One of the
greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, Bertrand Russell, said, “Most
people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.” A lion’s share of the
evils in the human world could be pre-empted if people started making use of
their thinking faculty.
When I
returned home an hour ago after dropping Maggie at her workplace, Kittu, my
cat, accompanied me from the car porch as he usually does and entered the house
even before I did. He has inculcated a sense of entitlement, thanks to my
pampering as Maggie alleges. He did something odd today. Instead of going to
one of his usual places to sleep, he climbed on to the chair which I normally
use for working with my laptop. He went to sleep within seconds. He usurped my
place without a second thought.
 |
| Kittu: Self-contentment |
Well, there’s
no first thought either for him. Like Walt Whitman,
I always end up envying his thoughtless self-contentment. Whitman wished to be
like the animals. “They are so placid,” he said. “They do not sweat and whine
about their condition … Not one kneels to another,” not even to any god.
But we human
beings can’t do that, of course. We have
a more complex mind. So we sit and calculate the gains and losses of our loves.
We calculate our neighbours’ gains and losses even more meticulously. We are so
much concerned about their gods and totems, their ups and downs, their
lifestyle or lack of style. And then we mess up our lives and theirs too. We
give sweet names to all that mess: like patriotism, nationalism, gau raksha,
and so on.
And these
patriots and nationalists are always absolutely certain of themselves while
wise people are full of doubts and hesitations. Of course, there’s always been a
particular breed of people who rush in where angels fear to tread. I wish those people would start exercising
their thinking faculty. Just a wish; nothing in wrong in wishing, right?
"while wise people are full of doubts and hesitations". This explains an awful lot, stupidity seems to have a louder voice. In a society, a crying baby seems to get more attention. I have seen this in a working set up, fundamentalist mindset and limiting beliefs. I don't understand the power of herd mentality, but it is very persuasive and prevalent in its establishment. Right from vehement supporters to violent mentalities - I guess that describes death much sooner than it can actually happen. If growth and improvement is stunted, that pretty is death isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt's easier to go with the herd, thinking is not needed at all. Moreover you get a feeling that there's a whole group to support you. This outlook has been reinforced by present day nationalists too.
Delete"And then we mess up our lives and theirs too."- Nice comparison with the cat. They just live in the moment.
ReplyDeletePrecisely. And they are contented too. My cat teaches me some nice lessons.
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