By M L Satyan
Bengaluru: We, human beings, have been boasting of our science, technology, military and weapon power. Every country has been spending enormous amount of money for procuring arms, weapons and nuclear power. Our human pride, our imagined self-importance, status and money power, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe now is being challenged by a tiny, unseen and deadly virus.
All these years, human beings ruled over the animals, birds and reptiles by placing them in cages and named it Zoo. Sadly, today the human beings are caged and forced to remain indoors. The animals, birds, reptiles and insects look at the caged human beings and laugh at them. What a shameful situation for the human beings!
In the past, a tribe called Charvaka lived and their only motto was – “Eat, Drink and Make Merry”. After many generations the same mindset has come back. In today’s world, everyone wants selfish enjoyment without having slightest concern for others. To enjoy life, one needs money and how does it come? People today are willing to do any type of crime – smuggle, robbery, corruption, drug/substance abuse, rape, kill and violence etc. just for the sake of money with which they want to have selfish enjoyment. Do such people have any conscience? Yes, they do, but they bury their conscience and involve themselves in various crimes keeping pleasure as their only target. Mahatma Gandhiji called this crime “Pleasure without conscience.”
In the process of ‘artificial development’ human beings forgot that they were almost dust particles in the vast universe. Hence, they wanted to conquer the whole world for which they ran, flew and roamed everywhere, including visit to other planets. But today the fear of a small virus has made the human beings realize that they are in no way better than the animals, birds, reptiles, insects, trees, mountains, rivers and seas that enjoy a great freedom.
Today one small tiny virus has pricked the human pride. It has challenged our science, technology, medical advancement, wealth, popularity, military, weapons and powerful positions. Countries have realised their foolishness of procuring dangerous weapons rather than creating basic and holistic health care systems with appropriate medical equipment that would save people during pandemic time. As a consequence of our wrong priorities, we have lost and are losing millions of precious lives since we are not “fully capable” of saving them.
In India we do have a strong family structure and family relationships. At the time of crisis, family members do support one another. However, the bitter reality is that the coronavirus infected person is kept away from family, relatives and friends so that the disease does not spread to others. As a result, many are forced to die as orphans if they are not cured. Due to the contagious nature of the disease, one person is afraid or skeptical of another person. Human relationships seem to be slowly breaking. Every family/individual is forced to live like islands. Do we really deserve these?
A NASA mission was leaving the Solar System when, at the request of Carl Sagan, it was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and take one last photo of the Earth across a great expanse of space. Sagan’s words spoken and written almost 25 years ago are still relevant today. His brilliant words will bring us to our real senses.
“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast, cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those Generals and Emperors so that in glory and triumph they can become momentary Masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties happened here. Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience.”
Here is a thought-provoking anecdote. A man was on his death bed. When he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand. This is the dialogue between them:
God: Alright son, it is time to go!
Man: So soon? I have many future plans for my life.
God: I am sorry, but it is time to go.
Man: What do you have in that suitcase?
God: Your belongings.
Man: My belongings? Do you mean my things, clothes and money?
God: Those things were never yours. They belong to the earth.
Man: Are these my memories?
God: No. They belong to time.
Man: Are these my talents?
God: No. They belong to circumstance.
Man: Are these my friends?
God: No son. They belong to the path you travelled.
Man: Are they my wife, children and relatives?
God: No. they belong to your heart.
Man: Then, it must be my body.
God: No. It belongs to dust.
Man: Then, surely it must be my soul.
God: You are sadly mistaken son. Your soul belongs to me.
Filled with fear, the man took the suitcase from God’s hand and opened it. It was empty. He was heartbroken and tears rolled down his cheeks. With great hesitation he asked God.
Man: Does this mean that I never owned anything?
God: That’s right. You never owned anything.
Man: Then, what was mine?
God: Your MOMENTS. Every moment you lived was yours. Life is just a moment.
The Bhagavad Gita tells us:
“What have you lost that you cry for?
What did you bring that you have lost?
What did you create that was destroyed?
What you have taken has been from here.
What you gave has been given here.
What belongs to you today belonged to someone yesterday
and will belong to someone else tomorrow.”
Every human being comes into this world empty-handed and will go from this world empty-handed. This is the TRUTH. Let us live this momentary life meaningfully.
Well expressed. As Job said, Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return.
But between those two poles there is much that we can do to eradicate other people’s nakedness, hunger etc.