"What a blessing (mercy) it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes. - Georg C. Lichtenberg"
So true. Many an offensive situations could be diffused by simply dropping down the earlids. In a hyper-noisy nation like ours where the chatter never dies down, earmarked (sic!) noise free zones (around hospitals, schools, etc.) wouldn't exist. There could even be earlid-downed marches to protest against the high decibel rants pushed at us from all nooks & corners of the planet.
Perhaps Kikazaru/ Mikazaru, the first macaque who prescribed to us hear no evil, would be seen jumping around like never before. Only to be reminded the very next minute by his two wise buddies of its futility. And how their respective advices have been largely ignored despite there being lids for the eyes & the mouth. Finally, we would perhaps be able to truly experience the world in the way that people who can't hear experience it, even today. So yes, I agree with Mr. Lichtenberg that it would be a real blessing!
In that same spirit, we could also do with another design change, one that might already exist in a parallel universe somewhere. Would be nice to shift humans from a 4-hourly hunger cycle to a more pragmatic 4-monthly one. No getting hungry every few hours, no snacking, no gorging, no fun (seriously)?
There'd instead be a triannual feasting day for the individual. That would be the day to celebrate, bigger than any birthday or anniversary combined. The person concerned would probably down a few hundred kilos of their favorite gourmets. Gastronomic desires fulfilled like there's no tomorrow. There really wouldn't be one for the next four months. Guests meanwhile, would be making merry - singing, dancing, & everything else - awaiting their day of feasting.
There are stories about Indian mystics & sadhus who achieved a state of being, or were just built differently, where they didn't need any food for days together. But they seem to have gone extinct, save for some hunger artists. On the other hand, many animal species are known to feed in cycles with long fasting breaks in between. The camel for instance carries a special biological organ (the hump) to store food (fat) reserves, & can go without food & water for weeks together. In nature the concept is not so rare, a few hundred genes at play that's all.
Yet, the impact from a triannual feeding cycle to our social structures would be unimaginable. For instance the movie screenplay where the protagonist is complaining about the paapi pet (evil stomach) would simply be gone. Hunger, malnourishment, perhaps even poverty would be over. Or is that taking it too far? Newer enterprises would no doubt emerge that would work their way to profitability around the altered version of this fundamental base human need for food. In any case, there would be a paradigm shift on our social, economic & policy frameworks all over. Our entire existence would be markedly different, & hopefully better.
So true. Many an offensive situations could be diffused by simply dropping down the earlids. In a hyper-noisy nation like ours where the chatter never dies down, earmarked (sic!) noise free zones (around hospitals, schools, etc.) wouldn't exist. There could even be earlid-downed marches to protest against the high decibel rants pushed at us from all nooks & corners of the planet.
Perhaps Kikazaru/ Mikazaru, the first macaque who prescribed to us hear no evil, would be seen jumping around like never before. Only to be reminded the very next minute by his two wise buddies of its futility. And how their respective advices have been largely ignored despite there being lids for the eyes & the mouth. Finally, we would perhaps be able to truly experience the world in the way that people who can't hear experience it, even today. So yes, I agree with Mr. Lichtenberg that it would be a real blessing!
In that same spirit, we could also do with another design change, one that might already exist in a parallel universe somewhere. Would be nice to shift humans from a 4-hourly hunger cycle to a more pragmatic 4-monthly one. No getting hungry every few hours, no snacking, no gorging, no fun (seriously)?
There'd instead be a triannual feasting day for the individual. That would be the day to celebrate, bigger than any birthday or anniversary combined. The person concerned would probably down a few hundred kilos of their favorite gourmets. Gastronomic desires fulfilled like there's no tomorrow. There really wouldn't be one for the next four months. Guests meanwhile, would be making merry - singing, dancing, & everything else - awaiting their day of feasting.
There are stories about Indian mystics & sadhus who achieved a state of being, or were just built differently, where they didn't need any food for days together. But they seem to have gone extinct, save for some hunger artists. On the other hand, many animal species are known to feed in cycles with long fasting breaks in between. The camel for instance carries a special biological organ (the hump) to store food (fat) reserves, & can go without food & water for weeks together. In nature the concept is not so rare, a few hundred genes at play that's all.
Yet, the impact from a triannual feeding cycle to our social structures would be unimaginable. For instance the movie screenplay where the protagonist is complaining about the paapi pet (evil stomach) would simply be gone. Hunger, malnourishment, perhaps even poverty would be over. Or is that taking it too far? Newer enterprises would no doubt emerge that would work their way to profitability around the altered version of this fundamental base human need for food. In any case, there would be a paradigm shift on our social, economic & policy frameworks all over. Our entire existence would be markedly different, & hopefully better.
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