by Parmjit Singh
Human beings are considered to be the most intelligent and wise creation of evolution. We come equipped with additional brain structure (cortex) that stands us apart from our lesser brethren in the animal kingdom.
This evolutionary generosity affords us to make informed choices and wise decisions, thus maintaining the health of the society we live in. Current situations in our society, however, do not speak very highly of our much-touted wisdom to make healthy decisions.
"Too much cleverness could be dangerous", Buddha said.
Otherwise, how would we explain the progressively deepening crisis in our society? We are witnessing increased violence, heightened dissatisfaction with life, spiraling teen problems, a widening chasm between rich and poor, growing prison population and crass commercialization of our cultural and social values.
One such example of our faulty thinking is the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. We are straining our public exchequer without taking into account that most of the modern health problems we face today are part of our materialistic, predatory lifestyle and commercial culture.
Even a minor change in lifestyle can have salutary effects on some of the major illnesses for which medicare spends billions of dollars for corrective measures. Unfortunately however, those lifestyle alterations are not much encouraged, for they defeat the hidden profit-based agendas of various industries. Instead, cosmetic solutions are offered that obviously serve those industries in their long-term aims. For instance, rather than looking into our ferociously individualistic and self-serving lifestyles for causes of stress and depression so prevalent in our society, we are encouraged to pop pills to handle our blues. Some of those pills are rumored to be addictive, which ensure their steady consumption. This helps the manufacturers in the long haul.
Our bloodied human history is yet another example of our misguided, selfish and exploitative thinking. It is no wonder that in the recorded history, humans have been engaged in bloodletting, reckless exploitation, wars and oppressions under one pretext or the other.
Our corporate and exploitative mentality has seeped into the way we treat other humans. We look upon people as commodities and items to be preyed upon for personal and commercial profit. We are more motivated by power politics and immediate gains than by understanding the ethical implications of our selfish acts and beliefs.
Our idea of progress rests only on material acquisitiveness and capital gain. On the sunny side, this type of philosophy has been responsible for creation of the material progress we are enjoying today. People in North America are better fed, better housed, and better taken care of than their counterparts in Third world countries, yet they also register striking increase in stress-related problems, job and life dissatisfactions, increased discontent etc.
Our competitive and aggressive behaviors, which have been largely responsible for our rapid material growth, have also alienated us from fellow human beings. The same alienation is reflected in our fractured relationships, doomed personal lives and crumbling social structure. Our predatory thinking and masked greed is threatening to decimate the very fiber of our society. We have even commercialized our religious and spiritual values.
Though our cunningness has helped us build profit-based empires, yet what good is it if it does not promote social welfare, mutual respect and love, family values and healthy relationships, the very umbilical cord of our existence?
"Too much cleverness could be dangerous", Buddha said. Perhaps we are becoming victims of our own cunning. Through smart thinking, we can build nuclear bombs, spy satellites, self-serving economic strategies, but a thriving society is built upon cultivation of mutual love, respect, equality and selfless responsibility towards our fellow citizens. Eventually, the quality of our life will depend upon the nature of our social setup not the number of guided missiles in our silos.
May this holiday season help us to celebrate the human spirit and empower us to understand the necessity of cultivating a mentality that makes us human rather than a predator. Otherwise, our race will have the dubious distinction of presiding over its own collapse.
The original version of this article was published on December 26, 2001 in The Hamilton Spectator under the title of "We're too clever for our own good."
