It is a zoo out there!

Oh, dear, oh, dear!

First, there were the vultures, perched high up on the branch waiting patiently for their preys to fall. Their spirits rise with every heaving of the chest, hoping that that would be the last. Is the soul protected by the soaring eagles seen way up in the skies? Even as the body is failing, the spirit is clinging and refuses to go.

Even as the remains remain warm, White Rabbit is already scurrying around, muttering, "Oh dear, oh dear. I'm late for an important date!" peeking at the watch ever so often. The Mad Hatter is not needed, but he likes to think that he is indispensable.

Are the hyenas' scream decibels too loud for comfort? Mourners want a time of peace to reflect, not hear noises that evoke madness.

Minesweeper

Then came the owls with their eyes opened so vast that they scrutinise every shortcoming and scrouge source material for their next gossip session. With stereoscopic vision and 360° movement of the cervical region, they manage to recce every nook and corner like a minesweeper.

Also present are the almost unnoticeable storks that stand quietly by the corner in a deep thinker's pose. They seem invisible, practically camouflaged with the background, unflinching and disappearing as quietly as they moved in.

Buridan's Ass

The ostriches would not want to see any of these. They are content with burying their heads in the sand, convincing themselves that everything will pass. Like an albatross, the guilt of the whole preceding events is wrapped around some people's necks.

Almost forgotten are the philosopher asses who are quick to whip out philosophical pearls of wisdom. They peruse the exhibited cadaver and highlight the futility of life. They remind that the departed remain a pale shadow of her flamboyant self with all the juices of life sapped dry. They lecture on how we, the living, scream for recognition, pride and inflate our egos with hedonistic desires. 

Seeing with complex eyes?

Like a student of Camus or Nietsche, they paint a nihilistic purpose of life and plead for humility and simplicity. Even before the listeners can digest the gist of the speech, these same mules start arguing that they are right and throwing the weights around to show who is the boss! So much for walking the talk.

I just rest idly like a fly on the wall. I fancy looking at myself like a mysterious lizard who play dead and listen intently to the conversations. Sometimes I think it is quietly mocking the speakers by periodically clicking at the end of the sentences. And the humans respond as if they had received a divine nod of approval.

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A peek into the human psyche...

100 humans (Netflix, 2020)

This could be one of the series which one can skim as he undergoes house arrest during these trying times of combating Covid-19. Even though the show brags of trying to answer all of life's questions on humans and their behaviours through its social experiments, it is, by no means, cerebral. 

The Guardian labels it as one of the most worthless reality-experiment-pseudoscience show in history. Perhaps, it is a bit unkind to label it such, but some of the experiments that the show do are quite outlandish and their conclusions simplistic. 

Some of the life questions that the show asks include 'What makes Us Attractive', 'Best Age to be Alive', 'about the Battle of the Sexes', 'Biasness of Society', 'Happiness', 'Pain versus Pleasure' and 'Distrusting our Senses'.

One of the bizarre assumptions here is that the ability of a male to dance is indicative of attractiveness, hence, potentially fertile. And the fertilising ability is deduced from a seminal analysis. Someone who has the grooves on the dance is supposed to be teeming with swimmers. Of course, one does not develop two left feet once he undergoes a vasectomy. Clinically we know that sperm count is not indicative of virility. 

Besides that, there are a few interesting discussions with their guest psychologists and psychiatrists. Do uniforms make a person more desirable? Maybe a person in authority but definitely not in the lower rung of the society. Does a symmetrically balanced facial cut give one a get-out-of-jail-card free? It apparently does. And being comically funny melt hearts?

The schism between the sexes is discussed. The classic stereotyping of ladies not keeping to time is said to be debunked. The guys are, however, quite economical with their words. The graph of happiness is convexed at either end of one's lifespan. The young look at the life ahead of them of zest while the silver-haired are happy doing what they like at a leisurely pace. The concepts of fluid and crystalline memories are discussed briefly. 

Whether we like it or not, people are biased. Their opinions of people are made from a composite of the colour of their skin, their previous experiences and prejudices, gender biases and accents. (maybe religion too but it is not discussed here.)

To a certain level, we are all social animals and are prone to conform to society. Herd mentality is prevalent. 

Money makes people work harder. However, when it comes to creativity, passion supersedes financial remunerations to create that Van Gogh or Mona Lisa. Music has shown to affect our moods and even increased our boldness to take risks. The idea of a person with a surname that starts in the earlier part of the alphabet list tends to do better in life may not really true.

Overall, when you are quarantined in the house in the company of your loved ones and start questioning the purpose of your existence on Earth, this may be a precursor to the journey of self-discovery.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.