Dear Reader,
Continuing our series of Getting Spiritually Better, in this Issue we present to you a discussion on a phrase originally written by Alexander Pope and often quoted by Swami…..

‘THE PROPER STUDY OF MANKIND IS MAN’

Baba often uses the phrase: “The proper study of mankind is man”. Most people are mystified by this remark. What exactly does Swami mean? Fortunately, there is no need to speculate because Baba Himself has given the answer.

The human body is a composite of several organs such as the eye, the stomach, the brain, the liver and so on. Some of these organs are visible to us while others are not, being embedded within the body. Each organ has a specific function to perform. Taken in isolation, each of these functions might appear to be limited in scope. However, when everything is considered together, we would find that all functions and activities are related to a common objective, namely that of keeping the body alive.

If you study the human body as a system, it is very much like an organisation in many respects. The organisation could be a government, a corporation, a factory and so on, in fact even a family. Every one of the entities just mentioned has many things in common with the human system. This is because in every organisation, the different constituent units are expected to perform different tasks but all towards a common goal.

Consider, for example, an automobile factory. It would have many wings like procurement, stores, production, finance, marketing and so on. Each wing is expected to perform a certain function; however, all the different functions would be linked to the overall goal of the company, namely the production and sale of different models of cars. It is precisely in this sense that the factory resembles the human body.

All this is fine, but what is the meaning behind Baba’s remark, and its relationship to all the above? To understand that, let us consider an example that Baba Himself gives. Consider a man walking barefoot in the jungle who steps on a thorn. The thorn enters the flesh and causes pain. So the man stops walking, sits down, and starts pulling the thorn out. He does so focussing on the foot with his eyes and using his two hands to pull out the thorn. This simple incident contains the inner meaning of Baba’s remark.

Let us ask the question: “Why do the hands pull out the thorn? It was the foot that was pierced by the thorn; so why should the hands bother at all?” That is the central point! God has designed the entire human system so that every organ works for others and not merely for itself. This is the way, the heart, lungs, liver and all the other organs function. This is God’s operating system for the human body.

Computer scientists know all about Operating Systems (OS). An Operating System [like LINUX or WINDOWS, for example] is basically a set of rules that lay down the procedure for the operation or the functioning of the entire system, including all its component entities. The OS designed by God for the human body is based on the principle: ‘All for one and one for all’. That is, all the organs work for the sustenance of the body as a whole, without any individual ego. In fact there is no place at all for the organs to have ego! In turn, the body as a whole sustains all the organs.

There are many subtleties to be noticed here. Firstly, organs co-operate and help all the time, not just during emergencies and times of crises. For example, when one is running, the heart pumps faster because the muscles need rapid replenishment of energy, and it is the blood that has to carry the energy. This type of synergy happens continually. Next, as regards supportive action, the stomach, for example, never keeps the food; it digests and passes it on. The brain receives a lot of blood but in turn does the vital job of central control and co-ordination. Organs like the kidney do what may be called menial functions but they do not “grumble”! Everywhere, there is give and take. It is important to analyse this in detail to get a full appreciation of the kind of co-operation and interdependence that God has built into the human body created by Him. It is this type of Operating System that God expects for humanity as a whole; and it is man’s responsibility to devise and implement such an OS.

In short, the central lesson is:

In any complex organisation composed of different entities, no single entity must feel it is above the others and a law unto itself.

This is an obvious lesson but always missed on account of the ego of the different entities. It is not uncommon in a company say, for finance to be at loggerheads with administration; for production and marketing to be engaged in a tug-of-war, and so on. This should not be. Just as the human body becomes sick when internal harmony is disturbed, so an organisation also becomes sick if there are clashes and disharmony. Collective ego is just as bad as individual ego, and must be rooted out.

In the human body, if individual cells start malfunctioning in a big way, it can lead to overall body deterioration [this is essentially what happens in cancer, for example]. Likewise, the individual ego can spread leading to collective ego, and in turn cause disruption of Society. Man’s duty is to live by Human Values. If he forsakes them, he exposes not only himself but also his entire community to peril. An individual cannot trample on others in the pursuit of wealth or personal ambitions. If he does so, one day he will have to face the Reflection, Reaction and Resound. History has proved again and again that there cannot be any escape from the Law of Karma.

There are people who argue: “All this is old hat. Today, it is possible to be clever and get away with being selfish all the time!” This is the greatest myth ever invented! There is no such thing as a free lunch! Whether one likes it or not, the Universe is governed by a Moral Law. Violation of this Law either by individuals or by communities or by nations, will, in due course, produce the appropriate reaction. As Swami reminds us, Karma will chase one like the bloodhound from hell; no one can hide from it.

The doctor prescribes a medicine that is bitter for someone who has lung disease. Can the tongue declare, “Yuk, this tastes bitter,” and spit out the medicine? Or can the stomach remark, “I have nothing to do with the lung; why should I digest this horrible stuff?” Or, if the doctor is going to administer an injection, can the arm say, “Why should I suffer the prick of the needle? What have I got to do with the lung?” Yet, today, different segments of Society often behave precisely like this. Whether we like it or not, there is an intricate interconnection underlying humanity, indeed the whole of Creation. This interconnection is Divinely ordained. We just have to accept it gracefully and lead our lives accordingly. That is the message that Baba is sending out to us through the phrase that forms the title of this chapter.

ADDITIONAL NOTES RELATING TO THE ABOVE

• The central theme of all that has been said above is the organic interrelationship between the different entities in Creation, and how the Divine has ordained a harmonious functioning of the various independent entities to achieve collectively a Cosmic Goal.
  
  
• The Moral Law that governs the Universe is like the Operating System (OS) in a computer.
  
  
• The structure and the design of this OS are best appreciated by examining the Divine OS that governs the biological functioning of the human body.
  
  
• Baba calls attention to the human body OS via His oft-repeated words:
  
  

THE PROPER STUDY OF MANKIND IS MAN.

• The essential aspects of the OS of the human body are:
  • No organ has ego. Nor do the organs have agendas of their own.
    
    
  • No organ shifts responsibility saying, “This is not my job.”
    
    
  • Every organ acts like a responsible link in a continuous and endless chain. Every organ both receives and also gives.
    
    
  • No organ has an advantage or profit motive. It does not say, “I must get more than I give.” If anything, its view is, “I must give more than I receive.”
    
    
  • All organs work for the body and the body in turn is designed to take care of all the organs. Thus when the organs need energy, the body feels hungry, and the energy supply promptly gets arranged.
    
    
  • There is no hierarchy, though some organs perform “higher” functions while others perform “lower” functions.
    
    
  • All organs function as parts of a whole.
    
    
  • Features like security, resource allocation, waste management and treatment, are all handled efficiently by the body.
    
    
  • Like in an office, for example, some services are available 24 hours a day non-stop while others are available only some of the time. Thus the heart beats non-stop while the arms and legs get rest during sleep.
    
    
  • In every possible way, the OS of the human body illustrates how a very complex and intricately designed system can function beautifully and harmoniously. The internal system of the human body is self-regulatory, and it works without external command – for example, one does not consciously operate the digestive system.
    
    
• Why is the OS of the human body so important as an example? It is important because humanity as a system is very much like the human body. In the human body, we have the chest that contains the heart, which has valves, which in turn are made up of cells. Further, the cells in the different parts of the body are quite different from each other. Thus, the cells of the eye are different from the cells of the liver, and so on.
  
  
• In a similar manner, humanity is the union of people who belong to different countries. Each country, especially if it is large, has many regions, and every region contains people, individual human beings. Often, people of different countries differ quite a lot; for example, Pacific islanders differ quite a lot from the Eskimos in Alaska. Now how do the people in a community, how do the different communities in a region, how do the different regions of a country, and finally how do different countries behave in relation to each other? Do they act collectively with a common sense of purpose or are they driven by their own respective self-interests?
  
  
• The answer to the last question ought to be quite clear. Mankind today is clearly not acting in a cohesive manner, and that is why we are having so many problems.
  
  
• And what are we trying to do about them? We tend to do one of the following:
  • We sweep the problems under the rug.
    
    
  • We aggravate the situation. This happens, for example, through domination of the strong over the weak.
    
    
  • We try a weak collective approach through treaties, the UN, various international bodies, etc. But in all these, individual selfishness is often the undercurrent.
    
    
• Nations and individuals have more or less reconciled themselves to this situation. This very much suits the dominant countries who behave as they wish and feel they have nothing to lose in the process. The weaker section of humanity has generally resigned itself to what seems like the inevitable.
  
  
• This is a state of imbalance, and imbalance can and does sometimes snowball. When it does so, the consequences can be very unpleasant.
  
  
• At times, the reaction is manifestly violent, as in the case of terrorism, conflict, and wars, for example. But it can also be seemingly “passive”. For example, today the population of the world is close to 6.5 billion. Of this, over three billion are desperately poor. Supposing, driven to despair, they start massive deforestation, massive burning of all kinds of waste material, massive pollution of the waters and so on. No one can police this sort of thing. All of a sudden there would be a crumbling of the present economic structure which is based on financial inequalities.
  
  
• The message is loud and clear, though we may not like to hear it. We must function in an organic and coherent faction, like the different cells do at the micro level and the different organs do at the macro level. We have absolutely no choice in the matter.
  
  
• And the OS of the human body gives us the know-how that we need. We do not have to search for it anywhere. It is already there, and available free without any copyright! But are we ready to take it? That is the question!
  
  
• Finally, let us not forget what Baba says. He tells us: the individual is a limb of Society; Society is a limb of Nature; and Nature is a limb of God! Thus, the OS of the human body ought to apply very much in this case too!

POINTS TO PONDER OVER

• The lesson being taught by Swami is absolutely simple. Even a fool can understand it. But at the same time, people who are supposed to be intelligent refuse to look at it. Why? Ego is the answer.
  
  
• Elders are very selfish but children may not be that selfish. Suppose you want to expose students and Bal Vikas children to this concept. How would you go about it? What examples would you give and what assignments would you set?
  
  
• Incidentally, if this topic ever gets discussed in your Study Circle, you might suggest that the different members come prepared with descriptions of the functions of the different parts of the body [lungs, liver, pancreas, etc.] and you can then have an interesting time figuring out how these organs work in unison and co-ordinate their activities. It would also give you an idea of God’s glory. As Swami says, the human body is the most wonderful machine in Creation, far excelling anything designed and fabricated by man!