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Jun 19, 2013, 5:11:36 PM6/19/13
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BROTHERHOOD OF THE UNIVERSAL LIFE
By Hiranmay Karlekar
Op-Ed
The Pioneer
http://www.dailypioneer.com
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Swami Vivekananda had said that even the smallest animal
is the same �as I am, he has the same soul as I have�.
Have we already forgotten his thoughts?
According to recent media reports, a study, published in
the American Journal of Primatology, attributes five
dimensions to chimpanzee personalities with a possible
sixth, methodicalness requiring further investigation. A
look at the full report by Dr Hani Freeman of the Lester
E Fisher Centre for the Study and Conservation of Apes at
Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and her colleagues � Sarah F
Brosnan, Lydia M Hopper, Susan P Lambeth, Steven Schapiro
and Samuel D Gosling � states, �Strong evidence was found
for five of the factors (Reactivity/Undependability,
Dominance, Openness, Extraversion [extroversion], and
Agreeableness). A sixth factor (Methodical) was offered
provisionally until more data are collected.�
According to the study, �Theoretically, knowing the
number and nature of dimensions underlying [the]
chimpanzee personality is needed to understand the
developmental and evolutionary bases of personality
traits in all species. Practically, information.... can
be integrated into management applications for chimpanzee
husbandry (improving welfare and aiding in socialization
management).� While all this has considerable relevance
for scholars and managers of zoos (prisons for animals
which should be abolished), most important for all animal
lovers is the study's reaffirmation that chimpanzees have
personalities. It helps them in their acrimonious
argument with advocates of Speciesism who exclude all
non-human living beings from the morality-based
protection that apply to humans. They believe that
membership of the species Homo sapiens is the criterion
that makes the difference.
Historically, the attribution of a special and superior
status to humans stems from the belief that unlike all
other living beings they alone have reason and emotions.
Aristotle held that animals belonged to the category of
inanimate objects because they lacked reason. St
Augustine said that the commandment �Thou shalt not kill�
did not apply to bushes because they had no sensation,
�nor to unreasoning animals that fly, walk and crawl,
because they are not partners with us in the faculty of
reason.�
Humans are potentially � and often are � rational. But
they are notoriously vulnerable to unreason and, under
the latter's spell, can commit horrendous crimes like
genocide. No animal has ever done that. Besides, if
humans have reason, animals are far superior in their
possession of faculties like smell, hearing and that
intangible thing called sixth sense which alerts them to
coming danger. A multiplicity of authors has shown
animals feel as intensely as humans.
In an interview to Shubhobroto Ghosh (The Telegraph.
January 29, 2007), Jane Goodall, the legendary
primatologist, said, �Spoken language would have enabled
our ancestors to articulate feelings of awe, feelings
that would lead to religious belief, then to organised
worship.� Ghosh further quotes her as saying that humans
are not the only beings to experience awe and mentions
her as citing the instance of �a magnificent waterfall�
at Kakombe valley (Tanzania) where, in her words, �often
the chimpanzees aggregate� and� �exhibit a slow, rhythmic
motion, performing a magnificent dance for more than 10
minutes.� Goodall, he adds, believes the chimpanzees
might be responding to a feeling of awe and that in a
similar fashion discussions among our prehistoric
ancestors might have led to the development of organised
religion.
The study in the American Journal of Primatology
reinforces the proven claim that animals have feelings
and have the right to be protected by the moral code that
applies to humans. Of course, not all religions have
excluded them from it. As Swami Vivekananda said in his
seminal speech on Vedantism in Jaffna in January, 1897,
�In every man and in every animal, however weak or
wicked, great or small, resides the same Omnipresent,
Omniscient soul. The difference is not in the soul, but
in the manifestation. Between me and the smallest animal,
the difference is only in manifestation, but as a
principle he is the same as I am, he is my brother, he
has the same soul as I have. This is the greatest
principle that India has preached. The talk of the
brotherhood of man becomes in India the brotherhood of
universal life, of animals, and of all life down to the
little ants � all these are our bodies.�
But then, how many Indians remember Swamiji, one of their
greatest compatriots?
More at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/oped/brotherhood-of-the-universal-life.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
By Hiranmay Karlekar
Op-Ed
The Pioneer
http://www.dailypioneer.com
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Swami Vivekananda had said that even the smallest animal
is the same �as I am, he has the same soul as I have�.
Have we already forgotten his thoughts?
According to recent media reports, a study, published in
the American Journal of Primatology, attributes five
dimensions to chimpanzee personalities with a possible
sixth, methodicalness requiring further investigation. A
look at the full report by Dr Hani Freeman of the Lester
E Fisher Centre for the Study and Conservation of Apes at
Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and her colleagues � Sarah F
Brosnan, Lydia M Hopper, Susan P Lambeth, Steven Schapiro
and Samuel D Gosling � states, �Strong evidence was found
for five of the factors (Reactivity/Undependability,
Dominance, Openness, Extraversion [extroversion], and
Agreeableness). A sixth factor (Methodical) was offered
provisionally until more data are collected.�
According to the study, �Theoretically, knowing the
number and nature of dimensions underlying [the]
chimpanzee personality is needed to understand the
developmental and evolutionary bases of personality
traits in all species. Practically, information.... can
be integrated into management applications for chimpanzee
husbandry (improving welfare and aiding in socialization
management).� While all this has considerable relevance
for scholars and managers of zoos (prisons for animals
which should be abolished), most important for all animal
lovers is the study's reaffirmation that chimpanzees have
personalities. It helps them in their acrimonious
argument with advocates of Speciesism who exclude all
non-human living beings from the morality-based
protection that apply to humans. They believe that
membership of the species Homo sapiens is the criterion
that makes the difference.
Historically, the attribution of a special and superior
status to humans stems from the belief that unlike all
other living beings they alone have reason and emotions.
Aristotle held that animals belonged to the category of
inanimate objects because they lacked reason. St
Augustine said that the commandment �Thou shalt not kill�
did not apply to bushes because they had no sensation,
�nor to unreasoning animals that fly, walk and crawl,
because they are not partners with us in the faculty of
reason.�
Humans are potentially � and often are � rational. But
they are notoriously vulnerable to unreason and, under
the latter's spell, can commit horrendous crimes like
genocide. No animal has ever done that. Besides, if
humans have reason, animals are far superior in their
possession of faculties like smell, hearing and that
intangible thing called sixth sense which alerts them to
coming danger. A multiplicity of authors has shown
animals feel as intensely as humans.
In an interview to Shubhobroto Ghosh (The Telegraph.
January 29, 2007), Jane Goodall, the legendary
primatologist, said, �Spoken language would have enabled
our ancestors to articulate feelings of awe, feelings
that would lead to religious belief, then to organised
worship.� Ghosh further quotes her as saying that humans
are not the only beings to experience awe and mentions
her as citing the instance of �a magnificent waterfall�
at Kakombe valley (Tanzania) where, in her words, �often
the chimpanzees aggregate� and� �exhibit a slow, rhythmic
motion, performing a magnificent dance for more than 10
minutes.� Goodall, he adds, believes the chimpanzees
might be responding to a feeling of awe and that in a
similar fashion discussions among our prehistoric
ancestors might have led to the development of organised
religion.
The study in the American Journal of Primatology
reinforces the proven claim that animals have feelings
and have the right to be protected by the moral code that
applies to humans. Of course, not all religions have
excluded them from it. As Swami Vivekananda said in his
seminal speech on Vedantism in Jaffna in January, 1897,
�In every man and in every animal, however weak or
wicked, great or small, resides the same Omnipresent,
Omniscient soul. The difference is not in the soul, but
in the manifestation. Between me and the smallest animal,
the difference is only in manifestation, but as a
principle he is the same as I am, he is my brother, he
has the same soul as I have. This is the greatest
principle that India has preached. The talk of the
brotherhood of man becomes in India the brotherhood of
universal life, of animals, and of all life down to the
little ants � all these are our bodies.�
But then, how many Indians remember Swamiji, one of their
greatest compatriots?
More at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/oped/brotherhood-of-the-universal-life.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
o o o
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used
for the educational purposes of research and open
discussion. The contents of this post may not have been
authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the poster. The contents are protected by copyright
law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely
not be read, considered or answered if it does not
contain your full legal name, current e-mail and postal
addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views
expressed by others are not necessarily those of the
poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted
material the use of which may or may not have been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This
material is being made available in efforts to advance
the understanding of environmental, political, human
rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social, and
cultural, etc., issues. It is believed that this
constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the
material on this site is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
the included information for research, comment,
discussion and educational purposes by subscribing to
USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more
information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article
for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed by forgery by one
or more net terrorists, this post may be reposted several
times.
hari
Jun 19, 2013, 6:29:56 PM6/19/13
to
"Swami Vivekananda had said that even the smallest animal is the same as I
Did he embrace in full equality the dalit and tribals? Did he embrace them
as his "brothers" and did he make them an active partof his life? Did he
have them in his home and he in their's? Did he dine with them? Would he
have agreed in all respects to the marraige of family members to them?
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