Are our lives Real or an Imagination?

Imagine our planet several million years ago. We human beings have just evolved from monkeys and living in the jungle among the larger predators. We are not even the superior species, the status we enjoy today. Our ancestors were living in fear of being attacked by other superior animals.

There was no Wine & Dine. They had to gather fruits and hunt in groups to make a living.

In fact, we were relegated from the main league. Imagine a lion hunting down its prey and having a nice meal. No other animal could contest the lion which is why it is called the King of the jungle. After the lion is finished, other smaller players like Hyenas would come to have the remains. Others came to find no meat left. But, our smarter ancestors had by now invented sharper tools and discovered the use of fire. They would take the bone marrows to cook.

We were so far down in the food chain.

What was the reality of life during that time?

Trees, Rivers, Jungles, Fruits,etc formed the reality of life. Reality of life were all physical and real.

What would have been the source of emotions?

Joy of tasting a rare fruit, thrill of hunting down a prey, fear of being attacked by a monster, stress of not finding food- all source of emotions were something that one could touch and feel.

How did we Evolve?

Well, Yuval Noah Harari, a renowned author and historian has a very interesting theory on what helped us evolve to become the most superior beings in the world, the very reason we are on top of the food chain.

He cites many reason like discovery of fire, hands, Brain enlargement and so on. But, I am particulary interested in the effect of co-operation. Let me explain.

Suppose, you travel along with a chimpanzee on a flight that crashes on a deserted island.

Who has a better chance of survival?

According to Harari, Chimpanzee's would outclass the human to survive due to its far superior adaptation al skills.

Now, imagine the same scenario with a 1000 human beings and 1000 chimpanzee's.

The odds of human beings surviving is higher because of their co-operative and collaborating skills. Chimpanzee on the other hand can never collaborate with each other.

But, its not easy to make homo sapiens with different psyches to co-operate

Imagine 1000 human beings starving provided with 100 packets of biriyani and with no hope of food for a week.

In all likelihood, they would fight and kill each other for survival.

Unfortunately, We see that kind of behavior even today in crisis situations like floods, Corona,etc.

What brings people together?

What you need is a convince-able story that there is man up in the sky watching what you are doing, the deeds you do decide whether you go to heaven or hell -chances are you get them to co-operate and share the food.

Even chimpanzee's communicate with each other. Try the trick of 'Man up in the sky'.

You cannot get chimpanzee's to co-operate.

Likewise, Nationalism and religion. One celebrates, shares the joy in a cricket stadium with a complete stranger. An individual co-operates with a fellow countryman who he/she has not seen or heard before for the larger good of the nation.

The Tigers in Bengal don't co-operate because they are from Bengal. Do they?

God, Nation, religion are not something that you can touch and feel like trees, fruits and rivers.

They are not physical or real in absolute terms. But, they are real in our imagination.

So, may I say they are Imagined reality.

Today we all live in a imagined reality. There is naturally nothing called a company, Google. We have created a paradigm in imagination, a limited liability company. Few years later, Google may be acquired by 'ABC' and thereafter be called 'XYZ'.

So, is Google a reality in existence?

Perhaps, Not!

What are the source of emotions in today's Imagined reality?

Joy of accumulating currencies that could be deemed invalid at 8p.m today.

Stress of having to grow in an organization that may not exist tomorrow, Pride of wearing a lustrous metal to show of a social status that could be tarnished sometime in the future.

Now what?

Well, I have no qualms over one's belief in God or religion or aspirations nor the celebration of nationalism and capitalism.

In fact, human kind has progressed so far ahead due to co-operation and collaboration effected by these very devices.

But, taking it too far creating divide and disparity (Castism,Racism,Lynching, Religious riots, Destruction of religious centers ) defeats the very purpose of it.

Think over it!!

I will come back with more on divide and disparity some other time.

- Nithyanand A C