Popular Posts

Showing posts with label scientists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scientists. Show all posts

Do Plants Have Sensitivity? A Pumpkin Mourned a Death and Similar Other Incidents Says YES




(An Open Blog to Share Your Views and Suggestions)

This knol is about some unbelievable incidents happened few years back. This knol is also a call for an open discussion on this subject. Do plants have feelings? I believe that the community of knol writers here can bring in some solution or answer to these questions.


Here below I am giving an incident happened in my life few years back and still the vivid memory is haunting in my mind. This is an open platform to air your views on this issue.



Few years back when I published this incident in a local daily and many responded to it but I could not find a solid explanation to this incident. One of the readers’ response was more surprising. A similar chain of incidents happened in his life that too is given below. Reading together these incidents I hope and believe that our scientific community here at knol can bring in some answer to it. Is it a mere coincidence happened at that time? Or any scientific theory involved in it? Will someone from the scientific community have any answer to such incidents? I hereby invite my fellow knol writers as well as the browsers to co-author this knol.



Incident Number one:

A Pumpkin Mourned a death.
The mother of a friend of mine, (lovingly I call her ‘Chittamma’—mother's younger sister) had planted a pumpkin creeper near their ancestral house compound at Valanjavattom near Thiruvalla (Kerala) that had a portion with thatched roof. Apart from this creeper many other plants and trees were growing in the same compound. Chittamma is the one who lovingly take care of these plants and other small trees.

Every time, especially when the annual vacation or other holidays come, we all gather together and play cricket and other games in their vast compound. In such occasions I used to noticed her special care and love towards the plants and trees growing in the compound. A pumpkin creeper had spread all over the roofing. A fairly big pumpkin most ripened. Her husband suggested many times to her to cut it down for use, but she, for no apparent reason, always avoided it and used to change the topic by saying that there was no hurry and that it would be taken down when some special occasion arose. She thus allowed it to remain where it was and since the family was not interested in cutting it down they almost forgot about it.

Days passed by Chittamma fell sick and died. It so happened that while we were all assembled near her death-bed-sad and morose-that pumpkin, in full view of her, broke itself off the creeper and rolled down from the thatched roof on to the ground below. The fall almost to the minute coincided with her death. Later, this pumpkin was used for her own post death ceremonies on the suggestion of my friend's father who felt that probably the pumpkin was being kept her for this very special occasion. Chittamma's death and the coincided death of the pumpkin still remain as a mystery to me.


Incident Number Two:
These incidents happened few years back. Let me put it in his own words: “We were living in the village in Bhagatpur district of Bihar State. My father, grand father and uncle planted a mango sapling, a guava sapling and an apple sapling respectively in our family courtyard. Other trees and plants were also growing in the same compound. They have given all necessary care to grow these plants; my mother also actively helped them in watering these plants. It grows well and started giving fruits.

Few years later my grandfather went to Varanasi in connection with our family business. In the year 1957 he expired at Varanasi, the same week the guava plant he planted in the village dried up. This is not an isolated incident. In the year 1960 my father also went to Varanasi. The day he departed the village in Bihar the mango tree he planted started withering and in few days time it completely got dried up. Few years later my uncle also died at Varanasi, and the apple plant he planted in the village also died in the same week”.

These incidents may be amazing and unbelievable one to many of you. But there is no doubt some mystery behind the death of these plants and trees.

This type of strange reactions of plants and trees need a little rethinking. May be they are also capable of sorrow and happiness. Sometimes science may not recognize this as facts. There are many references in literature that plants too have feelings. But this is not convincing as poets and writers have a world of their own, where birds and animals' talk and smile etc. The incident which I witnessed may not be enough for a scientific theory. But I firmly believe that many such instances and their statistical analysis might yield some positive results.

At the same time it is more difficult to arrive at a scientific conclusion if our observations are added with emotions and presumptions are drawn with a biased mind.

It would not be out of place to say that plants are at a very low level of consciousness when compared to animals. Pain, pleasure, longing, love, hatred, kindness, contentment and sympathy are the feelings of higher forms of life. Association of higher feelings with a lower level of consciousness sometimes may not appear convincing.




Source:
Associated.com
Flickr.com
knol.google.com
Pumpkin Plant Picture credit: Flickr.com/dvorak319
An Apple Tree. Picture Credit: flickr.com/donsutherland1
A mango tree under the setting sun. Credit: flickr/le faju



Please Don’t Blame Christianity for Everything. A Christian Perspective On Christianity and Its Significance

Share



These days Christians and Christianity is blamed by many for each and every untoward incidents happening around the world. A Christian writer's view on the issue...

These days Christianity is blamed by many for each and every untoward incidents happening around the world. The attacks against Indian students in Australia are one such incident in the recent past. The Australian incident is not a singled out incident instead such things are happening around the world. Even our country (India) is not an exception to this. Many world leaders condemned the Australian incident and stamped it as few perverted minds handiworks.

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, the Nobel Laureate said in a statement, “ The attacks on Indian students in Australia as 'disappointing', it would be wrong to blame the entire nation for the acts of a few people.. "The attacks on Indian students is disappointing but only a handful of people were behind it," Yahoo.com/PTI reported..

But unfortunately few so called intellects’ reactions were very disgusting, that they were blaming Christianity for such happenings. Some statement and reactions made us to be a laughing stock among the world community. A popular film personality loutishly rejected an Australian university degree conferred to him. It’s really sad to note that the so called matured and intellects sometimes acts like children when they get irritated on some issue and throw away the things all around. These types of childish reactions will not take us anywhere.

Blaming Christianity for everything is not a good trend and it cannot be tolerable. Just look at the people who make such allegations against Christianity, they struggle each other and form queue in front of Christian institutions for their children’s admission, and they prefer to admit their sick in a hospital run by Christians. In short they depend on Christians and their inventions in their daily life.

A close look at the history of Christianity will reveal the wonders it has done throughout the centuries. Just take the case of any modern developments in this world, it will tell the amazing story of the influence or role played by Christians or Christianity.

As we all know that America and some European countries are on top of the modern developmental activities among all nations. This is an undeniable fact. Just go back to the history of America and these European countries just before Christianity entered in these countries. It will definitely be a shocking fact that they were aggressive in nature and were leading an uncultured and brutal life like the people dwelling in forests.

It is amazing to note the tremendous changes happened in their life after Christianity entered in these countries. It is difficult to compare their past life and the present life as such a change has taken place in their life after accepting and following Christ and His teachings. Nobody can say that it is just because of the development of science. If someone thinks that way just look into the life of such scientists. They were all followers and believers of Jesus Christ and were Christians..

Let me list out few of the prominent names of such Christian scientists who contributed their life and blood for the betterment of the society. Let this be a reminder to my friends who are blames Christians and Christianity.

Benjamin Franklin the scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer and publisher, a philosopher, a musician, and an economist. Who invented an efficient heating stove and proved that lightning is electricity was a Christian believer.

Galileo the astronomer, physicist, mathematician, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. The father of modern observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, the "father of science”, and "the Father of Modern Science was a Christian.
Sir Isaac Newton a mathematician and physicist, one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time who discovered how the universe is held together through his theory of gravitation, he also discovered the secrets of light and color.

Louis Pasteur a chemist and biologist who proved the germ theory of disease and invented the process of pasteurization.

Devi Humphrey, the inventor of potassium and Davis Lamb.

Michael Faraday the discoverer of electro-magnetic induction, electro-magnetic rotations, the magneto-optical effect, diamagnetism, field theory

James watt the inventor of steam engine.

Henry Cavendish, the scientist noted for his discovery of hydrogen. He described the density of hydrogen. Cavendish is also known for the Cavendish experiment, his measurement of the Earth's density, and early research into electricity are well known.

William Murdock the inventor of gas lighting termed as gasometer he also made a number of discoveries in the field of chemistry.

Thomas Alva Edison the inventor of Phonograph, Light bulb - Motion Pictures.
Guglielmo Marconi the Nobel Prize winner in physic and the inventor of Radio.
Paul Vernier the mathematician who described the vernier caliper measuring scal, Samuel F B Mayors the founder of telegraphic system.George Stevenson the inventor of rail engine.
Mason the inventor of mason’s hygrometer (for determining the relative humidity).

Anders Celsius and Astronomer the inventor of centigrade Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit the physicist, who invented the alcohol thermometer, and the mercury thermometer he also introduced the temperature scale that bears his name - Fahrenheit Scale.

Alfred Nobel the inventor of dynamite founder of the Nobel prizes which are awarded each year to people, irrespective of nationality who made valuable contributions to the good of humanit.
John Guttenberg the inventor of printing machine, Richard the inventor of the modern spinning machine,Dr. Simpson the inventor of chloroform, Famous philosopher Lord Francis Bacon, Father of modern chemistry Boyle, Founder of Neptune Prof. Adams, Famous geological scientist Adam Sedgwick, Dalton, the inventor of atomic theory, Young, the inventor of theory of light,Lord Kelvin the famous scientist,Sir George Stocks known as the modern Newton and the five times Chairman of the fellow of Royal Society, Wilberforce, who stopped the slave system, John Howard, reformer of the jail system, World famous poets, Pope, Tennyson, Milton, Wordsworth,
William Shakespeare the famous writer, The brave and famous fighters like Napoleon, Nelson, Duke of Wellington,
The great philosophers like Beacons Field, Gladstone, Kitchener, Lloyd George, Balfer,
Famous numerologists’ like John Heraclius, Laibinites, Pascal,
Christopher Columbus the discoverer of America,
Cook and maghalen the adventurous people, who traveled around the world in a ship, the famous sculpture and artist Michelangelo, the list goes on, there is no end to this list. These famous scientists and philosophers are believers of Christian faith.

In fact these scientist’s discoveries and inventions are so useful for the modern man is an undisputed fact. The amazing thing is that a Christian’s brain is worked behind all these inventions and creations.

The one who blame Christianity should check these facts and stop blaming Christians for everything. The clothes they wear, the pen they use, the vehicle they travel, the technical instruments they use, the computer they use, the postal system a discovery of a European Christian all such things needed badly for their daily use. Even Mahatma Gandhi who discarded the foreign clothes needed a vehicle invented by a European for his travel and he used a printing machine founded by yet another European, and again he used a timepiece invented by a foreigner. These and many other things for the daily use all are created or invented by the Christians or let me put it this way, “Take the case of any invention a Christian’s brain is worked behind. No doubt even to the people of India’s developments Christians and Christianity played a vital role. Ruling or administration of a nation, war diplomacy, education, business, artifacts, dressing or dress design, and countless other areas we the Indians are now following the pattern of our western counterparts.


The fact is that a majority of Indians are rejected our traditional Indian culture and customs and now following the developing nations like Europe, America and other Christian nations.

The Christian missionaries gifts to our educational and health system is amazing. This is yet another undisputed fact; no doubt we the Indians are indebted to the English speaking countries for the present developments in India.. Just have a look at our history books that itself, will speak volumes about our previous culture, systems, habits and traditions. And then just look at our present status this is only because of those nations influence upon us.

The interesting and shameful fact is that the people who have an enmity towards Christians and Christianity need their governments’ jobs and their university degrees and their inventions like airplane, motor transport, the postal system, the internet facilities and many other systems invented by them.


In short we the Indians are very much indebted to our western nations for the present juncture.

Before the westerners arrived India what was our condition? No doubt it was in a haphazard and chaotic condition. Our women flocks were like slaves and were fully under the control of men and they were not even allowed to go out from the four walls of the kitchen. Wives can’t stand or come before the husbands they must be away from all activities of the family in fact they were treated like slaves. They have no voice of their own and polygamy marriage system was prevalent. A historian recorded about a person who married 50 women. And one woman can have five or more husbands. There was yet another system of women staying in temples and doing all sorts of menial job for the men. This is known as Devadasi system, it was very common especially in villages. There was another kind of brutal treatment towards women, the ‘Sati System’, living wives are burned along with the dead bodies of their husbands or throwing the woman in the pyre of the husband. Another practice was throwing little children to the river Ganges as an offering to the mother river Ganges. The ill treatment and negligence towards the blind, orphans, lepers were a common thing. There was no mental hospitals, cruel punishment according to the tradition, fighting between small kings were common, the pathetic condition of the jails, no religious freedom, petty quarreling among leaders and neighboring states, corruption, unscientific cultivation, undeveloped educational system all these were the condition of our ancient India before the arrival of westerners. But after their arrival the conditions tremendously changed and their ruling paved a basic way to the present improved or developed system.

For these tremendous changes and developments are we not indebted to the westerners? No sensible person can deny these facts. Yes we are in every way fully indebted to our western counterparts for our present stage.

The people who blame Christians and Christianity should make note these facts and stop blaming Christians and their culture. Many today just ignore these facts and just blame it on Christianity and Christians for every unfortunate things happening around the world, especially when some untoward things happens in western countries.

How nice it would have been the people who blame Christianity and Christians make note of this.

May God help them to understand the real truth and stop blaming Christ's followers and Christianity.




Source:

Sathiaprakashini, By Mahakavi K V Simion

Keralacharitham

Indian history

p v ariel knol.com
associatedcontent.com 

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yahoo.com/Press Trust of India
Pic. Credit: sxc.hu


Share