Prima Donna

Once we accept childcare as the fundamental guiding principle of any social fabric, we can start discussing the social instincts of human beings. Social instincts are different from mob psychology. There is a single dominating instinct that surpasses everything else that we do as humans. Preservation. More importantly preservation of self. All emotions we feel can be proved to be direct consequences of ‘self preservation’. Preservation in strictly biological terms means continuation of life cycle and survival of an individual as well as the species.What interests me more than ‘preservation’ is ‘self’. So what is self? I don’t want to go deep into the philosophical interpretation of ‘self’.‘Self’ is an identity. But it need not mean an individual self. My definition of ‘self’ is made up of several concentric circles, each of which implying a different level of self. The outermost will be the entire human race. Starting from there we could come closer to the center through several rungs of the ladder – country, state, city, area, family. Many other such circles cannot be placed anywhere in the set of circles permanently. This circles can be shifted according to the priority set by the individual around whom the circles are drawn e.g. religion, cast, college, hobby groups, etc.What we practically do is simply dance across these identities as a function of time & circumstances. To elaborate more on this consider a simple case. A group of friends is enjoying drinks at a crowded bar. Member ‘A’ of the group is deep in conversation with member ‘B’. While ‘A’ & ‘B’ are talking about their respective lives, ‘A’ represents the primary identity of his ‘self’ & so does ‘B’. The differences or agreements ensuing through the discussion will be dealt with by both ‘A’ & ‘B’ at their own individual levels. However, the moment ‘A’ & ‘B’ start talking about say the colleges they went to, they cease being their primary ‘self’s & shift to a different level of ‘self’. This new ‘self’ for both ‘A’ & ‘B’ will be their colleges. If they belong to the same institution, they will unite their ‘self’s & vice versa. Birds of a kind flock together applies here too. Now imagine a third member ‘C’ of the same group gets into an argument with a complete stranger. Now ‘A’ & ‘B’ forget all about the previous identities they were representing. They are quickly off to a third identity – that of the whole group that is together.All such identities of ‘self’ exist everywhere, in everyone’s mind though we rarely notice them. In fact we don’t even bother to think if I talk as ‘me’ or as someone else. In truth it doesn’t take long for identities to take control of our mind.Two fundamental questions arise out of this synthesis of identities.1. Are the identity circles finite in number or they can extend to infinity?As long as there is something ‘outside’ the circle, the circle should be allowed to exist. Meaning: Extend the broadest identity mentioned above to a larger one. Say, country extended to continent. Of course we can represent our own continent. Extend it further to the world. We can represent the world too. Lets go from our family to the population of India, that of Asia, that of the world & finally the entire animal kingdom. Apparently the circles are too many to restrict. However, once we reach the universal identity of ‘self’ there is no further that we can go. My conclusion is that the circles are infinite in number but can only expand within a finite space.Clearly, the ‘self’s themselves are cramped & undergo a parallel struggle for existence. Why humans are always at loggerheads with so many things might be explained thus.2. Does the identity of an individual form a circle or does it lie at the ‘center’ of all other circles?This really is a tricky question. Putting it right at the center means that all other identities can at most revolve around it but cannot hold their own against it. I don’t think this holds true. People make compromise to ensure either a win-win situation or peace. Individual ‘self’ is sacrificed at such instances. It may not be put right at the center.However, if we make it a circle like the others, then what do we put at the center? What do all these identities revolve around? I have come across a dead end. But I think the solution is not far away. Well, what we need to do is put the foremost instinct of ‘self preservation’ bang in the center. All other ‘self’s including the individual identity will be circles around this center.