36. MAN AND NATURE

36. MAN AND NATURE



Peace by piece 
by Celia Berrell

The world is getting smaller
and its breaking into bits.
Let’s put it back together.
Peace by piece
the puzzle fits.

Repairs can all be tended
by the tiniest of friends.
As working all together
peace by piece
the puzzle mends.

Earth as seen from space.

THERE is a general view that nature is steady, while man is both unsteady and capricious. Poets express this in beautiful songs, as in the following from the 1954 movie Nastik.

Nature and man

देख तेरे संसार की हालत क्या हो गई भगवान
कितना बदल गया इनसान कितना बदल गया इनसान
सूरज न बदला चांद न बदला ना बदला रे आसमान
कितना बदल गया इनसान कितना बदल गया इनसान

Dekh tere sansar ki haalat kya hogayi bhagwan

Kitna badal gaya insaan, kitna badal gaya insaan

Suraj na badla chand na badla na badla rae aasman

Kitna badal gaya Insaan

O Lord, look at the state of your world!
How much has man changed, how much has man changed!
Sun has not changed, moon has not changed, 
nor has the sky changed,
How much has man changed !

आया समय बड़ा बेढंगा
आज आदमी बना लफ़ंगा
कहीं पे झगड़ा कहीं पे दंगा
नाच रहा नर हो कर नंगा
छल और कपट के हाथों अपना
बेच रहा ईमान, कितना …

Aaya samay bada bedanga

Aaj aadmi bana lafanga

Kahin pe jagda kahin pe dhanga

Naach raha nar hokar nanga

Chal aur kapat kae haathon apna

Baech raha imaan, kitna badal gaya insaan.

Times have come which are unsuitable
Today man has become unsettled.
There is fight somewhere, there is riot somewhere
Man is dancing naked!
With guile and pretense, men are selling their faith!
How much  has man changed !

This is from the celluloid poet Kavi Pradeep. Here he is contrasting the social environment created by man, and the natural environment. The natural environment is taken to be unchanging, while man is changing his social environment in unwholesome ways.



Does man change?

Marcus Aurelius


Some philosophers however hold that over the years, humanity is by and large what it has always been: seeing and doing things in the same way. For instance, Marcus Aurelius writes:

"Think by way of example the times of Vespasian, and you will see all these things: marrying,raising children, falling ill, dying, wars, holiday feasts, commerce, farming, flattering, pretending,suspecting, scheming, praying that others die, grumbling over one's lot, falling in love,amassing fortunes, lusting after office and power. Now that life of theirs is dead and gone.....the times of Trajan, again the same....."

 [ Meditations. 4.32  Translation by Stephen Hanselman ]

( Vespasian was the Roman Emperor from 69 to 79 AD. Trajan was the emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Marcus Aurelius was himself emperor from 161 to 180 AD)

Here, we are told that in about a century, humans had not changed their ways significantly. They had carried on in much the same way!

Things are not the same!

Those living now in the second decade of the 21st century can hardly agree with either assessment fully. We know that both the natural environment, and the social structure have undergone tremendous changes due to human intervention. Things may seem the same, but they are not. We may be doing the same things, but not in the same manner or spirit!

Basic human nature has not changed. We are as prone to love and war, hatred and strife, struggle for power and position, given to scheming and flattering, now as in the days of Marcus Aurelius. But our methods and weapons have changed. Love is not steady, marriage is not for life but a contract of convenience, children are with single parents, old people are dumped in -what are atrociously called - "old age homes" which are anything but homes! War is not confined to combatants. We have lost our sense of right and wrong, and an intense relativism dictates and guides our actions. Utilitarian calculations have replaced moral concerns. We continue with old names, but they do not mean now what they meant in the past.

Sun is changing

While society has changed, nature is also observed to be not so steady, after all. Scientists tell us that the sun for instance is steadily changing. They estimate its life to be about 8 billion years, and it is now half way through- in about its 4.5 billionth year. A stage will come when it will burn up its hydrogen, become a red-giant star,[ finally assuming 150 times its present size ] and engulf Mercury, Venus and   Earth.  Though this will happen  in another 3.5 billion years, earth will become unlivable in another billion years!

Sun as red-giant star: Image from NASA

 In the mean time, the sun too continues to behave in cycles,  causing disturbances on earth,through waves of heat and cold; though the effects may not last long, the cycles get repeated. This is quite apart from the changing seasons.

However these things do not unduly disturb us Hindus whose scriptures tell us that even the Universe will one day disintegrate!

Man is changing the earth!

While this is the natural progression based on the life of the sun as projected by scientists, earth is already becoming unlivable due to human activity- its nature and scale.'Progress' based on human economic and industrial activity  in the last two centuries has polluted all the surface water on earth; it has polluted the rivers and the oceans; it has destroyed forests which precipitate rain and protect the soil; it has polluted the air and atmosphere. It has invented products and processes which directly affect Nature adversely and permanently, and in ways which affect the quality of life. It has led to extinction , and seriously threatens the existence, of many life forms on earth, the true function and significance of which even the so called scientists do not fully know.Pollution , global warming,and the risks of  nuclear energy are distinctly modern phenomena, due to our 'scientific advance'. Thus the nature surrounding us is not what it was at the time of Marcus Aurelius, it is not what it was even a century ago! These have brought about radical changes in our social arrangements too.

While every other life form on earth lives in ways as intended by nature, in harmony with it, man alone does things which go against nature , and yet calls it 'progress'! Such progress has made our water undrinkable , and the air unbreathable!

In fact, those who are over 70 can easily see how fast, and how irreversibly things have changed all around us in the last 50 years in India. All aspects of life have changed simultaneously. Nothing that we use today is exactly what it was a fifty years ago! Even our traditional food has changed in content and composition, though it retains its name and form! The institutions which provided stability and strength in times of stress in the past , like  marriage and family, religious orders and arrangements, local communities, etc have also changed radically. Or, they no more fulfill their old functions. Even the pace of life has accelerated, and life style altered.

The net result is that man has simply failed to comprehend and relate to his environment- natural or social- meaningfully. Both are being manipulated by him continuously, in accelerated ,unceasing wave after wave. Commercial interests have taken control of the details of living. 

For serious students of literature, this does not come as a  surprise at all. Poets and philosophers have been warning us of the forces of change. But no one foresaw the furious pace of the change. 

FUTURE SHOCK



Alvin Toffler in 2006. 
Photo: By Vern Evans (Flickr:AT 02)
CC BY-SA 2.0 Wikimedia commons)

 The author who best captured the situation was Alvin Toffler. In his 1970 book "Future Shock", he traced in sufficient detail the forces of change, their pace, direction and magnitude. He called 'Future Shock' that psychological state, based on a culture shock, where both individuals and societies were unable to cope with change- too much change in too short a time at too fast a pace. This is compounded by "information overload"- we have too much information for our understanding. The situation totally disorients both individuals and societies. Institutions and arrangements of the past would not help us. We are left dazed.

We must search out totally new ways to anchor ourselves, for all the old roots — religion, nation, community, family, or profession — are now shaking under the hurricane impact of the accelerative thrust.

Thus the present is not a smooth extension of the past,  the past is no sure guide to the future. Toffler also anticipated the era of personal computers, mobile communication ,internet and email, etc but warned us in 1998:

"Society needs people who take care of the elderly and who know how to be compassionate and honest. Society needs people who work in hospitals. Society needs all kinds of skills that are not just cognitive; they're emotional, they're affectional. You can't run the society on data and computers alone."

Disturbing trends

Cover of an old edition shown here for educational purpose.


I first read the book in 1974, and it has left a lasting and disturbing impression.Almost everything  that the author said has happened! This book is still relevant. Our youngsters would be shocked to know how relevant it is to India today! How mindlessly has India embraced 'future shock'!


Technological and natural environment
Toffler mainly deals with the  consequences of the industrial and technological changes created by man, during the three phases of the so called march of civilization: the agrarian, industrial and post-industrial society.[detailed in his book 'The Third Wave', 1980.] Other aspects of these changes have been studied by others like Lewis Mumford, Jacques Ellul. Man's capacity to adapt to change, individually and socially, has seriously lagged behind the pace of change. It is even more than the human mind can really absorb.

But since the days of 'Future Shock' which continues to be relevant, serious scientists have studied how man's activities in the name of progress have impacted the environment, and how unsuitable the earth is becoming as our habitat. The rising science of ecology since the days of Rachel Carson is revealing the serious nature of the damage, often irreversible, being caused by man, in the name of progress and development, with the aid of modern science! But this is yet to be fully acknowledged by the so called scientific community, and appreciated by the educated public and its leaders.

 India could have avoided many of the pitfalls if we had followed a different line of development, but our leaders lacked wisdom and courage; they merely followed the ways of the West as progress, and we have repeated and inherited all their mistakes, misdeeds and misery. Present PM Modi too is following the same route!

Ancient literature is full of accounts of people who have cried, in every age, that it has deteriorated, compared to the past! But what we are witnessing now is unprecedented by all objective standards. The earth and air, water and sky are not now what they were  a mere 50 years ago- as measured by scientific instruments! Even the chemical composition of our food has changed! There is now practically no food item which is not touched or treated by some chemical at some stage! There is no one power or authority which controls things or can call the shots. We in fact do not know for sure who runs the show! Things are going on pretty much as an orchestra without  a conductor!

 I do not like to conclude a piece on negative lines, but here I see no glimmer of light, unless we make bold to say that the answer to change is even more change, even faster change ! Let us keep travelling just for the fun of it, even if we do not know the direction or destination! Is it any consolation  that this is what is supposed to happen in this Kali Age, according to our own sacred books ? Relief in the form of an Avatar comes, but at the end! The age promises relief only to individuals who strive spiritually! How we wish we could return to  simpler ways, and say with the poet:

Therefore am I still 

A lover of the meadows and the woods 

And mountains; and of all that we behold 

From this green earth; of all the mighty world 

Of eye, and ear,—both what they half create, 

And what perceive; well pleased to recognise 

In nature and the language of the sense 

The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, 

The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul 

Of all my moral being. 

William Wordsworth.
Tintern Abbey Lines
July 13, 1798

25.PHILOSOPHY AS PRACTICAL WISDOM

25. PHILOSOPHY AS PRACTICAL WISDOM

Plato and Aristotle

The very word philosophy makes people feel uncomfortable.. Most people associate it with mental abstraction, speculation into insoluble problems, verbal sophistry, useless indulgence in idleness, or simply a show of superiority by some people. It is defined in as many ways as there are dictionaries.Some may know it in its primary sense as the 'love of wisdom'. But wisdom itself is a concept not well understood. The modern age has lost it in the maze of knowledge, which in turn has been lost in the mountains of information, as T.S.Eliot pointed out. Few associate it with practical wisdom. The dictionary.com defines the word as:

noun, plural philosophies.

1.

the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, 

knowledge, or conduct.

2.

any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as 

composing this study.

3.

a particular system of thought based on such study or investigation:

the philosophy of Spinoza.

4.

the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular 

branch of  knowledge,especially with a view to improving or

 reconstituting them:

the philosophy of science.

5.

a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.

6.

an attitude of rationality, patience, composure,and calm in the presence of  troubles or  annoyances.

The  Brittanica.com has it thus:

Philosophy, (from Greek, by way of Latin, philosophia, “love of wisdom”) the rational, abstract, and methodical consideration of reality as a whole or of fundamental dimensions of human existence and experience. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual history of many civilizations.

Thus for most people, philosophy is some kind of intellectual activity, removed from practical life.

Philosophy in ancient days

But this is not how it had been. Every ancient civilization before  the rise of Christianity and Islam had been active in philosophical inquiry as a means to action, as a guide to living, not  simply meditation or speculation. The ancient Greeks and Romans were deeply interested in leading  the Good Life. They found its basis in Virtue, ie good conduct. This they formulated into their philosophies. Naturally, the thinking minds found various ways, but not one of them said life could be lived as one wished! For the ancients, philosophy meant a set of values to guide one's life.

 In the modern day, philosophy has come to mean empty speculation and semantic gymnastics. The ancient philosophers were not idle speculators. They were engaged in various occupations. Socrates was a stone mason, and not rich. Marcus Aurelius was an Emperor [ like our Rajarishi].  Seneca was a dramatist and political activist. Epictetus was a slave, released later from slavery by his master , and became a teacher and friend of Emperor Hadrian.( 2nd century). Zeno who started the Stoic school  was a merchant. There were many others from many other professions, including sports.

Ancient philosophers were giants

The ancient philosophers walked their talk. Socrates for instance was condemned to death by drinking poison.(399 BC) His friends and followers urged him to escape into exile, but he refused and drank the poison gladly to prove his loyalty to his city and its gods, and  belief in the eternity of the soul. 

Socrates drinking hemlock.

Marcus Aurelius found time for his philosophy during his military campaigns.

Boethius was a senator and high official in Rome,(6th Century) was betrayed by treachery and was executed.  While in prison awaiting trial, he found time to put down his thoughts in writing. Known as " The Consolation of Philosophy", it became the single most influential book subsequently, and is the last great work of ancient philosophy. None of the old philosophers asked us to escape life, but to face it. Escapism is a modern trait.

In India too, the ancient Rishis were not mere speculators but family men who understood the principles of the good life - Dharma- by long discipline and intuition. Subsequent philosophers too were not idlers but active men who travelled widely and promoted both inquiry and active virtuous life. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: tie up your Vedanta in a corner of your dhoti, and engage in work and worship! Sri Krishna gives the examples of Janaka and others who were Rajarishis. And he was himself active !

Philosophy & practical life

If we discard the names and the labels, and the disputations of the academics, we can find that all the ancient philosophers were convinced that the basis of happiness was a virtuous life, which grew out of good conduct. The various do's and don'ts prescribed in our Sastras - including the Yama and Niyama of the Yoga school are only practical guides to good conduct, providing solid ground of ethics and morality, as basic preparation for true religious life. No Indian philosopher said that virtuous life was easy. Virtue has to be cultivated by personal discipline. This is done in the world while leading an active life, not by running to the forest. Hindu religion does not advocate renunciation as a rule. It is the exception. Buddhism demonstrates the tragedy when sanyasa becomes a popular cult. In contemporary world, the Catholic clergy is beset by serious problems.

Gita's prescription

The best practical philosophical manual we have is the Bhagavad Gita. Shorn of all the religious and theological associations, it is a compendium which prescribes practical steps for a virtuous life based on self-discipline. It involves three steps: 

- Proper understanding of the world- Sankhya. We have to distinguish between the perishable and the eternal. The body is perishable,  Atma is eternal. The material universe  is perishable, but the Brahman behind it is eternal. Prakriti- Purusha, Kshetra-Khetrajna - we have to distinguish the two. We perceive the world not as it is, but as it is reported to us by the senses and interpreted by the mind. We have to refine these instruments for proper understanding. Once we understand the eternal element among the transient, our priorities are set. We choose a life of discipline that is  beneficial (Sreyas), rather than a life that is pleasurable  (Preyas)  which is perishable.

- Life of Right Action: Yoga. Yoga (union) is to be in touch with the eternal element in all circumstances. Action is normally based on desire; its nonfulfilment leads to frustration and  anger. Thus desire and anger (Kama and Krodha) are the gates to hell. Action based on desire leads to rebirth. But so long as we live in the world, action of some sort cannot be avoided. So the essential action has to be performed without desire, merely as a duty, so as to avoid future births. This is the skill to be acquired.(Kausalam)

- Samatwa: Equanimity .In performing action like this, strong will is involved. It it exercised in two essential directions: giving up desire and the expectation of fruit; remaining undisturbed in mind in favourable and adverse circumstances, in friendship and adversity, amid fame and infamy, pleasure and pain, etc.

Many other details would naturally flow from these. It is above all a supremely ethical code marked by 
understanding , action and discipline.

Two notes are in order.

1.The Gita introduces a strong, unmistakable theistic element. It prescribes that a person who desires his own good (Sreyas) should surrender to God (conceived in any manner) and perform his action as an offering to Him. This is the highest secret of life. But the prescriptions can be followed  even without the theism. ( as ego-less action )

2. There are  many psychological factors as the basis of our thinking and action. These are integrated with the philosophical steps in the course of practice. Indian philosophy  seamlessly integrates with psychology. Such divisions are a meaningless  modern western abstraction.

If we consider the three steps noted above as the essence of practical philosophy, the school of Western philosophy that comes nearest to it is Stoicism. In popular conception, 'stoic' is taken to mean to be without emotions. But this is not the real meaning.

Stoicism

Stoicism is the name given to a line of philosophical thinking founded in Athens by Zeno in 3rd Century BC.  It flourished in Greece, and  later in Rome up to the end of 3rd Century AD.

As the Wikipedia notes:

Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD. Stoicism is predominantly a philosophy of personal ethics which is informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting that which we have been given in life, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner.

According to the stoics, happiness depends on virtue which consists of  self-control, courage, justice and wisdom. Wisdom consists in knowing our limits- what we can control and what we cannot, and merely accepting the latter. One has to give up passion. Stoicism is not just doctrine but a way of life- lex divina.

The greatest teachers and practitioners  of stoicism have been Marcus Aurelius,  Seneca, and Epictetus.

Men do not care how nobly they live, but only how long, although  it is within the reach of every man to live nobly, but within no man's power to live long.

- Seneca. 

Everything you hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything you see is a perspective, not the truth.

Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is within yourself, in your thinking.

- Marcus Aurelius.

There are many good books on Stoic philosophy. The latest one is  the excellent "The Daily Stoic" a compendium of 366 quotations and reflections from the writings of the Stoic philosophy, meant for daily meditation.

Published by Profile Books, 2016. Cover shown here for educative purposes.

This gives an excellent, short summary of the whole philosophy. The authors write:

"They ultimately framed their work around a series of exercises in three critical disciplines:

The Discipline of Perception ( how we see and perceive the world around us.)

The Discipline of Action ( the decisions and actions we take- and to what end )

The Discipline of Will ( how we deal with the things we cannot change, attain clear and convincing judgment, and come to a true understanding of our place in the world. )"

[ From the Introduction, p.4]

If we compare this summary with the gist of the practical steps gleaned from the Gita, we realise how close they are! In fact, there  is a remarkable closeness between ancient Greek and Indian thought.[ though not total identity] 

Stoicism and fatalism

 Insofar as Stoicism insists on acceptance of what life brings, it may be interpreted as a sort of deterministic fatalism. Some  Indian systems overcome this hurdle by resort to theological belief, God and his grace. Or by resort to remedial measures by  tantra, astrology, etc. How much real relief is actually obtained therefrom is a subjective opinion. This problem has caused endless debates in modern times, with no solution. Modern man is led to believe in freewill, but is baffled when misfortune befalls him. No science is able to solve all problems, including medicine. In the circumstances, it actually seems better to believe in some Higher Order that ordains things on earth. The Stoics did not ask us to abandon our free will, but to act according to our reason, but be prepared to accept when things don't go our way or according to expectations. In this respect, the Stoics reflected the general attitude of the ancient Greeks as seen in their Tragedies: we may try all we can, but it is futile to fight the gods or to seek to outwit them! Modern science knows no better for all its tall claims and sophistry.

The Good Life is the virtuous life. That is the foundation of real happiness. The ancient philosophers show us the practical ways in which we can organise our life on this basis. Greek and Indian philosophies converge on this point as practical guides to a life of virtue and wisdom.

Our lifestyle- whatever it is - reflects a philosophy! Only, we are not aware of it!

"Philosophy does not claim to get a person any external possessions. To do so would be beyond its field. As wood is to the carpenter, bronze to the sculptor, so our own lives are the proper material in the art of living."
-Epictetus.