The Oasis

The story of man started unfolding some million years ago when a lazy, nonchalant world unconsciously perceived a new species going about its instinctive business of existence. The rest of the creation must have felt that they were witnessing one of nature's practical jokes. Indeed, compared to other wild animals, man was something of a freak. Tail-less, hairless, wingless, fin-less; without any appreciable speed, strength or defence mechanism, the biped was graciously ignored by the ruling classes of the jungle.

It was rather fortunate for man that animals had no astrologers or prophets to predict the unchallenged supremacy in the future of this then seemingly negligible organism. They had no inkling whatsoever of the priceless treasure that man jealously guarded in the top storey of his anatomy. The mass of tiny grey cells, which constituted the brain, was to cement man's path to becoming the undisputed crown of the blue planet.

No animal possesses the complicated thought processes that man enjoys. It is governed by its blind emotions and impulses and therefore wallows in the peaceful luxury of simplicity. With unhesitating, uncompromising fidelity, it mechanically obeys the plain, matter-of-fact messages put out by its mental production line. Its nervous system is in fact, a total slave to its constitution and environment.

Let us consider a hungry tiger and a human with proportionate appetite. The tiger, coming upon a deer caught in a prickly bush, licks its lips, spits on its paws and gets down to work. When all the tissues of the deer have been respectfully digested, it goes off in search of more prey. The man in a similar situation repeats this operation with the exception that he begins thinking in terms of artificially recreating the circumstances, in which the deer got entrapped, thus avoiding needless wandering for sustenance.

It was this remarkable ability of logical analysis, deduction and application that helped man survive in a harsh world. His superior intellect and reasoning ability worsted the beasts that still believed in the suzerainty of might. In their ignorance, they might not have known it, but the heady days of mastery and domination by mere brute strength were over.

While intelligence was mankind's greatest asset, one must not forget the importance of the unique physical structure of the Homo sapiens. The significance of his perfectly developed sense organs, faultless photomechanical co-ordination, dextrous hands with opposing thumbs and bipedal locomotion in man's struggle can never, ever be overstated.

Man was a crack shot at everything he attempted to do. His obstinate nature could never accept defeat or halfway balances. His determination, perseverance and hard work opened the gates to the exploration of greater frontiers. All through the ages, by destroying myths and discovering hitherto unknown truths, by inventing new and better tools and machines, man was slowly, but surely grinding away the mist that enveloped the laws of nature.

This quality of scientific temperament in man has been the driving factor behind the relentless march of civilisation and the rapid development of science and technology. But one may ask, what exactly is meant by scientific temperament or scientific spirit?

This technical term can be interpreted in different ways, but we could call it the consistent, unfaltering search for truth; truth in the complete sense of the word. It means the unravelling of the mysteries of the universe or simply, leaving no question, however frivolous, unanswered. It is the insatiable urge to appreciate and understand the various aspects and facets of nature. It is learning how to live hand-in-hand with the environment.

Somewhere along his tiresome journey through history, however, man has lost the true spirit of science and the results lie before us like an open book.

Although scientific and technical knowledge has produced awesome achievements in the fields of industry, agriculture, medicine, and in raising the standard of living of the average human being, this very knowledge has proven exceptionally successful in bringing man to the brink of extinction. In the meantime, it has been systematically destroying thousands of varieties of flora and fauna.

Seemingly oblivious of the threat to his own existence, man has for the fulfilment of his selfish ends declared war on the biosphere, somewhat like the proverbial lunatic hacking at the branch on which he is sitting. Can we call man's mental short-sightedness towards the long-term consequences of his actions advancement?

Mankind has achieved astonishing progress in virtually every arena of life, yet the world is plagued with unhappiness, violence, war and ever-increasing human decadence. Billions live in unimaginable squalor and poverty, lacking even the basic necessities of life. So what have we really achieved - progress or retardation?

Apart from creating new problems, how far has science gone to solve the existing ones? One may even question the very validity of science which promises to take humans to the outer reaches of space, yet is incapable of ensuring three square meals a day on the mother planet.

These are admittedly cynical questions, but there is no doubt on their relevance in our critical times. As we prepare to step into the third millennium, the moment has come for direct confrontation and grappling with these irksome and uneasy queries.

It goes without saying that science has been made the scapegoat for all the ills of mankind while the real causes go unnoticed. Science is just a tool like the elaborate contraptions it has invented. A knife, for example, is an indispensable part of any first-aid kit, yet it is a must for every thug on the street. The fault is not in the knife, but in the manner of its handling. Similarly, misuse of scientific developments can bring unthinkable misery and irreversible ruin in their wake.

The real culprit is man himself, and all the dimensions of his character are splendidly reflected in the working of the artificial world that he has managed to create. The mental prowess, about which we had been talking with such great gusto, has been corrupted with man's unrestrained desire for short-lived glory and comfort at any cost, and thus ironically it has transgressed even the permissible boundaries of stupidity. Let us not elaborate on the ridiculous story of man's vanities and failures.

Our final destination is the nub of this discussion, namely, where does man go from here? What will he do to save himself from the present day predicament? One can only cross one's fingers and pray for the best.

But one thing is absolutely certain. If man continues travelling as he is, with his back to the future, he can without any great effort wipe himself out of existence. Let us hope that man wakes up from his complacent slumber and conquer the oasis of real peace and prosperity which has been the ever-elusive mirage for thousands of generations, the ones wilted away in the barren desert of insecurity and destruction. Let us fervently hope that we don’t join their ranks.