Retrogressive metamorphosis
MOST of my life I thought that majoring in Zoology was a waste of time. I is a subject that I did not really care for, but suffered through it because my father was paying my tuition and wanted me to do it.
Now, 55 years later, I think there may have been some wisdom in my father's choice of my major. While I found most of the Zoology curriculum uninteresting, I was fascinated by Darwin's theory of evolution where we studied about metamorphosis.
Many ancient myths ended in a metamorphosis. Out of anger and jealousy, the goddess Athena turns the weaver, Arachne, into a spider to spin beautiful webs. Hence the spider is called an arachnid.
Natural substances may also metamorphose. Heat and pressure over thousands of years turn coal into diamonds. The most exquisite of natural metamorphoses is probably the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies.
But there is another phenomenon that intrigues me - retrogressive metamorphosis. This is a peculiar type of metamorphosis in the life-history of certain species, in which certain advanced characteristics present in the larva disappear in the adult.
It seems over the last 60 years, homo sapiens have also regressed – they have returned to a less advanced condition, or way of behaving. They seem to be devolving, not in their physical attributes but certainly in their mental capacity, moral values and ethics.
I have spent almost half my life in the US and seen this first hand. And the descent on this slippery slope seems to have gained momentum in the last decade after Trump became president.
There is a decline in moral values in our paradise also. . The younger generation has little concern for social problems or family affairs. They are mistreating their parents or even throwing them out. Incest, rape and molestation statistics are shocking. Teen pregnancies are on the increase and domestic violence is rampant.
The present day parents are too focused on their careers and their children are neglected. They are left in daycare where they grow up devoid of warmth and care.
The culture is degrading due to the advent of social media. Electronic gadgets and mobile apps have changed the methods of learning.
As the effect of the pandemic has diminished, students are attending classes in person. But we see nowadays that they have less regard for their teachers and there are severe discipline problem that the ministry is compelled to create a teacher protection policy. Gone are the days when students valued their teachers and had immense gratitude for them. The parents are to blame for being so irresponsible in bringing up their children. As a former high school teacher, I am stunned at the sharp decline in the standard of education and the errant behavior of the students.
The spread of the pandemic has made "door dash" popular. Online apps have made food delivery easy. During the good old days, family members used to gather, cook together and relish the family time.
Now the trend has encouraged people to order online. The food habits of children and even adults have worsened. We have become addicted to junk food. Consequently, we are suffering from obesity. Adults are affected by NCDs such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer.
As we have become more educated, we have become snobs and have forgotten the worth of simple and meaningful living.
New modes of entertainment have evolved. People enjoy movies and other shows late at night. They have forgotten to rise early, and do meditation and exercise. Everyone complains of being too busy. This is because they spend hours mindlessly surfing through dumb social media sites.
Half a century ago, we had dynamic leaders with impeccable integrity like Sadhu Kuppuswami, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna and Jai Ram Reddy. Now we do not have any statesmen and charismatic leaders we can look up to.
When I was younger, if a workman promised to show up, you could bet that he would. There were not too many cars or van or carriers, but they would be there and would not do shoddy work like workmen these days who just want to make a quick buck with no sense of pride in their workmanship. Young and abler bodied men have lost their self-esteem and shamelessly beg. Scammers seem to have sprouted like mushrooms.
Due to urbanisation, a rising problem is loneliness. The lonely people have become addicted to smoking and drugs. And there is a rise in youngsters committing suicide.
Instead of reading, people waste their time in idle gossip and waste money and time drinking kava and liquor. We have the dubious distinction of having one of the highest incidence of NCDs. Not to mention that two thirds of our women are prone to gender-based violence
Avarice and greed have led businesses owners to sell expired or rotten goods. People are being assaulted in broad daylight. Those who are financially well off hardly feel the pain of others and don't bother about the problems of even their own kith and kin.
Hamlet says: “What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a God! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals" But look at us now.
As we march into the digital age, we must keep our moral values to create a just society where we can trust each other again. We can dream of a kind and honest world only if we nurture our values which we cherished so dearly in the days gone by.
In the book, All I Really Need To Know, I learned in kindergarten, there are simple rules of living a good life - play fair, don't hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don't take things that aren't yours, say you're sorry when you hurt somebody etc.
Let's relearn and practice those habits and evolve into our best selves. Instead of spiraling down the slippery path of lies, deception and violence, let's metamorphose into beautiful butterflies.
■ ARVIND MANI is a former teacher who is passionate about quality education. He lived in the US for 35 years and was actively involved in training youths to improve their speaking skills. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. He can be reached at theinspiredteacher9@gmail.com.