Are We Really Superior?

By Priyanka Satarkar

We as humans often consider ourselves superior to animals. We live in the artificial understanding of the world, nature and everything around us. This book speaks about the comparison of human and animal behavior and tries to look into the deeper knowledge of our existence. Most humans are not living any different than the animals. However humans being gifted with the ability to think can distinguish between right and wrong. Inspite of this gift of thinking very few use it completely. This book guides a person towards the real wisdom of how he can make use of his human quality of thinking for his own and the benefit of the world. It provides considerable guidance on the following
- Understanding true self
- Making the most of this life
- Achieving real happiness

• Language: English
• Publisher: Priyanka Satarkar
• Release date: Apr 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311500311

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 Priyanka Satarkar, CA.

Contact details:

Plot No. 15, Sane Guruji Sainik Society,

Sainikwadi, Wadgaonsheri,

Pune 411014

Mobile: [phone]

Email:[e-mail]

Credits

Cover designing by Mr Chintamani Karambelkar

Acknowledgements

This book ‘Are we really superior?’ has been written based on all the years of observation that has been made by me of Humans and also of wild animals. I felt that something is going wrong in our behavior as human beings. Over years I thought deeply about many aspects of our life, how it can be improved in a true sense and not just in the sense of materiality. I tried to assimilate the good things that were a result of these deep thoughts and I found that my life was transformed for good. When I shared these thoughts with others around I found that they too were feeling the same good change that I felt. In fact this change still continues that helps me grow with some deeper and better understanding as a human being. I felt like sharing this to a larger number and hence this writing.

For this journey of transformation I was never alone I felt the highest power, you name it God, Nature or whatever; was always with me and still is. I owe everything to that superpower. Also in my life’s journey I cannot thank my parents enough. My parents Mr Pradyumna Satarkar and Mrs Pradnya Satarkar have dedicated such a huge portion of their life for me and have given me the true understanding of life. Also I want to thank my husband Mr Chintamani Karambelkar who has been supportive for my works and encouraged me to go forth and write this book.

I dedicate my book to nature that is our biggest guide for life and will always look forth to it for guidance.

-Priyanka Satarkar

eMail: [e-mail]

ARE WE REALLY SUPERIOR?

Table of Contents

Chapter One: The Dawn

Chapter Two: The Analysis

Chapter Three: The Comparison

Chapter Four: Reasonability and Balance in Life

Chapter Five: Learning and Accepting Natures Will

Chapter Six: A Broad Understanding and A Correct Perspective of Life

Chapter Seven: Making Life Simple

Chapter One

The Dawn

It was a beautiful morning. After a long season of rains there was a nice bright sun in the sky that day. My pet cat had her regular timely breakfast at eight am sharp and was now basking in the mild morning sunlight in our beautifully designed garden. I was watching her take that soothing, sun bath, which I too was longing to have but which I knew was not possible for me at that moment. Two three days I was not well was down with a bit of fever from which I had just recovered. Though I was not actually ill now, yet I was feeling weak and my body was desperately demanding basking in the sun and then a nice long sleep. It was demanding this for recovering and healing itself quickly. I was aware but not bound to follow since my priority at that moment was different. Being in the tax and legal profession I was continuously surrounded with deadlines. I could not ignore them at this moment in spite of the knowledge of my body demanding the rest. Right now I was behaving just like any other human being setting my work or in other words the money making business on the top priority even above the business of my health.

I somehow got up from the bed where I was trying to grab a quick 10 minutes nap before heading for my office where I being the boss had a lot of responsibilities to fulfill that day. I knew in the corner of my the mind that I could reschedule the appointments for the day, I could have done my pending work after a day of rest, but my brain was going against the demand of my conscious and soul. It was already counting on the cash that I would be earning at the day end and at the same time was bound by fear that I might lose a client due to this untimely cancellation of the appointments. I applied the full force of my will power to drag me out of bed, get ready and get going ahead for work.

While I was getting in my car I could see my pet cat moving out and heading towards the regular round of her territory or you could also say her usual morning walk. A feeling of jealousy ran down my mind. Wow what luck she had! She was doing her normal regular peaceful activities without fail and with so much of happiness and joy. I said to myself Look at me, I slog the whole day working upon deadlines and doing such hard work day in and day out and yet I cannot even give myself rest for a day even when I need it so desperately. Like a normal human being I was blaming all possible things right from my profession, to my clients who don’t give the documents in time. I thought since they do not submit the documents in time I have to slog at the end moments for fulfilling the deadlines. The accounting and tax professional is in demand the whole year round and also makes excellent money. Money that is not just sufficient to give a nice good enough lifestyle but also that can give you extra to fulfill your life’s luxuries. I thought Damn what’s the use of having such a huge house an amazing garden and a peaceful surrounding when I can’t even take the benefits when needed. What is the use of that garden full of flowers and butterflies wandering over them in the morning sunlight that I cannot even sit for some time and watch? What’s the use of that exclusively designed bed with the costly bedcover over it when today I have to just look at it and control my feeling of sleep and drag myself to work in spite of this weak body. I know that I cannot ignore my responsibility towards my work, but this was not responsibility that was dragging me towards work but a sense of insecurity and fear that was doing so. I think this is what we humans often do. We keep dragging ourselves with our will power ignoring the will and need of our body and mind. We do use the perfect sense of understanding and will power that distinguishes us from animals, but in a nonsense way almost ninety percent of the time. In this case I had a better option of rescheduling my appointments and leaving that fear. This could have been attained with the great willpower that I have, but instead that was used to drag me out of bed and head towards office. This will power could have been used for dragging me away from the fear of losing the clients or not doing the work. I know that I am a responsible person and am not staying back for fun. Clients could have understood am sure because it’s quite human to fall ill or take rest after illness.

This incident of going against the real need made me turn inwards. I started thinking over this situation. Such situations are undergone by many of us. We may not want to lose out on a job so we push our limits beyond necessity. We often do not know when it is the right time to say ‘no’ to certain things and actions. Inspite of slogging the whole day in office just to please the demanding boss we may stay longer, in hopes of a promotion which in spite of the work may slip to somebody else. Just nodding to what comes our way may create hassles for our self. Some may not want to deny help to others, but may tend to ignore that the people being helped are taking disadvantage of their goodness and helpful nature. As a daily experience we see fit and healthy people begging and some extending help of their hard earned money to them without a thought that we are making them lazy. Giving money is not going to resolve this situation but will be spoiling it. It’s when we keep pushing our limits and use immense willpower to go against the real requirement. Often it is said that we as human beings have immense potential, we are designed by God in his own image so we too long to be creators, we have huge understanding and have come to this world to use this understanding for the best of our own and for others. We as human beings also think that all animals and creatures in this world are not as great as us. We are a superior species to all around. We often say and try and prove by research that animals do not have the great qualities that we humans have. When these thoughts of observed and read things started flowing, questions started pouring in my mind. What is it that makes us different from these animals? Are we using our true potential? Is nature around trying to teach us something that we are not willing to see, listen or follow? Are we living or just existing? And most importantly I started to think upon this question ‘Are we really superior?’

People in their daily routine often use the names of different animals so as to replace a bad word or to put down a person. Like one may say You’re a donkey. Don’t you act like a monkey. You dog. He is such a cunning fox and so on. If we look at each of this animal it has so many good and different characteristics, but, it’s like; animal means inferior. So if a person is named to be a specific animal immediately the sense is that the man or woman is inferior and it hurts the self respect of the person. It’s never thought of as a sign of appreciation of the human being if named after an animal. Why? Superiority complex is it? What is it about which we have started feeling since ages that all around us are inferior and we humans are superior? Is it the inventions and the so called modernization that has made us feel this way? Is it that humans have great abilities as compared to animals due to which they feel that they being called by the name of an animal is an insult to their talent as a human being? Have we started ignoring that there are so many things to learn from animals or nature? Don’t we understand as common human beings that even the greatest of the inventions have happened by studying nature? Like aeronautical engineering that is used in airplanes is based on the study of birds! Cameras were designed based on varied types of eyes of animals. Kingfisher birds have inspired the design of bullet trains in Japan. Geckos have inspired the designing of Gecko tapes that are a future of surgery. This list may be endless. Not just the gift granted by nature in body structure of animals but also they have inspired many great people on the basis of their abilities and functionality. All great human beings have always bowed before nature and animals and taken inspiration from them. However still it’s common that the name of the animal or like brings an immediate sense of an inferior species. Why so?

This day in my life was a real day of awakening. I felt as if I was now going to walk in from the gateway of this question, pass through the tunnel of reality and at the other end of the tunnel find that I have stepped into the real world or understanding. This was a day of dawn in my life a day unforgettable when my thought process was triggered and which later I realized was something that changed the whole meaning or in other words you could say that brought a true meaning to my life, to my existence in this world.

This day had begun with a pinch to my mind. That was to wake it up. Shake it so that it would wake up from the sleep of darkness of ignorance and bring it towards the truth and understanding.

Chapter Two

The Analysis

My cat was still on my mind in spite of me being at office. My peace of mind was shattered because of her. I felt she was having a more happening life than me. In between the consultancy meetings with my clients my thought process was taking me back home with a purpose to study my cat.

I started analyzing my cat’s behavior. She used to come at certain fixed timings for having food at my house. In between she used to exercise her hunting skills whenever she would get a chance in my garden. Also she would never leave her basic healthy ways like cleaning her fur, basking in the sun, a nice mud bath, her territorial marking, walking or running as exercise etc. You would say now what is so special about this. This is done by every animal. The most special thing was that most of the time was dedicated for her need and at the most for the need of her family. The topmost priority for her was a fit and simple lifestyle. Though she was our pet yet she was never kept inside the home. She was always outside in the garden right from her childhood where she easily nurtured her real skills. The key aspect of her life was to live what she was meant for; no artificiality in any act and a very right perspective towards the acceptance of nature and its will. This is what animals generally do.

On the other side I started looking at the overall mindset and work style of the general human population. From morning to night we are engaged in some or the other activity. Some may be routine, some are unexpected, some that we may plan