Arecent neurological study conducted by University of Illinois, US, reveals that humans are collectively and neurologically becoming emotionless and that’s an alarming sign for mankind.
The pre-dawn was exceedingly cold. A gymnosophist (naked wanderer) was nonchalantly sitting on a log of wood by the river. A passerby was surprised to see the disrobed man sitting so comfortably. “Don’t you feel cold?” he asked the naked man. “No, I don’t. I’m accustomed to living in a cold and unfriendly world. Lack of warmth in the world has inured me to nature’s cold, which in comparison, appears to be warmer,” replied Diogenes, the famous and the most eccentric of all Greek philosophers.
There is indeed no warmth in the world and in our relationships with others. “Jise bhi dekhiye woh apne aap mein gum hai / Zubaan mili hai magar humzubaan nahin milta (Whoever you look at, seems to be engrossed in himself / There are words but sadly, there’s no one to interact with)”. We have become cold, indifferent and insensate. Every individual is living like an island, insulated from the joys and worries of the world outside. Nothing moves us long and strong enough to encompass. But, humans have always been like this. If Diogenes could perceive this almost 4,000 years ago, it means we are forever emotionless and that’s the reason we are so violent.
Violence is not a recent phenomenon. Man sans emotions is always violent. The history of the world is the history of wars -- whether wars for religions, territories or even for women, humans have always killed others. In fact, we have shed more blood (of others) than all the water in the great oceans. War has been more common than peace, and extended periods of peace have been rare in the world, divided into multiple states.
Remember, no epoch of human history has been non-violent. Even Arcadia, perceived by many as a sort of Greek utopia, was home to many violent, depraved acts. Peace is transient. Upheaval is permanent. And we cannot help it. Utterly ill-evolved and self-centred mankind has been cold to widespread death and depredation. The pain and plight of people doesn’t stir our emotions. We are so opaque, so impervious to the sufferings of others. At times, it appears that we all have become living zombies, moving about with no feelings whatsoever. Every individual seems to be residing in their fortified citadel, impenetrable by the cries and sighs of the world around. We have built concrete walls around us and blinded ourselves to the predicament of people. The least pain in our little finger gives us more concern and uneasiness than the destruction of millions of our fellow beings. We are shorn of feelings and emotionally destitute.
Aruna Shanbaug, the victim of a brutal rape in a Bombay hospital many moons ago is a glaring example of our collective indifference. Apart from a couple of sensitive voices, no one ever bothered to know what happened to her after the incident on the fateful night of November 26, 1973. She passed away a few years ago, in a perpetually comatose state. One British travel writer recently witnessed a ‘gentleman’ react casually to the sight of a dismembered body on a railway track in Bombay. It’s not that only Bombay is heartless. Every city and every place is heartless, because mankind is heartless. “Mahroom hai jazbaat se har shakhsh yahaan / Insaan teri insaaniyat hai kahaan? (Every person is devoid of emotions / Man, where’s your humanity?)” What Jameel Mazhari wrote in the early fifties is still relevant. Man, where has your humane side disappeared?
(The writer is a regular contributor to the world’s premier publications and portals in several languages)
