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Thu, 25 Aug 2011 Feature Article

Do doubts and belief co-exist in animals also?

Do doubts and belief co-exist in animals also?

Can we relate or find any significance to the famous saying of 'we believe our doubts and we doubt our beliefs' in the corporate world? Do animal also gets into the above jigsaw or the paradoxical situation?

What is the real meaning of the above saying? Doubting the possibilities and believing the doubts to be true is the most common mistake many people do in the corporate. Whenever a new project idea or implementation plan is discussed, many people in the corporate would raise the eyebrows and doubts about the possibilities. They tend to doubt the new proposal as how it could be possible and ironically also believe their doubts to be true. But with time, they would dispel their doubts and join the main stream in making the endeavour a grand success.

The debate is not about having doubts on some new idea / concepts / project proposals / implementations, but how long one is going to carry such doubts or continue to live with such doubts. When doubts appear for the sake of validation or verification, it is healthy and if it prevails just as an anxiety over the future course of action, indeed such doubts are the clear signs and symptoms of some mental disorder. In any case, having doubts is fine for some degree, but continuously believing the doubts is very dangerous.

Can we see any best example in nature where some animals do carry doubts and live in their doubts? Certainly rats are the best example for that? When rats move out of its hole, usually they watch very suspiciously around them and move forward. They go forth and quickly return back to their hiding site and at every step they exhibit their fear and doubt.

The rats raise some doubts on the presence of a danger or predator and it is the characteristic feature of many animals. But rats believe in their doubts while moving around. Invariably, they become 'paranoid' due to their doubting system and become an easy prey to their predator. Another interesting phenomenon seen in rats is that they display the behaviour of neophobic or avoiding anything new.

Several scientific studies have proved that any new food substance, however delicious it may be, rats avoid tasting them. Unless and until, some familiarity is established with the new food substance they will not prefer them. It is true whether the food is delicious or how much ever hungry the rats may be.

The co-existence of fear and confidence or belief and doubts only the genesis of all the confusions and problems both in human and animal life.

The message to be learned by the corporate employees is that please do have doubts but do not let your life to be defined by disbeliefs and doubts.

S. Ranganathan, Dr.
S. Ranganathan, Dr., © 2011

Dr.S Ranganathan. More Dr S Ranganathan, Director, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai, India

S. Ranganathan is a scientist with doctoral degree in medical
microbiology. He is an avid reader, thinker, nature & wildlife lover who
works tirelessly to make the world free of superstition, caste and God.
Besides seeing the wonderment of nature through the lens of biology,
also see the management perfection and fundamentals present in every
fauna and flora from its origin, adaptation, behaviour and reproduction.
An ardent follower of UG Krishnamoorthy’s iconoclastic temperaments
and always wants the humanity to free from the burden of past and faith
based concepts and practices. Human thoughts associated with archaic-
ism and obscurantism is the real enemy of human progression, therefore
everyone must evolve mentally than bodily is the fundamental
philosophy he tries to propagate.
Column: S. Ranganathan, Dr.

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