THE BIGGER PICTURE Shalini SinhaWe have the false impression that we walk around as a single body - one organism, one being. In fact, we're a collection of millions of beings, each performing the day-to-day tasks necessary to maintain existence, regenerate and improve.
Far from being singular, we are a collection of cells. Through a time of great destruction and ill-health, it is this micro-aspect of our beings that can remind us about the essences of life.
Cells are capable of singular existence. They can be free floating organisms in the ocean leading a solitary existence. Our cells, however, chose (millions of years ago) to co-operate, bond and work together in large units. It is from these founding principles that our lives gain meaning. Equally, it is when we lose sight of them that we lose meaning in life.
Each one of our cells is in a continuous pursuit to live life. Every moment of every day, a new task is begun: draw in nutrients, process it, create energy, eliminate wastes, send and receive messages, respond to new situations, draw in more nutrients and begin again. The founding blocks of our being are in no way bored or complacent. Their instinct is to be active, interested and motivated.
Through this, we have achieved a great amount. Our bodies are like complex cities with well functioning systems. We search out markets and import food. We consume materials and eliminate wastes. We have highly efficient transportation, sewage, postal and emergency services. We put resources aside into insurance funds and are constantly working to reverse the effects of pollutants or unhelpful intruders. Most importantly, we engage in a forward momentum of construction, growth and development.
There is no reason for these systems to stop working well - no internal inspiration for destruction or decay. We have no inner instinct to cease activities, float in stasis or give up. There is no reason to develop a mode of operating that is indifferent, uninspired or uninterested, or respond to the world in ways that are less than our potential.
Yet, most of us lose our focus for living and operate in a half-
slumbering state of under-performance and slow (or rapid) failures in health. We believe this is normal - people get sick, deteriorate and die. It is inevitable. Death is inevitable. We even develop and promote theories about what time or age our cells might turn their interests from living to dying. However, increasingly I have begun to wonder why a cell would simply stop regenerating? The answer, "because it does", is becoming more and more inadequate.
It is possible that the decay of our internal systems happens not because our cells have decided to die, but because we've lost track of the point of our lives. Fundamental to the activities of our cells is systematic co-operation. They inherently reach out and trust others with different strengths, rely on each other, bond together in love, offer support, share a burden and co-ordinate activities.
All of this is essential to our survival, yet somehow as complex beings, we walk around thinking and behaving like we are islands - believing we must solve our problems on our own, afraid to trust, share with and encourage others. We teach ourselves to live in isolation. For our efforts, we are literally dying of stress. Rather than doing what might come naturally, we are using our brains to act against our instincts and have been left with a deeply cellular revolt.
Probably the most interesting and profound achievement of our cells has been the human imagination. We have an instinct to be creative and play! We laugh, invent and have an innate sense of humour. We respond to our world, not only in efficient, problem-
solving terms, but to entertain ourselves. Having fun is a life-living task essential to survival.
Contrary to how we learn to define "adulthood", play is a vital aspect of human life. Creative imagination is our most effective way of processing stress, taking risks and expressing love. Play is free-flowing and intensely co-operative. As much as a failure of our heart, liver, digestion or immune system will cause us pain, so too will a failure in our sense of humour. A disruption to this process is the only thing I can think of that has the power to make our cells want to degenerate.
Everyday, we see people who have lost hope, motivation, belief and self-esteem. We build and live in societies that keep us more isolated and occupy us with work that benefits only a secret and invisible few.
In justification, we are told that our lives are better than they have ever been. Yet, real fulfilment, the pursuit of individual dreams and creative fun are dismissed as idealistic and impractical.
Ironically, there is very little in this currently popular way of thinking that would have allowed us to develop as human beings in the first place.
Shalini Sinha is an independent producer and journalist. She is a counsellor on equality issues, has lectured on women's studies in UCD and presents RTÉ Television's intercultural programme Mono.