Getting rid of conflicts

The world was born of a mechanical or accidental big bang, they say, and from out of the splinters it emerged out. Although cause of the big bang is not clear, there must have been some external impressed force to create an abrupt imbalance and to trigger the process. There was none to speculate on the magnitude and directions of the activated energy and also on what would be the shapes of transformed things. Whatever may be the reasons, a beautiful and well-designed world of varieties kept on evolving to its full glory and glamour. Very systematically, there came ether, air, fire, water and earth. The mineral kingdom was followed by the colourful and picturesque vegetable kingdom. The vegetable kingdom was followed by the vibrant animal kingdom. In the process of an all round evolution with perfect integration and linkages, there arose clashes of interests also as there were inescapable heterogeneity and gradations in the composition. The vegetable kingdom thrived on the mineral kingdom. The animal kingdom thrived on the vegetable kingdom. One became the eater and the other became its food. The eater itself became the food for somebody else. One species instinctively tried for the extinction of the other. One bird would lay egg and another species of bird would eat it up. One animal would breed its offspring and yet another would gulp it. Every one struggled for existence and that too, for a safe existence. In other words, this creation is a big puzzle of survival and extinction, life and death.

The evolution, in its gradual process of unfoldment and upgradation, has been causing multifarious conflicts for the individual entities at each and every stage. Yet existence is there amidst all conflicting situations and every day it gets renewed, shaped up and bettered tending towards perfection. For all of us, problems and perils are there that keep on disturbing us in some form or other. We are therefore impelled to apply our brains and brawns to protect ourselves from unfavourable things and events. That is how we go ahead finding solutions to problems after problems. That is how the civilization marches forward. We try to insulate ourselves from various perils and get stronger with our instinct for survival. New risks come on our way and we try to find out ways and means to encounter risks depending on their severity and probability. Thus knowingly or unknowingly, the life goes on every moment facing many challenges at every step, braving all odds, be it, the Skylab orTsunami, indigence or external aggression, terrorism or even the bird flu. Nature demonstrates that the risk of death is embedded in the birth itself.

Can conflicting situations be eliminated altogether? No. It is an embedded system essential in the self-propelled process of evolution. No external manipulation can put any cog on the wheels of evolution. No limited and mechanical process of insulation can reach out to the subtle and all pervasive presence of conflicts and contradictions. Since we are all products of this grand process of evolution and also instruments of evolution, we cannot comprehend the secrets of evolution in its entirety. Therefore as and when we envision and evaluate things and events from a lower standpoint of our fragmented intellect, we come across conflicting situations when we identify some thing as unfavourable to our interest or cherished goal. In reality, favourable things and events are also potential threats which may appear as such at a future date, if not immediately now. For example, a particular type of food or drink is not recommended to an infant as it may create health hazard. The same food or drink can be safely recommended to an adult. They say, "One man’s meat is another man’s poison". Similarly a number of examples can be cited to demonstrate that the same thing has got different risk impacts on different persons, at different places and different times.

The universe is full of varying variables including our environments and us. In the self-propelled process of this grand and eternal evolution, transformations are also self-propelled and eternal. As they say, "Change is the only constant in the affairs of mankind". That means, dis-equilibriums are always there; That is why we crave for equilibrium. Unrest is there; That is why we crave for rest. We thus live in a dynamic system. What we perceive around us are permanent disequilibriums and not any static equilibrium. That is probably the reason why the electrons keep on incessantly moving so rapidly around the stationary nucleus, which though subtle and apparently innocuous is a potential source of power.

It means that there is a well designed creative process triggering the evolution to gradual perfection. We may say that it is the nature who is the designer and controller of the evolution. If that is so, then nature is definitely sentient, full of conscious energy. Had it been insentient, the consciousness would not have evolved. Evolution of consciousness pre-supposes the existence of consciousness as something cannot come out of nothingness. Any design also presupposes existence of intelligence. It follows from this that nature also belongs to some one who is an intelligent being and all-powerful. Otherwise Nature’s process would not have been so scientific, systematic, well integrated and universal.

It may be observed that inside the egg, there is yeast, which has all potency to evolve as a full-fledged bird. All the basic principles of life or consciousness are already embedded inside the egg. Given a particular environment, it expresses itself in the form of a bird. This indicates that the continuing creation is not just a one time or random big bang exercise but very much an intelligent and eternal scheme.

As discussed earlier, from our angle of vision, we perceive some thing as sufferings or perils, but from the regulator’s point of view, the same is actually a process of evolution involving transformations leading to perfection to some destination. Driven by a law, it rains. Driven by a law, ice is formed. Driven by the same law, water gets evaporated into the air. Whether it is a question of solar eclipse or seasonal variations, whether it is a question of orbiting of moon or existence of gravitational force, behind every thing an eternal and flawless law is operative. The atmosphere contains, among others, oxygen and carbon-di-oxide. Oxygen helps in flaming where as carbon-di-oxide extinguishes the flame. All conflicting situations are but essential and coherently inter-woven in a dynamic process of evolution.

The creator has endowed us with mind and intelligence to observe the process of his creation from a broader perspective, casting off all self-centredness and individualistic ideas and understand the designs that are governed by his law of eternity or commandments.

As long as diversities and consequently gradations are there, clashes and conflicts of interests shall be there as much as coherence and synchronisation. When the Unity amidst all diversities is realised or perfection is attained, all clashes or conflicts will automatically vanish. Unity is blissful. Diversities, which are apparently the sauce of life, more often than not, stuffed with periodic sufferings.

In order to get rid of darkness, light has to be enkindled. Shouting at darkness will do no good. A lonely traveller while crossing a jungle in the evening has to step faster so that he can reach home safely. Standing at one place in the jungle and remembering home cannot arrest the descending darkness. Acharya Vinoba Bhave says, " With the question paper in hand, if a student in the examination hall shouts for answer, answer will not come. He has to work the sum out by applying the right formula. Answer appears where the application of formula ends."

Sadguru Sri Sri Arjun says that God is that conscious energy who is present in every one. His will is known as the Law of Eternity. To know the Law of Eternity is true knowledge and to observe the same is true Dharma or piety.

Therefore God’s commandments or the Law of Eternity has to be understood, appreciated and realised to know the blissful designs of the maker and really earn peace and happiness by transcending all the apparent conflicts, confusions and contradictions.

 ************************************************************************