Naivety... Vanity... Hypocrisy...
*Why do pseudo-philosophical thoughts always rear their ugly heads when surrounded by a hundred delicious pooris and a mass of mirthful mates?*
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We speak of vanity as if it is a bad word. But at every point of time during evolution, the dominant species has looked at itself in the mirror and marveled at its own perfection. And not only that, it has detested the image of every other species that threatens its own dominance. Afterall, the sight of a single-eyed, hairless creature with flippers instead of limbs and squishy scales dripping with white masses of smelly mucuos, ordering hapless humans around, can only invoke anger and repulsion in the most of us. And this, despite the fact that the controlling species might actually be superior on the evolution scale.
By extension, every intelligent species seems to pass phases when it believes to be smarter than the rest, clinching its moments of superiority. And within our own species, it is only all too common... It is like a shot of adrenaline that makes your life pleasurable, almost worthwhile, for that period of time. Briefly. No doubt then, that self-love is omnipresent and an absolute essential, in whatever guise it might appear. And despite this, we abhor vanity as if it is a blemish in an otherwise perfect existence.
Perhaps, we cannot be that bad when we tally our totals.... afterall, we atone by choosing to keep hypocrisy in our dictionaries!
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We speak of vanity as if it is a bad word. But at every point of time during evolution, the dominant species has looked at itself in the mirror and marveled at its own perfection. And not only that, it has detested the image of every other species that threatens its own dominance. Afterall, the sight of a single-eyed, hairless creature with flippers instead of limbs and squishy scales dripping with white masses of smelly mucuos, ordering hapless humans around, can only invoke anger and repulsion in the most of us. And this, despite the fact that the controlling species might actually be superior on the evolution scale.
By extension, every intelligent species seems to pass phases when it believes to be smarter than the rest, clinching its moments of superiority. And within our own species, it is only all too common... It is like a shot of adrenaline that makes your life pleasurable, almost worthwhile, for that period of time. Briefly. No doubt then, that self-love is omnipresent and an absolute essential, in whatever guise it might appear. And despite this, we abhor vanity as if it is a blemish in an otherwise perfect existence.
Perhaps, we cannot be that bad when we tally our totals.... afterall, we atone by choosing to keep hypocrisy in our dictionaries!
posted by littlecow at
10:36 PM
7 Comments:
atma_tripta said...
Bala,
Balance may be the key. Vanity as an aid to preserve self worth is acceptable but not as a tool to look down upon others. If you look there is no feeling that was not essential at some point for the survival of individuals or our species as a whole.
In the end on a philosophical note...Afterall, what are the feelings and thoughts but fleeting clouds in a blue sky of conciousness blown by winds of time and change.
What do you say?
@
of course. but the standard anti-balance argument is, 'who knows what the right balance is?'... and then 'what makes our survival such an important thing anyways?!'...
but your cloud funda, i buy it! :-)
I wonder, is finding that balance moksha or nirvana?
Cloud funda is not mine, as usual :) Its taken from yoga vashista.
@
v_madhu said...
Dey balasami, I have one question about the entire write-up. You refer to "the dominant species" or "every intelligent species", but what do you or anyone for that matter know about what other species or the "dominant species" (if some such species ever exists/existed) thought, if it thought at all. I would argue that the most dominant species at almost every point of time when life existed on earth is the virus. Some of the contemporary thought evolution thinks of species as existing as slaves to genes, i.e., the sole purpose of "life" is to spread genes more effectively. If one were to believe that there is some measure of truth in that, then viruses, which are capable of direct manipulation of the genes of other species are undoubtedly the masters of this planet. If you do disagree now, my guess is you might be moree inclined to agree the next time you have a cold. ;-)
As always, playing the devil's advocate...
@atma_tripta: finding that balance is moksha. if it were nirvana, the question of a balance itself does not arise!
@v_madhu: since i had spoken only of dominant species with intelligence, it excludes virii and other such organisms without the faculty of thought(which for the present purposes can be defined as the ability -- using either the spinal cord or brain -- to realize the idea of a self). before you counter me by asking how i know if animals have the concept of a self, some research (referenced in one of sagan's books) has shown that chimps, apes, gorillas etc do have the concept of a self nailed right.
removing virii and other such less-evolved species leaves out gorillas, monkeys, cats, dogs, buffalos, cows etc to be analyzed... now, have you ever noticed the smirk on the faces of monkeys outside your hostel window or for that matter, the non-chalance of the buffalos on the roads of madras or the disdain with which your cat treats you?! ample evidence for their utter disregard for humans, i must say! finally, as far as cows are concerned, whose blog do you think you are reading?! ;)
@lc : Well but hasn't it been true that every race/or whatever, when they have looked at the mirror and started admiring themselves, they have thought themselves invincible and that in itself has brought their end?
@ligne: no...no...no... :-), this is a different type of admiration I am talking about. There is no smugness involved here - only a pure love for oneself. But in some ways, what you say could be true. Afterall, humans are plotting towards their own end by being smug, irrational, unwilling to change (global warming, population issues etc)...
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