Violent Human Society, The Real Reason
I find, many are the ways we toil for peace. Few devote their complete life in finding fresh cures, few keep discovering new ways to spread those remedies far and wide, and many spend their life in doing nothing else but trying out, each one of those. Still, human life is in a disarray. Yes, of course, we all realize this, and there is none among us who does not have a remedy for it. However, all the remedies revolve around something abstract, like god, demon, or other esoteric ideas of whatever can catch one’s imagination. Well, this is not a real cure, and I think that is why, human life is full of problems. What is needed is to replace the abstract solutions with something real.
I therefore think, we need to start our investigation with all that is abstract. What exactly all those do, and where does it fit in?
So, what is the origin of all that is abstract? These things do not meet a real need, but occupy a prime spot in our life.
In reality, all that is abstract can be seen as a very effective remedy of the early days, a trump card, our forefathers would resort to, in their attempts to appreciate, explain, or moderate, things in their life. An intelligent innovation that enabled them to address anything and everything with nothing concrete. One can be sure, questions would have been plenty, given that we belong to a race of altruistic animals. And, such an approach would have been an excellent invention to meet a need, however dire. Since the scant ideas they would have been able to possess about everything real and material would not have been of help in satisfying the inquisitive nature of the people, this would have been a boon. Evidently so, since things like knowledge and expertise were yet to take shape. And such ideas must have been meeting that challenge beautifully. For, our early literary works seem to be bristling with intellectual transactions of the abstract genre. Also, those who were ready to devote time and energy to explore and study all around would have been facing a tough time, the weather and the wilderness posing a big challenge. So, the brighter, more imaginative ones would have been nurturing those abstract ideas which continued to impress all.
In the present times too, we are using those abstract ideas left and right, but things do not go well since we all have a fairly good idea about everything. Which means, now, unless we take efforts to occupy these ideas with something worthwhile, what comes out need not always gel well with the existing. And, the more learned and developed a society is, the more, the implements and mechanisms that can make things clear, and consequently, much more, the abstract ideas that do not get absorbed well. Now, the forces carried by these non-absorbed ideas act at random, making every society, an unruly mess.
Let us look at the disarray again. In fact, it is the most telling difference between the human race and all the other ones, and many of my books have a theme based, more or less, on this only. Evidently, the early people took notice of this, and have been successful in finding, as mentioned, all that is abstract, as a remedy.
As time moves ahead and when we become well versed about things, each of those abstract ideas should have been replaced by something concrete. Though it is happening in all other cases, like non-living things, and living things other than the human, we seem to be carefully avoiding it, when it comes to matters that concern ourselves. So, all the abstractions remain in our midst, causing consternation, agony or ecstasy, at the will and pleasure of those in the reckoning.
There must be a reason. A real one behind our love for the abstract. In fact, in all the endeavors we humans are scaling heights of achievements and success, it is so, because we surmounted something specific. Whether it is in overcoming an issue, or for ensuring a conducive and best-fitting environment, we located and corrected certain irregularities or hindrances. One can very well say, in every other endeavor too, it is waiting to happen, only that we are yet to make an attempt to look for something specific to each and take similar measures.
I thought of looking around to see whether this disarray is from a human-specific holdup. In my search for it, I tried to examine different facets of our persona, and every time, the results looked rather exceptional, and enlightening, prompting me produce it as a book. In each of those books, some facet of our multi-dimensional personality undergoes scrutiny. Now I find, in each of those books, human appears quite differently, compared to every other book.
It looks like, with human, there is always an urge to be unique. And, this is the drive that propelled the human to be something far different from every other form of life. For confirming which, I thought of revisiting all I wrote and read again with a critical mind. As I went through those books again, I found, effectively, each of those books is rationalizing, at least one of the distinctions and waywardness that could have been leading to many instances of disarray, by terming ourselves unique. And, as a result of celebrating such singularities, each of us will continue to step over or clash with every other one, while doing nothing else but religiously following one’s own, unique, call! Otherwise, such instances would have been remaining as random fluctuations of the social fabric, just like it is with any other form of life. Those fluctuation would have been getting mutually annihilated too, in the course of time.
I summarize those results below, along with a message from the book that took inspiration from each such outcome, which also can help us in finding the real reason mentioned above.
My book, Life of Style, attributes to the absence of a unique lifestyle, the issue of human society in a perpetual disarray. A distinct lifestyle would have made us just another one of life with its own style, silently doing away with the ‘unique’ status!
My book, Overhaul Life, finds that we have been holding on for no reason, to all the remnants of the past, and presents as a solution, a periodic overhaul of human life. In fact, had we been doing so, we humans would have had nothing unique in us!
My book, The Unsure Male, finds as a cause for all that is wrong with us, a shortfall found in all that is male. In fact, human is a unique one because of nothing else but the particular steps each one is constantly taking to counter this shortfall!
My book, Human Element of the Human, makes a successful search for the element, the correction to which can also correct, every element that makes us unique!
My book, Fathoming the Enigma, examines our unfathomable status, and finds that forces of time and tide would have corrected it by now, had we not been celebrating all of those as our unique attributes and gifts!
My book, Hubs that Provoke, warns of the harm hiding in things that we cherish as our unique elements!
My book, More Hubs that Provoke, warns of the harmful associated with things we cherish even more.
My book, An Easy Route to Peace, tells of a way to peace by preventing things that disturb peace.
My book, An Easier Route to Peace, talks of peace without even thinking about peace.
My book, Is Wisdom, a Must?, tells about the pitfalls associated with wisdom. If not for wisdom, we wouldn’t have been so successful in finding fresh reasons to be unique!
And,
My book, Evolution and The Future of The Unique Human, tells how, an inclination towards uniqueness became an integral part of the human race, and how it will not be a good fit for the rather unpredictable and eventful human life!
I think, one can clearly see, some of my books try to examine the falls, traps, and difficulties that are there with our life, and some others suggest a remedy, and paint our future, if we overlook all this and continue with the present style of living.
Now I have a question. Suppose we want to continue with our present style of living. What options do we have, to delay and avoid such a dismal future?
From what is mentioned above, one can make a surmise. As long as we do not nurture the ‘unique’ status we presently sport, things are quite OK. We won’t have to face the dismal future. So, what exactly is bestowing us with the ‘unique’ status? In fact, a conclusive answer to this question is all that is needed to bring peace and tranquility to our society.
So, let us ask, what exactly makes us unique? Come to think of it, most of all that we do should be looking unique to us, simply because there is no other constituent in the living world, who apes us. But, this is not what should be in our mind, when we call ourselves unique. All forms of life revel in exercising each one of its faculties or talents, wherever it suits. Whereas, the human form of life revel in celebrating certain of their faculties over and above the natural, while restraining themselves against the very same forces, as far as a few chosen ones go. I agree, this does not look natural at all, and I think, because of this only we need guidance at all stages of life. Yes, someone among us should have been noticing this as an abnormality, and alerting us. But, by terming it as a unique quality found only among the human, we let the celebrations silence the warnings. I think, here lies the origin of our ‘unique’ status. Every style we choose while celebrating, and all the reasons we adopt for ignoring the warnings, make us unique.
Thus, being unique was meeting a purpose. Something that enabled us to celebrate excessively, what some of our faculties do, by rationalizing the excess. Also, denigrate as trash or abhorrent, what some others dob, by justifying as, say nonhuman. Over time, the original need seems to have dwindled, both time and tide having its say. Still, we continue to be unique, for no purpose, constantly causing consternation. And so, this is how the real reason manifests, which is keeping the human race perpetually in a violent state.
So, there are many issues that needs a lot of attention. One can say, yes, we have been doing so all these years. Some issue was of paramount importance, any part or age of history, one may choose study. The issues seem to be persisting. Now, we can confidently say one thing. For results to happen, we need to identify the most significant issue, and start appropriate action there. Naturally, our lifestyle, a common factor to all the issues, is the one that needs attention the most. My book, The Way to A Lifestyle, takes credence of all these, and suggest steps that can take us to a new lifestyle.
This book identifies that we have never felt the need of a stable lifestyle, since, every new one we adopted would have been for tackling a troubling issue. So, I am trying to find what we can do as a permanent remedy. In fact, it is the propensity for issues that has turned human society into a violent one. For that, firstly, we need to find, ‘what matters the most’ in forming an aura of violence around us. Here I find, it is nothing but ‘our error-prone nature’. Why there is no such nature with any other version of life, I then ask. Comes the answer, ‘they all follow religiously, a lifestyle, where there is no room for an error’. I then wonder, ‘why is that we have no lifestyle’, I get the answer, your thoughts never traveled in that direction.
So, we need to follow a new style of thinking, which should be making us look for an appropriate lifestyle to follow. Naturally, it could result in something far different from our present way of life.
Alternatively, we can do whatever necessary for removing the stamp of uniqueness altogether from human race. In which case, we can very well continue with our present way of life.
Let us take the former, which alludes that our present style of thinking is not all resulting in matters that can assure a good life for ourselves. If we assume that our present style doing other things, like walking or talking, is a good fit for our life, we only need to answer one question. What difference is there between our ways of doing these things, and our style of thinking? I think, the answer is also not very difficult. We take efforts to find out, learn, and teach our young, the appropriate ways of doing these. Whereas, in the case of thinking, we do nothing of that sort.
Since thinking is an activity that is more or less exclusive, as far as humans go, we should have been thinking about it much earlier. While we continued to establish a human style of doing things for all that we do, like walking or talking, we should have been addressing ‘thinking’ also, with great alacrity and care. For, presently, we learn about the pitfalls hiding in an activity, well after it has caused a considerable damage. We do not realize it, since we take immense pride in our ‘unique’ ability to sort out our issues, while forgetting the fact that those issues wouldn’t have been there, had we thought about it well before establishing those styles.
Moreover, we are leaving no-stone-unturned in our efforts to keep ourselves abreast of the times. We routinely examine all our actions and reactions to see that there are no better ways of doing those. Of course, here also, thinking is an exception.
I therefore suggest a new approach to thinking that could involve many stages of experimenting. Perhaps, volunteers can help us in finding answers to a few questions that relate to thinking that yields best. Like, whether it is a prompt, the ambience, the expected outcome, or something else. Or, is there a prerequisite for the activity of thinking, and if so, what is it? In any case, our present style or the way of doing this being only a choice that occurred randomly, there is a need to study this activity well, find out the options or other variations, and adopt the best for us.
Now I get a doubt. All that has happened with the human race, both the good, like the all-round growth, inventions and discoveries, or the conquest of the skies, and the bad, like the world wars, slavery, or the large scale suppression of females, are a direct result of unbridled thinking. Now we know that we wouldn’t have been doing it in the correct manner, having no record of taking any efforts to learn thinking. In which case, shouldn’t we re-think about those results too? If so, isn’t this a good enough reason for discarding whatever the human race has done so far and starting to live again on a clean slate? Only thing left is to make an instruction manual for all us to follow while starting human life afresh.
But, one thing is very clear. Human society is a violent one for no reason but for the fact that its constituents turn their thought into action. In fact, they revel in doing so. As I mentioned above, we all do thinking, and it is with no restraints whatsoever. Naturally, human life will be in a disarray, unless we have guidelines that govern thinking.
Suppose, it wasn’t so. Thoughts and actions were separate and normally, a thought is for thought’s sake. Thinking, in this case, will remain as an activity that is pleasurable in itself, and as free as it is now. And a thought is to spark an action only if we we think so, and while doing so, we also take appropriate steps stipulated in that direction. Naturally, those who think of action can be expected to be following a protocol designed or instituted for it. Well, in this case, those who think won’t have to be saddled with the possibility of unsavory results to whatever dramatic thoughts they entertain. Every instance of thinking shall be proceeding uninterruptedly and delivering fruits, till another instance takes over for whatever reason. As I mention in my book, The Way to A Lifestyle, such a kind of thinking will finally lead us to a lifestyle that is a good fit for our life, for example, one that differentiates between thinking for action and thinking for thought. This will attack the root cause of all that is wrong with us.
