Rules & Evolution

Watching the pub scene in RDB, I feel like the characters in the 1st half are a lot closer to us than we realise. Every other person of my age (starting from me) is a cynic these days, questioning traditions to contemporary culture, from history to futuristic ideas and every timeline between them. With access to internet, blogs, online forums and other outlets, we now have a bigger platform to argue on than ever before.

While some are valid and thought provoking, a few of the popular ones are just rubbish and show the 'argumentative nature of Indians', who just have to question every norm. Specially the arguments against society, system and the likes. Apparently they hold back the free-spirited. Not entirely true that.

To begin with, if there were no rules, there would be no 'free-spirit', just like there's no darkness without light. Furthermore, all the animals follow some norms and rules within their herds which become more elaborate and clearly defined as we go up the evolutionary ladder. Man too, being a social animal, is bound to have them. Our rules are just more defined and clearly laid-down, in keeping with the our arguably superior mental capabalities.

Any set of rules, be it science or social-science, is open to modification, correction, interpretation and even rejection and hence is evolutionary in nature: survival of the fittest. What keeps evolving in the right direction, survives, and the others dissappear. The country-laws have, for instance, come a long way from Hammurabi's slabs or the 10 commandments to a Penal code, with 2kgs of paper. As with our body and brain, these systems have now become so complex that it's hard to track back the roots. A lack of understanding leads us to believe that they are whimsical, just like a lack of common-sense made us allow women to drive cars.

A system, in fact, is essential for growth and development. Let's take the most common system in the world, the number system, whose contribution in the development of mankind is obvious. Take in it, the most common number sequence: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Now if you were to write 7.00000001 afer 7 in stead of 8, that would be wrong. While 7.0000001 is not wrong in itself but it is out of place their. If their were no such system in place, and 7.0000001 were as good as 8, we would never have learnt counting. Similarly, if their were no civic laws or codes of conduct, it would be a disaster. Lack of law enforcement always results in a breakdown of law and order. The increased crime-rates after disasters, like the Tsunami and Bihar, are a clear indicator. True, sometimes they seem suffocating, but they are evolving all the time. We are, but a mere means to a better system, not the sum of it.

If you feel strongly against something, pray that others do too, for then, it will fall by the side in the long run*. If you hate and question every rule and system created by mankind, go to the Himalayas. You might find some peace away from any traces of man. And oh, don't forget to leave those clothes behnd, they too afterall, are the result of a production system.

*Long-run: No time-frame. However, it is widely speculated that the long-run is usually longer than short-run.**

**Short-run: Believed to be shorter than the long-run, despite the lack of a comprehensive reason.

PS: I am not a responsible author and have deliberately left out a lot of aspects because i found them boring to write about.