Laws of Development: Survival, Growth, Development & Evolution

                                                                September  30, 1999

These four terms are a convenient division of a single process of social existence, just as childhood succeeds infancy and is succeeded by adolescence and adulthood. Man remaining the same physiologically, his social and psychological statuses change. The purpose of the above division is necessitated by the simple fact that rules that apply to one stage do not apply to another stage and if extended become a folly. A baby has to be taken care of entirely by the mother, fed each meal, and washed each time he urinates. This rule cannot be extended after a little while without its becoming funny. In social development societies in different stages are considered just as societies and rules applicable to one are unthinkingly applied to another with absurd results. It is this misapplication that make us think of the above subdivisions. The food we take in goes in as food and exits as excrement. All inside from our mouth onwards is to us inside us, but for the doctor the physical partitions are numerous. That division helps specific treatment by the physician.

                When human society comes into existence, it is somewhat organised in the sense it has adequate food, shelter and protection from human and animal predators. When that much comes into existence, there emerges an organisation to secure food and distribute it as necessary, allot shelter and an alertness to defend the tribe. The defence requires a leader, allotment of shelter is made by the same leader or another in the position of a leader, and food processing is by a self-existing organisation or by some kind of supervision. This much of organisation demands compliance from members and is enforced through the leadership by the collectivity. Obviously the tribe functions by various rules however simple they are. Survival requires the maintenance of these rules. Any serious lapse in them threatens survival. Rules are the same in all four stages, only their expressions vary.

            Survival has two phases. The first is when the community grows one may aim only at survival. Again when the community disintegrates the phenomenon of survival rises. Both are different types, but both are only survival. During the period of growth survival requires higher energy to raise oneself to the new level of organisation. This higher energy is not enough. It must also be at a more organised fashion so that the new demands made of him will be met. While in disintegration, one cannot keep secure what he already has because, a member of the society is protected against his foibles by the social stability. Now that the stability has given way and that support is not there, the member must resort to his own resources to protect himself against his own weakness. It is a formidable task in which very few will emerge successfully.

Socially supported survival. Survival against the society.

Survival in the ascent. Survival in the decay.

Each of the four stages is in all the other three stages. In development, growth and evolution there is a stage of survival. In the stage of survival, there are subdivisions of growth, development and evolution which is also true of all other stages.

Integral in its integrality.

Survival in periods of growth or decay can be described, for our convenience, as positive survival or negative survival. Negative survival consumes several times greater energy than positive survival requires. A child may not require as much energy for growth as a sinking man requires to maintain his own normal functioning. There may be two aspects here. One in quantity of energy required may be less in growth. The other is when energies are sinking to call up enough energy to maintain status quo one needs to work against the steam.

 Positive survival. Negative survival.

Intensity of energy per unit area of action as a co-efficient is the same for survival, growth, development and evolution though as an absolute quantity there is a phenomenal difference. A company's effort to move from 100 to 200 crores is theoretically the same as it required moving from 1000 to 2000 crores. Same means the ratio is the same, not the quantity.

Proportions remain the same throughout.

            The same rule in different stages acts differently in its result or appearance though in essence the rule remains the same.

Appearances change, not essence.

            Opinions, attitudes, understandings, values, and accomplishment vastly differ according to the period. A thorough study reveals the full scope of human nature. Periods change, not nature.

            The truism "Human intelligence has reached its peak when man was born", will be true not only for intelligence, but for all aspects of human capacity. Form contains the contents.

            Satisfaction at any of these stages is full and appears of equal value.

Satisfaction is possible at all levels.

            Collective survival reveals the rules of social behaviour.

Survival is physical.

            Individual survival reveals the aspects of human nature.

Cultural survival. Survival of culture.

            Survival is not only physical but also vital. There is also mental survival and spiritual survival. As physical survival is the base, we speak only of that. Professional survival, academic survival or monetary survival and several others - psychological survival - are conceivable. The truth is, what we here consider as development are the basic rules of existence within this context. The basic rules of existence cover the whole of creation and therefore permit of no inhibition. For our limited purposes, we take one segment of life and
TRY all the rules of creation under its head. Therefore, it gives the appearance of limitation.

In truth, life or any infinitesimal part of it admits of no such limits. The limits we find here are our choice.