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Let there be more evolution


Let alone acts of violence, every trace of evil is proof that mankind is still an unfinished product.  It is as if the evolution got stuck somewhere.  We have a highly evolved brain compared to the other animals.  But most human beings do not use the brain for promoting goodness, not even the welfare of our own species.  On the contrary, we compete with one another and are highly detrimental to our own species, to others as well as the planet. 

The amount of money, energy and resources employed in destructive activities such as war and terrorism is much more than what is devoted to constructive and mutually helpful purposes.  In the process we also inflict much damage on the planet which sustains us.  Which other species is so self-destructive?  Yet we claim to have a sophisticated brain.

Who is an evolved human being?

An intellectual understanding of life and the world which instils compassion towards other creatures should ideally be the first and foremost characteristic of an evolved human being.  Both are important: the intellect and the heart, reason and compassion.

The intellect enables us to understand the world properly.  If we were all equipped with the kind of intellect that Albert Einstein possessed, the world would be a paradise.  Well, almost.  We would understand the universe and its ways much better.  Greater understanding will lead to more compassion.  To profundity, rather.

In one of his short stories, Francois Mauriac said that God is able to tolerate human beings because he has a profound understanding.  Such profound understanding is the hallmark of an evolved human being.  Such understanding will bring about mutual cooperation instead of the present competition, love instead of hatred.

In simple words, the evolved human being will be one who is naturally good.  Freedom, for him/her, is the choice of the good and only the good.  Because he/she knows that the good is what is intellectually and morally right. 


PS. Written for Indispire:

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  1. Durga Prasad DashDecember 30, 2016 at 12:02 PM

    Yes. It is all about profound understanding. All the madness we see in the name of race and religions etc are due to surface understanding.

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 30, 2016 at 12:17 PM

      Precisely. Religion becomes a menace when the believer floats on the surface.

      Delete
  2. UnknownDecember 30, 2016 at 2:50 PM

    You say that every trace of evil is a reminder that mankind is WIP, but what about subjectivity? There can be cases where evil is the polished product on display, beneath the gregarious surface of acceptance.

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    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 30, 2016 at 3:14 PM

      I don't understand why subjectivity should be a casualty when evil is surmounted. Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa retained their subjective individuality...

      Delete
  3. AmitDecember 30, 2016 at 7:12 PM

    Possessing resources is one thing, their proper and wise application quite another. Sometimes one wonders whether having a better brain than other animals is an advantage or otherwise.

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 30, 2016 at 7:53 PM

      Animals with their limited brain live by nature's laws. Man with his advanced brain flouts those laws. Hence it's quite logical to argue that the human brain has to evolve further. Of course, there's another way: man makes a conscious choice of the good. But that doesn't seem to work.

      Delete
  4. sunaina sharmaDecember 30, 2016 at 8:38 PM

    Taking cue from your reply to Amit Misra - The jungle is no place for human tricks, says Bagheera to Mowgali in The Jungle Book when the latter uses his mind to catch all the honey for the bear.....An evolved human will be the one who is beyond the good and the evil - beyond the judgements, the prejudices, the presuppositions of the 'human' world.....probably like Buddha....In the Tale for a Time Being, Jiko who is 103 year old replies to her grand-daughter's question on when do we grow up - she says that when one os 104....Jiko dies before her 104th birthday - pointer to the fact that we don't really grow up ever, we don't really evolve....

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 31, 2016 at 7:36 AM

      That's why I'm looking for a genetic mutation which will make the species more refined. As it is we have sophisticated brains with very crude hearts. The heart must evolve. Goodness must come to humans as naturally as flowers bloom or birds fly.

      That's the ideal. But we can only long for ideals :)

      Delete
  5. Sangeeta MishraDecember 31, 2016 at 2:38 AM

    Well said! Evolution never gets completed or finishes. It's a live stream that goes on and on. That's why generation 'Y' is expected to be wiser and smarter than generation 'X'. I agree with Sunaina's point. I wonder how uncompassionate people hide their ruthlessness behind intelligence and intellectual acumen. Can they be called evolved ?

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 31, 2016 at 7:41 AM

      I'm afraid the generations don't make much difference except that the crookedness becomes more complex, more sly. Not wiser. As a teacher I'm constantly in touch with youngsters and I'm often appalled by the frivolousness with which they approach life.

      Intelligence of the superior type usually brings in greater awareness and hence greater sensitivity. Not always, of course. Look at the geniuses of the last century like Russell, Sartre, Shaw and so on - all pacifists who argued for peaceful coexistence when the mediocre took to arms like savages and fought for pieces of land and idols of clay.

      Delete
  6. UnknownJanuary 1, 2017 at 3:08 PM

    eradication of evil is an ongoing process from time immemorial....who decides what is and what is not good or evil ....that is another story...may be myths mythologies, dogmas theories of life and living emerged from these....????????????????????? well conceived, structured and delivered with full impact for understanding...nice.

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 1, 2017 at 6:14 PM

      Who decides what's right and wrong? That's the question. That's why the mutation is required. After the mutation goodness will be as natural to the species as water is to the fish.

      I'm not the first one to dream this. Remember Teilhard de Chardin's divine milieu?

      Delete

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