We have all heard “order, order” in courtroom scenes. But if there is order, chaos will follow and vice versa. In the physical world, we see the chaos-order phenomenon in economic, political, social and cultural systems. We will share only what is close at hand and of everyday occurrence.
When prasad is distributed at the end of puja, we expect devotees to form a line and take their turn. What we see is exactly the opposite. Chaos reigns supreme, even after organisers assure everyone there is enough to go around. Man-made chaos! I had seen few places where devotees follow order.
At the entrance of an eye hospital, racks are kept with the sign, “Please keep your footwear here.” I saw footwear lying hither and thither, and the racks almost empty. My footwear was adorning one, all alone. I asked the silent watchman about the state of affairs. “Sir, I am tired of telling. What more can I do?”
In one temple, where a homam was being performed, the sight of piles of footwear greeted us. To locate our footwear after the rituals, we had placed them far away. Fortunately, they were safe. As we were leaving, we found devotees searching for one piece or the other from the pile. A price for their contribution to chaos!
Enough of man-made chaos about footwear. Let us know about the chaos in our stomach after every meal. Yes, each of the dishes we eat soon loses its identity. This is a chaos necessary for our existence and growth. Soon order follows as different nutrients and energy go to the respective organs for ingestion and segregation of waste. A British researcher Martin Wickham designed and made an artificial gut in 2016 to see the chaos and order in digestion. One example is enough to know the positive aspects of natural chaos.
In nature, chaos and order take place. Chaos spurs creativity to flourish. However some man-made chaos is well worth avoiding.
lakshmibashyam@yahoo.com
Published - November 27, 2022 12:17 am IST
