Yuval's Sapiens serves a severe blow on the arrogance of humans

Yesterday I came across two news which really made me feel sad. The first one is a video showing a small kid who was infected by Corona, was carrying his belongings in a small bag, and was reaching out to the Corona ward. He could not carry the bag but still was using all his strength and was walking towards the ward directed by the health personnel. I am not sure whether Coronavirus is an intended bio war but if that is the truth then I would say humans are no more civilized but engulfed with the thirst of domination over others.

When we elders are so frightened to go outside because of this fear and every day witnessing people flying back to their homes by any available means just to escape loneliness more than the fear over the virus, what will be the mental situation of that kid who is to be quarantined away from his mother and family. The panic is worse than the virus and the mental trauma he is going to suffer now will be throughout his life. Who is going to take responsibility?

The next news is about a poor elephant which in search of food entered the roads of Malappuram village of Kerala was fed firecrackers stuffed pineapple by some of the local residents. Seriously? How cruel one should be to even imagine such a mean act. The forest officials who were set out for its rescue later informed that she was pregnant and more importantly she did not harm anyone. As the firecracker exploded its trunk and mouth got severely injured and the poor soul ran to the nearby river to get relieved from the burn but within hours she was no more.

On seeing such news I remember the book “Sapiens” authored by Yuval Noah Harari where he has clearly stated that Homo sapiens who eventually came to be known as humans are just an extended form of the apes and nothing more special. He smashes all pride we tend to hold as humans for having sixth sense because we use it for destruction more than for development. He quotes even before the early human has grounded his feet for settlement, he has already destroyed over fifty percent of flora and fauna. 

Sapiens was one step ahead in communication which led to the development of the power of imagination which in the future resulted in revolutions like scientific, communication, and cultural, etc. The same power which was misunderstood to be the thinking power and knowledge led to the search of domination over other people. Europeans acquired naval power and started sailing in search of new markets for their products which resulted in the industrial revolution eventually developed the desire to rule the world.

Yuval also quotes that these Europeans who migrated to the American continent vandalized the existing civilizations like Inca, Maya, etc. The system of slavery saw its rise here. These Europeans who were vulnerable to tropical diseases enslaved Africans and Asians who were naturally immune to such diseases, to work in their plantation areas. In the name of scientific development, sapiens produced destructive elements like explosive chemicals and later deadly nuclear bombs and so on leading to the consequent world wars I and II. 

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki incident is the worst example of misuse of the knowledge humans acquired. The after-effects are still found among the people of Japan. But still, humans are not learning their lessons. Be it macroscopic where countries are focussing on dominating other countries to become the superpower keeping aside all human ethics and in the microscopic area where the individuals are losing out all humanity and indulging in shameful acts. 

Yuval’s “Sapiens” tears the fake mask of humans who claims credits of having values and principles in life quoting that humans are an extended form of apes and things like affection, love, religion, society, values, kindness, etc are mere over-imagination of humans because such things do not exist in reality. As we complete the book we will definitely feel unbonded with the worldly things and memories, persons, things, etc to which we were so attached will seem to be nothing anymore. Our day-to-day struggle for money, power, caste, race, religion, etc are really meaningless and only one thing is real that is the survival of the fittest concept of Darwin.


I know for sure that humans will never realize this reality or will never accept but one thing should not be forgotten that nature is always ahead of us and we are just a speck of dust in the universe. As once former US President George Bush said that we need not do anything to save nature because nature will set right itself. That is true but when nature decides to do so then the destruction the humankind going to face will be beyond imagination and deadly to the core.


Disclaimer: Pictures are used only for reference. I do not own the copyrights.