And now, here is the next part of my marathon essay on friendship:
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THE HINDU Sunday Magazine
Articulations - 20 Sept. 1992
Friendship with phenomena
We
had noted (Aug. 2) that the collective friendship of a group of people
with an individual can either be personal or can take an abstract form,
depending on the nature and dimensions of any given case. Among the
most striking examples of such abstract friendship is that which exists
between a charismatic political or spiritual leader and the devoted
masses. The intensity of this collective emotional response to a
powerful image is governed by a variety of factors, such as the
personality and convictions of the individual and the people's faith in
his or her credentials.
Normally
a much larger segment of the population comes face to face with such a
leader than with a performing artist or sportsperson, and therefore the
precise character of such friendships is variable; but in essence these
are of the same kind. Of course, when the image lasts beyond the
leader's life, the proper analogy would be with the case of a writer
whose works live on.
Environment and Nature
Now let us consider the third and last
category of collective friendship, viz. that of a group of people with
assorted phenomena. As we rush headlong towards the end of the 20th
century, it has become fashionable to talk about the need for human
beings to adopt a more friendly attitude towards the environment. Since
the relentless progress of technology has made this attitude
increasingly unfriendly, one is tempted to imagine that it must have
been absolutely friendly in the beginning.
Such
an assumption, however, would be quite mistaken; for when technology
did not exist, the environment would have been totally hostile towards
human beings, and the reciprocal feeling could not have been friendly.
It was only when man had learnt to resist the forces of nature and
protect himself against their fury -- and also to harness them for
his own benefit -- that the question of his being friendly and
protective towards the environment could have arisen.
This
question, moreover, arises only on a philosophic plane and in a very
wide perspective. Notwithstanding all the progress made by technology
and civilization, the natural environment in any specific situation is
still hostile to human life, which continues to need effective
protection against its ferocity. The expression 'friendliness' in this
context is only a convenient name we have given to an attitude of
caution which seeks to prevent the over-exploitation and eventual
destruction of precious natural resources which are conducive to a good
life. The basic human response to nature has always been revenge and
not amity, and it is likely to be so for ever.
Compatible machines
The
fragility of the human condition is underlined by the friendliness it
needs and seeks from machines. This elusive concept has two different
aspects. Machines, whether they are simple or sophisticated, are
nothing but controlled forces of nature. At a certain conceptual level
they can be visualized as being friendly or hostile according to the
constructive or destructive forms they assume. This idea finds forceful
expression in Asimov's First Law of Robotics, which lays down that the
intelligent robot shall never kill a human being.
At
another level, it is in terms of their maneuverability by the users
that the friendliness of machines is measured. No matter how
constructive a piece of machinery is, it fails to serve the purpose for
which it has been made if its operation is a puzzle which the user
cannot solve. For this very reason, the potential power of many
intricate gadgets often remain grossly under-utilized.
Gods and aliens
Images of divinity constitute another
phenomenon with which people all over the world tend to have a
collective friendship. This assumes a visible form in the acts of
prayer enacted in a place of worship; but it pervades the consciousness
of all the people who share any given religious faith, cutting across
regional, national and continental boundaries.
Such
a collective attitude is so formidable normally that the reciprocal
friendliness of the divine figure is taken for granted and never
questioned; indeed, even serious misfortunes which trouble the
believers do not usually diminish their faith. The finest expression of
collective devotion materializes in well-attended recitals of imposing
sacred verses or worshipful music of a superior kind.
Mankind's
perception of the universe in terms of hazards is basically the same as
it has been in the case of nature's manifestation on our planet.
Therefore there can never be any question of human beings having an
inherently friendly attitude towards the environment of space beyond the
earth's gravitational field. At the same time, being essentially
inclined to look for peace as well as security, we do go on dreaming
about our future friendship with extra-terrestrial life, even as we
indulge in colorful fancies about interstellar wars.
(to be continued)
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