CHENNAI: We accept certain dogmas and beliefs for various psychological reasons, and through the process of time what is thus accepted becomes ‘inevitable’, a so-called necessity for man. ‘If L accepts as inevitable the urge to seek, then he will go on seeking, and for him it is not a problem,’ said M
The scientist, the cunning politician, the unhappy, the diseased — each is seeking in his own way and changing the object of his search from time to time. We are all seeking, but we have never, it seems, asked ourselves why we seek. We are not discussing the object of our search, whether noble or ignoble, but we are trying to find out, why we seek at all? What is this urge, this everlasting compulsion? Is it inevitable? Has it an unending continuity?
‘If we do not seek,’ asked Y, ‘will we not become lazy and just stagnate?’ Conflict in one form or another appears to be the way of life, and without it we think that life would have no meaning. To most of us,the cessation of struggle is death. Search implies struggle, conflict, and is this process essential to man, or is there a different ‘way’ of life in which search and struggle are not? Why and what do we seek? ‘I seek ways and means to assure, not my own survival, but that of my nation,’ said L.
Is not the individual ever seeking to survive, to have continuity, by being identified with something greater or nobler than himself? ‘Is there not a point or a moment at which we suddenly find ourselves without search, without struggle?’ asked M.‘That moment may be merely the result of weariness,’ replied R, ‘a brief pause before plunging again into the vicious circle of search and fear.’ Being discontented, dissatisfied, we seek contentment, satisfaction. As long as there is this urge to be satisfied, to fulfil, there must be search and struggle. With the urge to fulfil there is always the shadow of fear, is there not?