Elusive Consciousness

Author(s): Narendra Bhandari, Surendrasingh Pokharana, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 27

living is therefore the greatest asset of life for each human being, as he could semantically interpret and define life as a saga of achievements, adventure, pleasure, and happiness. The need to survive and survival are only physical reality, everything else in life is semantically interpreted, created and controlled by emotional experiences. Each individual indeed has an option to define what he wants to experientially achieve in life, and work for achieving health, wealth, and happiness, while enjoying living.
Consciousness that we speak about in neuroscience is totally a different functional state of a living being. If we want to refer to life as a force, present in all living beings, it is indeed a great theoretical proposal. It is understandable that ancient minds were able to create such an idea, as they had relatively no knowledge of the biological systems and the role of the brain, and the significant differences in the capabilities of brains across species including that of human beings, as we understand these today. Living became the center of attention and curiosity in the ancient minds, as they considered life as a force encapsulated in the body. Life was conceptualized as an entity, which they equated to consciousness. There is no doubt that knowing about the presence life and learning to master and control life are still the greatest challenges. It is still beyond the scope of scientific studies and explanations, and we are probably in no better position than the ancient minds in explaining the origin of life. What is still not accepted by many is the fact that the human mind has developed the potential to define purposes and goals in life, and can learn to create methods to achieve those goals and work towards it. Many of the human minds, expect someone else to tell them and guide them in life. This approach necessitates that life is separated from matter, but biology has significance only when it is alive. If life is a separate entity and a singular force, differences in the body structures and their functions are irrelevant as all forms of living beings share the same life force - consciousness. Consciousness has no contribution to the extensive variations across species of animals including human beings, or to the differences within a group of species. These difference originate at a biological level of functioning among the living beings. Biological differences need to be studied as a scientific discipline and scientific inputs from all disciplines of knowledge may be needed, to recognize the beginning of life and biological growth and functions that each living being learns to master. Changes that occur in the biology of the body, which perishes after a span of time are to be estimated independently. We have not differentiated life and identified it as an entity or force, separate from biology in a live system.
Knowing that consciousness is a life force with independent existence, separate from the mater of the universe, is not only amazing but also mystifying