the Thinker

Go back several years down the memory lane, when you did not know how to blog, or to write mails…when you did not even know how to speak. Can you recall those initial years of your lives? When, you were laid in a pram, and through your little eyes you watched and wondered, what those little colourful balls (maybe, balloons) were, tied at the head of your pram.

Now it might be difficult to recall that phase of our lives, but little did we wonder that we ruminated as deeply about things then, as we do now, having gained full consciousness? Most psychiatrists, biologists and doctors claim that babies, (below one year of age) cannot think…or rather do not have the power to do so, on its own.

In fact, I had read in one of my school textbooks, that babies essentially cry for everything they need. That is the only mode of communication they have. The reason why they recognize their mother before anyone else is that most of the time when they cry, their mothers look to their needs.

However, the other day I saw this programme on Discovery channel, which in a way amazed me to a certain extent. Some Researchers and biologists claimed that babies below one year of age are perfectly capable of recognizing different people. Not only that they have the memory to identify a person whom they have seen before.

In order to prove their claim, they showed this baby about 5-6 months in age. Its mother took it to some super market where they met with some old acquaintance of theirs. All of a sudden, the man saw the baby, and made a face to it by sticking out his tongue playfully.

The kid appeared amused and observed carefully when the man did so. Next time when the mother took her baby to the same place and met up with the same acquaintance, this man stuck out his tongue again at the babe.

Surprise! After a short pause, the kid too showed him its tongue, an indicating that it recognizes the man. Apart from this, if I use my personal experience from my childhood, I have often heard my mother saying that "you ate bitter gourd merrily when you were a baby, I do not understand why do you avoid it now?" I guess even in my early formative years, when I did not know that 2 and 2 add up to four, I could clearly differentiate between what I liked and what I disliked eating.

This was definitely not to illustrate how intelligent I was as a baby, but to establish that babies aren't mere dummies and that they can 'think'! I wonder whether this explains why some of them cry when strangers (who at that point could be your uncle, aunt, or someone whom you might not have seen as frequently as your mom or dad) lift them from them from their parents' lap.

I am sure many of you will have different opinions to offer in this respect. Those who are already parents, or parents 'to be,' any revelations?

babies under 12 months can definitely think. I have observed it in my nephew's case. when he needed food, he would crawl to his mom and when he wanted to go out, he would go to his dad. he did a lot more stuff like this.

and it cries when strangers come because of the fear that it will be seperated from its parents.  

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Hey if you are using flickr.com, after you upload the picture click on the picture,on the right hand side you will see a link "see different sizes" under additional information.Click on the that link. You will get the the URL for that picture. Just copy the URL to your post depending on where you want the picture to appear. I just thought this might help cos I see some URL code in your post instead of a picture.  

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As far as babies go I have a very un-scientific belief.I don't remember from where I got this idea but right from when I was quite young I have always believed that babies know the secret of life and after few months their minds just go blank and they become like us.I think there is a movie made on the same subject. I was so shocked to see the movie cos I thought I was the only with such a bizzare idea!
Unfortunately, I don't remember much about my baby days. But I have to agree on remembering people. I remember these neighbours of mine who ragged my sisters(playfully) while I was being carried(I must have been less than year old then) and my sisters dont remember a thing about that.My sisters are about 2 & 4 years older than me.  

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hi saranyan, that's interesting to know - the thing about your nephew. I also believe that babies have some amount of intelligence which becomes visible as they become more pronounced i their actions.

Hi Wookie, thanks a lot for the information.I am using hello bloggerbot for the amount. Does the same thing apply to it. Otherwise I will have to download flicker.

I guess your theory of babies somewhat corresponds to this hindu belief that babies who have not been exposed to the practicallities of this world, are still replicates of the Divine God himself. Therefore they are bestowed with the knowledge of the secrets of life. By ways, what you said also reminds me of the Wordsworth's philosophy about childhood when we are closer to innocence and later when we forget the period of innocence and confront worldly matters.  

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Amrita- I dislike blogger bot. It didn't work well for me. Try Flickr.com.You can just include the URL of your pictures in the post & actually post like how you would normally from blogger.com/home.
Ah! That explains how I would have got that idea.Obviously someone has told me about it when I was young and I dont quite rem that.Nice analogy (Wordsworth's philosophy)  

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Hi wookie, ok now if you are insisting so much i will definitely try flickr. I was somewhat sure that your analogy reminds one of Wordsworth.  

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