SEEING THE LARGER PICTURE

Modern science (or knowledge) feels that knowledge can be improved and better understood if we compartmentalize its different aspects like physics, biology, chemistry, medicine – and – then further subdivided into, say, biophysics, biochemistry, nuclear physics, molecular biology, microbiology, genetic engineering and so on and so forth. But these subdivisions have brought us to a point where each branch has become so alienated from the other that a biophysicist understands little of the science of a molecular biologist, or, a heart specialist understands only how to set right a heart problem with practically very little knowledge of how his treatment may affect the kidneys of the patient! The specialist in a particular field today has such minute, specialized and focused knowledge about his field that knowledge of other related fields mostly goes out of focus. In the bargain he/she loses sight of the overall picture. To add to this is the fact that he/she neither has the time not the inclination in to try to see the larger picture.
But in the field of spirituality, they are more concerned about integrating the knowledge of various and diverse fields. They have a holistic view of all fields of knowledge. After all, the truth of one science cannot go against or falsify the truth of another field of knowledge. In fact they not only work towards the betterment /happiness of the individual, but they work towards a goal where the welfare of the individual is such that it is in sync with the welfare of society as a whole – and – this harmonious society not only exists in harmony, but works towards bettering the entire biodiversity!!!! They work with the view that man’s welfare (even if just on a physical level) is guaranteed if the entire society, the entire biodiversity (e.g. the various food chains) and all of Nature work in complete harmony. One cannot have society (or man) growing at the expense of individual interests and vice versa. Thus one finds that a spiritual person may be a doctor, a poet, an environmentalist, a leader in society and so on, - all rolled into one.
This shows that true knowledge unifies rather than divides. Thus from a specific point of view we can say that inspite of the differences at various levels that pollute society today, it is slowly moving towards that unifying goal where barriers of race, language, caste, creed, country, religion etc.,, are breaking down and we are steadily moving towards being global men in a global village!
Dr. Poonam Mehra