The Lucifer Dialogues Part I

I always think that there are two personalities within most of us. One is an idealist who believes there's a cosmic balance of good and evil in this world guarded by a mysterious force. He thinks there's more to the world than which can be perceived by our senses, one who sees beauty in mystery.

The Other is a realist who ponders over everything with a mind of a rationalist and the heart of a revolutionary. Of course he sees and exclaims, 'nothing! just the atom and the void!', yet he sees more. He believes in the divinity of mankind, and that the mystery surrounding everything is the last cloud of darkness before science makes its voyage till there. Hence he sees as his mentor, Lucifer - the bearer of light - who gave man knowledge much like Prometheus of Greek mythology. Hence the name, the Lucifer Dialogues.

Enjoy this piece of philosophical intercourse..

‘What is Life?’

‘That’s a Silly question.’

‘But I doubt you’ll find an equally simple answer.’

‘Okay, Life is the metabolic activity of an organism.’

‘Wow, a silly answer!’

‘Why?’

‘What’s an organism? Something which has life in it, right?’

‘Yeah. Sorry mate’

‘Ok where does life start?’

‘As a baby, of course.’

‘Why didn’t you say it began in the womb?’

‘Right! It’s in the womb.’

‘Sure?’

‘Yes.’

‘Even sperm cells have life, don’t they?’

‘Okay, I’m not sure. You tell me.’

‘Or is it from the splitting of the chromosomes?’

‘Too much biology.’

‘But if it is, then it is not the beginning. It’s a continuation of existing life, a sort of branching off, as we see in amoebas.’

‘Are you suggesting that we’re part of our fathers’ lives? How can it be when we have different souls?’

‘Souls?’

‘You know. Mind, consciousness?’

‘Mind. Consciousness. Soul. Are they all the same?’

‘Well, almost. In my opinion, yes.’

‘Then what is the mind?’

‘Don’t you know? The mind is the true self, which controls our bodies.’

‘But the mind is part of the body’

‘No, it is independent. It just controls the body.’

‘Is your personality a part of your body or your mind?’

‘The mind.’

‘So, whether you have a cheerful personality doesn’t depend on your body, right?’

‘Yup!’

‘Then you don’t know much about Brain chemistry, do you?’

‘Err.. No’

‘Look, scientists have found a chemical called serotonin which could trigger happiness.’

‘Sero.. what?!’

‘Serotonin. A chemical which could trigger happiness. There are different chemical substances in our brain that decides our emotions and moods.’

‘Are you telling me that, happiness is no longer an abstract feeling, but something which can be bottled and bought for 50p a phial?’

‘Well it could be bottled, though I’m not sure about the marketing part.’

‘Whatever. I still believe mind is different from the body.’

‘Well it is known that brain chemistry is determined genetically and by environmental factors. That brings it closer to the evolution, doesn’t it?’

‘So you’re saying..’

‘..that the mind is nothing but the resultant of the chemical changes in our brain.’

‘Never!’

(To be continued)

Insomnia

I wrote this in office (I didn't have much work that day). I came to office after hardly two hours of sleep. It was weird because I'm always a heavy sleeper. But because of some reason i did not sleep for long. After spending a few hours idle in office I thought, Why not? So here it is, the way it was written. Just edited to remove a few grammatical mistakes.

I don’t know what time I woke up this morning. It’s hard to say. When you need so much sleep, you don’t remember much. I know I woke up because I remember going to bed. Sometime early in the morning.

I don’t know how long I slept. But I know I did sleep. I know because it was one of those sleep modes where you have a dream. Its funny when you have a dream. You forget most of it during the first few moments you are awake. And just the mood you have been left in, lingers on. I get the weirdest of all dreams. I guess weird dreams are quiet normal. People don’t talk about those ‘cause they’re weird and they just forget about it. This one was weird. I remember all that. How could I not remember when I woke up, or what I did?

I do remember reading the papers. I do not remember the news or the comics. How sure can I be that I really read the papers? What if it was yesterday’s memory? Or did I just imagine all that in my head now? I remember having breakfast today. I do remember taking a shower. But somehow it seems so distant. Its like something in the past. I mean its like recovering from amnesia. You know its recent because there’s not much between that and the present. Isn’t memory relative? Isn’t it?

I need that sleep badly. Here I am sitting in my cubicle. Why didn’t I take a leave? What were I thinking? Were I thinking at all? Or Were I reacting according to my conditioning? Should I test myself? Think. Think hard. Think of a childhood memory. You know you should. But you don’t want to put in the effort to dig up a memory. Too lazy for it. You know, the biggest problem with not having enough sleep? You never really know if you are truly awake or if it’s all a dream. Wait. I heard that somewhere before. There. Isn’t that an old memory?

Now let me sleep.