From pins to planes

About three billion years before my grandfather and your great grandfather existed, first forms of life arrived on earth according to most scientists. According to Wikipedia the number of Earth’s current species is estimated at one trillion and less than one percent have been clearly understood and described. Our planet’s earliest organisms were unicellular and over a period of time they evolved into complex multicellular organisms. It is not very clear to scientists whether the first protein of life – RNA or Ribonucleic acid – came from complex interaction of chemicals or they were blasted onto earth by some impact of a large meteor from elsewhere in the solar system.

Modern humans evolved from a lineage of upright-walking apes that has been traced back over six million years. Human beings evolved over millions of years, walked out of the forest, lighted a fire, cooked their meals, grew their grains, developed their machines, rode bicycles and finally flew in their aircraft across the globe. They never looked back as they invented communication technology, gene therapy and what not and they were set to conquer everything forever. The story looks too predictable, right?

After the industrial revolution around 180 years ago the humble farmer transformed into a big manufacturer of a variety of machines which could manufacture virtually anything from a tiny pin to huge machineries which created mass employment. By the beginning of the 20^th century the Wright brothers created a flying machine which transported people across the globe and in another few decades the cellphone and internet was functional. Thus, a hungry trader sitting in a remote corner of Meghalaya can watch NASA putting out a satellite into space even as he struggles to push his handcart onto the unpaved mud path in his village.

Meanwhile the affluent class flaunted their wealth and kept globe-trotting without any care-in-the-world even as poorer sections struggled to feed and vaccinate their young ones. This arrogance among the masses gave rise to a generation of people who always expected that the earth could spin the way they decided.

Luxury and corruption

With money in their pockets and a mobile phone in their hand, the youth thought that the sky is their limit, especially with the older millionaires planning rides to space and the relatively less affluent planning trips after foreign trip on terra firma.

It was not long before greed overtook mankind and this also sprouted a generation of corrupt political leaders which spoiled the system of governance in our country. Corruption percolated from the ministers and high-ranking officials to the lowly chaprasi (peon) in government offices. Roads could be laid and metro rail networks could be built across cities with public funds but a share of the loot had to be apportioned to the official who sanctions the project, the party in power as well as the clerk who releases the final cheque!

Paid but not sprayed!

The public gradually learnt that in some cases there was no need to carry out work but just need to ensure that the paperwork is complete.

Government spends huge amounts to spray pesticides in trains but so long as the right persons are paid, there is no need to spray even a can of pesticide. So what if bugs bite passengers or children fall sick? Likewise, there is no need for the flood-affected destitute to get the financial compensation so long as middleman fudges the records accurately!

E-governance, a mockery

Have you tried to make a complaint on the citizen portal of any government or quasi-government department in India? It is very impressive.

The moment one files a complaint the system generates an automatic response and gives a complaint number. Surprise, surprise! Within a week the complainant receives an email that “the complaint has been resolved,” even while the dangerously dug up road remains uncovered or without proper barricades. If the complainant is persistent and repeats the complaint, he gets a message that he is complaining too much! This is not an exaggeration and the author is witness to this.

India is a vibrant democracy, they say. Elections are regularly held but no matter which when party comes to power the conditions on the ground level do not change. People are frustrated but no one really cares as bureaucrats are busy buying swanky cars with taxpayer’s money but the potholed roads remain as bad as the surface of the moon!

The poor were busy making both ends meet while the upper class profited even as they grumbled about poor economy etc. In the midst of such non-governance, government officials keep busy jet-setting across the globe on “study tours” and life is always hunky-dory for them.

Intermission!

Bang! Enter a new version of an old virus, as if straight out of a novel: The Novel Coronavirus-2! A mutant of the earlier SARS virus put on a new cap and has gone out for a kill bringing the entire world to a standstill. What is unbelievable is the scale of its havoc across continents as it spread through travelers from China to Iran, Italy and the United States all in a span of less than a few weeks.

We could never have imagined earlier that an entire nation, leave alone the whole world, could lock its people indoors and shut down all sorts of physical movement outside but allow birds and animals to roam free!

Yet, as I write this, billions of people across the planet are on an international lockdown and this is an unprecedented event in the history of mankind. A tiny bit of RNA has shaken the very core of our existence flattening out billionaires, educationists, scientists, doctors, teachers and everyone! Viruses are such tiny fragments which cannot reproduce on their own unless they find a host cell. Such a speck is probably “not even a life form” according to some scientists.

Now imagine how this tiny, invisible, lifeless crumb has been holding up every aircraft, space shuttle, president, prime minister, man, woman and child on earth, for weeks together and sending everyone scurrying for cover into their mansions or cubbyholes. What is even scarier is that it has just hit Indian shores and cases of suspected community spread are yet being analysed. If the pace of community spread increases, it will be a long and hard battle ahead for our country which is already struggling with so many known challenges.

Oh My Covid!

So what is this invisible force which we call coronavirus? It seems to have opened the eyes of leaders of developed and developing nations, forcing people across the globe to introspect on the wayward ways of mankind, at least temporarily.

As a country, Hindus believe that there were 33 crore gods catering to every sub-community and belief system. Only God could bring the entire world to a standstill and it appears as if, this time we have given God a new name: Covid-19!

Would this new God produce a change in our thinking? Would this global pandemic produce a change in attitude among the ordinary citizen to the highest ranking official the world over? Would there be a transformation among humans to love all flora and fauna as trustees of the planet and not just being owned by the two-footed animal in suit and ties? Would the persons involved in handling social infrastructure be more understanding of the needs of the man on the street? Would governments big and small stop bullying each other? Would the man on the street understand that no one owns this world but we all belong to it—together?

Everyone will agree that like Coronavirus, God too is invisible and people all over the world regard it as a supreme being which has power over nature and on human fortunes. It is a point worth pondering: has God taken on a new avatar to open the minds of homo sapiens who seem to have lost the way from the times of homo erectus or “upright man”?

If Covid-19 manages to make a sizeable change in our mindset from today itself, it would seem that God has appeared on the planet, in disguise. One hopes that the change happens in this generation’s lifetime.

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For humans, apart from the obvious health concern, there are multiple other dimensions to the coronavirus “story” such as financial repercussions, social dynamics, religious and spiritual values and so on. The meaning we give to each of these will decide where we will go as a species.

Will we expand or shrink?

There have been many memes circulating about how a tiny, seemingly insignificant coronavirus has made the greatest of species feel vulnerable and totally powerless. There is a fundamental delusion in viewing any disease-causing virus in this manner. But then humans have been storytellers from time immemorial…and one of stories we have told ourselves is that of being distinct creatures separate from other beings and the planet itself. The reality is that life flows seamlessly through all of existence. Creation/destruction of forms are personal from the limited perspective of the individual perceiving consciousness. But from the perspective of life itself, which you may call “the greater intelligence”, it’s just life as usual.

If the story we weave around this crisis is self-centered, we will:

1. Project panic and fear
2. Blame and condemn or feel guilt and regret
3. Act selfishly, concerned only about personal safety and the safety of our family and loved ones

Reacting this way, we may contract and shut down; we will isolate ourselves emotionally and quarantine our love and compassion — a sure-shot prescription for individual and collective suffering.

If, however, we choose to project an expansive meaning to this crisis, the outcome would be quite different:

1. We will look at this as an opportunity to reflect and re-evaluate our priorities
2. We will realize how each of us has contributed directly or indirectly—not only to the present crisis but to all the excesses in the world that are the cause of much of what is wrong in our world today.
3. We will notice how our ruthless ambitions and our lust for “more” is causing much suffering in the world—and we cannot isolate ourselves from that suffering because, as we have already established, we are inextricably linked; indeed, we ARE the world.

Let us mend our ways to bend this reality

Coming back to storytelling, since we are free to give any meaning to the present situation, how about looking at this crisis as a wake-up call to mend our ways? Each of us needs to do our best to successfully meet not only the coronavirus pandemic but also other challenges that humanity faces.

Climate change, for instance. Like the coronavirus, climate change too will not discriminate on the basis of wealth, social status, nationality or religion. The only way for us to respond to these challenges is to act from the knowing that each of us affects the reality that is experienced by all of us.

A commitment to conscious living

How about making a commitment to living with this awareness?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Start cutting down on consumption — we now know we can easily live with a lot less, so let us stop equating more with better
2. Let your motto be “Live and let live”. The planet has enough to satisfy everyone’s need but not enough to satisfy even a single person’s greed.
3. Focus on feeling alive now instead of imagining a happier tomorrow
4. At every opportunity, look for the obvious and not-so-obvious ways in which you are connected to beings near and far; for instance, notice how every morsel of food you ingest has reached you thanks to thousands of people, both past and present; both near and far
5. See how much in common we have with every single human being on the planet
6. Slow down and start appreciating life in its natural form, devoid of all that is man-made
7. See how joyous family time can be; also enjoy solitude every once in a while
8. Look for everyday miracles around you like a flower blooming, a bird flying, a cloud floating, wind blowing, the stars in the infinite sky…
9. Make it a point to connect with life in its purest form—spend more time in Nature. Be among trees, lakes, mountains, seas—just be with them without any agenda or purpose such as adventure or picnic or experiences etc.
10. Strive to awaken the true potential lying dormant in you—not the potential for material success or power etc. but the potential for love, peace and joy
11. Adopt mindfulness as your default setting; see how gratitude arises from within spontaneously when you are mindful. You will realize that there’s much to be thankful for and that our feelings of neediness and inadequacy are nothing more than a collective delusion.

Edited on 23^rd March 2020

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Hawking’s prophecy reminded me of a joke: A man was galloping away on a horse as if in a great hurry to reach somewhere. Along the way, a friend of this man saw him racing away. Curious, he shouted, “Where are you going?” The man on the horse replied, “I wish I knew! Ask the horse!”

To me, this joke is our story—the story of humanity. The man represents the whole humanity and the wayward horse is the collective mind energy that is now totally out of control, taking all of us to no destination in particular but all the while pretending to be on an important assignment.

How the human mind evolved

Hawking’s best-selling book A Brief History of Time attempts to explain the origin and evolution of the universe, the big bang, black holes, wormholes and other cosmic ideas. But what explains the history of the mind? According to me, the following could very well be a brief history of the human mind:

At the onset, the mind in humans evolved as a wonderful instrument that enabled us to improve our lives. Unfortunately, along the way we allowed the mind to become more important than life itself. Prior to the evolution of the human mind, we lived in response to, and harmony with, our environment. Our problems were more immediate—like physical safety from predatory animals, shelter for protection against harsh weather and finding food. As the mind developed thinking abilities, we conquered all our survival problems. Soon, we started using the mind to further improve our general conditions. Soon the mind helped us take great strides, and humans began to trust it more and more until we lost our sense of self and got completely identified with it.

Once the human mind was in the commanding position, it started to solve problems that didn’t exist. Ever since, that’s what humanity has been doing—solving problems that don’t exist [I call them mind-made problems] and creating more problems in the process. That, in a nutshell, is the brief history of the human mind.

Our madness is not funny

When I look at the world today, I can’t help but wonder about the crazy state of affairs. We have enough resources to end world hunger and wipe off poverty from the world. We have a real chance of lasting peace—survival not being an issue; we have no reason to fight wars. But we are determined to fight other humans for some false sense of supremacy, even if that means destroying ourselves in the process.

Unless we stop it, it is very likely that our insane mind energy will cause us to blow ourselves up.

Can we do something about it? Yes, we can. The first step is to recognise that we are not the mind. We need to seize back control from our mind, which is an amazing servant but a terrible master. We need to relegate it to its original serving position and refuse to entertain any ideas and thoughts that lead to separation from fellow humans and our environment.

Every individual that unplugs from the dominant mind energy raises hopes that we will outlast doomsday predictions. Sure, it’s not easy but it’s worth the effort. And if enough of us successfully free ourselves from the clutches of the mind, a shift will take place in the collective consciousness of humankind. If that happens, we will finally begin to enjoy the real benefits of mind-made advances… peacefully and happily ever after.

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