Hedonic Hotspots Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

Wanting ever the more than need,
Cornering every craven toy,
Coveting, pandering to greed,
Man's indulged more, less to enjoy,
Chasing false leads more and more,
A while overwhelming desire
Fuels a raging forest fire,
And parched he pans on river shore.

With fewer brain spots of pleasure
Than for fuelling raging fire,
Nature has used an erasure,
Upon a streetcar called desire,
Man darts off to more stations on drive
O than in contentment can arrive.

A clear case of coveting more
Hedonic hotspots in mad chase,
Getting more, enjoying no more,
Oh amidst bountiful man's blasé!

To what spiritual wisdom knew,
Science has now endorsed its view.
____________________________________________
A scientific study shows that wanting and liking are separate spots in brain controlled by different circuits. Only when these urges occur in sync the impact on brain is powerful. But there is a catch. Brain has fewer mechanisms for pleasure than for desire. Hence humans are susceptible to wanting more than they can actually enjoy. Science is now beginning to understand the Indic thought spiritually and philosophically divined long ago, that desires which always frustrate man are not good and should be reduced to feel good. Not wanting too much is the key to happiness. This poem has four stanzas, progressively reducing in size— from eight, to six, to four, to two— the hedonic spots for desire must gradually reduce to match those to enjoy.
_____________________________________________
Happenings | 01.04.07 |