Living A Comfortable Life: An Animal Or A Common Man?

It's a common notion that human beings are better off when compared to animals. We're  stigmatized ourselves in many ways. We're cruel. We're heartless. We're unkind. And so on. How many human beings are so? Majority or minority? Are our lives better than those of factory or wild animals? Let's see who're better. There's no doubt that human beings can do what other animals can't. But the common man can't get what the factory or wild animals can get!

It's said that human beings  have superb cognitive sense and consequently superb abilities like speech,  education,  training,  skill development, professionalism, innovations and inventions. Could all these be possible without a body and its master - the brain? No, never. As much as the mind power develops that much work is supposed to be generated. As much as the work is expected that much care and maintenance are required! We're  so highly educated and sane personalities that we know the values and requirements of various things around us. But unfortunately we don't  have the least consciousness about ourselves. It may look strange. But it's true! In the glare and speed of development we've lost our senses. Just like other animals, gadgets and machines we also need comfortable environment, wholesome nourishment and  regular maintenance. Have we ever thought of this? Unless our bio-machines are kept physically fit and internally intact how could anyone expect a perpetual and potential power for meaningful development or prosperity?

Just like factory animals and birds we need Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) and  like that of wild animals and birds we need Outdoor Environment Quality (OEQ). Owing to fast track development we can expect the least with respect to  IEQ or OEQ. Then what about IEQ? IEQ comprises of air ventilation, lighting,  temperature and humidity. What about indoor air quality? There's a lot of trapping space for  poisonous gases, dust particles, bacteria and fungal spores either generated indoors or outdoors. So a number of degenerative  diseases and artificial  deaths are there to haunt the occupants. Then what about indoor temperature? A temperature range of  20-25 °C  with a relative humidity of 25-60% is said to be comfortable for the warm blooded human being, or else have to face chilled winters or hot and sticky summers. Could we dare to expect comforts in our concrete dwellings without energy and money? It's a question for majority of human beings. Off course posh people have many answers to solve this! Is there any association or union to fight for our comforts? But innumerable organizations are there to fight for material wealth! What's the secret behind pulling humans out of their comfortable natural environments to stuff into congested residential units?  That too when comforts are not available free of cost. Wild animals enjoy comforts in their wilderness. More than that factory animals enjoy superbly in their precisely planned and professionally built artificial set ups. But the only fool who has been left behind is the common man!

Let's study the Outdoor Environment Quality (OEQ). In the modern world soil and trees are thought to be hurdles for development. Instead, lengthy bitumen or concrete roads, tall concrete skyscrapers and teaming metallic vehicles are there to radiate heat, generate pollutants and release dust particles into our outdoors.  What else we need to celebrate the days of the unbridled development? That's what the index or a measure of our development. Don't let even a drop of water to seep into the ground or a bird to roost on a tree. That's the attitude of many! That's why ground surfaces are plastered and  trees are sawed down. It seems that our houses are treasury offices to stock materials rather than as living spaces for humanity to survive. Naturally octogenarians have to find out old aged homes as there's no sufficient space even for furniture at home.

Leave the comfortable living aside.  Don't even  dream of it! Days have gone out of our hands. Could we get at least some potable water to drink or unadulterated food to eat without money or energy? Isn't it the result of our deeds? Where are our cooling soils and shading trees? Where's the space and time to grow kitchen gardens and fruit orchards? Where's the value for soil,  but for land? Where's the value for trees, but for concrete cover? Questions are many. But no time to think the answers!  Aren't the factory animals living a better life in their airconditioned chambers than the common man? Aren't the wild animals in their cool and shady environments? Who's living a comfortable life? An animal or a common man?

Could Animal Activists Rescue the Modern Ape Too?

As a child I was very much fond of watching animals and birds. I was one of the first visitors to any circus that happened to have shows at my place.  I used to  visit  zoos too. It's pity that I wasn't  educated enough or matured enough at that age to perceive the agony of those animals which were entertaining me.  Yes, off course that's true! I couldn't notice that the poor creatures, which were supposed to entertain me, were being chained, shackled,  tethered or cramped in artificial cages. Did they have enough space to roam about?. No, they weren't  getting favourable environment and enough space as much as what they get in their natural habitats. It's being told that these animals were accommodated in spaces that's 18,000 times less than what they could have been in their wilderness! They weren't on their own choice of food, movements and mates too. Anyhow a day of enlightenment came to me. My biology teacher and animal lover narrated the bad fate of those animals. I'm very thankful to him for changing my attitude towards the artificial confinements.

My mind was still reminiscent of bellowing of deer, roaring of big cats, trumpeting of elephants, and chirping of birds.  Thanks to animal activists who have changed the conditions of captive animals.  Now we can watch the animals at their comfort  in spacious enclosures. Safari parks and zoological parks are there to replicate their natural habitats. It's great that some human beings have become humane towards wild animals! In the modern parks the animals ate provided with sufficient space, grass lands and tree canopies to make them healthy and stress free.

One day when I was watching the human like behaviour of chimpanzees,  gorillas and orang utans at a zoo park,  a little girl who was standing beside me,  muttered, "These apes are better than us to play, roam around and enjoy lives in natural surroundings". That's true. When cool breeze, grass lands and tree canopies are must for animals then what about this another biological creature, the man.

Let's hope one day the animal activists would turn their focus from animals to  "the modern ape", whose condition is severe than that of the zoo animals. Are our living factors not akin to those of zoo park animals? Lions and tigers in the circus are driven out from their cages into temporarily raised tunnels, and then into high enclosures to display to the spectators. Can we deny the fact that our living factors are also a little bit similar to theirs? We too are confined to concrete buildings, metallic vehicles and concrete offices or schools. No natural habitats to live. No fresh air to breathe. No cool shade of trees to sit under. At least for a part of the day! Every thing is artificial. There has been incessant efforts to dump a lot of cement, glass, burnt clay, marble tiles, plastic, steel and other metals around us to raise the temperature of development. Don't we need sufficient natural space for gaining natural immunity, health and vigour?  Could we expect changes in the human world  at least for the future generation? But be optimistic!   Animal activists are there. One day they will rescue this modern ape too,  from the perils of the intolerable concrete enclosures!