Mind Matters (2.a)

Today I am going to contemplate on the wonder of the human mind, that most intricate machinery, which is far superior to any machine we can conceive. And every human person is endowed with this miracle-machine from birth, and we carry it with us until we breathe our last. God has created the mind in such a way that it is not something palpable, and is not one of the body organs. This makes a great difference. If it were one of the organs, then it should also be “transferable”, and I would not have been surprised there would have been ‘mind transplants’ possible, and God’s wonderful creation might have been subjected to commercial venture.

Let me look around me, even as I sit quietly inside my room, my living room, or office, taking a good look at the different things neatly arranged; the table clock, pile of papers, the telephone, pen, pencil, stapler, paper weight, the computer, compact disks, the electric light, fan, the almirah, books, the wall calendar… It would be quite impossible for me to enlist all of them. There are so many things around me that most often I take them for granted. As I take a good look at all of them, one by one, I shall try to imagine the wonder of human mind which has conceived this, and given shape to it in this form. For instance, I look at the book; the creation of paper, printing technology, the labor of several people, of packaging, the concept of language… it is mind-boggling to even imagine the way how human mind has given expression to this great wonder.

The mind makes use of the human body to give physical shape to whatever matters; but let me also consider some of the evils that the human mind has conceived and given shape to – the weapons of destruction, the arms and ammunition, gun powder, guns, the bombs… instead of helping create humanity had also made use of the mind to create means of destruction. Everything that is evil in the world is naturally the fruit of human mind, just as everything noble and beautiful are also conceived by the mind. Behind every attempt to destroy the fellow human being, there is a tendency to be self-centered, to make sure that the fittest survive (I remember Charles Darwin’s theory of ‘survival of the fittest’).

Apart from the beauty in the world, which is the work of God the creator, if there is certain order, discipline and beauty in the human society, it is thanks to the ingenuity of the human mind. We know how to organize the numerous things in our rooms, in such a way that when I enter the room, I find it cozy and comfortable, I can locate the things which I had filed some days or months ago, I can have the joy of having all the things I need within my reach. I did not need to learn interior designing, in order to organize my living or office room. The human mind is capable of providing all the necessary data in order to make something beautiful. Is it not a wonderful thing to be able to bring order and discipline in the midst of chaos and disorder?

If I have to understand how the human mind is complex, then I need to open up an electric or electronic appliance, and see the different circuits and components inside. For the most part, I don’t understand how these are made, assembled, and the human mind is also capable of improving on them, fine-tuning them, and reproducing as and when required. From where did the human persons get the idea of venturing into the field of creating useful tools other than the one that the benevolent nature supplied? I spend time wondering at the greatness and uniqueness of the human mind, which has no limits. What does my mind seem to tell me here and now? Let me listen to it, and it may have something to tell me!

Monkey Business

These days we often hear about tigers, elephants and monkeys chasing people. Many have been killed by Sundarban tigers, who had dared to visit human habitats, rampaging and harming anyone they found on the way. The same has been true in Purulia, Midnapore and Bankura districts of West Bengal, where hordes of elephants would walk through paddy fields, villages, knocking down whatever they found. They sometimes were in hundreds, too impossible for the meager foresters, commissioned to chase them away. We are surprised that these animals, supposed to be kept at safe distance have at last come to threaten us, and many are really frightened of them.

In many villages and towns, monkeys have become a nuisance, chasing people, grabbing any eatable they may have, throwing stones at them, and at times indulging even in 'indecent' behavior. We do not need Charles Darwin to say that monkeys are our distant cousins; the affinity is rather close and we cannot take them casually. I remember some twenty years ago, as I was preparing to join the college studies, one of the famous Mathematicians Fr Franz Goreaux once told me that he had a monkey in his room, and I was quite curious to see it. He took me to his room, to the looking mirror and asked me to look at the mirror for the monkey. And lo and behold, I found one, very similar to me!

Jokes apart, but what makes these animals enter into our reserved zone, the restricted area? Common sense tells us that we have plundered their food, and the starving animals are out to seek food to fill their stomachs. Fortunately these animals are not as vengeful and greedy like the human race; they would fight tooth and nail to fill their stomachs, but once their stomachs are full, they would not touch even if the best of food appears before them. How I wish we human beings had learned this great lesson, of moderation in our needs. Even when these animals prawl in our courtyards, they do not think of the meal the next day. They are happy about what they had got for the day!

In fact, what is happening today, the animals chasing us from our habitats, is nothing new in history. All these years, we had tried to chase these animals from their habitat, in order to rob the little resources they had; we had emptied all their stock, and they are today left to survive on what we have robbed from their habitat. They do today exactly what we had been doing for decades and centuries, and we cannot stand before them and claim innocent. But one thing is for sure, the destruction they have done and continue to do in our villages is far marginal in comparison to what we have done to them.

Human race knows only to be on the defensive; I wish the people living close to forests and rivers gather together something for these animals, and place them in places where they are likely to look for food; it would be better to provide them what they look for, so that they do not go hunting for them. It is natural that when they do not get what they want dearly, they may not hesitate even to kill people. If only we take steps to provide them what they want, then they would be more than happy to remain indoors in the forests. But that means we have to sacrifice part of our booty and share it with them. The monkeys are beckoning us to share what we had looted from them; but if we refuse to, then they would force us to share with them, and the consequences may be splattered with blood.