Breath is the most fundamental requirement of any live being. It is a complex mechanism by which air is inhaled and exhaled out of bodies. All living organisms have distinct breathing mechanism. Both predator and prey use fast breathing in order to survive in the wild. For example, the cheetah uses its controlled breath enabling it to make a sprint and capture its prey. On the other hand crocodiles can hold their breath for a long period of time in water so that they can ambush its kill at the river bank.
Humans, always preferring to distinguish themselves superior to animals, have attributed breathing to a superhuman phenomenon. Like many other similar activities, breathing too holds more of a mental and spiritual layer of meaning than biological one for humans. It looks as if democracy has guaranteed each individual at least full freedom of breathing. Therefore, in most of the cultures of human society, breathing has been taken for granted for long.
The social world of man and women rather prefer to revolve around food, shelter and spouse hunting. From renaissance to globalization, these concepts of food, shelter and spouse have drastically changed. It is both a journey for freedom from oppressive hands and self expression of the voiceless in the society.
The scientific invention and theories of knowledge have completely baffled men and women alike. All areas of preceding centuries have been challenged. Both human and machine language have been restructured at the psychological level. The land, sea and sky have been explored at an unimaginable speed. The rise of Internet has forced the traditional repositories of knowledge to be public to be relevant. Even the subjects which were earlier considered a taboo, now explored at an unprecedented rate. The pure boundaries between all the isms such as idealism, realism, pragmatism etc., have disappeared into a complex web of superhero who more enthrals people than spending time in library.
All this hustle bustle has led to the birth of cyber word in which eye holds more influence and importance than other sensory organs. The 21st century man is perhaps the most busiest of all time in human history. All are so engrossed in the making of external life that our pure fundamental requirement of life ‘breath’ has physically evaporated into the haze in urban areas. Those who have achieved enough are so old that they prefer rest of their life peacefully and those who are young have yet to achieve all the material pleasures. Skill, something new is in demand everywhere.
Although there have been praiseworthy attempts by some religious and social institutes which directly or indirectly slow down this blind marathon for something. But all the same, most of the traditional institutes are struggling hard to survive in this crunching times. The young generation is either total apathetic to religion or are driven by the jingoism of it, as relief is unwelcome. Although the great literary scholar, T. S. Eliot had already lamented about this apathy, this stark absence for zeal of life, but interestingly the situation is rather different in this time of cyber world.
There are some significant vain attempts having one’s own share of joy by walking along the river bank with one’s puppy and children. Most of the upper middle class people are doing all this stuff and are highly satisfied of transmitting this practice to their progenies.
Moving on to rural life, the picture is still rather optimist for traditional economy rules here. Though overdoses of chemical fertilizers have seriously damaged the health of natural sources and somewhere company culture has replaced farming. But still, the majority of rural life is rather sound and safe at least in terms of health issues of humans. One more good thing about the rural life is its slow life. There is no unnatural and unhealthy haste in rural life.
Nowadays, Corona pandemic has shaken the all class and types of people. It has hit a blow to the human activities. In a very long period of time such situation has been forced upon this world where man/woman is forced to spend time with the self. It looks to many as if the breath has returned to them, although the worries of new forms of employment in washed economy keep haunting.
The Corona virus has come into global man’s life as some kind of mysterious teacher. It has not preached but shown miracle. It has successfully shown the hollowness of each and every mighty forms of institutes whether scientific or religious or even so called military might. In a swing of some magic wand, the Corona disease has transformed everything around us, both physically and mentally. Like some invisible enemy of Hollywood movie- The Predator- the Corona is picking out one by one each and everyone. Although many do not like to call the present situation as war but in reality it is way more dangerous than war. It is even more deadly than some type of fanatic religious campaigning. The pandemic has fatally struck a blow to the heroism of many a brave heart and their glory. This is no open arms battle and killing is completely futile. Only the constant consciousness of hygiene and a little portion of luck can save the humans.
In this dire situation we are advised to stay in home, though many don’t have it or have their home in remote regions. But do not those who are lucky enough to be in their home right now need to rethink our whole approach to life?
There are many news of improvements in natural habitats; both flora and fauna are blooming more cheerfully in the good absence of humans. Wild life seems to be rejuvenated and the animals seems to be rightfully claiming their territories with help of nature. The fish and sea both are glad to have us lost. The foam is much more brighter, the shores more serene and the rivers clean. The bees have spread the message of secured sources of food. The sparrows are chirping in a more confident way and parrots seems to be abandoning human language. It is also the very first time happened that in such long period of time, the cats and dogs are repenting on the decision of leaving the freedom of wild and choosing the slavery of humans. Human proximity has made them smart enough to be afraid of future calamities.
All this naturally leads us think, now we have nothing better to act, than think, what have we lost in our so called proud evolution and revolution that we are left with fear, suspicion, hatred, hunger and enemy of humankind whose cumulative existence rests upon uncertainty. It is not the first time that these types of existential questions raised first time. But the relevance of these question looks more genuine at such times of crisis. Moreover, the solution for this does not lie in some mysterious world of space or the scriptures. It is just as near as oneself if one can feel his\her breath and most distant like some hazy star of the space if one cannot feel it. In simple words, those who are well furnished with basic necessities of live must slow down and make sure that those who are bereft of this should get it. The breath can help achieve this ideal state in society. Concentrating breath can disentangle one from the unnecessary superfluities of oneself. One can soon realize that many of us are duly gifted with almost all the basic necessities to live in this world. This realization will soon lead to compassion for those who have not sufficient means for survival.
All such things may sound very spiritual to many and therefore could look futile. But looking at the paralytic state of majority of the people against the Covid 19 virus, the spiritual boost is also required along with all the other scientific measures. This is to remind those who highly blinded by the accumulative polices and have far removed themselves from their selves. It is for those who have successfully killed their inner being and still continuously influencing others to do so. For those too whose greed is multiplied and institutionalized with the help of twisted terms such humanity, social welfare, community participation. But in reality, the sprint is for gaining something material wealth under the mutual accordance of family, society, religion, market and even the state.
Although the quantity of curative measures taken against all type of oppression is unprecedented in this time. There are number of charity institutes and NGOs for the poor people and the other helpless living creatures. But if one can compare the rate of destruction to the rate of conservation, one would be startled to notice this gap of inequality. Our efforts however commendable would always become inadequate as this is not aim of the majority of people. At one side some people, whether governmental or non governmental are continuously trying to restore what has been wronged. On the contrary, some are using mass means of destruction to ravage the natural sources.
In the battle of ethics and law, they win who smartly manipulate the terminology of words. This point is not to discourage those who are rightly fighting against the injustice. This battle for justice must continue legally and socially. The efforts of restoration through religious, charity or whatever way continue, let them too go on. The crux of the point is to radically change our way of living. And humans do not have to go far to be inspired to do so.
Almost every civilization have produce some radicals who have successfully put a brake on this sheep line to fall off the cliffs. These saints have warned against the material pursuit of wealth. Unfortunately global time has established virtual wheels of individualism and materialism in the deepest layers of our psyche and freedom from this clutch of death requires self denial first and foremost.
Let us anyway hope that this crisis of Corona pandemic would at least result into some restoration of human consciousness.
No comments:
Post a Comment