Just a Thought

The human brain approximately weighs 1600 grams, it’s essentially a walnut shaped lump of neurons, widely considered as nature’s best work, but considering the fact that we humans are the only party allowed to vote I have my doubts but certainly it is one of the best if not the best. I fail to notice any innovation in the designing part, guess nature is not a firm believer in out the box thinking but I like the fact that it is compact, very aptly located at the top of our body it is supposed to be the controller of all our voluntary and involuntary actions, just like us it is unreasonably demanding, it requires up to 20-25% of our body’s oxygen to function properly no wonder we are the most greedy and demanding species of our planet. The world that we live in is the creation of our brain, there are questions on how real our surroundings are but real or illusion the fact remains we have to deal with it, so what makes our brains so much better than those of the other species, there are a number of things that makes it superior but if I have to pick one that really sets it apart then it has to be our imagination, our ability to visualize things and events that aren’t happening.

What I find really difficult to fathom is the fact that how little we use this instrument of ours. It is amazing how much stupidity is happening in and around us, just rotate your head within a range of 180 degrees and I am sure you can spot an imbecile.  It’s like owning a Porsche yet driving an Ambassador. The fact is that routine has completely overpowered human life. Thinking has been made redundant just 1% of the people   are doing the thinking for our entire population, the major side effect of routine is the depletion of our ability to think, from the moment we are born we are discouraged to use our brains in the name of manners and good habits, everything has been decided there is absolutely no need to flex our neurons and before we know it we are completely lost in our routines. It is so intricately entwined with our day to day life that one can go through his entire life without sparing a moment to think. We are so used to the idea of routine that it almost seems natural, completely oblivious of the it’s adverse effects we try to fit ourselves in the routine, we even condition our involuntary events like hunger to follow a routine, I remember visiting a relative’s place, I was ten and around 1 am I found my stomach making weird noises after the initial confusion and panic I finally came to the conclusion that I was hungry, I reported the matter to my mother, she seemed almost annoyed by the revelation, “this is no time to be hungry, you should have finished your supper” “but mummy I am very hungry” was my argument followed by the cute little boy look, the look worked my mother obliges but food comes along with a group lesson from all the elders about my need to eat at the right time.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that we must start living like nomads, routine works, it  brings some order in this already chaotic world, it is a very efficient mechanism that keeps the world running in fact it is so good that it has ended up controlling us and there lies the problem, all I want to say is that every once in a while we can use the instrument residing within our head, just stop and think  what am I doing and why I am doing it? Use routines to attain your goals don’t make attaining a routine your goal.

PS: I never intended to preach, it just happened and now it's too late.