What Use, the Past?

What can we do with the past. And, what are we doing with the past? When it comes to the inanimate, or it is about living beings other than humans, we are quite rational and thoughtful in learning from the past to make a better future. Whereas, when it comes to ourselves, we are not so. Isn't there room for a rethink?

Why Worry?

Should there be Worry?

There exists scope to re-examine all that is associated primarily with human life, the arguments presented in my blog entry ‘Is human a complex life?’, say. Let me have close look at worry, something widely accepted as universal, as far as the human race go.

What is worry? If something is associated with our lives, it should be serving a purpose. I therefore think, worry originated as a mental attempt, or a reminder to it, to confront, or avoid, a threat. For the early humans, it would have been a vital part of survival. For example, one worried about a danger in hiding would have been moving around better equipped and with greater care. And if, say a wild animal appeared, since the worry would have been keeping such one’s reflexes sharp, quite appropriate steps would have followed. (The people with such a genetic make up have a greater chance of survival, making worry more widespread, as generations go!)

Over time, worry would have got cemented as a part of human character, each generation celebrating it as a unique facet of the human. Though the original reason for institution of the same would have got lost on the way, as generations went by, worry continues to remain an integral part of the human, thanks to the persistent nature of things. (Which is understandable, for even in this age of language and writing, it is not very easy to get rid of crazy ideas from the past or prevent genuine ones from fading to oblivion)

Thus, as we continued to overcome the dangers, the earlier days posed, the propensity to worry kept on looking for new outlets. As a result, worry has become a part of human life, though no other form is affected by it. Even if we take certain peculiar expression seen among other species as those of anguish, there is no instance of such expressions causing disruption to any activity of life.

But my feeling is that we need not consider worry as a specific issue and prevent manifestations of its volatile nature. In which case, it will occur at diminishing intervals as the need for reflexive reactions dwindle, while human life progress towards the better.

Democratic governance will likely fail unless a country’s citizens have already adopted values that accompany democracy..  This is ever more significant these days, when great democracies face significant threat internally.

Is human a complex life?

Is human a complex life? And, if so, why?

Human, in fact is a life, like all other forms, except that it is more of a programmable form of life. One can mould a new born in the manner one would wish. As one grows up, one’s own will, the influence from chosen entities, or a mix of both, can do it. When one wouldn’t make a wish here, the default comes into play, which also is a mix of both. Mainly, this is what was happening to human race all these years, but, since we have been celebrating it a lot, that too as something human-specific, unfathomable, etc., we have come to accord a status of complexity to human life. There is one more issue. Humans continue to change, always putting into practice, whatever one learns. Since we are constantly being told that we belong to a complex species, it just doesn’t occur to us to examine whatever choices we make about ourselves, against a yardstick of simplicity, though it is so, on all other matters. And as a result of this also, we tend to shape our actions as well as reactions in a complicated and circuitous way.

I can think of one way of simplifying it. Which is this. Look at life, including human life, through the eyes of a computer program. In fact our appreciation of life already follows such a path, and we seem to have landed with it well before we ever had a chance to acquaint with programming as a way to confront questions. Just as in programming, where we use procedural or functional model of the issue to make an abstract (computer) equivalent of the whole, in our journey behind the secrets of life and all that matter, we are in fact attributing properties and functions, similar to that of ourselves, to each and everything. Thereafter we keep making amends, wherever necessary. Like specifying qualities of sexual or gender nature as the key to everything, except where it is impossible to do so. The few places where such an approach is yielding true and desirable outcome serves as a versatile and universal support, for continuing with the same for other areas too.

I admit, over the years, we have been making quite a bit of headway in realizing the true nature of things, and integrating those gainfully, while we move on with our life and living. But, in this matter, the one which includes our own life, we are happily continuing with the ancient approach. And, even when a change becomes inevitable, by making it to align to such an approach, we are losing much of the gain, it would have brought. Which perhaps is the reason, why human life is so full of problems. Look carefully, and one can see that every new problem is nothing but a leftover from some of the solutions of the past.

The above fact should have been occurring to us, in the normal course of life itself. However, it hasn't been happening thus. Not that we are incapable of realizing this. But, we are confronting life, in a manner that is totally unbecoming of an intelligent race. I find, especially on matters related to our life and living, whenever we observe something amiss, the immediate reaction is to belittle the intellectual standards of previous generations, except the rare cases where it is not possible to make even a remote link. And the immediate result is, we are getting an impression that we have found an answer. That is, whatever would have sparked the desire for further contemplation or study, comes to a logical conclusion. And, as we continue to do so and keep feeling great about ourselves, we do not feel the need to examine the issues matter to us, in depth. We are effectively in a vicious circle. By belittling the previous generations, we are placing ourselves on a superior pedestal, which makes them relatively more inferior. Naturally, then we pat ourselves, and put further examination to rest. We need to ask ourselves, why, even though we pride ourselves to be well oriented to intellectual transactions, shy away from probing an obvious confusion as this?

I think, ages back, we understood ourselves as life that is programmed in a particular manner. (Not in these words, though!) Which perhaps was a good fit for the current ambience, the race felt. And instituted a system of nurturing future generations in that manner, while educating the current one to align themselves to it. Over a period of time, human life ended up getting specified as a continuum, a collection of wants and desires, and the ways of achieving those. One may entertain many such, while having no limit to the ways of accomplishing each of those. As a result of which, each and every one of a group of people, effectively will turn out to be, a group of desires, combined with another group of efforts towards those desires. Times changed, greatly altering the structure and composition of human race. The huge kitty of wants and desires and the associated melee, naturally is leading to phenomenal complexity in human affairs, where each and everything is linked to each and everything else. Bewildered of the issues that constantly affect the race as a whole, rather than taking the natural path of questioning the original specifications that led to this complexity, we continue to tackle every difficulty that confront us by incessantly repeating to ourselves, man is a highly complex life.

Thus, we have acquired a flurry of imponderables, mostly acclaimed as unique parts of the human, in almost all aspects of our life. For example, it is perfectly acceptable for one to say, ‘I am greatly offended by you wearing a red dress, when my faith defines it as deadly’. And it is quite in order if some people make elaborate plans for keeping red dress as a controlled commodity, on this account. In short, any member of our race can initiate a commotion. In fact for a commotion to begin, one only need to link disturbances of some facet of life, to some reason. It is immaterial, whether the proposed reason is a rational one or not. Also, how abstract, vague or remote, the connection between the reason and the commotion.

Suppose, ages back humans understood themselves as something programmed in an object oriented manner. That, while confronting different issues or circumstances, human behavior shall assume unique patterns that are not necessarily connected directly with any issue other than the one being reacted to, currently. (This is in stark opposition to the present. Now, in fact we take pride in direct proportion to the number or severity of unrelated issues that can influence one. And we allocate prime position to such wasteful efforts, collectively calling it as culture.)

The above is however true for all other forms of life. Perhaps for humans also, no such connection existed. Since intellectual transactions were a favorite past time of humans, we seem to have discovered a possibility of such relationships, which happened to get instituted as important features of human life. There would have been motivating factors, which needs to be investigated further.

In such a case, all the phenomena associated with our race would have been reduced to a set of particularities of conduct, behavior, etc., and the occasions suiting to each. Each one, will then feel disposed to each such particularity, perhaps always and every time, under respective circumstances. Which can turn human nature more towards the predictable, letting in an ambience of tranquility and ease. More importantly, our young ones would have been growing up with rather clear idea about themselves and the reactions, greatly altering the social fabric.

What all could have happened as a result? One substantial change, I can feel immediately, is about thinking. Like speaking, writing, and other forms human expressions, we would have had thinking also, as an art and a science formally taught to our children. Which could have enabled the society to have standardized patterns of going ahead with this activity, as well as allocating for research and development. Perhaps, just like in all other cases, we would still have been giving to the object under consideration, undivided attention. But, the random disturbances that always exist, unlike presently, where it poses a threat, depending on many parameters like the mental state of the personnel involved and the prevailing social atmosphere, shall die its natural death, being entirely overlooked. In short, as a matter of habit itself, each and every issue would get addressed, neglected, or contemplated upon, in its ideal way. An air of discipline shall be prevailing, at all times, and everywhere.

So, this is how we humans can simplify it all. We need to fashion everything in our life, like our wants, desires, and reactions, in an object oriented manner. And the objects remain independent, having no influence on one another, unless explicitly activated thus. In which case, for example, neither shall hunger, shorten one’s temper, nor will gratification, cause a celebration.

Human Society - A Quick Fix

Human Society - A Quick Fix

There is plenty of literature available on topics that discuss human race, especially the question, what is wrong with human race. All of those agree on one point. That humans behave in a manner that is destructive to the planet, all its occupants, and everything else, not to miss the very first victim, human race itself. However, all such discussions centre around possible remedies, and a plethora of wise suggestions appear at regular intervals, making an already complex life, a little more involved. Nowhere could I find an inquiry into a fundamental question, why should humans cause a danger to their planet, if they are as much a natural constituent of the planet, as others? Or, is human society, the unnatural one?

No, human life should not pose a danger to the planet, more so, when it is a part of it. But in reality, it does. Why? I think, humans do not live the way they should have been living. Human society, or the way humans interact with the rest of the universe, is not a natural construct. This line of thought is not at all a strange one. In fact many propositions arise from a variety of thinkers, and, almost all of those are but suggestions about how humans can release themselves from the artificial ways of life, they follow. Though they only happen to follow such a life in the natural course of events. But, as mentioned, all of these adds to the existing complexity of living as a human. And, it won’t be incorrect to say that almost all of the damages we do to our environment originate out of this complexity.

Now, let me see how we can put this right. How to make our life, less complex? Based on the experience gained over last many centuries, and making copious allocation for the potential for further awareness that may turn all these upside down, let us look for new conclusions. What exactly is wrong with human life? Why is it so involved? What is the one thing, the regularization of which can put the whole race back on track, assuming, like all other species of life, humans also are meant to flourish in some environment, where the environment also gets enriched in return?

One common error I have observed with almost all who dwell on human life is, they consider human as just another form of life. And while doing so, they naturally get unduly influenced by the living style or other peculiarities of all those forms. Each form of life has a common character or ability that is shown by all members of the species, while they all could differ widely in their appearance. But human is predominantly a character that has life, where each human, while comparable to another in appearance, is entirely different from the other in character or ability.

We therefore need to study personalities, or, examine which part of our personalty is not going well with the environment, or leading to irreversible changes to it. I studied this aspect, and I have noticed one thing that stands out. Which is common among all humans, rather, it is the only thing common to all. Which is nothing but the propensity to have at any time, and at any age, whatever be the circumstances, one or a set of priorities that take the primal spot in life. One is able to forgo any or all the needs of living, if it helps in getting those preferences or goals met. Also for the same reason, one can hurt another one with no remorse whatsoever. And one will get the feeling that all one’s needs are met satisfactorily, when those priorities are met, even when one misses all the real needs of keeping oneself at the prime of health and in good comfort.

To find a cure for this, let us first see, how we came to adapt this as the signature character of human race.

Humans have to learn everything before they actually practise it. That includes the art of learning itself. Let us therefore see, how did the present style of learning, come about? Why we are learning things like addition, multiplication, and other minuscule parts of all forms of arts and science? I feel the answer is a simple one. Such a pattern was established by we grown-ups. We found it easy to appreciate those parts, rather than whole that enveloped all those parts. (I find there are better ways of learning. )

Situation is more or less the same, when we proceed with our lifestyle too. Lifestyle essentially is nothing but a collection of standardised ways of confronting, or putting forth issues. When one is confronted with an issue, or while one is putting forward something, one’s demeanour shall aways be coloured by one’s idea about the expectations of others, something that is dependent on the preferences or goals, each one entertains. There may be few, who will disregard totally, the expectations, or it may be a life and death issue, for some. But, the majority of us fall somewhere in-between.

Thus, we only need to establish a set of priorities for ourselves, which has the power to bring in a calming ambience at all times, whatever be the context. In fact we are lucky here. We can comfortably devise one, which, with the experience gained over many centuries of turbulence, shall be something that can promise a good future to our future. The set of priorities defining our lifestyle, gone shall be the days of frequent uproars, making human, as predictable as any other form of life.

Now let us talk of a brand new lifestyle. We have seen above, what is needed is nothing but establishing a fresh set of priorities that does not lead to turbulence. Our foray into physical entities, both things and phenomena, have already taught us an important axiom. That everything good or useful ceases to be desirable, when it is not in the median range of the possible variations, whatever be the entity in consideration. For example, a rotary pump will produce the designed output flow, only when it operates not in the extremes of permissible speed. Or, where the speed is more than a lower limit, as well as less than an upper limit.

If we take note of this, I think formulation of a new lifestyle will be quite easy. And it is easier to continue to adhere to it. Shun everything that is beyond the optimum, whether towards the less, the minus, or the damaging, or to the plus, the more, or the advantageous. In fact it is not difficult to make this happen. Stop competitions of any nature, though it is not easy to do so.

Each one then shall be free, or rather feel encouraged, to fend for one’s life, following one’s own approach, and behavioural parameters, that result, always in a desirable outcome. As long as the society deems good qualities like acuity, dexterity, sophistication, etc., as more acceptable and celebrated, which should anyway be occurring to us naturally, flow of life shall continue to be smooth.

I feel vindicated once again. I have been writing about the danger posed by the extremes. That the adverse effect is the same, whether because of good things, or due to bad ones. Constantly, we are nurturing both the ones. One, by promoting it beyond ourselves, and the other, by not opposing those with enough force, or by opposing, only if it proves to be posing an urgent and serious threat. And, if we happen to notice any such instance as a danger, we go to the extremes there also, of correction, compounding the issue. That is, effectively, we are accommodating extremes everywhere. And this is what most of my books, hubs, or other articles say.

(By the way, the significant danger posed by the extremes is very well understood by the mankind, as far as man’s foray into science and technology goes. It is well known - the specified behavoir of an equipment, system, etc., is valid, or reliable, only while the system’s operation, or the measurement, or whatever, is in a region that is neither inching towards the minimum, nor near the maximum. Such a region is generally identified as the linear range of the parameter of interest. By choosing appropriate values for size, weight, electric potential, impedance, and a host of other variables, the designer or the engineer has to ensure that operation does not go beyond the linear range. Or, an operating range is specified for the entity in question, within which, a linear relationship can be assured. I feel, we need to dovetail and incorporate such concepts in our life too.)

All of this is okay, but, if this is all that was needed to keep the society healthy and vibrant, why it did not happen so far? Why is that we have overlooked it all these while? And what can make it happen?

You see, we continue to live as a society, both by enjoying the extremes, where it is pleasant, and by making it simple to overlook the danger posed by these, where it isn’t so. But for social living, both would have been impossible. The question need to be asked therefore is, what is making us live as a society. There are two main forces keeping the humans organized. Which are, language, and religion. Look carefully. One can see that both are not essential at all for any of our metabolic needs, and comes into play only for those activities that are offshoots of social living.

Let us examine each. What do language do. We have always seen language as means of communication, and have been nurturing those to ease, or to enable, wider exchanges. But, more important is its appropriateness as an expedient for whatever, the speakers desire to achieve, like its role as a vehicle of thought. But, when the choice of language is based solely on ease of communication, we are letting random exchanges, whether meaningful or not, and that have no relevance in the absence of a society, flourish. When looked in this light, a common language becomes a liability, mainly by promoting unnecessary exchanges and other forms of communication between all and sundry. This, while adding nothing of any value an individual, keeps the prevailing ambience, one well appreciated and desired, which effectively prevent humans from progressing with the activity that yields the richest dividends, namely, thinking.

This in turn make the idea of society, stronger, and the role of its constituents pretty insignificant. Whereas, in the absence of a society, each one of us would have been choosing one’s language based entirely on its ability to spark thoughts, one would like to pursue. Also, each will continue to be a reckon-able force at all times.

Now let us see how religion comes in here. One result of such widespread exchanges is that sooner than later, all worthwhile topics of exchanges shall meet its culmination. Surely and completely, if the end is a success, while prolonging, say partially, otherwise. The discussion, exchange, or talk, naturally will have to veer towards the irrational, if it is to remain. Irrational, since only such topics can continue to serve an exchange without the fear of a culmination, while giving a boost to artistry, imagination and creative thinking. The longest surviving topics of this genre are the ones that get identified, collated, and are widely accepted as religions.

I think, the following we can surmise from the above.

One way to bring peace is to identify and choose a language, as well as religion, strictly on the basis of one’s own personal preferences, which will bring all issues with the human race to an end. You see, for whatever reasons, if people are to go irrational, or cross the limits of another’s tolerance, eruptions can still be expected to occur. But, unlike now, where such eruptions multiply and strengthen in the vast canvas provided by a common language and culture, those would smother each other, being of random nature, and not well understood or appreciated by all. And, gone shall be the days of recurring turbulence.

Another way is to modulate the tendency to go for the ultimate, or the maximum, and avoid the significant danger posed by the extremes. Here, one can continue with one’s language as well as religion, but for the necessary moderation.

Humans - An Alien Pedigree?

Well, human society always is, unlike that of all the other forms of life, a bunch of contradictions. We consider or take pride in all those as unique features of our race, venerating or celebrating it at every chance. But, by doing so, we are losing a valuable opportunity - one to learn more about ourselves. In fact, rather than examining critically and analysing it, as we do for all other matters in relation to the living and the non-living, we are dumping a clear paradox like this, for no worthy reason. And we don’t realize it, being blinded by the pomp and the glory we accord to human race.

Why are there such contradictions within the same race? Is each human made up of a different life altogether, unlike all other species? The reason for such a disparity between human and all the other species of life could be attributed to the origins of each, I think. Perhaps, rather than a cultured monkey, our forefather is a descendant of something extraterrestrial.

One such possibility is, we could be having our origins in a comet like object.

Say, a life like constituent of such an object got dropped here during one of its visits, and it successfully endured the earth. Further adaptation occurred over many centuries, during which, it acquired the shape, size and other traits necessary to survive and flourish in this planet, progressively losing some or all of the original characteristics or features. Also, the possibility of intermingling between at least one of the many forms of life here, and the visitors, cannot be ruled out. Either, by the time the comet made another visit, they or descendants were not able to recognize each other, or, another visit is yet to take place. In fact all the observations and deductions of human evolution fits here perfectly well. Which can also explain easily, the existence of intermediate forms for the human, like Neanderthal, and the absence of any such, for all the other forms of life.

This could be fitting quite well with findings and discoveries of anthropology. Think of human nature, to start with. They begin their life as terribly weak ones, unable even to stand erect for some time, unless supported. Thereafter, one grows up to become capable of doing all that, but in a rather error-prone manner, unlike all the other occupants of this planet. They need to spend much of their life, just to learn, how to live. And then there is a need to practice, what one learns. Now, can’t we imagine of a different planet, whose ‘g’ shall not prevent the new-born ones from standing erect? Followed by a long period needing every sort of attention? One that has a different ambience, where our nature will be error free, like that all the other species of life?

Or, think of our actions. On the whole, the most admired ones are those that lead to destruction, of the current social order, or the way we progress our life. Think of a few great names chosen at random and one can easily confirm it as a fact. Like, Hannibal, Napoleon, Karl Marx, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Buddha, or Muhammed Nabi.

Think of resources. Those available in this planet are constantly depleting, posing a threat to the seamless continuation of human species. Either our pattern of utilization, that is our life itself, is wrong, or we belong to a different part of this universe where human specific needs are never in short supply.

Think of human child. Unlike the new ones of all other species of life, why should there be a need to learn everything afresh, like learning to walk? Or, why should it be told what not to eat?

Think of human lifestyle. One that is totally unsuitable for rest of the life, and the planet, little reflection can show. And also, constantly adding difficulties to the race itself?

Think of human intellect. One that is always coming up with fresh ideas. Mostly with the potential to cause some harm to humans themselves, if not to destroy the race completely. But, on a few occasions, such ideas could result in something good too. And, by extolling beyond all proportions, the latter, the former, though abundant, gets overlooked easily.

What do all these indicate? Humans do not belong to this planet? I feel so. The forefathers of humans would have been the constituents of a different planet, or a comet as mentioned before. And some of them happened to reach earth, which would have been uninhabited.

Say, some of them would have survived the new environment. They would have been spending their days in total discomfort, trying meet the necessities of life with whatever limited was their adaptability to the planet. The initial generations faced severe issues related to food, shelter, coverings and all, setting in motion, evolution. And successive generations adapted well, putting a brake to it.

So, our roots could be elsewhere. Where, the prevailing environmental parameters would have been a suiting one, whether for humans, or for the real stock of that species, to live in total comfort, all through one’s lifetime. And as a result, all their intellectual transactions get absorbed in a seamless manner. We are yet to locate their descendants, or they haven’t been able to meet their ones of this planet, or each of them is unable to recognize the other one.