Sunday, September 21, 2008

Has Man a Future?

It is rather difficult to prophesy what is in store for man – but, we can assess to some extent man’s future by seeing what the position of man is today. There really can be no exact prediction about man’s future but, the present is the only indication from where we can make an approximate assessment of the future. Now, in this assessment also, there are bound to be wide differences as, each individual sees the present in a different perspective, and so, the views about the future will also be different, and so, the views about the future will also be different as they come from different people. There may be people who find the scene well set for doom while others there may be who find that the world and its man is on a continuous march towards betterment of life. These views have to be divergent according to the type of people expressing the views.
As far as I am concerned, I personally feel that the present is not pointing to a very fine future for man. When we discuss about the future of man, we have to analyse the scenario in its entirety. We can not doubt the affluence and luxury man enjoys today, which shows that man has the affluence and luxury man enjoys today, which shows that man has progressed immensely from the bygone days. This would imply that, if man continues like this, there is no scope for him to have a near bad future. However, this position of affluence and luxury is man’s present, but where will this same affluence lead him to is what will make or mar his future. Now, we say that, the gifts of Science and technology have given man all the luxuries of life, this of course can not be denied by anyone, but, the other side of this same blessing of Science if considered in its true perspective, is no less than a curse. This man sitting in all the luxury of the world, is also at the same time sitting on top of a huge stock of explosives. These explosives may blast ant any time and then all the luxuries of man will be gone with the wind. I’d say that today man is sitting on just a press of a button away from complete annihilation. If this side of the picture is given its due weightage, then, I daresay, the future of man is very very dark, or rather man has no future for, what is life that is being spent in fear of destruction. To-day, entire humanity is living on the brink of destruction, and no one can fortell what future has in store for a man.
Today, we also claim to be highly educated and knowledgeable, as never before, and believe that the future will bring complete spectrum of knowledge in our arms. The first point in this is that, knowledge can never be complete, and secondly as far as I feel, if all the knowledge we acquire, fails to make us human beings and we remain to be mere beings then. I daresay that we have no future in this field also. We are laying stress on all subjects for children and adults to study but, we have forgotten the basic result that must accrue from education – the formation of character. Knowledge is undoubtedly a power but, this power is also only seen to be destroying us. I personally feel that as long as human beings do not learn to be human, all the syllabi and knowledge hold no future for him. In this context, I would like to mention an old adage that says that, if wealth is lost, nothing is lost, if health is lost, something is lost, and if character is lost, everything is lost. So, in the light of this adage, man has already lost everything, so, from where can he expect a future?
In the sphere of health also, advanced medical practices have given man the gift of longevity, but, may I ask what is the use of a long life spent in the misery of long drawn out illnesses. With the advancement of medical know how, it seems that there has been a parallel increase in the fears of maladies like Aids, Cancer and the like. Never before were such things heard of. What is use that long life of which years have to be spent in the hospitals, ailing seeing and feeling the torture that life can be. In this scenario, I daresay, it would be better for man if the medical supremos found out ways of curing illnesses rather than leaving men to be tortured at the hands of crucial illnesses which have no cures. Given such longevity I’d say is a curse rather than a blessing as we are apt to feel. I thus say that, a long life at least in India has no future. A life is life only if we can live it happily and enjoy it, and not spend years of it on our death beds. I fell that in this sphere also there is no future for man. He still languishes in hospitals, and after a long wait gets his cherished end – death.
Besides these down to earth facts that make for life, we have still another very important aspect of life that is character. In this sphere also there can be no two opinions of the fact that there is complete loss of character. This has become a missing entity in the world of today. We, have become so very depraved that, in the future there is very little chance of the revival of this essential ingredient of a good life. So, as per the old quotation mentioned above, man has already lost everything by losing hold on character so, when all is lost, what can be future, is for anyone to guess and visualize. There can be nothing except absolute hollow of darkness when the present holds what it does. The future, to me is like a mirage, appearing to be when it is not there – there is no hope.

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