Most humans live their lives believing they have some purpose. They assume they must pursue power, fame, prestige, and wealth. In short, they aspire to be praised, treating such praise as the measure of a successful life. However, the ageing process gradually and conclusively dispels such notions.
At the age of 80, with most of life behind me, I now see clearly that many of my past activities—marked by achievements, failures, praise, and humiliation—really amount to nothing. At this stage of life, I am inclined to view them as events without substance and conclude that life is essentially an exercise in passing time.
Some of those who grew up with me are no longer alive. Among those who still are, a few have earned far more wealth than I have, held high positions, and enjoyed social prestige. Yet even they confess to similar feelings—that whatever they have “achieved” in life has ultimately led them nowhere.
Pattinathar, the great Tamil philosopher and poet, pointed out that human life leads nowhere. He famously said, “Even an eyeless needle won’t accompany you on your final journey.”
Humans often think they are different from other creatures—animals, birds, etc.—and assume they are superior because they possess what is termed a “sixth sense.” They presume that animals lack this.
The reality is that while humans may possess a sixth sense, many animals and other creatures have extra-sensory abilities that humans do not. Numerous examples can be cited—sniffer dogs, for instance, can detect specific scents and alert their handlers, a skill far beyond human capability. Crows, too, display remarkable social behaviour, gathering and feeding together as routine, something humans rarely do with such natural cohesion.
Like humans, animals and other creatures live and die within a limited lifespan. Humans may die from ageing, illness, accidents, war, or violence. Animals also perish due to similar reasons. The event of death is no different between humans and other living beings.
Just like humans, animals and other creatures desire to live as long as possible. Death is feared and unwelcome, even though it is natural and inevitable—regardless of whether one is human, animal, or something else.
Neither humans nor animals truly understand the origin of life or what happens after death. While humans have constructed theories and beliefs about the afterlife—hell, heaven, rebirth, fate, and so on—animals may not engage in such thought processes. But does this make a real difference? No one, not even humans, truly knows what life is about with any convincing certainty.
Technologies have advanced spectacularly—test-tube babies, cloned animals, and even robots that can mimic human and animal activity. Artificial intelligence now threatens to rival human intelligence and decision-making.
However, none of these technological advancements have definitively challenged the concept of God—though they may raise questions and uncertainties about traditional beliefs. These developments now threaten to uproot long-standing postulates about the origin and end of life.
Of course, humans have developed technology and infrastructure to an impressive degree over centuries—something animals cannot do. Yet, the final outcome of life remains the same for all.
Just as humans grieve when someone dies, animals too have been observed to mourn the loss of their own. This has been documented repeatedly by attentive observers.
While animals cannot speak like humans, they do react to specific situations, clearly indicating that they too possess thought processes and feelings such as fear, love, and physical desire.
In terms of life itself, the aspirations of humans, animals, and other creatures are largely the same: survival.
Humans compete with one another—over jobs, status, and resources—and engage in war and conflict, resulting in countless deaths. Similarly, animals and other creatures also fight among themselves. Life, for all, is essentially about survival of the fittest.
Animals can be categorised as herbivores (passive) and carnivores (predatory). Similarly, among humans, there are vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Just as wild animals kill and eat weaker animals, non-vegetarian humans kill animals like chickens, goats, pigs, cows, deer, and fish for consumption. What, then, is the real difference?
Ultimately, like animals and other creatures, humans also “go nowhere” after death.
Death is the great equaliser—between humans, and between humans and all other living beings.
When humans die, they are often given a ceremonial send-off. Dead animals do not receive such a “privilege.” But in truth, the dead derive nothing from these rituals. So what is the difference?
Whatever memorials or statues are built for the deceased, they serve only to comfort the living and feed their egos. Do these symbols mean anything to the dead? Certainly not. It is activity in a vacuum.
