There is one thing called “thinking.” Then, there is “the subject.” Whenever we think, it is always within some context, which we are calling the subject here. We are trying to examine the process of thinking and the perspective behind it. In this context, the specific subject or reference of thought is not as important as how one is thinking or viewing. For instance, I observe that some of our friends may oppose modernity, but their process of thinking itself is influenced by modernity. Similarly, the argument for Bhartiyata or tradition can also be presented within the framework of modern thinking. The point here is to pay attention to whether “modernity” or “ Bhartiyata” is merely a subject of thought for us, or if our process of thinking itself is modern or Bhartiya.

Due to modernity, life has become faster, and we expect instant results and react immediately. This “modern mind” lacks patience. We have almost forgotten to examine or view a situation, idea, or fact based on our own experiences. Quick reactions have almost become our nature, which leads to various conflicts. One result of not connecting things with our own experiences is that, to validate any of our thoughts, we rely on some established authority. Without that, we struggle to say anything on our own.

As I mentioned in the beginning, the “process of thinking” is important. What is being thought is not as significant. Similarly, the “process of doing” is important; what is being done is not as crucial. We have developed a tendency always to do something or the other. Such a tendency makes us look busy, but it raises the question of whether we are actually doing anything original. There is a sort of unconsciousness in our approach to action; we just keep doing it. We feel no need to think about what will come of it or how it will affect different stakeholders.

My father worked in a government office. His headquarters used to be in Dehradun, Delhi, and perhaps Meerut. There was no email, so letters were sent by post. Each office would request information from another office only if it was truly necessary. A letter was written, sent by post, received after a few days, and the requested information was then sent back through the same process. Thus, the exchange of a single piece of information took at least 15 to 20 days. I, too, worked in various government departments for 14–15 years. Now, it’s the email era. Almost all department headquarters are in Dehradun. If any of the 13 districts need to provide information to headquarters, even if it has been sent multiple times before, it is requested again. The email often contains warnings, asking for information by evening or the next day. Similarly, Delhi demands an excess of information from the states, with the same information being sent multiple times. The quality and reliability of this information are always questionable. Now, everyone is busy – those requesting information and those providing it. There are countless examples of such busyness.

On a personal level, from my experience, I can give another example. Twenty-five years ago, there was not as much scarcity of time as we see today. Today, anyone I meet, regardless of age or background, always seems busy. Today, I find myself in this situation too, though two decades ago, this was not the case. There was no shortage of work, but there wasn’t this extreme lack of time. People often used to sit together and have conversations. Due to mobile phones and the internet, life has become much faster. An international company, Data AI, publishes an annual report on mobile usage. According to it, in 2023, the average mobile user in India spends 4.9 hours a day on their phone. Globally, the average is 5 hours per person. What are we doing for 5 hours every day on our mobiles? Everyone is busy! And we all look busy! We don’t have time.

I feel that over the last 25 years, this tendency has grown immensely within us, and everyone now appears perpetually busy. Although a lot seems to be happening in this unconscious state, in every field, we are moving toward greater accuracy. “Artificial Intelligence” is the biggest example of this. The word “artificial” carries a unique honesty with it – “intelligence” that is not real. This implies that a “real intelligence” exists, but it no longer has any practical use. Each individual will have to preserve it at their own level, although there is no environment conducive to this anymore.

“Thinking” and “doing” are two significant dimensions of being human. There is also a third dimension – “being.” This is the eternal design of being human. In the inanimate world of nature, only “being” exists. Trees, plants, mountains, rivers – all are in a state of “being.” In the animal world, there is “doing” and “being,” but not thinking in the same way. Animals act according to their nature, without choice. Humans, however, have all three dimensions. Nature has given him intelligence, with which he thinks, understands, and acts. By continuously using or misusing this intelligence, he has reached this present state. With the enormous speed provided by modern technology, we are pushing our “intellectual” dimension toward artificiality. This “artificiality” is created by someone else, meaning we are handing over control to this “someone else.” This is happening. I say with great caution that if you are alert, aware, and able to think or observe, then this is manageable to some extent. But if you are unconscious, unmindful, and unable to see anything – as is the case for most people because this entire modern system is designed that way – then we may be heading toward a terrifying future. We are slowly eliminating our natural intelligence given by nature, while increasing our dependency on that “someone else” at an intellectual level.

Thinking is a “real intelligence” for humans and is also a significant task. To develop this “real intelligence” within oneself, one must slow down. Energy must be preserved from being wasted in instant reactions. One must develop the natural art of listening and seeing within oneself, develop observation, become an observer. In this state, you may not seem to be doing much, but this state is profoundly important for all of humanity. Perhaps this is “karma” in its truest sense today. Our ancient literature contains numerous stories of the penances undertaken by sages. This was likely a state of being an observer in thought. In that state, they would have glimpsed the truth, based on which they defined right and wrong, dharma and adharma, ethics and immorality, and composed timeless texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Gita. All of this likely happened very slowly, over multiple generations of penance before resulting in some form of action. We may not be able to return to that era, but we can pause and see for ourselves what is happening to us, how we are making decisions, where our logic is inspired from, our visions for life, and our sources of inspiration. If we start to think or observe honestly, “doing” will naturally emerge from it.

– Anil Maikhuri, November 3, 2024

Note: This article was originally written in Hindi and translated into English with the help of AI. If any confusion arises in understanding, please refer to the original text in Hindi.