"Man Is His Own Worst Enemy." Do You Agree?

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

download word file, 5 pages 0.0

Right from the beginning, Man rules supreme over all other life forms. He establishes himself at the top of the food chain, he goes through painstaking experiments to lit up the darkness that comes at night and through decades of scientific progression he is able to pit himself against the unpredictable weather changes. Thus he is able to place himself parallel to cosmic significance. He then proceeds to defeat the onslaught of diseases and the invisible enemies known to us as bacteria and viruses and conquers geographical hurdles. Man sustains his own survival in ways no other life forms can. The sophisticated ways in which Man maintains his existence remain uncontested by any other life forms. Clearly, humans set themselves apart from the other species because the human body is gifted with impeccable intellectual abilities. At a glance at all the achievements man had single handedly accomplished over the time, one must think what mortal hand or eye could challenge man for his position.

But one may want to think again. No animals would inflict pain on another of their own kind, or even other kinds, for reasons other than self-defence and food. Yet the intelligent Man would. History of mankind illustrates man's propensity to achieve his personal greed and glory at the expanse of another of kind. This aspect of Man remains uncontested too.

I opened my mail box one morning and received a copy of The Economist. The front cover reads "A heart-rending but necessary war". It is rather amazing how man can associate war with the term 'necessary'. The article speaks of the retaliation of United States against the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. After the two great wars that threatened to annihilate the entire tapestry of humanity in the twentieth century, Man still has not...