Infinity to Outfinity

In the animation movie Horton Hears a Who! there is a world of living beings on a dust speck, which Horton carries on a clover and which he tries to frantically protect after having known that such a world exists.

The universe seems like an lot of space if we are alone. While we keep discussing on the possibility of similar beings like us (that means intelligent) elsewhere in the universe, we neglect the probability that the universe as a whole could be one organism. ... Maybe even a component or cell of another! If could be true, many more such universes could be part of a more complex organism.

Changing from the telescope to the microscope and diving deeper into our own basic units, doesn't the picture of inner space have similar patterns as with the outer space? Electrons around the nucleus; atoms together forming galaxy like cluster; and it is an awful lot of space in there too, proportionately the nuclei is like a peanut in middle of a football stadium of electrons. There could probably be many earths in the many layers of worlds as we go deeper.

If the visualization of the above gives us the creeps it is because of our self-made importance. It is only arrogance that makes us shun this line of thought. We believe that we are the most significant ones, the chosen tribe, the caste that knows God by default, Lord of the Earth. We should be at the centre of the universe. In the Middle Ages, Galileo was forced to recant and do penance for downgrading the importance of earth by taking it out of the center of the system!

Macrocosmically or microcosmically it is scary but intriguing to think that there may not be any end. There may be world within worlds within worlds within ... you get the picture. The word ‘salvation’ as per Eastern philosophies may mean nothing but allowing oneself to exit living on this earth and having the pass to enter the next ‘higher’ world.

The idea can also make one feel so insignificant, empty and meaningless.

A story from the Puranas (Courtesy www.mahashivratri.org):
"
Shiva once intervened to settle a dispute between two of the triads of Hindu Gods: Brahma and Vishnu. He assumed the form of a flaming linga and asked them both to measure this gigantic phallic symbol of Shiva.

Brahma took the form of a swan and went upwards while Vishnu took the form of a boar and went into the earth towards nether land. Both searched for eternity (as per our timings) but neither could find the ends of the linga.

While on his journey upward, Brahma came across a Ketaki flower which was supposed to reside on Lord Shiva's head. Brahma exhausted with his search to find the uppermost limit of fiery column, he made Ketaki assent to lie that he had seen the top of the column. Brahma then asserted that he had indeed discovered the origin of the cosmic linga.

Shiva appeared and then explained to Brahma and Vishnu that He is both the alpha & the omega and that both of them were born out of him and that the three were then separated out into three different aspects of divinity.

But Shiva was angry with Brahma for making a false claim. Shiva cursed Brahma that no one would ever pray to him. (This legend explains why there is hardly any Brahma temple of significance in India.) Shiva also punished the Ketaki flower for testifying falsely and banned the flower from being used as an offering for any pooja (worship).
"

Welcoming Yama

What would be your feeling if your Doc told you this : You are dying. You don’t have much time.

...

Fear? Anxiety? Grief?

 

Most of us are paranoid of death. Some put up a brave face by convincing others that they don't fear it if death will be painless. I feel these people are either lying or just consoling themselves.

Why this Thanatophobia? Its because we never LIVED life the way we wanted to. A person who lived life will not fear death.

And why haven't we lived till date? Because everytime we procrastinated life for tomorrow.

We never loved like we always wanted

We pushed away reconsiliations 

We never saw the world

We shied away from challenges for security's sake

We shooed away opportunities

We never laughed wholeheartedly

We never did anything outrageous that we always wanted to do because we were afraid what others might say

We never took the courage to follow our dreams because we didn’t want to fail

We have never seen, felt, smelt, touched, listened and we never even ate or drank in peace!

People normally procrastinate life for a better tomorrow. Save money today for a luxurious life tomorrow. Move ahead ruthlessly above the corporate ladder for a better life tomorrow. Follow society’s norms so that security, honour and respect are safeguarded...for tomorrow.

Living life now, the way we want, will not leave any pending urges/wishes/tasks. Then death will be like just another experience that we may look forward to. It may only be a door to the next level in the game that God has programmed. We may not fear it. We may even welcome Death! It is the natural continuum to our birth and life.

“That’s what makes death so hard – unsatisfied curiosity” – Beryl Markham, West with the Night

OrgaNized complEx

When one examine any individual cell in the human body (from any part), it is amazing to note that it is a complete organism by itself; complete in its energy sources, reproductive mechanisms, protective environments, behaviors etc.

And the human body is composed of a few multiples of ten thousand billion cells. Its again amazing to observe that these cells group into tissues that function together for a purpose!

And just as amazing to observe tissues group into whole organs to perform a particular function. The important thing is that here too the whole has a purpose.

And even more amazing to observe different organs interacting with each other to form systems! Like digestive, nervous, lymphatic, reproductive, immune etc., that performs a vital function for the entire human body. All these systems are interrelated, interdependent and interact harmoniously to form a composite whole. Any dissonance in an individual system would make the ‘whole’ to react and re-organize itself back to harmony.

 

Even a simple epithelial cell can be viewed as independent and as if the most important entity for the whole but the fact is that this one cell is just but one cog or wheel in the bigger machine, the whole.

 

Now, can we as an individual human being map as one cell within a bigger entity?!

 

Our planet Earth: observe it wholisticaly and one can see it is an organism too. Mother Earth is but a group of interacting, interrelated and interdependent elements (land, water, air, heat; flora, fauna; climate; systems interacting) forming a very complex whole. We need her and she needs us.

And, just as in our body, mother earth reorganizes occasionally into balance by belching lava, climate changes, new viruses, platonic shifts, atmospheric holes etc. Stability will finally prevail and she’s a composite whole again.

 

Need I illustrate again the same considering the absolute whole i.e. the Universe? Is it not obvious now that microcosmically or macrocosmically there is no end to complexity and amazement?

 

Everything: every being, every system, every process, every group, every star is part of a larger organism. So what seems disorder and chaos to us may not be at all. It is just that our heads are too small to understand it.