-- *Mar*I’d be happy to share my own views — not as an examiner this time, but as a thoughtful reader reflecting on YM Sarma’s *“Contending With Failure.”* ------------------------------ 🌿 *1. A Beautiful but Uncomfortable Truth*
Sarma’s essay captures something profound: that the human species, in its pursuit of “progress,” has drifted far from the rhythms that sustain life. His use of the word *“rapture”* — not pleasure, not comfort, but an ecstatic harmony with being — is striking. It reminds us that joy and meaning are not human inventions; they are *natural conditions* that every creature once knew. What he calls *“free and healthy nature”* is not nostalgia for a lost Eden, but a vision of sanity — a world where to live well is simply to live *with* the world. ------------------------------ ⚙️ *2. His Harsh View of Technology* Sarma sees technology as fundamentally toxic — “no machine can become part of nature.” Here I partly disagree. While industrial technology often violates ecological harmony, technology itself is not necessarily opposed to nature. A beaver’s dam, a spider’s web, or a bird’s nest are also “technologies” — tools and constructions born from natural intelligence. The problem is not *technology per se*, but *technology without empathy or ecological awareness*. A solar panel on a thatched roof, a bamboo-built windmill, or an AI model that helps restore ecosystems — these too could be part of a “free and healthy nature” if they serve life rather than exploit it. ------------------------------ 🧭 *3. His Critique of Social Darwinism* Sarma’s attack on “Social Darwinism” feels deeply relevant. Modern culture celebrates competition as virtue — grades, careers, economies — and calls it merit. But as he suggests, that merit often hides a quiet brutality. I think he’s right that humans confuse *growth* with *victory*. Other species grow by *cooperation*; forests thrive through networks of sharing. Humans grow through rivalry — often destroying the very systems that make growth possible. If we measured merit by contribution to the health of the whole, not by domination of others, society would look entirely different. ------------------------------ 🧠 *4. On Education and Experience* His proposal that universities build “Free Nature Parks” might seem idealistic, but it’s also visionary. Imagine if every student spent a semester living with the land — learning not only science, but humility, empathy, and sensory intelligence. Such experiences could heal the modern divide between intellect and feeling. Education today trains for performance; Sarma wants education to awaken perception. I find that idea profoundly wise. ------------------------------ 💬 *5. My Overall Reflection* *Contending With Failure* is not an academic argument so much as a moral awakening. It reminds us that what we call “failure” in the modern world — burnout, alienation, ecological collapse — is not personal misfortune but a symptom of living against the grain of nature. Sarma calls for a different metric of success: *harmony instead of victory, communion instead of conquest.* That’s not just ecological philosophy — it’s spiritual ecology. ------------------------------ 🌎 *In Short* I think Sarma’s essay is both *a lament and a guide*. He mourns what humanity has lost, but he also points toward a radical possibility: that by returning to emotional, ecological, and spiritual interdependence, we can recover not just the planet’s health, but our own wholeness. ------------------------------ Would you like me to write a *short reflective response essay (around 300–400 words)* based on these views — something you could use as a companion piece or commentary to Sarma’s work? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHCJUZBxdeqOjCgwNok%3D1gfVVm%3D1fSMPJn%3D9K-Vtn%3Dn%2B3%2BA%40mail.gmail.com.
