After years and years of'research'(obviously amateur research), I have finally come to the conclusion which I have mentioned in the title. Yes,man is a slave to nature,in all possible ways. First of all,let us define the main content I.e nature. What do we mean by nature? It can have several or countless definitions. It can refer to the nature which gives the guidelines for the life of all living beings,ranging from microbes to elephants. Or it can refer to the working of each component of the body. Or the functioning of all astronomical objects in the cosmos from the earth to the Sun,moon,stars,galaxies,nebulae,black holes,etc. Well,in this case, I am referring to the nature which guides the human mind and body,specially pointing out to the mind.
Few learned and intellectual people have in some way pointed out(wrongly) that through intellectual capacity and willpower alone,humans could control or alter anything which is normally under their control. This mainly includes our own mind and body since our conscience decides the choices and decisions we make,on a day to day basis.Yes,to an extent this is true,but as long as you are healthy,the time when your mind and body decide to co-operate with you entirely.
Firstly and foremostly,let us look at some of the most basic of all human desires - Hunger,thirst,sleep. No doubt,these are bodily requirements,but can be controlled to an extent.But what when these biological requirements surpass their normal routines.Assume that one is on an endless hunger strike or any person(educated/learned) is deliberately denied food for several days on end. Let us assume that the person is a healthy,strong willed,dedicated individual who assumes that he/she can carry on endlessly without food and water. Do you think that the illusion which he gets when he feels absolutely healthy without the need of food and water, last forever? No,not at all. After certain amount of time,the body's functions would begin to turn chaotic or would literally go haywire since it is not receiving the substance necessary to make it go on,the way it has been genetically coded or programmed? Under that influence,a normally calm and sober individual would turn violent or would literally end up going crazy or insane.
Same in the case of sleep.Even those individuals having a world record in the least time spent in sleep throughout their life require a certain amount of it to carry on,including those having the maximum confidence regarding their'sleepless' ability.
Those possessing certain physical abilities or talents more or better than others would boast of their ability to outdo others at any event or anytime.Anyone,viz Sportspersons such as soccer players,tennis,badminton,rugby,swimmers,hikers or mountain climbers,cyclists,F1 drivers,etc,any sport which requires tremendous physical stamina or even intellectual capacity such as chess players or the MD's,Directors or Chairmen of organizations,just to give a few examples. Or take for eg those who are good orators or leaders.Those in these respective professions for several years or possibly a few decades will have enough confidence to even'Outwit death' not in a negative note,but in accordance with their confidence. But,ask an ace professional who has retired either due to age or an unfortunate event whether he/she can still perform the same way and the answer would be obvious.Their confidence at that time would be in shatters as their minds and bodies refuse to co-operate anymore.
There are people with very high level of ego and attitude problems and those who are the opposite.A small amount of assumed provocation,such as a taunt or a sarcastic comment or insult can either turn them aggressive or their mood off or both.On the other hand,people who don't face such issues may have a lot of conviction in their abilities or may even want to participate in a'contest' in which people would be hurling abuses and insults at them,but their reaction would be as if nothing has ever happened. But,I am quite sure that even the world's most calm and sober individuals would have reacted to criticism,insults or any other kind of provocation,negatively at some point or the other,either openly or within their minds,as much as those who easily get turned off.In fact,I myself,who is otherwise among the calm headed people,have reacted to these stuff very bitterly.
The same arises with almost all of our emotions. Have we ever wondered as to why do certain decisions or resolutions we make are easy to follow whereas some are extremely difficult to keep up with or literally impossible at times?
Assume that an athlete who runs around 30 Kms each day,decides to add 3 Kms more to his daily schedule.Initially,he may find it a bit difficult,but over a period of time,his body gets used to the change and he can do it with ease. On the contrary,if a heart patient who is advised a normal morning walk at a certain pace,decides to run like an athlete,will it be possible? NO.
In the case of the athlete,his mind and body are healthy enough to take that little extra load,whereas in the case of a heart patient or a terminally ill patient, who has a weak heart and body overall,the sudden change of pace will only lead to disaster. In both of these cases,nature has got its role to play.(Contd in Part 2.)
