What Can we Learn from Disharmony

Disharmony has become, I think, an inseparable part of human life. And it remains so, despite our best efforts. Rather than continuing with a losing battle, as we perhaps do now, we should be thinking of learning something from it.

What can we learn from disharmony?

Is human, a species that is not at all at ease with itself? It looks like. They constantly find threats everywhere, whether it is of a non-living entity like climate’s change, or of a living one going to extinction. And there seems to be a qualitative difference in confronting issues, for, when the issue concerns humans themselves only, or when it is something affecting all others, even when it includes themselves, our approach differs substantially.

Take pessimism, for example. In fact, we understand this particular twist in character, and, especially on matters connected with our lifestyle, it is widely discouraged. There is always someone exhorting to the populace to see that it does not grow beyond where it can be a harmless curiosity. But, effectively, and quite notably too, we welcome such a viewpoint on matters regarding our life. Where, we not only encourage, but also give it a position of great significance.

Isn’t there a dichotomy?

Yes, there is, and it manifests best, in the dual nature of our intelligence. Our intelligence does not always result in our benefit. On one side, this intelligence keeps us well separated from all the other species, and makes us the masters of the fortunes for the complete living world. And on the other, it makes us overlook our own fortunes, at least as much as we can. Rather, everything else stands to become a master of human’s fortune! I think there are some more dimensions to it.

We all know, success always comes to them who is ready to meet an eventuality, any time. Here, we humans cut a sorry figure. As mentioned, our intelligence is not a fool-proof mechanism. It has a tendency, or is programmed, to overlook threats in matters related to its own welfare. Hence, we do not happen to be prepared to meet an eventuality, more so, when the eventuality is something related to our own social life. Hence, every contingency in that sphere will topple some human society, the repercussions of which toppling many more. I think this is why, human race is in perpetual disharmony.

Yes, always there is someone among us looking for causes for the eventuality, who comes up with answers that may be of some effect for some time. But, the faster we get used to the changes brought in by the answer, the more ineffective, it turns out to be. Thereafter, these answers also add to the causes, resulting in disharmony being always on the rise.

This is true for all human affairs, except for one area where we have been achieving great success. This area is health, and remarkable indeed, the way we have been dealing with the many and varied challenges since the beginning of history, especially during the modern age. Remember, ill health, and the threat of contagious diseases, were the most serious issues of early times. But, we could overcome all that when we effectively abstracted the reason for ill health to an independent entity, identified as germs. Can we learn something here and make a fresh attack on the issue of social disharmony?

I think the first step would be to conclude that no human should be able to initiate disharmony. In fact each one of us follow one’s on call or priority, with which, one is generally in harmony. In certain cases, the chosen calls might overlap, and, as long as the concerned ones can keep the resulting protrusions in check, there should not be an issue. And harmony should prevail. But in reality, something else happens.

If we look at human race in this light, what will be the outcome? Just that human race is in perpetual disharmony, leading instantly to another question, what is affecting them in a rather steadfast manner. Given the lifestyle of the human race, since long, the one that keeps us always on our toes is nothing but wealth, albeit in very many forms. Like money, land, valuables such as gold, or personal attributes and talents of worth, especially those that can be acquired or augmented by training. As you can see, most forms of wealth end up uniting or dividing us decisively, except the last one, which introduces a rather subjective appeal. What I have understood is, for each and every one of us, always and every time, this results in an abstraction that controls our line of thought. It could be one linked to the creation of wealth, its destruction, or its utilization. Also, of matters of its castigation or its substitution, more so for those who are not a natural success in these, as far as the current context goes. Moreover, those who happen to share a similar degree of success tend to form groups. In short, wealth unites us, while dividing us also decisively. No wonder, human race is always in a disarray, and without the need of someone for starting it.

But we are unable to see the disarray. All those abstractions act as worthy alternatives and engage us in loops and mazes. Because of this we end up closing our eyes to the disarray, naming it as a part of the ‘unfathomable’ human.

You see, any form of wealth, except the last one, is a solid, rather simple idea. Its fulfillment calls for single-minded dedication and untiring efforts. But when we talk of the last form of wealth, whatever be the chosen variant, it shall take position as the loftiest of aims, desires, or ambitions. Sure, it would have been a great success. You see, the effort, one needs to put in, and the benefit one stands to derive, are, more or less, as decided by each one. And, even those not fortunate enough to be born with a soaring strength and style, stood to gain a lot. One can safely assume, more of such people would have been from those blessed with intellectual prowess, who would have then found it quite convenient and rewarding to pursue one’s call.

Remember, it is not easy to amass wealth. One has to overcome many hurdles, real, natural ones as well as those invented by competitors. But, the last form of wealth, which in reality is of abstract nature, offers a lot of room for maneuvering. Its value is definable to a great extent, and can act as an expedient at one’s will and pleasure. Because of this, our forefathers seem to have embraced these abstractions fully, and belittled everything else. Over time, it would have had an impact on the aims and priorities of people, where real wealth comes low on the list.

Also, in the early eras, we were yet to master the art of improvisation, or scientific concepts like efficiency or mechanical advantage, and incorporate such ideas in these areas. Therefore, the actual increments of wealth (any measurable parameter) would not have been commensurate with the effort that was needed to go in. Naturally, these abstractions would have received great, widespread welcome. It effectively replaced real forms of wealth, and in turn effort, with something subjective as well as imaginary. Sure, the society would have benefited a lot, but it also opened up fresh room for maneuver in social transactions. And nobody would have been able to foresee the complexity that awaited them.

As one can infer from the above, over time, this complexity metamorphosed into a disharmony. Especially since there was nothing to absorb the anomalies or disturbances resulting from the above transactions, which, as one can imagine, would have been involving real and unreal elements. Had there been no disharmony, each and every anomaly or disturbance would have to be dealt with appropriately, taking a lion's share of society's time and efforts. That is why, disharmony came to be instituted as an essential part of the human race, since it saved them from a lot of effort that could then go into the more rewarding activities of living.

But, in the current times, situation is different. There is hardly any reason for the continued existence of this complexity, given that there are many avenues, especially those resulting from scientific innovation, that can bring attractive increments in all variants of real wealth. This perhaps shall place the abstractions, redundant, and matters of esteem having no real role to play in life. The original reason for this complexity, and through which the disharmony, namely, the incapability of the early humans in arriving at quick, satisfactory results, exists no more. We are also fully capable of conquering nature. But, for certain unfathomable reasons, we take an unnatural path of clinging on to the ideas reflected in those abstractions. In fact the whole edifice of theology serves no purpose other than that of keeping these abstractions and the complexity alive, thereby defying its natural death.

So, we are continuously deriving benefits out of disharmony. We are deriving a lot of value from the abstractions like pride, love, or courage, that directly contribute to the disharmony. But for it, the abstractions would have vanished, becoming the victims of time and tide, and harmony would have prevailed, instead.