Relationships

Now if we examine our life, our relationship with another, we shall see that it is a process of isolation. We are really not concerned with another; though we talk a great deal about it, actually we are not concerned. We are related to someone only so long as that relationship gratifies us, so long as it gives us a refuge, so long as it satisfies us. But the moment there is a disturbance in the relationship which produces discomfort in ourselves, we discard that relationship. In other words, there is relationship only so long as we are gratified. This may sound harsh, but if you really examine your life very closely you will see it is a fact; and to avoid a fact is to live in ignorance, which can never produce right relationship. If we look into our lives and observe relationship, we see it is a process of building resistance against another, a wall over which we look and observe the other; but we always retain the wall and remain behind it, whether it be a psychological wall, a material wall, an economic wall or a national wall.

 So long as we live in isolation, behind a wall, there is no relationship with another; and we live enclosed because it is much more gratifying, we think it is much more secure. The world is so disruptive, there is so much sorrow, so much pain, war, destruction, misery, that we want to escape and live within the walls of security of our own psychological being. So, relationship with most of us is actually a process of isolation, and obviously such relationship builds a society which is also isolating. That is exactly what is happening throughout the world: you remain in your isolation and stretch your hand over the wall, calling it nationalism, brotherhood or what you will, but actually sovereign governments, armies, continue. Still clinging to your own limitations, you think you can create world unity, world peace - which is impossible. So long as you have a frontier, whether national, economic, religious or social, it is an obvious fact that there cannot be peace in the world.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

From 'The First And Last Freedom', ch. 14

How different species differ in intelligence

How Different Species differ from each other in their Intelligence

When I saw the above photo of the Birds and its nest for its babies, My mind/thoughts went into a spiral. How come only this bird species are capable of building such beautiful nests and others not. Different birds build nests of different sizes and shapes, specific to their breeds.

That's the beauty of Nature. Only, that specific breed of birds can build such a nest. No other bird builds this type of nest. How? No one teaches it. May be the technique of building such a nest exists, in the consciousness of those birds, only and  Its passed on through successive generations, only through these birds, but not to others.

This led me into thinking.

It is said that the flow of “Consciousness” is the essence of all sentient and non sentient beings whatever their body is. Then, when the flow of consciousness is same in all beings, how different beings , have different levels of Intelligence. How those birds differ from each species and with other animals, including Humans?  This is What, my take,  after doing some research and thinking,  on this subject.

All beings, be it birds, animals, etc., have brains, but not as evolved as Humans. I think, that’s where , the secret of different levels of Intelligence, lies , in different beings.

In different studies, pertaining to Brain, it was found that --- It is not the size of the Brain, that determines the Intelligence of a species/animal etc., But , it is the -- Ratio of the Brain size to the entire Body weight of the a species. For example: Humans have a Ratio of 1 : 50. Most other Mammals have a Ratio of 1 to 180.

For , Birds , it is 1 to 220.

And , Intelligence, also has to do with the different components of the Brain. Humans have the largest ‘Cerebral Cortex” of all Mammals, relative to the size of their Brains. This area , homes for the Cerebral Hemispheres, which, are responsible for Higher functions like, Memory, Communication, thinking etc.,

Birds, Fish, Reptiles, etc., have smaller Cerebral Cortex, relative to the size of their Brains. This explains the low level of Intelligence, in these species.

Studies show that , ‘the Cortex’ is the seat of Higher Brain functions, the bit of the brain we see with, hear with. In particular, one of the main functions is – association/cognition  – bringing sensory information together with information on Internal states and motivation to enable flexible and context dependent decisions to be taken, rather than simple reflexive action in response to Isolated stimuli. Most of the Birds and animals act with simple reflexive action to external stimuli, because of smaller Cerebral Cortices in them.

From the above, it can be summarized, that the level of Intelligence in different beings/species , is directly proportional to the Cerebral Cortex to the brain and in turn , to the size of the brain to the Body weight of the species.

Also, it can be assumed that the ‘Cerebral Cortex’ is the recipient of the ‘Consciousness’ in all beings. This explains, the different levels of Intelligence in different beings, even though the flow of consciousness is same in all beings, based on the relative sizes of Cerebral cortex, in the brain of different beings.

I think, this can be explained with a simple analogy --- comparing  Electricity to Consciousness and Cerebral cortex/Brain to Wattage in bulbs. More wattage more bright light, even though the flow of electricity is same to all Bulbs.  More of the Cerebral Cortex/Brain more Intelligence.

As Humans, Where we differ from Other is not in Consciousness itself, but in the picture we paint in our individual thinking minds and to which we choose to become attached. This is our sense of separation - the beliefs about ourselves which are the source of our limitations.