizard. And that brings us to the prime advantage of being a human; they don't have any predators. Normally, animals constantly have to be on the lookout for predators. But since we don't have to deal with them we can spend our time in more productive ways. It is hard for me to imagine myself always living a life of fear hiding from creatures who want to eat me(Sadly though, this is also one of the factors for the uncontrolled growth of human population)
I feel myself even luckier, being born in a time of cutting edge technology and scientific advancement. Even as recently as 50 years ago, many current technologies did not even exist. And rate of growth is phenomenal. 30 years ago, we didn't even have a proper PC. The World Wide Web came to existence only 19 years ago! And see where it is today. I am 14 now, so by the time I get old (if I'm lucky enough to avoid fatal diseases or accidents)I might as well get to see flying cars or even people living on the moon!
And apart from my good timing, I even consider myself very fortunate being able to lead a comfortable life in a middle class family, because even many humans have to live in constant poverty(I know that I am just a child and haven't seen the difficulties of life but even then I would still be better off than someone begging on the streets). I pity the poor people when I see them in their miserable condition. There are orphans who did not get the love of a mother and a father; at least I have my parents near me. There are children who work when they are supposed to be going to school; at least I have access to good education.
Many times I see people complaining of so many things; they couldn't get the specific brand of shoes they wanted, they couldn't attend some party, work stress, even my own classmates complaining of exam stress. But just think of these people for a moment and we will find that our problems are nothing in front of theirs.
Some say luck does not exist, some say it does. As for me, life is beautiful.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Life, Death and Beyond
I'm sure everyone of us must have thought about this at least once at some point of time in their lives(if not yet then they will for sure). How were we born, what was that feeling of coming into existence, how does death feel like, where do we go after death, why do we die in the first place, what is our purpose on coming to earth, what is the purpose of life if one has to die someday?
Questions like these have fascinated, amazed, confused, frustrated and even angered people from almost all cultures since the dawn of human existence. They all try to solve this sort of problem. There is this line from the song bhaja govindam by Sri Adi Shankara
का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः संसारोऽयमतीव बिचित्रः
कस्ते त्वं कः कुत आयातः तत्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः
ka te kanta kaste putrah samsaroayamativa vichitrah
kaste twam kah kuta ayatah tatwam chintaya tadih bhratah
The word to word translation and meaning is
Who is your wife, who is your son, this world is very strange.
Who is yours, who are you, where are you from, that you must think here my brother.
In the end however they either acknowledge the fact that they cannot find answers to these questions within their human limitations or develop some sort of explanation of their own (giving rise to superstitions).
But the process of thinking all about all these situations brings about and makes us realize many things about life and how precious it is. They also bring about a sense of gratitude towards that one force or something that has given them life and the ability to live it and the chance to experience its wonders. Some call God (many in fact), some do not. They also bring that sense of felling small or powerlessness in front of the huge world and everything in it or the entire universe for that matter, that though we as human beings have progressed so much by virtue of our intelligence and yet there are so many things that we don't know of. It helps us to remain in our bounds and does not let us fall victims to our own pride and vanity.
So no matter how hard we think about death, birth, rebirth and all other metaphysical matters, we may never get answers. But the thinking process itself makes us appreciate things we may never have otherwise and hence leads us to lead happier lives.
Questions like these have fascinated, amazed, confused, frustrated and even angered people from almost all cultures since the dawn of human existence. They all try to solve this sort of problem. There is this line from the song bhaja govindam by Sri Adi Shankara
का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः संसारोऽयमतीव बिचित्रः
कस्ते त्वं कः कुत आयातः तत्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः
ka te kanta kaste putrah samsaroayamativa vichitrah
kaste twam kah kuta ayatah tatwam chintaya tadih bhratah
The word to word translation and meaning is
Who is your wife, who is your son, this world is very strange.
Who is yours, who are you, where are you from, that you must think here my brother.
In the end however they either acknowledge the fact that they cannot find answers to these questions within their human limitations or develop some sort of explanation of their own (giving rise to superstitions).
But the process of thinking all about all these situations brings about and makes us realize many things about life and how precious it is. They also bring about a sense of gratitude towards that one force or something that has given them life and the ability to live it and the chance to experience its wonders. Some call God (many in fact), some do not. They also bring that sense of felling small or powerlessness in front of the huge world and everything in it or the entire universe for that matter, that though we as human beings have progressed so much by virtue of our intelligence and yet there are so many things that we don't know of. It helps us to remain in our bounds and does not let us fall victims to our own pride and vanity.
So no matter how hard we think about death, birth, rebirth and all other metaphysical matters, we may never get answers. But the thinking process itself makes us appreciate things we may never have otherwise and hence leads us to lead happier lives.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Man, the conqueror of the world?
It seems really strange but sometimes this thought keeps occurring in my mind.
There are an estimated 10 million species of plants and animals living in this world. Over the course of time, evolution has ensured that all these living beings remain in harmony with each other making a complete ecosystem. This has resulted in a nearly perfect balance of the populations of species and resources present in nature.
Then suddenly, a whole new species emerges, by the name of Homo sapiens, with no unusual physical adaptations whatsoever; neither an athletic body, nor any special extensions thus making it a prime target for hungry predators. The one thing that it does have is an over-sized brain which seems useless at first. But slowly and slowly, it starts doing things never done by any life form before. It picks up stones and sticks and fashions weapons out of them. These it uses to hunt and build and gradually develops a complex society.
It starts living in small settlements which grow larger and larger into villages and finally into cities. After that it has tiny kingdoms sprouting up which have their own leaders and whose conquests lead to the formation of even larger kingdoms which soon turn into vast empires. It builds everything it needs for its comfort and enjoyment.
Hence it almost completely frees itself from the usual but slow process of progress i.e. natural selection. With the help of its new found intelligence, it starts gaining control on the world. Evolution forces creatures to change themselves to suit their surroundings, but this animal alters its surroundings to suit itself. I thus feel really astounded by the audacity of man, thinking that it is the sole inhabitant of earth and it alone deserves to consume and use all the resources present on the planet.
And yet I am truly amazed by the complex human mind, but unfortunately, I will have to post that some other day.
There are an estimated 10 million species of plants and animals living in this world. Over the course of time, evolution has ensured that all these living beings remain in harmony with each other making a complete ecosystem. This has resulted in a nearly perfect balance of the populations of species and resources present in nature.
Then suddenly, a whole new species emerges, by the name of Homo sapiens, with no unusual physical adaptations whatsoever; neither an athletic body, nor any special extensions thus making it a prime target for hungry predators. The one thing that it does have is an over-sized brain which seems useless at first. But slowly and slowly, it starts doing things never done by any life form before. It picks up stones and sticks and fashions weapons out of them. These it uses to hunt and build and gradually develops a complex society.
It starts living in small settlements which grow larger and larger into villages and finally into cities. After that it has tiny kingdoms sprouting up which have their own leaders and whose conquests lead to the formation of even larger kingdoms which soon turn into vast empires. It builds everything it needs for its comfort and enjoyment.
Hence it almost completely frees itself from the usual but slow process of progress i.e. natural selection. With the help of its new found intelligence, it starts gaining control on the world. Evolution forces creatures to change themselves to suit their surroundings, but this animal alters its surroundings to suit itself. I thus feel really astounded by the audacity of man, thinking that it is the sole inhabitant of earth and it alone deserves to consume and use all the resources present on the planet.
And yet I am truly amazed by the complex human mind, but unfortunately, I will have to post that some other day.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Is Westernisation eating up Indian Society?
We live in the Information age. The world today is a world of globalisation and cutting-edge technology. Anything can be transported anywhere, anytime. Any form of information can be sent to the opposite corner of the world via telephone, e-mail, or the internet. And hence it was but inevitable that it has led to the intermingling of cultures and traditions all over the world at a scale never witnessed before. This has resulted in the emergence of a whole new culture in itself known as ‘pop culture’ an abbreviated form of ‘popular culture’. It has its roots in the United States and hence is heavily influenced by Western society. It has gained immense popularity in the West and is now gradually reaching over to Asian countries. Some like Japan and South Korea have already adopted many aspects of pop culture.
India too is slowly catching up. The tremendous impact of westernisation can be seen in the youth of India these days, especially in metro cities like Mumbai. Young people nowadays are wildly after foreign goods, clothes and pop practices have become the norm. Its effects can even be seen in the language spoken by the youth and the influence of internet jargon is prevalent.
And at the same time this has caused the degradation of Indian traditions and customs. The new generation is forgetting the age old Indian civilization and its great history. Religion and ritual are considered orthodox and outdated. In the name of mordernisation, is it right that we disregard our own heritage?
From a different viewpoint however, India, throughout its vast history, has been a land which has seen countless invasions by innumerable invaders from different regions and having different religions, bringing with them their lore and lifestyle. But instead of bringing about a whole new transformation of society, as with many other places, they have been, over the course of time, absorbed and assimilated into what has made India so diverse. So, is this new transformation, a part of this never-ending process? If so, why is it happening so swiftly, unlike earlier changes which took place gradually? Will old Indian thought, be preserved in the coming generations? These are some questions that we definitely need to think and worry about.
India too is slowly catching up. The tremendous impact of westernisation can be seen in the youth of India these days, especially in metro cities like Mumbai. Young people nowadays are wildly after foreign goods, clothes and pop practices have become the norm. Its effects can even be seen in the language spoken by the youth and the influence of internet jargon is prevalent.
And at the same time this has caused the degradation of Indian traditions and customs. The new generation is forgetting the age old Indian civilization and its great history. Religion and ritual are considered orthodox and outdated. In the name of mordernisation, is it right that we disregard our own heritage?
From a different viewpoint however, India, throughout its vast history, has been a land which has seen countless invasions by innumerable invaders from different regions and having different religions, bringing with them their lore and lifestyle. But instead of bringing about a whole new transformation of society, as with many other places, they have been, over the course of time, absorbed and assimilated into what has made India so diverse. So, is this new transformation, a part of this never-ending process? If so, why is it happening so swiftly, unlike earlier changes which took place gradually? Will old Indian thought, be preserved in the coming generations? These are some questions that we definitely need to think and worry about.
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