Self-Importance
Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow them:
1. It is rather the self-importance of man that he thinks he owns this world. Theories have developed since the very beginning of cultural and religious development on these lines. There is an Adam and Eve. There is an Adam and Hava. There is a Manu having brought life on this planet after pralaya. All religious preceptors have preached that the world is meant for man. They talk of communion between Man and God. But science has exploded such myths. It was not really so that man owned the world in the beginning. Man developed physically to the form as we find him now, over a period of time, at a very late stage. The planet started with micro life. There is a period of millions of years even between the existence of the micro life and the huge dinosaur who owned the world and ruled over it.
 2. But nature has been rather cruel to this animal world for which actually, everything in the world was mean. Nature bestowed man with a developed brain that it did not develop in any other creature. This partiality of nature made him Homo Sapien. It was the only man who could think and plan about his existence and welfare, polluting in the process, the land, space and the seas that nature had made for all. His own creation may one day go against him. But now he owns the world and is the master of all that he surveys. He feels that all the creatures on the earth and even beyond the earth are meant for him.
 3. The ego of ownership has made man the cruellest animal in the world. He builds palatial buildings and big cities on the abodes of small creatures like ants and other burrow dwellers. They are all meant to die for his facilities.
 4. Nature made vegetation that is meant for all living beings. But the man felt that all the animals are meant for him. He killed an elephant for its tusks, deer for its horns, a large number of animals for their hide for shoes, decoration and dresses. He killed musk deer to have the musk from its stomach. He kills a large number of animals for his food. His number is increasing in such a way that he will have no fear, ever of animals, owning the world again.
5. Man justifies his killing of animals by a strange theory. “One living being is the food of another living creature”. Who will remind him of the doomsday after which the animal world would claim back from man their due right and man may then become “meant” for animals!
Word-Meaning: Preceptors—preachers or teachers, Communion—(here) unity, Exploded—busted, Myths—(here) old and unscientific beliefs, Micro—on a small scale, Existence—presence/living, Mean—low, Partiality—favour, Sapien—a kind or species of human being that exists now, Ego—false Burrow dwellers—those animals which live in burrows and holes, Palatial—splendid, Tusks—big teeth of elephants, Hide—skin of dead animals, Justifies—tries to prove it right, Doomsday—the day of justice,
Attempt any eight of the following questions on the basis of the passage you have read.
1. How are all theories of man related to cultural and religious development based on?
2. What have all religious preceptors preached?
3. What has science exploded?
4. When did man develop to the form we find him now?
5. How did the partiality of nature made man ‘Homo Sapien’?
6. What has the ego of ownership made man?
7. What does man feel about animals?
8. How does man justify his killing of animals?
9. Find a word in paragraph 5 which is similar in meaning to word ‘just’.
Answers
1. All theories of man related to cultural and religious development are based on his self-importance.
2. All religious preceptors have preached that the world is meant for man.
3. Science has exploded the myth of communion between God and man. The man didn’t own the world in the beginning.
4. Man developed to the form we find him now after a very long time, at a very late stage.
5. Nature bestowed man with a developed brain not found in other creatures. This partiality of nature made him ‘Homo Sapien’.
6. The ego of ownership has made man the cruellest animal in the world.
7. Man feels that all the animals are meant for him and he has the right to kill them for his food.
8. Man justifies his killing of animals by a strange theory that “One living being is the food of another living creature.”
9. Due.
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