What if human don’t die?

You know why the gods envy us, Brat Pitt asks Rose Byrn in Troy. He then answers the question himself: Because we are mortal. The gods are immortal and they are jealous of our mortality. Pitt plays Achilles, who pursues people like death even as he is haunted by the dark shadows of the dead. He goes on to say, In my dreams, I see the men I have killed. They are all waiting for me on the other side of the river. For Achilles, there was only one certainty in life: Death. Not god, not faith, not love. Just death. It was death that gave meaning to his life. He could become immortal by putting others to death. Never mind what Pitt said of the character he played, but it was Achilles who was actually envious of the gods, on account of their immortality.

From ancient times, men have tried to cheat death. This gave rise to various religions and myths. But death has been smarter than us. Humans have not been able to achieve immortality. Not yet. But we may be moving closer to it, if scientists like the American Ray Kurzweil are to be believed.

Kurzweil recently claimed that humans could become immortal in as little as 20 years time through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the body works. Calling his theory the Law of Accelerating Returns , Kurzweil claims that soon we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse , ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever. Many prominent scientists support Kurzweils claim.

In Kurzweils brave new world, human beings will evolve into cyborgs and small machines planted in their bodies will carry out vital functions. Kurzweil says nanobots, which are a thousand times more effective, will replace our organs, making us immortal.

This means that the idea of death would forever be dead. In a world where imeless people live in a timeless zone, what will happen to all the faiths which connect human life, death and soul with god As humans play god, what would happen to the idea of god What about nirvana (freedom from the cycle of death and birth) What about moksha (salvation from death). What will give meaning to human life when the fear of death ceases to exist How will a cyborg keep his superfast mind occupied A cyborg would be able to write a book in a few minutes. He wouldnt need any meditation to recharge his mind. Of course, he would be able to drink and smoke without any fear of cancer or clogged arteries. Would there be any place for god, religion, spiritual philosophies in this kind of world.

A new book, The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures, by Nicholas Wade, argues that people have a genetic urge to worship. Wade says that the instinct is engraved in the brains neural circuits because of the tremendous advantage religion conferred on early societies. Therefore, he says, the extent to which people practice religion in modern states may wax and wane, depending on social circumstances like war or privation, but religion is unlikely to disappear entirely.

Wades argument is that religion , like music appreciation, is a universal human faculty that draws people together, stirs their emotions and exalts the mind to a different plane . In that sense, religion goes beyond the questions of life, death and soul. So, if in the past, religious behavior evolved merely to further the survival of human societies, we may now see the birth of new godless religions and philosophies.

Though the cyborg age may sound like something dreamt up by science fiction, artificial pancreas and neural implants are already available. In Cyborg Citizen : Politics in the Posthuman Age, author Chris Hables Gray predicts healthcare, social interaction and politics in the age of prosthetic limbs, artificial organs and performance-enhancing drugs. In Grays world, cyborgs are not some kind of freak but normal human beings who will pay taxes like you and me . He calls them the new normal .

In this respect, at least he is right. Although the new normal will have one advantage over us, namely freedom from death, tomorrows society will still be paying taxes!

What we really need is LOVE

We sometimes think; why are we so greedy for land and property, why are we motivated by political desires? Sometimes it’s hard to love like this. We should not detest the diseased. We should try to rid the disease because all living creatures are connected with one another. If we cannot love the violent, cruel hearted, hateful and the envious, then we cannot love anyone.

Just as iron is naturally attracted to a magnet, the soul of every living being is naturally attracted to God, who is like a supreme magnet. Then why do so many engage in ungodly activities?

Just as a piece of iron covered by dust or rust is not attracted to a magnet , the soul covered by lust, greed, envy, pride, anger and illusion is not attracted to God.

So people are diseased, but we should love the one who is suffering from this disease. People are ruining their lives because their pure consciousness is obscured by illusion and ignorance.

When it is night, it is difficult to see what is what, who is hwo, where we are. Ignorance means you do not know. Ignorance is due to darkness, but as soon as the sun rises, everything is revealed as it is. Similarly, when the light within us is allowed to shine, all ignorance is dispelled.

The sun of knowledge, God, is within all of us. Then why are we in darkness? Simply because we cannot perceive His presence. When there are dark clouds, you cannot see the sun. So the cloud of ignorance, which is the root disease which creates all the symptoms in the form of unwanted activities and thoughts, is covering the pure light of the Divine within us.

Yoga is a means to dissipate this cloud and allow the sun of love, the sun of peace, the pure light of the divine presence of the Lord within our hearts to shine and give light to everyone. The supreme occupation of all humanity is to give light to the world, not to contribute to the darkness. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

It is the duty of each one of us, it is the highest expression of love, to purify our own hearts. If you do not have something, how can you give it to others? You can only give what you have.

What we need is not more technology, not more scientific research. this world doesn’t need more food. There’s plenty of food, but it’s being dumped in the ocean or buried under the ground. What we need is love. If we do not have love, what can we give? We will simply remain a part of the problem.

Therefore, purification of the heart is the divine responsibility of each one of us. When our hearts are pure like the sun, love will emanate in all directions for everyone. Does the sun discriminate that this is a dragonfly, this is a dog, this is a Native American, this is an Indian, this is a businessman, and this is the president of the United States? No

The pure heart shines love all around in the same way as the sun. When we purify our hearts, we transcend all boundaries of sectarianism, all boundaries of selfishness, and we can be the true servant, well wisher and friend of every living being.

Take charge of your life

Everyone constantly faces challenges – at home with our spouse, children or other family members; at work with your peers and bosses. Sometimes life itself seems a challenge because it throws up so many relationship-based and situational challenges.

But the biggest challenge of them all is one’s mind. Often, it is possible to control everything else but one’s mind. Being master of the mind is no less than mastery of the world. Chapter 6 of Bhagavad Gita says, “Our mind is our best friend and our worst enemy. If we know how to manage our mind, we can manage our time, our relationships, our life, everything.”

This is where spirituality comes in. Spirituality is not a way to look at certain things, it is a certain way to look at all things. It is the path to a mentally decluttered value-based life. It is also about managing relationships in different sorts of challenging situations. Spirituality teaches us control of our thoughts, emotions and desires. It is actually the science of managing one’s mind.

The result: A sense of well being, tranquility and inner peace. It also creates the feeling that one is on top of the situation and in control of it, rather than the other way round. Spirituality is not bound by the confines of religion because it’s not about chanting prayers, undertaking pilgrimages or charitable work. It’s about much more than that. Contrary to what we all believe, spirituality is not just for mystics or old people. It is meant for everyone.

Life is beautiful but only if you really want it to be that way. This needs you to make a conscious decision to achieve your full potential and give your life greater meaning. Many of us are not aware of our potential. One must never let life slide by. Inspiration, curiosity, love, knowledge and enthusiasm give life its true meaning. We are said to be ‘living’ life only when we experience happiness, lvoe and fearlessness, not stress, anxiety, boredom and a sense of aimlessness.

The truth is we need sincerely to try to enjoy every step of this journey called life. One is always waiting for something to happen to be happy. Alternatively, we wait to complete the job at hand and then enjoy the fruits of it. But that means we are always postponing happiness. Happiness is in the journey not the destination.

It is important to do things we value because only then can we give 100% of ourselves ot it. Chapter 3 of Bhagavad Gita explains that this si about the concept of swadharma, or finding one’s true calling and following it sincerely. Once we value what we do, we start feeling good about ourselves. The self-esteem goes up. It also gives a sense of purpose and meaning to our lives.

Once we start to have some controls over our actions and become more positive in our outlook, we may also find the law of attraction coming into play. Inexplicable events occur and we find things falling into place for us. they seem to be coincidence but that’s the law of attraction working for you. You attract what you think. We can align our inner world with the strong belief that whatever we wish for will happen. When you think positive, you get positive results. Let the power of positive affirmation take over. It was well said that what you visualize it that you realize.

The capacity to sacrifice is something we must all reckon with. It is sacrifice that enables one to appreciate the real worth of what one does because it takes a great deal of effort, introspection and prioritization to give away something. Sacrifice always brings joy and growth. An important aspect of sacrifice is that it requires you to go beyond your comfort zone, which creates a physical, emotional and intellectual blanket around us and prevents us thinking new thoughts.

We become prisoners of our self created comfort zones. We don’t open up to new people and become averse to criticism. We cling to the emotional crutches we have created.

At the intellectual level also we become stubborn. “It’s either my way or no way” is the constantly nagging feeling.

On the other hand, when we sacrifice something, seek something else and transcend our comfort zone, we are no longer scared of change and grow as individuals.

In real terms, most of us are averse to change and resist it. We fail to realize that everything is changing anyway, whatever comes has to go and it is pointless to cling to it. That’s when one can start to come to terms with life’s ultimate truth, i.e. that change is the only constant.

The Bhagvad Gita says, “When we live in this world, we experience the pairs of opposites – hot and cold, joy and sorrow, success and failure. They come and they go. And even while they are here, they are temporary.

Most of times, it is resistance to a changing situation, rather than the situation itself that creates conflict. Instead, one should face a situation as it is and refrain from coloring it with biases. Lapsing into “why me” or “why did it have to happen” makes for mental turmoil.

Through acceptance of situation as it is, one automatically starts focusing on finding a solution rather than on the problem itself, And sure enough, one does come up with a sensible solution.

As Harivansh Rai Bachan said, “Apne man ka ho to achha. Na ho to aur bhi achaa. (If we get what we want, it’s good. If we don’t get it, it’s even better).”