MASTERS OF SCIENCE AND ARTS: MAN OR NATURE?"- BY DR. SALONI CHAWLA

A Post graduate degree in any discipline of Science or Arts grants one a certificate of Master of Science or Master of Arts in that discipline, instilling within a sense of pride holding that certificate. But, if we hold that certificate and looked around thinking in-depth about the functioning of the Universe, a Question mark would knock at the door of our minds -  Are we product of Science and Arts or Masters of Science and Arts ?

     From the formation of clouds in the sky to the occurrence of tides in the sea, the Scientific principles of Nature uphold each and every event taking place in the universe. Nature has also expressed itself through various Art forms ranging from the rocks of the mountains to the pearls of the sea. And life !  Life is the most Scientific and the most Artistic creation that nature has endowed the universe with. The variety in plant and animal forms, insects, fish, the ecological cycle - is all an evidence of this creation.

    Right from the process of birth, the formation of limbs and the first cry, everything is so scientifically laid out. It may not be possible for a million clocks striking together for years on end,  but it is possible for billions of human babies learning to walk around the same age range (not talking of abnormal deviations). The same adolescent changes in the teens, the same geriatric changes-the greying of hair, the wear and tear; the same diurnal cycle, the same life cycle of all human forms! Can there be a more wonderful programming in the universe then this one? 

     Converging to one life form,  the coordination and functioning of  each and every system of the body is par excellence than that of any other system in the world. Traffic signals can give wrong signals on the crossings leading to chaos, and the security guard of your area can forget to open the gates of your locality in the morning. But the valves of the heart know well when to open and close,  to regulate the flow of blood in well laid out pathways without confusion.

Be it the regular rhythmic beating of the heart, the formation, purification and circulation of blood, the systematic process of digestion in the gut or the formation of visual images on the retina and the phenomenon of sight, from every single cell to all the stages of life - everything is so beautifully and scientifically designed. And hats off to the highly complex and yet so well coordinated working of the Brain! 

The buses and cars may forget or carelessly not conform to their lanes during driving resulting in accidents but behold! The planets and satellites have continued to move in their own orbits for centuries on end without slipping off or colliding with each other. What a marvelous phenomenon!

Nature has created life artistically too. From the shapes of the leaves to the colours of the fish, from the shape of our eyes, eyebrows and lips to the curls of our hair, our style of smiling,  talking and walking, we are products of artistic creation of nature too. With billions of people in the world- all with two eyes, ears, lips and one nose each, no two faces are exactly the same (except identical twins). The same one brain and spinal cord in every human being, the same neurons and yet as many personality types as there are number of  people. It is possible for two paintings, two sculptures to be exactly similar, but no two human beings are exactly similar- in body, mind and spirit. Could there be a better artistic production than this?         

We are products of the most beautiful, systematic, neat and clear Artistic and Scientific creation of nature. We cannot be Masters of Science or Arts. No one can ever be! We can only understand Science and Arts, appreciate them, respect them and use them for the benefit of mankind. we must remember that God did not invent the birds after observing the aeroplanes in the sky. It was man who invented the aeroplane after watching the birds flying in the sky!

Point  to be noted : I wrote this article 20 years ago. But the message in this article proved itself during Covid pandemic. Considering himself to be the Master of Science has been the biggest blunder of mankind in all times. Humans tried to play with nature and twist it according to their wishes. And the results were evident. A tiny organism not visible to the naked eye turned the world upside down. For 2 years.........the entire world was on one side and the invisible microbe on the other side. The fight continues. 

DR. SALONI CHAWLA

- India