Preface

PREFACE

There is no doubt that KNOWLEDGE is the key if one wants to live a great fulfilling life.

People gain knowledge from various sources; One’s own experiences, through observations, spirituality, religions, science, philosophy, mythology……. the list is endless.

A great deal of my knowledge came from observing animals- especially the social animals from the wild. This will be evident when one reads through this book.

Human beings are the most evolved and the smartest species of all, we seem very much in control but human beings should not ever forget that we too are social animals and have many things in common with social animals like Lions, Chimps, Monkeys and Elephants who inhabit this planet. Social animals are the animals those live in herds, in communities of their own. There is a definite pattern in the way social animals, including us, conduct themselves in their herds/communities.

There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental faculties...The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind.
- Charles Darwin

I urge the readers to read the book out of curiosity and in a lighter vein.

Take it to the beach and enjoy it with the sun and the sand. Lay by a swimming pool and read it between your dips in the pool. Take it to your holidays read it as your dog plays around you. Take it to your weekend rendezvous in the woods. A drink and birds singing/ cat curled up near by/ sound of water running in the background, on an outdoor deck…… is my recommendation though. Basically have fun as you read it. It is a thought provoking subject, understood better if you do not take it very seriously, frankly life itself can not be taken very seriously leave alone a book that talks about some offbeat subject like ‘man-animal connection’.

I remember, I was in the primary school when it all began. It started from my house where I used to spend hours watching insects, small birds and cats. We always had cats in the family. We all loved cats and my entire family always took keen interest in the behavior of cats and compared their actions with the humans. That was the trigger point and my serious, life long relationship with the animals began. It is amazing, what began with small domesticated cats ended up in studying Lions from Africa. And the most surprising part is there is still so much similarity between the cat that lives in your house and the biggest predator on African plains-the Lion.

As I grew up I started reading about and watching more and more wild animals. Their behavior in the wild caught my attention. I like our domesticated animals too but I know that existence of animals in the wild is natural and existence of domesticated animals is controlled by humans and therefore not very natural. For example, all domestic animals depend on human beings for food and security. Relocate them in the wild environment and they will not survive. It is sad. It is we who have turned the wolf into the domestic dog and now the dog is totally dependent on us for survival. It is really not the dog’s fault. Domestic animals are a lovable lot and they are what they are because of our intervention in their natural lives and thankfully that intervention has not happened in the lives of wild animals-not yet. Wild animals are brave fighters, they fight for survival and in the process teach us…..lessons about life. Basically we need to leave the wild animals alone-for their and also our good.

If you study the animal life closely you will realize that there is so much ‘wealth of knowledge’ that can be gained from the animal kingdom. All we need to do is watch and gain, learn and gain, analyze and gain, study and gain.

Knowledge is primarily for sharing. That’s what the wisdom related to knowledge would tell you. The best way you could deal with knowledge is to “Gain it and spread it”.

It is said that there is a small child inside you and comes out in the open many times. He shows his childlike face many times. Similarly, I will say there is an animal inside you and it shows it’s face always.

To understand this book better you should be ready to accept that, MAN IS AN ANIMAL TOO. [Though highly evolved-accepted]

It is best that we acknowledge this instead of feigning ignorance. For many, accepting this fact may not be easy because our superiority complex may not help us accept animals as equals with ease but it is time we shed that complex.

In this book, you will notice that the words ‘Animal’ and ‘Human’ are spelt with capital A and Capital H, this is deliberately done to highlight our keywords.

Some people are uncomfortable with the idea that humans belong to the same class of animals as cats and cows and raccoons. They're like the people who become successful and then don't want to be reminded of the old neighborhood.

Phil Donahue

More as you read further…………….