 We have discussed TIME in The Fluidity of Nature essay on this page as one of the important elements of Natural transformation. Transient and impermanent, the nature of things evolves through the mysteries of uncertainties to the future – yet in the order of duality and multiplicity. The process supports webs of activities to support each other and carry things forward. Forward? There lies the mystery – the fear of the unknowns – the fear that the established dynamic equilibrium pursuits could be dislodged.
1. Perception of Time in the East and the West Let us first try to have a glimpse of the views of philosophers and religious leaders on time (image credit: anon). Eastern thoughts had been fascinated with time since ancient times. Time was visualized as the mysterious deities and gods – as Kala and Yama with the powers to oversee, arbiter and grasp everything. Some say, Kala metamorphosed into the Hindu goddess Kali in the ancient matriarchal Indian South. With time there was no arguing – only the consequences defined by karma – the principle of dependent-origination of things – the universality of cause and effect, action and reaction. The concept of karma is a fascinating underlying idea in Buddhism and Hinduism. The after-life extrapolation of the principle – reincarnation is a message of both hope and caution – more so in Buddhism than in Hinduism. Hinduism invites divine intervention in the process of karma. Buddhist Law (see Buddha - the Tathagata) of Impermanence - laid down the first insight on the nature of time - how it applies to the evolving canvas of Nature and Social Interactions, and what it implies. We all experience these aspects of the Law in our lifetime. Tibetan Kalachakra (The Wheel of Time) Sand Mandala - is a spectacular depiction of Impermanence created by Buddhist monks. Depending on the size, the meticulous colored sand creation of the wheel takes 8 hours or 8 eight days - with its destruction in 8 seconds or 8 minutes (again depending on the size). The number 8 is auspicious in Buddhism - emphasizing the significance of the Way of Noble Eightfold Path to attain Enlightenment. Ancient Western thoughts were not so much steeped with the futuristic view associated with time – rather with the near-sighted view of things. The good aspect of it is that social energy can be directed toward immediate gains. The undesirable aspect is that the notion can induce lackluster view of future consequences. However, the ancient beliefs of heaven and hell, representing in a sense karmic interpretations associated with time – as a message of hope and fear, have crept into all religions. Real or fictitious visualizations, religious thinkers found the belief system very useful to include it in the scriptures in one form or another. The purpose was to convince people and convey the massage of reward for performing good deeds, and consequences or fears for performing otherwise. . . . 2. Time in Science How do the physicists look at time? Let us try to see it briefly. Until the ground breaking proposition of the Special and General Theories of Relativity by Albert Einstein (1879-1955), time constituted a rudimentary yet important element in the dynamic equilibrium of things, and in motions of speeding objects – in velocities (distance over time) and in accelerations (velocity over time). How about time in waves? The wave form – the fundamental mechanism of transporting energy looks exactly the same whether portrayed in terms of wave-length or wave-period. These two wave parameters, length and time, are related to each other through the celerity or the speed of propagating energy. Time is also implicitly included in the dynamic pressure or kinetic energy of fluid flows. We have discussed the pioneering theory of Daniel Bernoulli (1700 – 1782) in the Common Sense Hydraulics blog on the SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY page (links in Widecanvas Home Page). Bernoulli has shown that in a frictionless flow, dynamic pressure is given by the product of fluid mass and the speed or velocity squired, V^2. Perhaps this basic understanding paved the way for Einstein to formulate his famous mass-energy equivalence in the very high-speed domain of the electromagnetic and gravitational radiations, E = mC^2, with E being the energy, m being the mass and C being the speed of light (671 million miles per hour). Einstein’s theory deals with the macro-understanding of physical laws – in areas of motions dominated by the accelerations of heavy masses in the vast curved space-time field – time being the 4th dimension. The mass or its equivalent energy causes the space-time fabric to curve – the curvature in turn accelerates the motions of masses. Here again, we can take the help from Bernoulli theorem to understand Einstein. Unsteady Bernoulli theorem says that fluid accelerations can be a local phenomenon as a function of time only, or can be generated when a fluid motion is subjected to change direction in a curved field such as in a river bend. Therefore, any change in the direction of fluid motion due to curvature results in the convective acceleration of its speed – this reality is in fact nothing but the Newton’s (Isaac Newton, 1643 – 1727) First Law of Motion. Einstein’s brilliance lies in seeing this underlying physics of motion through the wave processes of electromagnetic and gravitational radiations to explain how very heavy masses or very high energies can warp the space-time frame. Einsteinian concept of acceleration is able to explain the processes that happen in space and replaced Newtonian theory of gravity. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity has predicted the existence of gravitational cosmic waves that travel at the speed of light to transfer energy. These waves are created on the curved space-time field in the cosmos by gravitational energy radiated from heavy accelerating masses like black holes, or what happens in those masses. The existence of gravitational waves has been confirmed by experimentation in Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory or Ligo on February 11, 2016. . . . 3. Time in a Poem More on time? Perhaps its mystery can better be appreciated by seeing it through the eyes of a poet. TIME See time in everyday experience It is like an arrow – heading to infinity Each moment gone forever With no turning back – only the forward motion to the future. Past is nothing but memories, experience and knowledge Future is uncertain and lies in visions and plans Time is nothing but the continuous forward translation of the present. Present – we have only the fleeting present Live in the present to the fullest with wisdom To build and to continuously refine yourself To minimize regrets To create a pleasant tomorrow. See time as a recurrent realization In changing days and nights In seasons of weather change. Time appears circular In birth, growth, decay, death and birth again In wave’s rise, fall and rise again In emotions – rise and decay and rise again In the duality of all existence – light and dark, long and short, high and low The wheel of time rolls on to the unknown. Time is the making of mind In the relativity of our consciousness and judgment Short to the fast and restless Long to the slow and steady Some equates time with money Yet others like to see quality in it. To those who has gone through a tragedy time is a healer To those who wait and wait time is a killer We warp time to meet our needs Yet time is nobody’s and is merciless Everything is transient in time – do not get attached to it. Time is like a justice overseeing everything that happens It does not discriminate – all are equal in the eyes of time. Time is the lasting witness To the transformation of Nature, life and society To the dynamic equilibrium of all existence To the translation of space – frames after frames. Time is a reference to define the beginning and foresee an end, Travel long distance – time translates to change in space Travel deep into space – time melts into the vastness of space – into the void, Where reality is unreal The realm of no time no space – only the infinite expanse of emptiness. . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple said, “Sir, tell me something different. I am feeling very low today.” The master looked at his disciple and smiled, “Take it easy, my dear. Don’t think that low feeling only happens to you. It happens to all. A superman does not exist in a real world. High and low feelings are part of the duality – one cannot exist independent of the other.” “Are you sure, Sir? I think people are having more lows than highs.” “As unfortunate as it may sound – it is right. Lows are becoming more recurrent than highs – we are seeing and hearing the symptoms almost every single day. Regrettably, economic progress is not translating to people’s happiness. It seems our governing systems are screwing up the social system and life. Who knows what human destiny is in the making?” “Why do lows happen?” “Well, there could be many reasons – worries, disappointments, hopelessness, and rude and inhuman encounters are some of them. Therefore, it is important to be strong both physically and mentally.” “But Sir, what shall I do.” “Think of taking a stroll. Tell something nice to someone. You will be surprised to see how words can make a difference, and find out that you can gain a lot by giving a little gift of kind words.” “Any other alternative?” “There are many others you can try. But try not to get bogged down doing the same thing again and again. There is something called fatigue that affects us all. Be creative to find something different. May be you can practice relaxation and compassion meditations now and then.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 1 September 2016
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 1. Intro
In the Ocean Waves blog on this page, I have briefly talked about the composition of a visible Natural wave with many invisible component waves – in other words with the Multiplicity of diverse waves. Ocean waves, for that matter all Natural wave phenomena are spectromatic and asymmetric with the visible Duality of highs and lows. As one practical example, I have also mentioned in that page how some tidal waves are defined by the superimposition of many high harmonic shallow-water tides. Let us try to explore more to see how the systems of Duality and Multiplicity work exactly. The phenomenon of Duality is somewhat obvious – in the most visible manifestation of the top wave crest and the bottom wave trough. Duality does not mean that there are just the two of something – but that the two are the inseparable and complementary components of the unity - union of the two opposites combined together in the pursuits to reaching the symmetry of stability. Duality should be understood as the incremental motions of the opposites geared toward achieving agreement and dynamic equilibrium. It cannot be described by a divisive phrase like either/or, but rather by a unity phrase of Multiplicity like this, that, and the others. Before going further, I am tempted to briefly explore some of the ancient Eastern thoughts on this topic. In one of the simplest ways of explaining the Buddha - The Tathagata's Perfection of Wisdom Discourse, Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna (150 – 250 CE) at an earlier informal establishment of the world’s second earliest University at Nalanda (427 – 1192CE) stated: That which is the element of light is seen to exist on account of darkness; that which is the element of good is seen to exist on account of bad; that which is the element of space is seen to exist on account of form. In a similar platform of thoughts, the Duality principle is expressed as the union of the opposites – Yin and Yang in the Buddhist philosophy. . . . 2. Duality and Multiplicity in Waves Coming back to the Natural waves, it is interesting to see how the crest and trough are related to each other within the framework of elastic resistance to deformation – the trough is forced by the flow of energy to work up to the phase of the crest, while the gravitational pull drags the crest to work down to the phase of the trough. The process is associated with a forward motion and a compensating reverse motion of the medium particles required to completing the loop. This balancing act between the excitation energy and gravity indicates that the crest and trough work together to attain stability and equilibrium. As the Natural waves and these ancient thoughts tell us, the Duality of the opposites in a society should be interpreted as something convergent – not something divergent. Duality and Multiplicity are not chaos, but rather Nature’s way of responding to the excitation in order to propagate and dissipate the gained energy. Perhaps one relevant lesson from the Duality principle is that, a democratic rule can only prove meaningful and stable if the oppositions and others are truly accommodated in governance. We can talk about this more in the SOCIAL INTERACTIONS page at some other time. Let us turn our attention to the Multiplicity in waves. To help us understand better, I have constructed a simple image showing four sinusoidal or symmetric waves of different amplitudes and frequencies. In the shown image, the horizontal x-axis is time normalized by the period of the first wave, and the vertical axis is water level in meter with reference to mean or still water level (SWL). These four monochromatic waves when superimposed, added to the asymmetric and spectromatic wave shown as the envelope. In addition to losing the symmetry, the envelope has amplified at some phases and reduced at others. While this fundamental principle holds in all cases, one needs to understand that a Natural wave in the open ocean is much more complex with the superimposition of many spectral waves coming from all different directions. Perhaps one more example would clarify things. We all know about the illumination of light – that it is composed of a spectrum of seven distinct colors. Most Natural waves – be it light, sound, electromagnetism or any other mechanical waves such as those we have described – are characterized by the Duality envelope of the crest and trough, but within which exists the Multiplicity of component waves. This Multiplicity is the building block of the Duality. The suggestion that Multiplicity is the building block of the Duality indicates that a monochromatic wave is not sustainable in Nature for long. Why is that? To find the answer we have to turn to Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727) again, to his famous Third Law of Motion – that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. As soon as a monochromatic wave is formed, it invokes reactive waves from the boundary. The resulting superimposition of the active and reactive waves turns an original monochromatic wave into a spectromatic one. In a near ideal case, when the reactive wave is reflected perfectly, the superimposition causes what is known as the standing wave – with the depressed high-current nodes and high-amplitude anti-nodes. A standing wave is the perfect example of a stalemate. . . . 3. Duality and Relativity Why are all these discussions important? Perhaps seeing a wave and pondering about its components are very helpful in unraveling many of the Natural and social mysteries. It is because of the fact that excitation always distorts the medium to a wave form. It is how the medium attempts in time to return back to its non-excited tranquil stage by balancing itself through the processes of transmission, absorption and losses of energy. But to keep our understanding in true perspective, it is important to note however that for the electromagnetic waves and gravitational radiations traveling at the very high speed of light, no medium is necessary to transport energy. Now I like to turn my attention to a different question. Is the Duality we have described same as Relativity? Although the two appear to indicate the same meaning, I would argue that while the Duality is real, the concept of Relativity is subjective, resulting from our differences in perceptions of things. However the Duality and Relativity could converge at some points or levels when our perception approaches the reality of Duality, or when the Duality can be stressed or extrapolated to explain something that could approach the level of Relativity. For example, light and darkness represent the reality of Duality, but the perception of the good relative to the bad could only mean Duality, if the definitions of and the difference between good and bad are well-established and accepted across the board. Nagarjuna’s explanation includes both the reality of Duality and the concept of Relativity. Let us try to clarify the concept of Relativity further through the mind of a champion thinker. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) – the pioneer of the General Theory of Relativity – described it in an attractive but understandable way for non-scientists: When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity. Scientists often explain a simple phenomenon like lightning thunder; and how it is perceived differently. One standing at the platform will perceive the phenomenon differently than the one riding the speeding train. This different perception of the same event by different persons depending on their states of motion is Relativity. Or we can think about our own change of perceptions – things were tall and long when we were little, but the same things appeared shorter and shorter as we grew up. All these arguments lead us to say that the truth of things is nothing but the subjective perception one experiences. In other words, in our perception or measurement, nothing is absolute – time is not absolute, space is not absolute, our social interactions are not absolute. This raises the issue that there are two basic types of truths – absolute and relative. Let us get back to this concept at some other time in the future. Do the Duality and Multiplicity of the same phenomenon continue to remain the same as they evolve in space and time? In analogous with the transformation of propagating waves, the Duality and Multiplicity of the same phenomenon at one place and time are not the same in different places and times. This means that a downstream phenomenon can be traced to the upstream source, but they are not the same. . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple asked the master, “Sir, how come I continue not seeing things as described.” The master took a pause and looked at the disciple and laughed, “Aha! Aha! That is because you are standing in the dark. Stand in the sunlight and watch how your shadow changes shape and size as the daylight passes.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 14 July 2016  1. Intro
In this article I like to pay attention to one of my favorite professional interests – and it is the mystery and beauty of wave processes that continuously agitate the ocean and pound on shores. Well, where to begin on this interesting topic? The coastal waterfront has been the gateway of contacts among countries from time immemorial – facilitating cultural exchanges, discoveries, trade and commerce. In modern times, interests and importance of coastal waters have only increased manifold. Harnessing of oceanic resources, waterfront living, recreation, and maritime ports are some of the major important social and economic activities that keep people relaxed and busy in coastal waters. Waves attract people by the sheer display of dynamics – soothing and constructive at some time, but destructive and intimidating at other. It seems humans have a natural affinity for the dynamics of vibrating energy as we see in ocean waves. Let us continue more along this line of thinking in the SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY page in the future (links in Widecanvas Home Page). . . . 2. Wave Science - Medium of Propagation, Causes and Effects For now, I am thinking of describing the beauty of ocean wave processes with a little poem. But before that a brief discussion of some basic wave processes may be of some help. Perhaps adding a few lines on the physics of wave-types will lay a firm foundation in understanding waves. One of the best ways is to discuss different wave types – distinguished in terms of: the causal factors of disturbing force; the restoring force; the particle oscillation relative to the propagation direction; and the position of the propagating wave within the medium.
. . . 3. Waves in Everyday Experience All of us have seen the effects of disturbances in water – whether during playing in a bathtub or seeing ducks swimming in a pond, or on a large scale watching sailing ships. In each case water responds in a wave form to transport the gained energy imparted by the external pressure. Distortion of water into wave form lets the gained energy propagate by transmitting the dynamic pressure on to the adjacent water mass. The speed of this propagating wave energy – known as celerity, depends primarily on its period, and depth of the water body. A wave may occupy the whole water column or may just propagate near to the surface – the larger the wave the higher the influence of it in the water column. The wave that we see, describable in terms of height – from the crest at the top to the trough at the bottom, period, wave length and phase – from crest to crest or from trough to trough, actually represents an envelope. Depending on the type, the envelope contains multitudes of superimposed waves of different heights and periods. These multitudes are caused by different forces and the corresponding water responses. Only the resultant addition of all – is visible in the envelope form. We will follow this discussion more closely in the next blog. What are the propagation characteristics of an ocean wave? In analogous with optics, a wave is subjected to transformation as it propagates – its speed slows down in shoaling water resulting in amplification of the wave height – breaking in extreme cases when the wave form becomes unsustainable. If there are variable water depths within the wavelength, the wave refracts by traveling faster in deep water and slower in shallow water. It also diffracts to propagate into the shadow of a large obstacle. Both of these processes cause the wave to lose some of its energy. The ocean is ubiquitous with wind waves (image credit: anon) – the irregular ones are locally generated by wind storms while the regular ones have propagated from a far distance. A wind-generated wave is highly irregular – and as it starts to disperse, the longer components of the wave-composite begin to separate propagating faster than the rest. One sees these waves called swells appear in places where there are no local winds. Also waves tend to rearrange themselves in groups of large and small ones – this process in essence results from the superimposition of many shorter waves of different amplitudes, frequencies and phases. How about other natural waves in the ocean – tide, tsunami, and storm surge? The first is a regular astronomical phenomenon that we see everyday along our coast. The tsunamis and storm surges, on the other hand, are episodic and impulsive. The powers of these two types of natural disasters bring in personal tragedies and serious damages and hardships accompanied by losses of lives, homes, properties and businesses. . . . 4. Long Waves Let me try to go through these wave processes one by one. But before doing so, I like to give a brief on another wave characteristic to help us understand better. A wave is classified as long or long legged and short or short legged for convenience. A long wave has length larger than 20 times the local water depth. In contrast to short wind-waves, tide, tsunami and storm surge belong to long wave category, especially in coastal waters. . . . 4.1 Tide The daily rise and fall of ocean water level attracted human imagination from ancient times, in particular because of its correlation with the phase of Moon. The workable explanations and predictions of the phenomenon, however came much later, and were worked out by many investigators. The notables among them were Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642), Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727), Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749 – 1827) and Arthur Thomas Doodson (1890 – 1968). The tide is the greatest manifestation of the gravitational attractions of astronomical bodies notably the Sun and Moon on ocean water. The forces act on everything though – from the atmospheric air to small water bodies, even on fluids of our body. We do not see tidal effect on land because land mass is too rigid to distort, also tide is hardly measurable in atmospheric air because air density is too low. In terms of human body, traditional Eastern therapeutic practices recognize this force with the suggestions that some symptoms of illness elevate in intensity during the lunar phases of full and new Moons when lunar attractions on Earth are the greatest. An interaction takes place between the spinning Earth centrifugal outward force and the inward gravitational force of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The resultant effects of these forces cause the water to swell where outward force is the strongest, and to deplete where the outward force is the weakest. The result is a very large wave – a periodic rise and fall of the ocean water that has crests on the opposite sides and troughs in between. As the phase of the Earth-Moon-Sun system changes – the generated astronomical tidal wave propagates throughout the ocean. This ocean tide has very small amplitude but a long period roughly equal to half a day. Here comes the interesting part. As the small ocean tide propagates into the shallow coastal shelf, it gets amplified into higher amplitudes. Further into the coastal basins of different configurations and sizes at different latitudinal distances from the Equator, different components of the tidal wave responds differently to the natural periods of the basins. The result is that each tidal basin shows its unique response to the forced tide – some are high or low, some are semi-diurnal or diurnal in period, yet others are mixed in character. The rise and fall in water level is associated with oscillating horizontal movement of water causing tidal currents. To give an idea of the tidal response, I like to briefly highlight the case of the mouth of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River system where some shallow-water harmonic components are highly amplified. These tidal components - overtides and compound tides have periods less than half a day. Such a response is better shown by Fourier Analysis of the measured water levels. I had the opportunity to work on that, and the results were published in the 1991 Conference Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (PIANC-COPEDEC) held in Mombasa, Kenya. . . . 4.2 Tsunami and Storm Surge Now let us turn our attention on the episodic wave phenomena – tsunami and storm surge. The seismic sea wave, known according to the Japanese term tsunami, is a series of impulsive water waves generated by sudden rupture of underwater earth’s crust, or by rapid slides of large landmass into water, or by sudden change in local atmospheric pressure. Following the alignment of disturbance, tsunamis radiate out directionally traveling long distances to reach coastal lands - far and near. Like all waves, a small tsunami in deep water shoals to monstrous waves as it propagates into the shallow water. Such large waves flood coastal lands with enormous inbound and outbound speeds causing havoc and destruction. A tsunami also changes its characteristics in response to the configurations of an enclosed basin or harbor. See more on this phenomenon in my Tsunami Modeling paper. Our memory is still fresh with the awful devastation and tragedy of Indonesian Banda Aceh tsunami of 2004 and the Tohoku Japanese tsunami of 2011. It seems no measure is adequate to control or prevent the devastating effects of a powerful tsunami. Unlike other waves, storm surge generated by Hurricane winds most often does not have a definite wave form – its crest is more pronounced than the trough. It develops, as a Hurricane low pressure system moves along or across on to a shore. The low pressure at the eye of the Hurricane causes reciprocal rise in water level, and together with wind-shear the system causes huge water mass to pile up along the coast – at the right side of the propagating storm in the northern hemisphere. The storm surge superimposed on astronomical tide generates what is known storm tide. The peak storm tide – a superimposition of high tide and peak storm surge – combined with high waves most often causes large coastal flooding, erosion and damages. Some of the most devastating recent Hurricane storm surges that still haunt people’s memories are the August 23, 2005 Hurricane Katrina on the Louisiana coast at New Orleans, and the October 22, 2012 Hurricane Sandy on the New York and New Jersey coasts. During a project work mission, I got trapped in the middle of a huge cyclonic storm surge that wiped out an entire Bangladeshi coastal village named Urir Char in 1985. Well, enough for now on some of the ocean wave basics. Time for a little poem! . . . 5. Ocean Waves in a Poem Waves Continue to Pound on Our Shores Whipping wind lashes on ocean’s back mercilessly The ocean fumes in anger snatching some of the energy The inflicted scars are long and short, deep and shallow The born waves are noisy and undisciplined like the wind. But the biggest scar is caused by Hurricane storms Churning the ocean Piling up huge mass of water on way to the land. Then there is the Earth at the ocean floor Suddenly waking up scratching itself Ocean soothes the scratch in response Giving birth to tsunami, long but shy in height. If these Earthly processes are not enough to make ocean restless, Here comes the Moon and Sun pulling the water mass Ocean responses by giving birth to tide – gentle and very shy in height, But the lengthy and skinny wave covers long distances Causing rise and fall of coastal waters on each day. The born waves must travel transporting the gained energy They disperse with letting the long-legged ones at the fore-front And do not like when depths shoal up Their speeds slow down and they protest the encounter by becoming taller They find deeper water and bend to propagate faster through the deeps But they must continue their journey on to the land To pound on shores to dissipate energy. Some are small capable of moving and shuffling sand only Storm waves flood land eating away part of it. The shy deep-water tsunami becomes monstrous protesting the shoaling depth Its power sweeps many – big or small on its way. See waves in all – in cycles of differences, highs and lows, ups and downs In day and night and day again In winter, spring, summer, fall and winter again In jitters and ripples of society and economy In birth, growth, decay, death and birth again Of all living things, of all emotions Of all powers great and small Of all fame and disgrace Of all wealth and poverty Of all civilizations remarkable and mundane. The cycle continues – the most visible sign that Nature and life are fluid That it is the flow of energy that generates waves in all, To roll the Wheel of all existence on to the future. That the rise and fall, ups and downs, are part of the same coin – the duality. . . . Let us finish with a note on the sweet side of Isaac Newton. He took the vastness of ocean as a metaphor to appear very modest to reflect on his achievements: I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashores, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple commented, “Sir, I am wondering about the waves in oceans – wind-waves and tide, and the episodes of Hurricanes and tsunamis, and thinking what do they tell us.” The master smiled, “Good point! As happens in an ocean, a person is continuously bombarded with waves of information of different magnitudes and frequencies coming from all different directions. The situation has only been getting worse from the dawn of the internet age. Sadly people with malicious motives are using this great innovation to hack and target youths and vulnerable sections of the populace – seems like with virtual impunity.” “Indeed that is very sad, Sir. But also so much information can be highly stressful, intimidating and confusing.” “And distracting too. A person’s actions and reactions are defined how he or she receives the information, filters and processes them. Most people filter and process the information rather intuitively – therefore one can only glean the bests when he or she possesses high mental and moral strengths reinforced by clear understandings of things.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 7 July 2016  1. Intro
If one sees the title of this article, the first few questions that may come into one’s mind are: Is Nature easily deformable like air and water? Or is it because there is a lack of Natural Order? Or is it because Earth is covered by more water bodies than land mass? The answers are none of the ones suggested in the questions {the image (credit: anon) is a metaphor for all Natural behaviors}. The Fluidity does mean that Nature is in constant motion in time-scales that may not be easily obvious to human mind – the continuous motion in pursuits of equilibrium by responding and adapting to the imposed forces and circumstances. Why the Fluidity concept is important? Let us try to find the answer in Charles Darwin’s (1809 – 1882) words: In the history of humankind (and animal kind too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. Although Darwin referred to humans and animals in this quote, the capacity to collaborate, adapt and improvise represents the energy of resilience that flows through all Natural existence. This flow of energy that initiates the processes of transformation in time – from one state to another – from one form to another, is the Fluidity. Before going further, a brief on some basics may be appropriate. Elements of Nature are defined by, or react to the stresses imposed by two ambient physical parameters – temperature and pressure. The properties of a fluid – its viscosity and density – change in response to the changes of these two ambient parameters. We see something as solid and others as liquid or gas in normal climatic range of regional temperature and pressure. We tend to see solid as something dead and fluid as something alive. But it is not the state of matter per se, rather the processes of transformation in time that defines fluidity. In modern times, a third stress is imposed on Nature – this anthropogenic stress started from the beginning of industrialization. We all know about this important factor – this is the pollution that has been changing the pristine Natural characteristics of air, water and land. We are seeing the effects of this factor in our lifetime – the accelerated climate change and associated implications. I hope to discuss this issue further at a later time. What is more with the Fluidity of Nature? . . . 2. The Signature Characteristics of Fluidity The first thing to emphasize is the role of time – Fluidity of Nature is TIME – without it Fluidity has no meaning. Scientists and professionals use time to describe dominant processes – from the long-scale perspective such as astronomical time and geologic time to the short-scale perspective such as engineering time and human time. In time, what appears as solid of certain shapes and texture may represent nothing but a transient state. If one tries to see the same object in different times – its appearance may be quite unrecognizable. Each and every element of Nature has its own time-scale of longevity and adaptation. In the context of time, everything is fluid – ever changing in the state of its existence in response to external actions. Fluidity is CONTINUITY. The diverse elements of Nature nourish one another to thrive and grow in the families of togetherness – the ecosystem. Energy flows from one community to another in a web of conservation processes to promote collective growth and sustainability. Similar processes happen in individual human lives – Fluidity in the breaths of physical growth and decay, in mental fluxes through the streams of realizations – all evolving continuously in time reincarnating to the new states. Humans initiated and started thinking collectively since the beginning of social living. But history tells us that some unscrupulous actions dislodged humankind from its path time and again. Fluidity is RESILIENCE to overcome disruptions. Time and again Natural processes have been disrupted by episodes of disasters like earthquakes, storms, floods, droughts and tsunamis. Each time such an episode happens, the resilience of Nature comes up with an innovative response giving birth to new breeds of species adaptable to the changed conditions and circumstances. Fluidity is ADAPTATION. As we all know, a fluid does not have any shape of its own, but assumes the shape of its container. So are Nature and all existence – things assume shape conforming to the place and time to which they belong. The rigidity of matter melts into the fluidity of adaptation processes. Perhaps the discovery of Darwin in identification of the unique forms of flora and fauna in the Galapagos Island is an impressing example of the Fluidity of Nature. The types of flora and fauna of the island indicate how different species adapted to the isolated local conditions to survive and evolve into the unique ones. Fluidity is BALANCE and DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM. We have discussed dynamic equilibrium in this page before – it is essentially the Isaac Newton’s (1643 – 1727) famous Third Law of Motion – that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Looking through the Newton’s Second Law of Motion, the equilibrium principle represents a force-response knot – the active and reactive forces on the one hand and the accelerating response on the other. As one changes, the equilibrium is broken until others change too in a defined pattern of processes balancing the equation – within a time frame known as the adaptation time. . . . 3. Fluidity in Symbolism Is there anyway to indicate the Fluidity of Nature by some symbolic relations? Natural processes are too complex and there are no easy answers to the question. Let us see if we can articulate some simple arguments without going into the rigors of scientific analysis. First thing to do is to eliminate the notion of RIGIDITY. For example, the statement, 2 + 2 = 4 is correct, but it does not represent the reality of Natural processes because the statement is rigid. Similarly, a relation like, Y = mX + C, may appear flexible but is neither appropriate. This is because life and all existence are too complex to be represented by a linear straight line. Perhaps the equation of a circle, X^2 + Y^2 = R^2 grounded to its origin, is simple enough yet captures some key characteristics of Nature. But, because there is no time in this equation, it rather indicates a state of achieved equilibrium. The variables in this equation can assume values according to the changing phases of life and existence. It is nonlinear; and as we talked about it in other blogs, a circle is a perfect example of stability and equilibrium but could yet roll into the dynamic mode when supports are changed. When laid out, it unfolds into a wave form – the fundamental mechanism how energy is transmitted. We will have more time to discuss wave and energy in the next blogs. The spherical shape of Sun and Moon, the daily ritual of day and night, and the seasonal cycle have inspired ancient thinkers to view life as a WHEEL. The circle is also adequate to describe another signature characteristic of Nature – duality and multiplicity. We hope to discuss this aspect at another time. . . . 4. Practical Aspects of the Concept of Fluidity Let us shift our focus on a practical aspect of the concept of Fluidity. Environmental impacts come into attention each time an engineering project is proposed. It is impossible to have a project that would not affect the environment to a certain extent. Some affects can be immediately disruptive and damaging, while others can vary from small to large, or can be in a slow and long-term mode. The issues need careful analysis and decision making before a project is approved. I like to highlight a discussion I once had with one of my colleagues. As an environmentalist, my colleague was pointing to the adverse impact of an engineering project on some aquatic lives. I asked him what the adaptation times of those affected lives were. He seemed annoyed by my question, but had no idea about the adaptation times of those species. Without going into details, we can safely say that at least three critical questions need to be answered on environmental impact issues: What are the ranges of acceptable limits? Since adaptation is Nature’s way of doing things, what are the time-scales of adaptation of the affected environments and species? What are the ways to minimize effects? The impacts can be very critical, even irreversible, if the adaptation times of the affected items are longer than the project life-time. Does the Fluidity of Nature tell us that disruptions and disturbances are acceptable because Nature is adaptable? Well, it does not. It rather tells us to open our eyes to the reality of IMPERMANENCE in all existence (Buddha - The Tathagata). Nature does not like stagnation – it is on the continuous mode of adaptation to changed conditions and circumstances – in times long and short. What are the implications of it for human behavior? We have discussed some of it in the Social Order blog of the SOCIAL INTERACTIONS page (see links in Widecanvas Home Page). Perhaps a line from Darwin would throw some more lights on the issue. He said: Man selects only for his own goods, Nature only for that of the being which she tends. Darwin is referring to the fact that Nature tends its actions to achieve equilibrium for all of its diversity while humans tend to prioritize selfish gains. But social living requires humans to rise above it. We would only be able to reach the level of Nature – to its sophistication of Fluidity – only when our interests will not be limited to selfish gains. Nature works for collective welfare, shouldn’t we too? . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple commented, “Sir, I am trying to understand the implication of the absence of rigidity in Natural existence.” The master replied, “Many people like to think as you do, because rigidity gives an immediate impression of stability and security. But Fluidity also indicates stability and security through the processes of dynamic equilibrium. The states of Natural processes are only a matter of time – what is rigid in a certain time-frame will appear fluid in a longer one.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 30 June 2016  1. Intro
Equilibrium pursuits of Natural processes are subtle most of the time. The subtlety lets us feel that everything is guaranteed that Nature has to offer. But when Nature’s actions become disruptive and destructive we look at it in awe and realize the enormity of its power. Nature’s forces – the powers of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, hurricanes, and storm surges are no match to our limited power – in our scale of thinking and doing things. Some of these forces are so powerful and so extensive that they make us feel small and helpless – we start saying one cannot argue with Mother Nature. Structures and monoliths however strong they may appear, are destabilized and crumbled like toys, essentially flowing like fluid. The destructive power of Nature tells us to know our limits and work responsibly within it – that Nature needs room to stretch and wake up now and then to relieve some of its stresses. . . . 2. Extreme Events - the Episodic Release of Accumulated Stress Our memories are still fresh with the devastation of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 and 2011 tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan (Japan tsunami image, credit: anon). Now we have better ideas of how these types of forces are caused, but in ancient times the events have inspired people to think of them as actions of supernatural beings. Scientists tell us that apart from their disruptive sides, these types of violent actions have been responsible for the development of atmosphere, and the birth and evolution of biochemical lives – plants and animals. The continuity of life is ensured with plants absorbing Earth’s nutrients like sponges, and animals developing webs of eating habits in the myriad layout of food chain Perhaps this means all that happens has a purpose; nothing is lost in the wide canvas of life and existence. Does this imply that Nature’s violent actions are to be mimicked by humans? The answer is definitely no. The reason is that the human scale of things – life cycle and tolerance thresholds is much smaller than Nature’s. Therefore for humans, small is beautiful and sustainable. The sustainability and beauty can be explained and interpreted from all different perspectives in order to achieve reasonable goals. But one thing is sure and it is the fact that our prosperity should not be considered as something dependent on upsetting Nature to cause irreparable damage – rather working with it within limits. It is not a wise policy to create cases of human-made potential disasters to add on top of Natural disasters. . . . 3. Nature's Forces and Energy How are Nature’s actions required to turn the wheel of equilibrium conceived in a workable form? Let us try to revisit the concepts and definitions we know. In simple considerations, all physical actions are described in terms of four inter-related parameters - energy, force, work and power. Energy is the ability to do something. We all have different physical energy depending on our health, body structure, strength and acquired skill level. Similar can be said about our mental energy which again depends on on mental health, education, caliber and experience. When given to work, we all perform differently depending on this potential energy. Force is the measure of applied energy to do work in a certain direction for a unit measure of change in position. Work is the total accomplishment of the applied force and is equivalent to the applied energy. Power is the work done in unit lapse of time. Also fundamental to the concept is the mass, which according to Einstein’s (1879 – 1955) famous Special Theory of Relativity is equivalent to stored energy. We will have more occasions to explore the extraordinary brilliance of Einstein – one of the greatest minds in the history of mankind. Perhaps a practical example would illustrate the meaning of these parameters better. A pole-vault thrower applies his body strength and skill level to throw a pole. The impact the pole has on the ground is the measure of force – and is the product of the mass of the pole and its rate of change of velocity. The average force multiplied by the distance traveled by the pole is the measure of the applied energy or work done. The power of the athlete is measured by the time taken by him. The faster the pole strikes the ground the more powerful is the energy applied by the athlete. Now while the pole races throw air, some of the applied energy is lost through friction. The lost energy is proportional to the density and viscosity of the medium, and the force applied on the pole. For example, if the same pole is thrown in water with the same force, more energy will be lost, because water is more dense and viscous than air. According to conservation principle, energy or equivalent mass-energy can neither be created nor destroyed implying that the lost energy must transform into heat and sound. Physicists see all Natural forces as four fundamental types – the gravitational force, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. Einstein’s theory of mass-energy equivalence in its most demonstrated form represents the strong nuclear force – where an atom is split to transform its mass into energy. Weak nuclear force is the radiation of radio-active materials. Most of the Natural actions are forced by Newtonian gravitational force, or in macro-scale thinking, by Einstein’s accelerating force in the space-time curvature of the mass-energy field. . . . 4. Everything is Small and Trivial to the Forceful Actions of Nature Propagating energy distorts the medium to a wave form – like we see in ocean waves. Most energy propagates through a medium, except electromagnetic and gravitational radiations which do not require a describable medium to propagate energy, or that the medium distortion is unmeasurably small. It seems the requirement of a medium becomes redundant as energies propagate at the very high speed of light – 671 million miles per hour. The product of energy and its speed of propagation is known as energy flux – that we have talked about on earlier occasions. In addition to the equilibrium quests of Natural processes, there are many connotations of propagating energy in life and social interactions. But, for now let us think about two important aspects in the context of human interventions on Natural processes. Firstly, are human ambitions driving all to take unmanageable risks to create interventions in catastrophic proportions? Secondly, is it at all possible to protect ourselves from extreme catastrophic events? We have answered the first question somewhat earlier. We all know that the more we become confident of ourselves, the more we tend to become ambitious to build larger and larger thus entering into the unpredictable or poorly understood areas of risks. The risks that we take are like creating a time capsule that is destined to bust – if not now, may be sometime in the future. Safeguards and precautions that we think adequate now, may prove to be blindsided by ambitions and arrogance in later times. Fortunately, the growing awareness of the problems in recent times is helping all to appreciate the necessity of steering the wheel in the right direction by working on the development of smarter methods and sophisticated risk management tools. No seemingly smart method is full-proof however. The relevancy of the second question knocks our door each time we think about the devastation of Natural disasters. While facilities destroyed by the Indonesia tsunami could be understood because there were hardly any existing infrastructure for protection against extreme events of such magnitudes. The same cannot be inferred about protection facilities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina storm-surge flooding in USA, and the Japan tsunami. The facilities in these two developed countries were supposedly adequate or assumed to be somewhat sufficient to protect lives and properties. Therefore one may argue that there might be a gap in our understanding and characterization of some extreme events. One likely flaw is that we treat an extreme event as an extrapolation of some other lesser events assuming that all of them have comparable characteristics. Unfortunately, this assumption has the risk of overlooking high randomness and non-linearity of extreme events, and their loadings on and reactions from structures we build. Let me reinforce this by highlighting a warning from the US Army Corps of Engineers as described in the Coastal Engineering Manual. It answers the second question partly referring to our misconception of rare weather events or combination thereof: “It is important to bear in mind that the most extreme record of event may not merely be an intensified version of lesser extreme events. . . Often the catastrophic event arises from an unusual interaction between several major weather features. The Halloween Storm that occurred in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in October 1991 is a good example. Three significant meteorological systems, including a hurricane and an intense winter storm, combined to create very strong winds over an extremely long fetch, which lasted for a period of days. This type of event is difficult to anticipate, but it should be recognized that such things can occur. They may appear as outliers in extreme data distributions.” . . . In a lighter vein let us take a glance at Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Is it certainty or uncertainty? In my next posting I will be talking about the Fluidity of Nature. . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple asked the master, “Sir, I wish to defy gravity and levitate to float in air.” The master thought for a while and laughed loud, “Good, my dear! Try to slow down and decelerate.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 12 May 2016  1. Intro
We have talked about Natural order, balance, adaptation and cyclic nature of things. How these processes can be explained in a more understandable way? Search for reaching equilibrium by responding, adjusting and adapting to stimulus, actions or interventions is nature’s way of doing things. But before we begin, a distinction is required to separate static equilibrium from a dynamic one. The principle of static equilibrium is important in force mechanics to determine stability of resting objects, structures or restraints at any instant. In this principle, forces are resolved in distinct directions and balancing those yields the unknowns. . . . 2. Dynamic Equilibrium Fluidity or dynamic equilibrium is the characteristic signature of Natural processes. Perhaps the best way to start is by taking a glimpse at the ancient wisdom of dependent origination, which in simple terms explains the principle of cause and effect, or action and reaction, or process and response. Cause and effect are intertwined – nothing exists without a cause, there is no cause without an effect. Of course, a cause has to be strong enough to have an effect. When a cause occurs on a system, it looks for ways to reach equilibrium by generating effects – and together, the twin represents the Universal Knot – the ever-evolving wheel of a natural system (image credit: anon). The effects can be adjustment and adaptation within the system and/or transmitted as a cause to a neighboring system. This search to reach equilibrium following a disturbance is the driving engine for grinding of the wheel. It took many centuries before this ancient wisdom was translated in a workable form by none other than Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727). This great genius, the father of classical physics proved and stated in his famous Third Law of Motion – that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. An analyst whether the individual is a scientist, an engineer or a social scientist, uses this law as an equation of variables representing actions and reactions, or forces and responses. Equilibrium principle is also expressed as a conservation of momentum or energy-flux. And together with conservation of mass, the principle is another marvel of modern physics. Who could be a better person than Newton again to formulate this principle in a workable form? Conservation law of deterministic Newtonian physics tells us that what comes in is balanced by what goes out and the changes that occur within the system. In the context of momentum, the equilibrium principle essentially represents a force-response knot – the active and reactive forces on the one hand and the accelerating response on the other. An easily understandable schematic version of the equation is presented in my Encyclopedia Paper. The variables in these balancing approaches representing certain parameters are conceived to change in time and space. As one changes, the equilibrium is broken until others change too in a defined pattern of processes balancing the equation – within a time frame known as the adaptation time. People often say that the left side of the equation knows what happens on the right. What is the best way to apply equilibrium principle in a real-world problem? Scientists, for that matter any analyst or engineer, start by conceiving a model. . . . 3. Defining a Model What is a model? I remember googling the term during the dawn of internet surfing. The search immediately came up with skinny images of fashion models. During that period, the search did not show the developments technical professionals looking for. The experience indicates how market demand overwhelms other things and that our non-technical colleagues are much more agile and active in reaping the benefit of technical innovation than ourselves. A model is generally conceived as a soft tool representing equilibrium inter-relationship among the essential elements of a system. A system is a closely dependent cause and effect entity separate yet connected to other neighboring systems. The key word for a model is soft. It signifies that a model represents simplification and approximation of a real case – and that its description and prediction are not expected to be exact. Despite dealing with real-world problems, simplification is a must to understand and solve a case as a manageable goal. In a model the weak causes and effects are sacrificed or approximated in favor of the dominant ones. However, as things move forward, sophistication is being developed to add to the robustness of modeling tools to account for more causes and effects. The workable form of a model can be concepts, ordinary language, schematics, figures and mathematics. A conceptual model is a non-mathematical representation of the inter-relationship of system elements. A mathematical model is the translation of a conceptual model in mathematical terms of variables and numbers. I am tempted to spend a little time on mathematical models because of my experience in this field – in modeling hydraulics of tide, wave and tsunami, sediment transport-morphology, ship motion dynamics, etc. I intend to come back to the topic again in the Science & Technology section. A mathematical model is not solvable in a digital computer right a way. When mathematical models become complex encompassing many variables, it becomes impossible to readily understand and solve them. The complication of the situation appears insurmountable as the models become dependent on calculus to describe processes. A model relating gradients of variables in space and time is such a calculus paradigm. After a mathematical model is worked out, the next step is to translate it to a numerical model which basically involves transforming the mathematical model of calculus paradigm into algebraic equations. The numerical model also includes translating the algebraic equations into numerical codes so that it can be executed by digital processing of a computer. The art of applying a numerical model into the domain of a real-world case to replicate processes is known as computational modeling. For modelers, the challenges are to translate the continuum of space and time into the discretized domain of a model – such as: what to include, what to leave out, what to smooth out, and what are the consequences for such actions. How best to take account of practical constraints and describe forcing at the boundaries to be realistic but at the same time avoiding model instability. Reactive forces like frictional resistance are notoriously non-linear – therefore it is important to watch how parameterization of these forces affects results. Because computational model results are expected not to be exact – some people question the predictability of a model. This doubt appears despite tuning, calibrating and validating a model to actual measured cases. The performance of a model depends on how sound and sophisticated the mathematical foundation is, and how skillfully the model is coded into algorithm and applied. It is often necessary to define a threshold so that some model results can either be accepted or discarded; that in itself is not an easy task however. Without going into the debate on predictability, it is safe to say that one of the most important aspects of model’s ability is simultaneity of its results – what happens at different places within its domain at any time due to boundary forcing, in natural conditions and when interventions are in place. This gives decision makers the opportunity to have a synoptic view of processes to compare situations with and without engineering interventions, and evaluate risks. Such a view is very important for decision making, and is not possible by any techniques other than a computational model. More in Water Modeling. Well, enough on models but with a note on sophistication. Digital processing in bits of 0 and 1 to process and store information is being infused by pioneering thinking of faster quantum computing in qubits of 0, 1 and combinations of 0 and 1. And computer codes of Artificial Intelligence are surging forward to conduct human functions. More in The Quantum World and Artificial Intelligence - the Tool of No Limit. . . . 4. The Single Most Characteristic of Nature We talked about Nature’s single most characteristic cycle - the birth-growth-decay-death and birth again in my Natural Order blog. A circle – representing the slice of a sphere is perhaps the simplest two-dimensional visible form of this cycle. A circle, if laid out in space or time, takes the shape of a regular wave, a symmetry – the familiar sine or cosine curve – the rising and falling limbs representing disturbance-restoration dynamics of equilibrium. Again in the end, it is all about humans and the responsibilities associated with human actions – either in applying the equilibrium principle to understand Nature and harness its resources, or in conserving and sustaining the beauty of natural canvas for the future. Human behavior – actions, reactions and associated uncertainties – is much more difficult to understand than physics of nature and its uncertainty. Ancient wisdom realized by religious leaders, and researches of modern psychologists shed some lights on the mysteries of human mind. Human mind is such that no two individuals act or react in the same way to identical stimulus. The approach then is to describe the poorly understood human behavior in terms of statistics – which by definition, is a generalization of numbers or information and is always marred with scatter. Two persons – let us say one with the qualities of loving kindness, compassion and empathy, and the other with none of those qualities – how can both be justifiably replicated by a single social scientists’ equilibrium paradigm? A serious mistake could occur labeling or stereotyping a person or a society in one way or the other. In the next article, I intend to focus on seeing definitions of Nature’s actions. . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple asked the master, “Sir, I am afraid I am little confused. If the cause and effect are so intertwined – which is first, the chicken or the egg?” The master looked at him and smiled, “You are like everybody else. It does not matter which is first, what matters is the fact that both exist.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 5 May 2016  1. Intro
Perhaps we can start with Nature (image credit: anon) to refresh our understanding of its mystery. Nature fascinated humans since ancient times not only because they depended on it for livelihood and subsistence, but also because they realized that the key to their progress depended on discovering and understanding Natural mysteries – in extracting and formulating Natural processes in a workable form. The success of our ancestors in consolidating and refining knowledge, tools and methods by studying Nature is the key to our cumulative progress. Thomas Alva Edison (1847 – 1931) found inspiration from Nature “. . . nature made us – nature did it all . . .” One will be astonished how Nature speaks to us – the songs of life – the songs of mystery – the songs of energy in all existence – sad, happy and sometimes angry. It is only necessary to have the calmness of mind to listen to and learn from the open book of Nature. People often go through a fresh set of realization when they visit the vastness of space and ocean. It certainly happens to space explorers, but also happens to people facing the beauty of Natural wonders – mountains, valleys, deserts, oceans and canyons. It is like Louis Armstrong’s (1901 – 1971) famous song “. . . and I think to myself what a wonderful world . . .” Indeed it is very wonderful when one thinks about the diversity of the environment, plants and animals of planet Earth we call home. Some of this diversity we understand, some we do not, and some are beyond our reach – we can only fathom them by extrapolating existing knowledge. Nature encompasses all and everything that exists on Earth and its atmosphere at normal ranges of temperature and pressure – with the Sun providing the energy to process and sustain them. It is the existence and the Natural processes that have not been largely modified, altered or interfered by humans. How does Nature work? The question may appear trivial in the 21st century, yet deeper meanings continue to shed light on virtually everything we do. Elements of Nature – living plants and animals together with materials of all forms and sizes – are truly diverse and amazing, ever-changing in response to processes and interactions – strong and weak, long and short. All these elements as diverse as they are belong to a system interconnected with each other. Buddhism (Buddha – The Tathagata) says that Natural Order is a function of Two Universal Laws – the Law of Impermanence or Transience – and the Law of Dependent-origination. Together, these two govern the interdependent flux of things in TIME – in spacetime. Nature sustains and nourishes this interconnected diversity to maintain an order – a system where each does its share of the work by supporting each other in a web of activities. The order and balance make Natural canvas a beauty to behold and enjoy. Nature does not work haphazardly and is not subjected to anyone’s whims or wishes, but functions within its cycles of change and spreads of uncertainty. These are some of the Nature’s key characteristics. Uncertainty does not mean Nature is chaotic; rather its existence is an indication that Natural processes are hardly deterministic. Natural cycle is not a monochromatic phenomenon either but a superimposition of many cycles – long and short. Over time shorts appear stationary while longs suggest a trend. . . . 2. The Wheel of Natural Order The wheel of Natural order directs the way Nature appears – the way it works, changes, grow and decay. The order ensures that Nature provides and sustains all – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the Natural resources we harness to develop ourselves. The wasteland that we see, the marshes and bogs that are no use to us, the thick jungles that mystify us are home to many lives. When humans ruthlessly destroy the habitats of these lives – they cry like what Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009) captured in his famous Earth Song “. . . what about us. . .” – the cry is to exert the right to exist, to live, and to reproduce. Nature has mountains, valleys and deep oceans to maintain and control the ever changing fluid flow of air and water to generate climate. Earth’s solid surface continuously comes under pressure from the hot molten core to make room for its escape. The surface slab responds by cracking into jigsaw puzzles to receive the new comers while pushing the others down to the core – thus the balance of birth and destruction are integrals to the evolution of Nature. However isolated or independent some diversity may appear – if one takes away any out of the building block of this order – the whole system would get distorted. And it takes time – short or long depending on the nature of disturbance – to adapt to the new situation and establish a new order. When this adaptation time exceeds human scale of doing things then we face a problem. The order is not a one way process – it needs to be balanced to ensure equilibrium – and any unilateral attempt of exploitation destabilizes the system. It only makes sense that we understand them in true perspectives and make coordinated efforts to use resources in a sensible manner. The notion is not anti-development – it was rather coined as sustainable development. Anthropologists like Jane Goodall (1934 - ) and Environmentalists like David Suzuki (1936 - ) have been advocating this for long time. . . . 3. The Mysteries of Natural Order But do we know all the mysteries of Natural order? The Fundamental Laws of Nature reveals what governs Nature's functions. Scientists of all disciplines, mathematicians and all thinkers and philosophers including religious leaders were able to uncover many of the Nature’s mysteries – albeit many may still remain under covers of mystery. Growing understanding is leading us to appreciate Nature conservation more than ever before. Fresh thinking shedding lights on Nature and biomimicry as some of the best approaches to develop things in harmony with Nature. Let us finish today by pondering on what would be the single most important characteristic that defines Natural life. The single most characteristic that defines life and for that matter all existence, is the wheel of birth-growth-decay-death and birth again. Neither the time-scale nor the spread of uncertainty of this wheel is same for all existence but varies from one to the other. Each and every plant and animal species have male and female reproduction system that ensures continuity of life. If one thinks about it, one would soon realize that this characteristic defines all behaviors of existence including our thought processes and social interactions. In the end, it is all about humans in the equation for the sustenance of Nature because we have developed the intelligence in mastering the capability to modify and exploit Nature to our liking. Despite being part of a Natural-born entity some of our actions are most often selfish – neither good to Nature nor to society. While recognizing the rights to exist of all living things and the necessity of conserving Nature, for a society to be peaceful, human behavior and social interactions must rise above some of Nature’s way of doing things however. And that behavior is called humanity. In the next article I intend to see Natural order more closely – the Natural equilibrium. . . . Here is an anecdote to ponder: The disciple asked the master, “Sir, how come I am not hearing any song of Nature and seeing no Natural order.” The master smiled, “Umm! Let me see. It is because you are thinking too much and are too eager.” . . . . . - by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 29 April 2016 |
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