The Continuum of Man: History, Future, and Self
This comprehensive poetic work is
a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence across
time. It serves as a meditation on the Human Constant—the enduring core
of human nature, which remains unchanged despite the chaos of environmental
degradation and rapid technological advancement. The author scrutinizes the
limits of historical knowledge & data, ultimately asserting that our true
link to the past lies in the perennial emotions & moral struggles
mirrored in the great epic literature, affirming that yesterday's heroes &
villains are fundamentally like us today.
What history has man lived, and how much do we truly know?
We are utterly lost in our present, with no idea how we came
into this shape.
I. The Unknown Origin
What is history – tracing the past to the extent possible?
The exact is not in front, just believing a little,
analyzing available material.
Man has no apparatus so far to venture into the future,
Based on his present status, he tries to look into what time
brings.
But the future is very much uncertain as time comes,
Many situations are beyond man's control; he is minuscule in
Nature's designs.
Several wars, terrorist acts, intolerance, and forced
conversions still go on,
Glaciers are melting, cities are drowning, and new
landscapes are aggressively taking shape.
II. The Changing Earth
Government policies change, forests are cut, wildlife is
reduced, and mountains are scarred,
Rivers are choked, sand-beds are eroded, groundwater is
depleted, and new scenes emerge.
Deserts are increasing, some oases are created, new towers
are erected, and all land is captured,
New factories are built, artificiality is increased, and the
link with nature is decreasing.
The present is changing right in front of our eyes, we are
ingressing into the future foolishly,
What shape present acts will take, we don’t know, just
anticipating the outcome.
The future is large, far distant, both in philosophical and
in real terms,
New inventions are coming rapidly, changing man’s behaviour,
quite different from past thinking.
III. The Unchanging Core
But what will truly change in man, will our internal
thinking & deep meditations remain the same?
Whether the faith-change from one to another genuinely
transforms the inner constitution?
What is the fundamental difference between the men of the
past and the present pattern?
Does spatial distance spread all over the world change the
landscape of the human mind?
Does one's present physical condition deprive one of the world’s
shared experience?
Or are differences merely superficial; mentally, we are not
much changed as a species.
Some behaviour patterns are seen distinctly in groups, but
as humanity, we are more or less the same,
That is why all philosophy, sage voices, and people’s
perennial concerns match everywhere.
IV. The Diminishing Distance
This is about the present world, when interaction is so much
more available,
What about the future when the world will truly become a
single small family?
Now there are far more cultural assimilations than ever
before,
The future will inevitably diminish all distances; the
communication revolution is all around.
How can I go into my past beyond the present life I now
inhabit?
Though social I had started, some philosophy has deeply
entered my being.
What I am is a big question in my present age, asked by my
father and mother,
Passing through different stages from egg to the middle-aged
man I am today.
V. The Limits of Memory
I know past events happened before me, and elders can tell about
their times
But the maximum age one may live is maybe one hundred to one
hundred & ten years.
So their memory is only 50-60 years older than mine, and they
can remember just their times,
Though everybody has their history and ways of life, their
description is truly only for them.
Of my own age, I know a little bit, but being literate, I
have read some and even seen much,
Knowledge is vast, man’s grasping capacity is limited, and
time imposes harsh constraints.
As an individual, he can know only a fraction, but in
today’s world, he can still try to know,
Some information is available on the internet, but much more
happens that remains unseen.
VI. The Data Deluge
We express ourselves in gestures, acts, and constant subtle
interactions,
Styles are different, depending on man to man, and
everything can’t be fully described.
Who has the time to epitomize others, and what to do with so
much data?
Who has the focus to surf and meaningfully use the
overwhelming flow of information?
The individual self is very vast, caricaturing it is
difficult and has severe limits,
Boredom, other acts for survival, simple laziness, and
crucial time constraints intervene.
Writing is also possible only to an extent, and triviality
surely has no place in the grand narrative,
Even great writers avoid self–description much, though they know
well their true selves.
VII. The Mirror of Fallacies
Is it true that whatever we write is merely a mirror of our
own fallacies and biases?
How can this one thing represent the whole, much more, even
the parts that never surface?
Though much has been written, and a huge literature is
available, not everyone reads it all,
Own interests, the writer’s popularity, circulation, and the
manner of writing all factor in.
Some of us work very hard, and in writing, we also
desperately try to excel,
But out of many stalwarts, a popular writer is a rare sight,
found hither and thither.
The world is primarily an advertisement, which seems to beat
the truth the more it is heard,
Everybody stands only in degrees, and not everyone becomes a
William Dalrymple.
VIII. The Historian's Dilemma
Who chooses what subjects, and how much genuine interest can
be taken in them?
Interaction with individuals, good study of subjects, and
the necessary writing skills are key.
How honest is one with oneself and the world, whether he
gives truly readable material?
Admittedly, everything has a history, but how much can one
truly know and filter?
We are not in the past, but descriptions of the past are
constantly in our study material,
If plenty of options are available, as in today’s time, then
comparison and judgment start.
We form our view on particular incidents, as well as on our
pre-existing prejudices, also,
We are seldom truly neutral; we use our own way, and try
constantly to prove to be correct.
IX. Sympathy and Trace in the Past
Anyway, my history study takes me back as if I were there at
that time,
I try to find my own trace there, amused by how I would have
behaved in those moments.
I see characters as part of me and sympathize with them as
if they were my own,
And I die and live with them, seeing things live as if
happening in the present moment.
I read from present historians, who are like me, just
writing to connect tidbits,
Producing a consumable story for readers to muse over, often
colored by their present context.
Past-time writings, if available, are mainly of poets,
kings, and their immediate scribes,
Poets dive deep into their inner world, and the king’s men
are busy with the master's eulogy.
X. The Courage of the Independent Mind
Who is truly the speaker for pan-humanity, which is hardly a
question that is ever asked?
Employees generally eye on gifts & benefits, and usually
obscure the true picture of reality.
They are just roaming into fables of gods and demons; many
only seek to trap the readers,
Though at times honest images are available, true free
literature is hardly readily available.
People of independent minds express themselves without
holding onto prejudices,
They are a little more illuminated and rational, with the
courage to speak as it truly is.
They are questioning fellows and possess courage far beyond
simply crouching in fear,
But outside, greedy forces are after them, and sometimes
even eliminate them.
XI. The Human Constant
Sometimes rogues burn good literature, and a person is
punished simply for disbelieving,
The world often tries to grope around mediocre, and this
trap even snares the intelligent.
Highly talented ones also tend to adopt ignorant, popular
ways for survival,
They have limited skills in the mundane world, resulting in
a poor use of precious resources.
Can I understand that for a good part of history, man has
remained exactly as he is today?
Though physical conditions were vastly different, all
literature types were still available then.
Even from the time of Chander Bardai, when Prithvi Raj was
taken to eulogy heights in verse,
And honest harkening is difficult; the other voice is always
just a competitor.
XII. Conclusion: The Eternal Mirror
Many intelligent lives in history seem to behave just like
us in their core motivations,
If they leave their personal choices aside, they would all
essentially be like us.
I see when I read Buddha Charit by Ashvaghosha or
Raghuvansham by Kalidasa,
Or Valmiki’s Ramayan, Vyasa’s Mahabharata, and countless
others,
We see characters exhibiting nobility, ruthlessness,
bravery, and a spirit of revenge,
Lust-trapped, facing all difficulties & moments of
happiness, wrestling with morality–vices issues.
So till the present in continuous flow, we live in a time
perhaps no better or worse than the past,
Our history is essentially like the present, with the
physical situation having only changed.
Pawan Kumar,
30th September 2025, Tuesday, Time 11.57 P.M.
From my Diary dated 13th June 2015, Saturday, Time 7:35 A.M.
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