After hard struggles, India got freedom from Britain in the year 1947. It is of only political independence that we started to enjoy from them. Since then, as a developing nation, there have been a lot of changes for self-sufficiency and dependency.
As an individual, a man from his childhood to death lives at various dependency level. His successful growth or evolution can be well described as the level of dependency in which he lives. Let us see how it can be done.
As soon a child is born, it has to rely on its parents for everything. That is how a human baby comes to this earth. Compared to other species, it is far behind in self-dependency. Evolutionary theory says that it is due to the under development of brain which leads to be at rest to grow still further to start acquiring things. If we look at other species in animal kingdom, as soon as they are born, they start doing things like walking or swimming. Since human became completely dependent on brain, his physique lost its memory or strength to act as soon as his birth.
Human child is completely dependent at first 6-8 months. Then slowly start crawling to move where it wants to move. After a year or two, it starts walking holding its parent’s fingers and look at the world through their vision and teachers’ at school. We, as a human beings depend our brain capacity to know and understand things in the world. And slowly we are caught up to our ego centre through cultural, religious and educational teachings. The society also wants to keep us dependent. Independent being is dangerous to the society. Because, he inquires to seek answers for everything.
While walking, a child holds its parent’s fingers for a few years. Later parents hold their children’s hands for a few years. Then, as a secondary student, a boy / girl learns to walk independently and go anywhere without anyone’s guidance. At adult age, he depends more on gadgets and technologies also. Techno fasting is unbearable even for a day to a grown-up man now-a-days.
A man, as an individual life, has fear to live alone. Since his birth he has been surrounded by many things and people and be afraid of solitude. Living in an unknown region is also fearsome to the one who has been brought up dependent on many things. His mind is too much attached to his own wants though needs are taken care off. He is unable to come out of his own pattern of thinking and behaviour. He is self imprisoned and lives a life of his own slavery.
Except the basic needs for being alive, he has to consciously reduce the natural urges of his body, mind and emotions and do the things that are required to the moment. That is what called ‘real freedom’. This is the way sages and saints lived in the society but independently and evolved to the fullest possible.
Rajan Thirumalai
Image Credit : Pixabay.com
