Question

Divide the class into two groups. One group should offer points in favour of (views) and the other against (counterviews) the topic ‘Life of an animal is better than that of a human being.’

Later, use the points to express your own views/counterviews in paragraph format in your notebook.

Hold a healthy discussion on the given topic. Encourage and habituate the students to accept others’ opinion, with respect.

Answer 1

‘Life of an animal is better than that of a human being’

No.	Views	Counterviews
i.	Animals are, by nature, self-sufficient and satisfied creatures	Animals have to lie in wait for their prey and make an effort to obtain their food. Thus, they might be unable to obtain food when they need it, leaving them dissatisfied and irritable.
ii.	No craze for owning things	Due to a lack of ownership, animals have to migrate in uncertainty in search of shelter and food.
iii.	Activities based on instincts only	Hence, unable to comprehend complex emotions such as shame, guilt, and pride.
iv.	Live in the present	Living in the present may be meaningful today. But what about when the animal grows old and can no longer hunt? What about when it is ill and cannot source food for itself?
v.	No politics and cutthroat competitions	They do compete when it comes to needs such as food, territory, etc., as they believe in the rule of the jungle, ‘Might is Right’
vi.	Values to be learnt from them include equality, respect, and harmony.	Along with these values, animals can also be savage and often breed a herd mentality.

Views:

Though the words ‘life of a dog’ used to have a negative implication, it is no longer used as a taunting remark. A dog’s life is far more qualitative than that of a human being. Animals are primarily self-sufficient creatures that live lives of contentment, which are so uncharacteristic of the world of human beings. They live in the moment, and their actions are guided by pure instinct. This is why they live a life free of guilt and sorrow. Unlike human beings, they lack a well-developed intellect, but they possess virtues far above the standards human beings exhibit nowadays. Though they literally depend on each other for their survival, they don’t let their emotions drive them. That’s the secret to a good and well-lived life. There are thousands of species of animals, but they all practise equality, respect and harmony among themselves. We too can learn to adopt these practices in our lives.

Counterviews:

No doubt, animals are loyal and possess several virtues that humans are ideally supposed to have. But there are two sides to the coin. Firstly, only animals know what they go through. They have to lie in wait to get food and take considerable trouble to hunt for their food. At times, their basic needs for food, shelter, and intimacy may not be met, as a result of which they may become irritable and dissatisfied. Yes, they do not give in to the craze of owning things, but as a result, they have to migrate into uncertainty to satisfy their basic needs. Also, they are unable to experience complex emotions such as guilt, shame, and pride. Living in the present is fine, but things will take an ugly turn if the animal grows old or is too sick to source food, shelter, etc. Animals follow the rule of the jungle, which may be severe on other animals there. Along with virtues, animals can be savage and often exhibit herd mentality.