I was once watching the movement of an ox. He was being virtually driven with force towards the land he would plow. On the other hand, he looked quite happy to return back to the home where it would be strapped to a pole till the next morning. I found that the same was true with other domesticated animals, and strangely those meant for eventual slaughter. Animals seldom socialize. What about a man, be that a hunter who returns home from the hills or a sailor who returns home from the sea ?
The moment a man leaves his home , he starts looking for comfort as being those available at his home. Watch his Sedan ! It will certainly be equipped with an air conditioning device, a makeshift bed, a cupboard full of drinks, and boot space filled with whatnots.
The train has also transformed itself into a house or a palace on wheels. Over a period of time, we left far behind the smoke, and coal dust of a steam engine, the vibrations originating from undulated rails, or a stranger sitting by your side. These days , the trains do not have several stoppages, refueling halts, and window purchases. Now you are sealed in with integrated pantries, fixed glass pane windows,TV viewing et.al. You detest having a company of your kind.
When in Rome we prefer not to do as the Romans do. Even in five star hotels, you shall find persons asking for his native boiled rice or cookies. Certainly , you shall feel at home when you overhear somebody talking in your native tongue. I , myself was enthralled to find a Royal Bengal Tiger, a beggar in the precinct of a zoo, and a man relieving himself over the bushes behind a car parking area in a rather developed country. The environment had a homely touch.
Whenever, we return back home from a journey, we take less time. People say that it is because you are then familiar with the roads,and their nuances. I feel otherwise.
Deliberate mummification,and keeping household items,and jewelry by the side of such mummies were a common feature of several South American, and Asian culture since 6000 years. It is still in vogue. Now we immerse the body in liquid Nitrogen or use the technique of plastination. In India, only a century back, kings,and nobles were transmitted soul,and body together with billions of worth of jewelry straight to the homely comfort of the heaven. These gentlemen were blind folded. They were pushed into a deep well floored with upright spears. Their bits,and pieces of mortal remain washed down to the holy Ganges.
At the present time, we try to provide state of the art homely comfort in the graves to the departing bodies of flesh,and bones complete with a copy of the Holy Bible.
All mammals are social in as much as the mother,and its offspring bond to a certain degree. Man could be called a social animal if he has a highly interactive organism with different members of its kind; if there is a permanence in relationships,and togetherness.
Permanence,and togetherness have faded into the past. In its place , we are more inclined towards me, my,and myself. We are fond of ourselves. We love ourselves. However, We feel proud in carrying our cross in public. Now social networking in the homely comfort is enough with putting a mere ‘like’ on other’s posts to get reciprocated suitably.
We are more a domestic robots than socially organic.
