SURVIVAL by JERNAIL S ANAND

 

STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL AND THE INSTINCT FOR ‘GIVE AWAY’

Dr. Jernail Singh Anand

When from a liquid, a drop is formed, it is trapped into the struggle for survival. Its shape depends on how much the  winds press its sides, and how much the light sucks its vitality. The moment it is formed, the eternal countdown begins, and then, as the day passes, a part of it is lived out. Finally, a moment arrives, when winds suck it back. The sun and the night, the moon and the stars, the oceans and the mountains – they saw it form, flourish, and then finish. When we see this bubble, this drop, this human being, he is in the throes of a struggle, the wise call the struggle for survival.  

When man is born, he too resembles a drop of life, and it is not difficult to see how this struggle for survival has started in the womb itself. Parents try to soften the pangs of this struggle in the initial years, but as soon as a child grows up, his march to adulthood is marked with pitfalls and boobytraps, and this struggle continues through the adult years, right up to the time he reaches the ventilator, the launch pad from where, hollow-copters  fly on a journey into the unknown.

All through this life, the man was trying to stay alive and he did not mind this struggle which left him alive although so many lost their lives. The first and foremost thing for man is to preserve his life. Once he is secure in his body, mind and soul, he starts thinking of embellishments which make  life beautiful. Art steps in, music steps in. Love steps in. It is now a paradigm of passions. Just think of a journey in a plane. When the plane runs on the runway, and takes the dive up, our hearts sink. That is the initial shock we experience. But as it gains its speed, and becomes stable, we forget we are on a mission of do or die. The hostesses make you oblivious of the perils of the journey with their offer of drinks, food etc. In a few moments, the feeling of dangerliness passes off, and we start thinking of our life, some open their laps tops. Some go to sleep. The feeling of struggle will return when the plane lands, because, that too is a moment fraught with danger.

The idea is the struggle for survival is the basic instinct of man, and it remains with him all through. The question in the struggle for survival is when the idea of

‘how’ steps in. To keep alive is the first instinct, and this is animal instinct, the minimal, and the basest. We begin with this instinct. No doubt, throughout life, we have to keep alive till we reach the launch-pad, are we in the survival mode all through? Can this instinct describe man in his entirety?

I think, No. As soon as man acquires a sense of stability, he starts thinking of values, and the quality of his conduct in life. The focus shifts from the body to the mind and we are confronted with higher truths of life. Existence is the essential truth  but adding value to it is no less.  I met a childhood friend who had retired from civil services. He held one grouse and it was against himself. He earned money, had a great going in his life, but what he has left behind? We, who believe in struggle for survival, also believe in the idea of a ‘take away’ from this struggle. But, a time comes when we start thinking, was there any ‘give away’ also?

 

Author

Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, with an opus of 180 plus books, is Laureate of the Seneca, Charter of Morava, Franz Kafka and Maxim Gorky awards.  His name adorns the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. Anand’s work  embodies a rare fusion of creativity, intellect, and moral vision.