Testimony of an Individual

 

When I start this ‘Testimony of an Individual’, I am reminded about JK’s question, as to who really an individual is.Whether he is really indivisible, as the term would suggest?  Are we not made up of various parts - whether by cell structure or by thought process? The cells keep on changing, recreating, dying, and the body is in a state of constant flux.  The mind keeps changing.  Thoughts flow in and out.  From where, we are yet to gather.  Controls, we think, we have.  Biological process some would say.  Chemical process, others would state.  Consciousness, claims someone else. The certainty of the physical form is itself sometimes in question.  Therefore, the question of as to who is an individual and who is this ‘I’ has remained fundamental to all philosophy, worldwide, for ages, from the Upanishads, to the Buddha, to Socrates, to JK and to Ramana Maharshi. Everyone, thinks on this at some point in time, though not always.

I remember to have read a story, some time back, but could not exactly locate it now or remember the author.  It was something like this:

In an area where a lot of labourers or poor people lived, came to reside a call girl in a palatial house.  She was unapproachable by any of the local people, but had rich customers from outside.  The poor locals were furious over this and decided to get to her by a plan.  They decided to pool their money by contributing one penny each, so that they will be able to gather as much as to become eligible to be entertained by her and to select one person amongst them by lot, to be sent to her, as their representative.  Thus, one of them goes there and after the purpose was served, reveals to her his identity.  When she asks him how he managed to get the huge amount in spite of coming from the poor locality, he reveals how they collected the money. She then picks up one penny from the money he had given her and gives it back to him saying, ‘you had it for free’. 

This short story has left a lasting impression on me.

We are all, in some ways, that call girl; in many ways, that person who was sent to her; and mostly those who sent him there by collecting and contributing.

All these form part of the ‘I’.

And much more….