The life on earth begins from smallest single-cellular organisms. Life develops itself to bigger and more complex animals and plants by a rule of natural selection as given by Charles Darwin. Darwin has written that every organism has a natural tendency to adapt to its surroundings. Those organisms, which do that effectively, leads to development of new features as a result of adaptation. Those organisms, which are unable to adapt, die. Mr. Darwin, unfortunately, took only a small time frame to propose his theory - may be a few generations. If this evolution is studied for a longer time frame, it is easy to notice a contradiction in the theory when extended for longer time frames. If Darwin's theory is true then as the organism tries to adapt itself to the unfriendly environment and/or to get better than his peers, he only gets better and better at what he is supposed to do to be alive. If a monkey is supposed to reach to the food before his buddies do, then he needs to be more agile and nimble. As more and more generations pass, the monkeys to come become better and better at what they actually are. Thus, all the evolution has done is to produce better monkeys. Why then we, the humans, are so different from the monkeys? This is because we chose not to do what the monkeys were doing. Humans were those monkeys which lost out in the race to be more agile and nimble. They were those monkeys which could not reach to food before it was already eaten by the better monkeys.
One of the path-breaking events which occurred in the human history was drying of Africa. As Africa dried out, number of trees reduced and the monkeys had to come down to the land to look for food. These , of course, were the monkeys who did not get the share of the pie on trees. They were the losers. Now, the food on the land was not easy to find unless the head is raised above the grass of Africa. But raising one's head in the grass is full of danger as predators are on the look out of easy prey. Those who did raise their head from the grass were the ones who were not quick enough to reach to the easily accessible food on the ground. Those who did attempt to raise the head , and were able to reach the food first stood to gain and those who did not had to rise up and stand on the two feet instead of four to see the distant food. These, again, were the losers and our first ancestors.
The crux of the matter is that although the survival of the fittest holds good within one species and its evolution from the primitive form to contemporary, it is those who lost out in this evolution who grew into new species. These were the survivors who were not fittest but found ways to evolve nevertheless into better, stronger species. Similarly, The true development of next intelligent species will not be from the brightest and smartest humans. We can expect the next race of rulers of earth from the people we think the least of. Victorious the losers!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Love
Gyanotsuk: What is love?
Guru: Love is not a singular concept and it is impossible to give a precise definition to it. It is something which is defined in its attributes. Similarly, there is no way to feel love. It is only felt in its attributes. It is the combined effect of these attributes which is called love.
One of the attributes of the love is ecstasy. Happiness, actually, is an event and not a state in itself - as it is transient. Love makes one experience the happiness so often that it becomes a state. This happiness ,thus, becomes satisfaction.
Another attribute of love is charity - not in the exact sense of the word but by the broader meaning of doing things for the happiness of the others. Other person's happiness makes the person in love happy himself and as a result the latter tries more often to be happy. An extreme form of this attribute is sacrifice.
Like a true animal, man doesn't want to share this happiness with any other person. From this attribute emerges the attribute of possessiveness and jealousy. This is also the reason why someone in love misses his beloved since he is not able to feel the same happiness.
Gyanotsuk: If love is only felt in its attributes, how does a person come to know if he is in love?
Guru: Love is not an emotion but a state. It is felt in its attributes which are passing emotions and for it to become a state, it needs its victim's permission before the person is smitten. In most cases the victim's permission depends on whether or not he is in a state to love someone. With one's permission when the person does fall in love, he is slowly addicted to the eternal ecstasy and without its dose, he starts feeling lost. That is when the person realizes that he has fallen in love.
Gyanotsuk: What happens when love is not returned to a person?
Guru: That is a state of extreme agony. The person looks for the happiness he had made himself addicted to. Although the the person smitten may have been addicted, its the beloved which has fanned the fire, perhaps in goodwill without any intentions. The beloved declines the love of the person smitten because they are not at the same level in terms of their addiction of each other.
Gyanotsuk: Even if the beloved is not in love, is the beloved still addicted to the smitten? Can this addiction lead to love?
Guru:Every person is addicted to every other person close to him. The only difference is how often they need each other. E.g. a girl and a boy are close friends. Girl can stay without seeing and talking to the boy for 3 days but the boy can stay for 5 days. In this case the girl is more addicted to the boy than the boy is to the girl. This addiction is the foundation of love. There is a threshold which should be crossed for a person to agree to himself that he is in love. Unfortunately, this is threshold is not the same for every person. Most people confess their love when their levels have been crossed. Ideally, confession should only be made when the beloved has breached her levels.
Gyanotsuk: If the confession was made before the levels of the beloved were breached and she declines, does the smitten stand another chance?
Guru: In case, the levels have not been breached, the decline should not be taken as the final frontier. The decline means that the levels have not been breached but could be breached in future. But for that to happen, normalcy of pre-confession times must be restored. The confession of the smitten and the eventual decline by the beloved does implicitly make her decide that she doesn't want to be in love. This decision to be changed, normalcy between them must be restored at the earliest and then equation must be developed further to make beloved cross her levels.
Gyanotsuk: Since everyone close to a person is addicted to the person, is it possible for the person to induce anyone to love him?
Guru:Yes and No. Yes because love is only experienced in its attributes. Thus human mind can be confused to falling in love if it experiences all the attributes. No, because the basic reason behind the attributes is the ecstatic happiness; it is most important for a person to feel that ecstasy before any other attributes can be felt by him. Thus, a person can make other person fall for him if the latter feels that ecstasy in the company of former. This ecstasy may be felt right at the moment two meet and also years after they had first met. Unfortunately again, the level of the ecstasy required differs from one person to another so it is very difficult to define the level precisely.
Gyanotsuk: If love is experienced in its attributes, why is it important for a person to be loved in return?
Guru: The feeling of love without a feeling of commitment from the partner is like a burning candle. The day wax is used up, darkness will prevail. Its a matter of security of this light - the ecstasy which the smitten has gotten himself used to it. Its like ensuring a life time supply of drugs. Which addict wouldn't like that?
Gyanotsuk: What is the relation between physical intimacy and love? Does physical act of love strengthens love?
Guru: There is no relation between physical closeness and love. Physical intimacy is not required for love to survive, or long distance relationships wouldn't be a reality and first love wouldn't be held sacred. Similarly, love is not a pre-requisite to physical intimacy or prostitutes would be out of business. Physical intimacy is a physical need and love is an emotional need. Its a misconception that physical intimacy with a person, one is in love with, strengthens love. If that is to be true, there wouldn't be breaks ups and divorces. Although the act of physical love is could be more satisfying experience between two people in love when looked as a whole and not as only physical. This act also gives the person in love more access and rights on to his beloved, which creates more happiness and hence more attachment to her.
Gyanotsuk: Why is the first love held sacred? What is so special about the first time?
Guru: First love is like a child in this world. Just as the child is oblivious to the harm it could bring him, lover is also carefree of the hurt the love could bring. Just as the child is oblivious to the heat of the fire, and is attracted towards the light; lover is ignorant of the the burns love causes while it basks in its warmth. Once the lover is hurt in love, it makes him very defensive towards every affectionate gesture later in life. The next time love finds him, the heart ache of the first affair never really lets him completely get involved with the same vigor. The very absence of that innocence in the later affairs make men and women remember their first one. They miss the innocent self they once were.
Love is a panacea. It can cure all the ills of the mind, personality and even body. Love is also a disease, it can make your mind, body and personality sick. It is the reason for achievement of all ends, its the reason for abandonment of all ends. Its the motivation to achieve, its the satisfaction which kills all other ambitions. When returned its heaven; when refused its hell. Love is both the reason to live and the reason to die. As my friend Dheeraj had once written in his poetry - How can something be trusted to be returned equally, which begins only with half a letter (love in Hindi is called pyar, which begins with half P - phonetically).
Guru: Love is not a singular concept and it is impossible to give a precise definition to it. It is something which is defined in its attributes. Similarly, there is no way to feel love. It is only felt in its attributes. It is the combined effect of these attributes which is called love.
One of the attributes of the love is ecstasy. Happiness, actually, is an event and not a state in itself - as it is transient. Love makes one experience the happiness so often that it becomes a state. This happiness ,thus, becomes satisfaction.
Another attribute of love is charity - not in the exact sense of the word but by the broader meaning of doing things for the happiness of the others. Other person's happiness makes the person in love happy himself and as a result the latter tries more often to be happy. An extreme form of this attribute is sacrifice.
Like a true animal, man doesn't want to share this happiness with any other person. From this attribute emerges the attribute of possessiveness and jealousy. This is also the reason why someone in love misses his beloved since he is not able to feel the same happiness.
Gyanotsuk: If love is only felt in its attributes, how does a person come to know if he is in love?
Guru: Love is not an emotion but a state. It is felt in its attributes which are passing emotions and for it to become a state, it needs its victim's permission before the person is smitten. In most cases the victim's permission depends on whether or not he is in a state to love someone. With one's permission when the person does fall in love, he is slowly addicted to the eternal ecstasy and without its dose, he starts feeling lost. That is when the person realizes that he has fallen in love.
Gyanotsuk: What happens when love is not returned to a person?
Guru: That is a state of extreme agony. The person looks for the happiness he had made himself addicted to. Although the the person smitten may have been addicted, its the beloved which has fanned the fire, perhaps in goodwill without any intentions. The beloved declines the love of the person smitten because they are not at the same level in terms of their addiction of each other.
Gyanotsuk: Even if the beloved is not in love, is the beloved still addicted to the smitten? Can this addiction lead to love?
Guru:Every person is addicted to every other person close to him. The only difference is how often they need each other. E.g. a girl and a boy are close friends. Girl can stay without seeing and talking to the boy for 3 days but the boy can stay for 5 days. In this case the girl is more addicted to the boy than the boy is to the girl. This addiction is the foundation of love. There is a threshold which should be crossed for a person to agree to himself that he is in love. Unfortunately, this is threshold is not the same for every person. Most people confess their love when their levels have been crossed. Ideally, confession should only be made when the beloved has breached her levels.
Gyanotsuk: If the confession was made before the levels of the beloved were breached and she declines, does the smitten stand another chance?
Guru: In case, the levels have not been breached, the decline should not be taken as the final frontier. The decline means that the levels have not been breached but could be breached in future. But for that to happen, normalcy of pre-confession times must be restored. The confession of the smitten and the eventual decline by the beloved does implicitly make her decide that she doesn't want to be in love. This decision to be changed, normalcy between them must be restored at the earliest and then equation must be developed further to make beloved cross her levels.
Gyanotsuk: Since everyone close to a person is addicted to the person, is it possible for the person to induce anyone to love him?
Guru:Yes and No. Yes because love is only experienced in its attributes. Thus human mind can be confused to falling in love if it experiences all the attributes. No, because the basic reason behind the attributes is the ecstatic happiness; it is most important for a person to feel that ecstasy before any other attributes can be felt by him. Thus, a person can make other person fall for him if the latter feels that ecstasy in the company of former. This ecstasy may be felt right at the moment two meet and also years after they had first met. Unfortunately again, the level of the ecstasy required differs from one person to another so it is very difficult to define the level precisely.
Gyanotsuk: If love is experienced in its attributes, why is it important for a person to be loved in return?
Guru: The feeling of love without a feeling of commitment from the partner is like a burning candle. The day wax is used up, darkness will prevail. Its a matter of security of this light - the ecstasy which the smitten has gotten himself used to it. Its like ensuring a life time supply of drugs. Which addict wouldn't like that?
Gyanotsuk: What is the relation between physical intimacy and love? Does physical act of love strengthens love?
Guru: There is no relation between physical closeness and love. Physical intimacy is not required for love to survive, or long distance relationships wouldn't be a reality and first love wouldn't be held sacred. Similarly, love is not a pre-requisite to physical intimacy or prostitutes would be out of business. Physical intimacy is a physical need and love is an emotional need. Its a misconception that physical intimacy with a person, one is in love with, strengthens love. If that is to be true, there wouldn't be breaks ups and divorces. Although the act of physical love is could be more satisfying experience between two people in love when looked as a whole and not as only physical. This act also gives the person in love more access and rights on to his beloved, which creates more happiness and hence more attachment to her.
Gyanotsuk: Why is the first love held sacred? What is so special about the first time?
Guru: First love is like a child in this world. Just as the child is oblivious to the harm it could bring him, lover is also carefree of the hurt the love could bring. Just as the child is oblivious to the heat of the fire, and is attracted towards the light; lover is ignorant of the the burns love causes while it basks in its warmth. Once the lover is hurt in love, it makes him very defensive towards every affectionate gesture later in life. The next time love finds him, the heart ache of the first affair never really lets him completely get involved with the same vigor. The very absence of that innocence in the later affairs make men and women remember their first one. They miss the innocent self they once were.
Love is a panacea. It can cure all the ills of the mind, personality and even body. Love is also a disease, it can make your mind, body and personality sick. It is the reason for achievement of all ends, its the reason for abandonment of all ends. Its the motivation to achieve, its the satisfaction which kills all other ambitions. When returned its heaven; when refused its hell. Love is both the reason to live and the reason to die. As my friend Dheeraj had once written in his poetry - How can something be trusted to be returned equally, which begins only with half a letter (love in Hindi is called pyar, which begins with half P - phonetically).
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