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December 4, 2003
Life as it seems
What is the basis of existence: is it as the Creator made it or as mankind thinks it is? For this mankind has to think and ponder much deeper. The problem at this juncture is do we ourselves know what is required of us? Perhaps, but contrarily we haven’t ever understood this.
We know from science that humans evolved from monkeys. It was around 8,000 BC when humans evolved to live as a civilization, but it took many more centuries prior to which mankind started to comprehensively grasp nature’s role in human life.
In my understanding, all is known to us by the formulae written in our cellular machinery. The cells of the animal kingdom are just of one type. Thus we must also consider cells of plants, protista, monera and the virions without leaving out the prions.
Both plants and animals are eukaryotes while the virions along with prions are creatures devoid of cellular machinery. The rest come under prokaryotes apart from certain exceptions. The animals generate energy from oxygen whilst the plants coupled with this are able to make complex compounds from sunlight. This difference has a profound effect on how we humans think.
In humans all DNA is inherited by meiosis apart from that of the mitochondria whose DNA is always of maternal origin, whereas in higher plants both chloroplasts and mitochondria occur thus possessing both the maternal and paternal evolutionary lineages.
This takes us back to the era of Charles Darwin who coined the term “survival of the fittest”. One may ask as to how all this relates to our present day circumstances. In the book, The Meme Machine, Susan Blackmore tells us about the definitive idea of “Universal Darwinism”.
According to this idea all ideas require a ‘meme’ or unit of information just as cells require genes. Cultural values and traditional customs are also termed memes. As are gestures like a simple hand wave or saying “goodbye”. In our society sighting the moon is a unique event and one which is infectious just as Blackmore suggests memes’ behaviour is.
In this regard we just can’t make up our mind when to sight the moon. This year both the lunar and solar eclipses have occurred in quick succession. Since eternity, this has entranced mankind and so have the coming and going of Leonid showers, solar flares, asteroids and comets, and this year Comet Encke. Such events cause a change in one’s feelings and emotion and affect society’s thinking mannerism.
In our country a measured approach is required for solving our problems. A similar event was the partition, which caused an earthquake in the Indian subcontinent which could not have been measured on any richter scale. Now, all we have 56 years later, is nothing but a mess of utter chatter in our midst.
All we know is that we are some bodies — an individual who does not know his creed, caste, religion, ideas, outlooks and nationality. The simple fact is we do not know that we are living on this planet, and through the media and its stars we hope to understand human nature. That’s why we watch programmes like The Lost World, Temptation Island and Charmed Ones on cable.
How does all this affect us? With the city being so large, the people just as insular to one another, one may ask are we headed towards peace? Not likely. The chaotic order is likely to be expressed as killings and total lack of civil order make the inner cities of LA and NYC look peaceful in comparison.
Reform is possible only if we start reassessing our present scenario. In our schools, science, history, humanities and other disciplines are not taught in their essence. Both Islamic history and regional history are not given their due importance. More and more enhanced technological advances are making our children attracted to all forms of materialistic charms. A lesser emphasis is made on sincerity, modesty and honesty.
The dearth of competent professionals in our services sector as well as lack of a liberal arts compulsory education at the undergraduate level, has made our social infrastructure such that it has never been able to take hold.
If resources were to be spent intelligently i.e., an attempt made to attain communal peace in order to pacify nationalistic sentiments, curb religious extremism and keep a strong direction in matters of common interest among the diverse peoples of the country, then a prosperous developed economy would be on the horizon.
For this purpose nation building is a must. If we don’t head in this direction, then quite soon some outside force could very easily fully divide the society rendering us to become complete slaves with no say whatsoever. A modern and combined thought process is required whereby a common syllabus for all, radical changes in the health sector and proper investment and budgetary regulations are affected.
The survival of the nation is only possible through the recognition of the rights of the sub-nations or else all doomsday predictions might hold true. At an individual level a lack of hypocrisy, responsibility towards society and awareness of the problems at hand are needed.
With only 10 per cent of the population who can be classified as educated and conscientious, much more than mere talk is required. The need is for them to participate at various forums with a vision to invigorate our youth towards the goal of freedom and prosperity.
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