Human beings are concoctions of numerous complex variables,
way too complex to even start defining, nonetheless anthropologists delve
deeper, studying humans, their culture and history, their contributions to arts
and science, their religions and beliefs and so on. It is quite amazing to see
how the human race has evolved from the very beginnings to what it is now.
On one of those rare evenings when I was on the beach looking
at the sea, I was happy to see wave dynamics in action. I noticed that waves
were amplified when they approach in same direction and cancel each other when
the receding wave meets the incoming wave. Civilizations are like waves. New
waves of civilizations get created when groups come together under favorable
circumstances, larger waves conquer smaller waves, more often there is a clash
between waves leading to attenuation of the forces, and sometimes these waves
die out entirely as well. These wave-like civilizations are complex systems
that have the tendency to expand and engulf other civilizations while still making
sure they are stable within.
Exploring deeper into a civilization we find that there are
stratified structures -
like the king, noblemen, commoners etc. In modern civilizations these have been
replaced by social hierarchies and governments. Multiple groups function
together like cog-wheels and create civilization as we call it. Socio-geo-politico-economic
interactions happen within the groups and outside the groups as well. Now group
dynamics comes into the picture. These groups are complex entities themselves,
as the behavior of a kingdom or a government cannot be understood by studying
the individuals in it but rather has to be studied as a group itself.
In modern societies, the individuals who form the elements
of different groups have their own responsibilities, rules to follow and
freedom to enjoy. But they tend to forget that with freedom comes also the
rules which need to be followed, which could be as simple as waiting till the
stoplight turns green and stopping when it turns red. Freedom is good to have
but not when it is misused and starts to interfere with others. To quote a
monk, "a buffalo glibly chewing some garbage in the middle of a busy
highway, unmindful of the traffic jam it has created and the endless sounds of
horns all around it, is no doubt, experiencing a weird sort of freedom but only
at the cost of inconveniencing innumerable travelers." Probably even that
is better than a mad dog defending "its territory", biting everyone
who passes nearby, greedily trying to grab everything in its reach.
These days we find conflicts happening all around
the globe round the clock. At the individual level, if things go bad it affects
the person and few people around. When people come together as random groups,
crowd psychology takes over. When they are organized groups with an ulterior
motive, the outcome is even more scary. Perception is very relative and
subjective. What seems blasphemous for one group could be perfectly alright for
another. It is not a question of which group is right, it is a question of can
you live along without bothering about what the other person does, as long as
it is within what “the law permits.” Unfortunately law itself is based on shaky
foundations, again due to differences in perception. Tagging ourselves as part
of a religion or a faith or a city or a country and being proud about it is
only going to worsen the situation. Instead, tagging ourselves as human beings,
coming together to help each other, as we did in the recent trying times of
flood1, would help us and everyone around us. So instead of being
bogged down by trivialities, let us, as humans, explore the unexplored and
evolve to greater heights.
Notes:
0. This was written on 14th December 2015.
1. 2015_South_Indian_floods
