Duty

When did man first kill another man? No sooner than the birth of the human race, which was billions of years ago. When did one man last kill another? Just a second ago, somewhere on this earth. As long as men exist, they will kill each other. Animals kill each other too. Man is, in this way, no different than any other animal. Then how else is man different from other animals?

What will you do when you see in yourself a budding desire to cause harm to another creature? Supress it, and try not to ever have such a black heart again. What will you do when another man approaches to kill you? What should one do? What does an animal do? It either fights or flees. A man may beg for life. He could flee or fight. What does a man who practices non-violence do? He will not fight. He will not beg, because he has his dignity. He has a right to live. Or does he? What would you or I do? I may thank him for ridding me of these bonds of life. But that is not what I truly want, though. A human must show compassion even to his enemy. History teaches us to love even their enemies. Arjuna was told to fight and kill, not because Krishna liked war, but because it was Arjuna's duty to fight. Performing one's own duty is so hard, it was easier for Arjuna to give up fighting, or maybe even give up his life than to kill. Such is the importance of duty. Life is duty. Yet, how many of us realize our own duties?

If you consider it a lion's duty to kill a deer for its own survival, then its a soldier's duty to kill another. Then how is man different from animals? Back to the same question again. Men think and animals don't? Both think. Man is intelligent? How do you define intelligence? Is it consciousness of his surroundings that makes man different? I don't seem to find an answer. Maybe I am thinking too much to find a simple answer.