ASSIGNMENT-2

Prompt 3: We’ve now been fairly introduced to the idea of modernity and its
various ubiquitous effects that can be realised both at the individual as well as at the
collective levels of our existence. Our relationship with the natural world, with fellow
beings, and with our own selves is heavily mediated by pervasive technology that inserts
its presence as a necessity, so much so that we live largely in a trans-nature of human
making. Our experiences of life are further bound by artefacts and constructs that can
mislead us into misconstruing ‘our’ place in nature as being paramount, and our reality as
being the only real. The interpenetration between trans-nature and species solipsism, and
their essence as key strands that form the larger weave of modernity, is perhaps difficult to
deny. In light of this, offer your reflections based on your integrated understanding of
these three themes (modernity, trans-nature, species solipsism) that have been covered in
class till now. Please include examples (from your own lived experiences or otherwise) to
engage with the prompt deeply and to respond to it concretely. 

“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions
destroyed”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Many people nowadays dub themselves as “being woke.” It’s a term that suggests that you
have awakened to the realities of the world and can see beyond its illusion. And as alluring as
that process sounds, in actuality, it’s arduous and painful. You have to be willing to face the
possibility that many of the beliefs you hold are false and that the way you lived your life, the
actions you took, even the way you view and define yourself is wrong. Only few people are
prepared to do that because oftentimes those are the only things they have. We as ‘Modern’
individuals tend to live in a hamster ball of our own making, one that is governed by our
thoughts and principles. With the coming of treacherous technology, nature has been forced
to kneel before a species substantially insignificant in the cosmic web, turning into a trans-
nature of sorts. My understanding of trans-nature stems from my personal experience to when
I was growing up in the coastal town of Mangalore. We had a house nestled in lush greenery
surrounded by trees and a small lake. We had a lot of animals, with whom I used to play and
spend my time with. Climbing trees, picking fruits, skinny dipping in the lake, I was happy
and one with nature. Little did I know this joy would be short-lived. With the advent of
technology aka ‘The Modern Era’, I distanced myself from the hearth of nature and swam
right into the jaws of impending doom. There was no turning back, I closeted myself into a
cocoon of gadgets, neglecting the surrounding nature, and building a trans nature of my
devise. In doing so I started to perceive things solipsistically, considering myself and the shell
I lived in as the only reality that existed. Now that I think of it, Solipsism is like a little layer
of gloss you can put on your perception of reality that doesn’t have a set effect. It doesn’t
actually affect reality in any way. Solipsism is a truth that states nothing practical. Therefore,
its truth has no pragmatic effect one way or the other. I realised I wasn’t changing anything,
only destroying my youth and my relationship with nature. We, humans, are bogged down by
so-called modern technology and the various constructs created by it that we fail to lift our
sight and see the magnificent beauty that nature has to offer. But sad is the tale, that this
nature is diminishing and downtrodden by the greedy needs of so-called ‘woke’ human
beings. Anthropocentrism, the belief that human beings are the most important beings in the
universe. Why has this term come into existence, why do we consider our species to be the
centre of the universe while there are two trillion galaxies out there? What makes us so
special to even fathom such a thing as possible. Has our modernity reached a phase where we
end up as a solipsistic species decimating everything in our wake in the conquest of the
universe? With every passing day, with everything going around me, my faith in humanity is
dwindling. I believe that humans will never change because they realize that confronting
nature and the real world means confronting emptiness. When we end up destroying our
illusions, we destroy what we hold as valuable. Eventually, we will ask for the truth and be
met with emptiness. Ignorance is bliss to those who wish to stay happy.

“I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.”

―  Aldo Leopold