The Hierarchy of Life: Part 2

In my previous article, The Hierarchy of Life!, I have talked about how development of human faculties take place in a defined hierarchy or sequence. Readers are advised not to read further if they have not read Part 1 since reading this without background may mislead the entire perceptions of the reader.

Having defined the sequence as Physical >> Emotional >> Intellectual >> Spiritual we will in this article, establish a relationship between 2 faculties on one hand and the other 2 on the other hand. What we trying to establish is a subtle and abstract correlation which can be seen only upon close observation of any individual from a behavioral psychology perspective. To make the relation more friendly, I have attempted to club the 2 faculties under one name and same way for the other 2 faculties.

The 2 groups are categorized here as Phases:

1. Primary Phase: Consists of a combination of Physical and Intellectual Faculty (1&3)
2. Secondary Phase: Consists of a combination of Emotional and Spiritual Faculty (2&4)

A physical faculty may be near to the emotional one but does it actually go in sync with the same?

The above categorization may for obvious reasons be criticized for it being a hypothetical one and it being a mere theory will always be subject to modifications but having observed the human behavior closely, this is the best combination I could think of while trying to understand the phase(s) through which people may pass through. Another question which one may have is that after stage 1 (Physical Faculty), it is stage 2 (Emotional Faculty) that evolves but when we club 2 Faculties as one Phase, we are actually clubbing Stage 1 with 3 and not with 2. The answer to this doubt lies in the basis of clubbing which does not lie in mere proximity of one stage with another in hierarchy but with the attributes it actually bring in, in a human being. We have to understand the very basic essence, the elixir of human mind in totality to understand how the clubbing and compatibility of 2 different faculties work. A physical faculty may be near to the emotional one but does it actually go in sync with the same?

How recessive genes emerge in second generation and not in first generation.

On the other hand if we observe one personality closely, we find that the ability to go back in the hierarchy and recognize the attributes of that particular faculty lies not with the faculty just above the previous one but in the one which comes after that. That's exactly the amount of maturity required to get fully compatible with the lower faculty. Thus stage 3 is always more compatible with stage 1 and stage 4 is always more compatible with stage 2. Just like how recessive genes emerge in second generation and not in first generation.

The person going through a particular stage in hierarchy does not imply the absence of the other 3 stages.

Since by this time we have strictly compartmentalized the 4 distinct faculties again and again, I consider it extremely important to reiterate one of the basic assumptions around faculties from my previous article here: The person going through a particular stage in hierarchy does not imply the absence of the other 3 stages. Since we are talking about human behavior, we cannot take the segregation in strict sense and follow water tight compartmentalization, we have to understand here that all faculties may be present in some amount but only 1 will be dominant at a particular stage of time and this is the stage we consider the person to be going through. Throughout our understanding of the 4 faculties we should keep in mind, not to digress from the basic assumptions around the 4 faculties, laid down in part 1 of this article.

She is exploring the physical faculty at stage 1 of the hierarchy of life.

Having established the theoretical aspect of the human faculty here a little further as against the one laid down in the previous article let us now see the practical applicability for the same in the below story:

Suppose a child named Harshita is born in a small town of India. She learns to walk, laugh, cry, run, crawl, sleep like any other child. She is exploring the physical faculty at stage 1 of the hierarchy of life.

She develops more complex emotions and moves to stage 2 from 1 where emotional dominance supersedes physical dominance.

As times progress, she develops more complex emotions and moves to stage 2 from 1 where emotional dominance supersedes physical dominance. At this stage she is mentally fragile, vulnerable to teachers, parents, siblings, friends and anyone who may easily enter her mental and physical territory owing to her emotional fragility.

She is less fascinated by Shelleyan romance, abstractions of story book fairies and superficial fantasies and more drawn towards, financial figures, goals, objectives and deadlines.

This teenage is further going through a transition phase when Harshita completes her under graduation in laws and gets placed with a law firm. A lawyer by profession, Harshita is often confronted with scenarios of ethical, circumstantial and emotional dilemma and learning everyday. These experiences slowly develop the third faculty in her i.e. the intellectual faculty. She is less fascinated by Shelleyan romance, abstractions of story book fairies and superficial fantasies and more drawn towards, financial figures, goals, objectives and deadlines.

She has already been through the emotions of her life and being at a stage where mind dominates the heart, she has little scope for the emotional complexities which were once there in teenage.

This is the stage where life becomes a matter of discipline for Harshita and all she wants is to excel in it. She has already been through the emotions of her life and being at a stage where mind dominates the heart, she has little scope for the emotional complexities which were once there in teenage. This stage 3 of harshita makes her compatible with stage 1 (Physical) and not stage 2 (Emotional). Her physical needs are the next important need of her life after her dominant needs of mental/professional/intellectual success. This attribute is the basis of our clubbing with stage 1 & stage 3. As times progress, Harshita finds a partner (not one with whom she falls in love with but the one who is compatible with her) and starts living with him. Both do good in professional and personal life and the time comes when Harshita sits back to introspect, all that she achieved, as a daughter, student, lawyer, professional, guardian.

Her quest for physical, emotional and intellectual seeking seems accomplished however she looks for something else.

Her quest for physical, emotional and intellectual seeking seems accomplished however she looks for something else. This is where the spiritual faculty (4th and last) comes into picture. Harshita is more moved towards belief in the unknown. she once again starts believing in miracles (like a teenager at stage 2) She often deviates from her frame of logic. Now that she has entered stage 4, she finds herself more emotional, like what she used to be when she was a teenager. By this attribute, we now find her at stage 4 but more compatible with one at stage 2 and not 3. At stage 4, she becomes more emotionally intelligent, subtle, accommodating and patient. A teenager would love spending time with her as compared to the junior lawyers working in her law firm (still at stage 3, hence not so compatible with teenagers at stage 2)

Harshita has achieved everything by now and this is the point where she realizes she has achieved nothing and hence her seeking continues.

Harshita has achieved everything by now and this is the point where she realizes she has achieved nothing and hence her seeking continues. This germinates the spiritual faculty in her further, since spirituality is a never ending faculty. It is the hallmark of the seeker who remains a seeker for the rest of their lives. What was the age of Harshita at this point is for the reader to understand from their own faculties. What happened to Harshita next is also feasible to be left upon to the readers to decide.

Having talked inter faculty perspective within an individual here, in my next article, I will be talking about inter human compatibility of individuals from faculty perspective.

P.S. The story and name is fictional and a pure figment of the writer's imagination. It bears no resemblance to any individual whatsoever and any such resemblance will be merely coincidental. The thoughts expressed are original to the author's mind and not intended to be imposed upon anyone.

Natansh Dubey ©