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MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE
By : M.R.Sethi
This is a proverb
of wisdom. In this proverb, "bread" stands for the physical needs of
man. Man must have bread, that is to say, a certain minimum of
material requirements are necessary for life, and they must be
satisfied. In order to live, man must have food and drink. He must
have proper clothes. And he must also have a shelter over his head
to save him from the ravages of weather. But the fulfillment of such
physical needs is not enough. We find that animals also have all
these needs, and they can live if these basic needs are fulfilled.
If only these needs are to be fulfilled, then there is no difference
between man and animals. Can man also live only by bread, that is
food, as animals do?
Man is entirely different from the animals. Although like them he
has a body and there are certain physical requirements, without
which he cannot live. He must have nourishing food to give him
strength and energy; he must have suitable clothes to protect his
body from the effects of weather, and for the same reason he must
have a house to live in. These are his minimum physical needs, and
he cannot live unless they are satisfied. But he cannot live only by
bread. He is different from the animals as he has a mind and a soul
as well. He also feels certain intellectual, emotional and spiritual
needs, which must be fulfilled, if he is to live really like a human
being.
Though animals have well developed sense organs, yet they have no
mind. On the other hand, man has a mind and requires intellectual
food in addition to his daily bread- Noble and original ideas uplift
him and give him pleasure. The study of good books is essential for
him. He craves aesthetic satisfaction and finds pleasure in art and
literature. Contemplation of beauty gives him joy. With scientists
and philosophers, knowledge becomes a passion, and they cannot live
without their study. There are examples of scientists like the
Curies, who, absorbed in their experiments, often forgot to take
their bread.
Man is a social animal. He cannot live in isolation. He needs the
company of other human beings. Man is an emotional animal also and
he also requires emotional gratification. Love and affection of his
wife and children, of relatives and friends, is as essential for
him, if not more, as his daily bread. If he had no wife and children
who loved him, and whom he could love in return, life would become
unbearable for him, even if he got the most nourishing dishes and a
place to live in. A good sincere friend is also necessary to make
him live properly in this world. Bacon, the famous English writer,
calls those who have no friends, "Cannibals of their own hearts".
Thus Bacon emphasizes the need of a true friend in whom one may
confide and who may share in his joy, and sorrow. A true friend
partakes of the sorrows of his friends and makes them lighter.
Another writer regards man with a loving wife, as- the happiest of
all God's creatures.
Apart from intellectual and emotional heeds, man has spiritual needs
also. He has a soul and for the gratification of his soul, he must
do good and noble deeds. He must lead a virtuous life. He must
follow the voice of his conscience. A wicked, and evil person can
never be spiritually happy. He would ever be dissatisfied with
himself. Self-sacrifice and contentment are necessary for spiritual
development. This is the only way to true happiness.
In conclusion we can say that in order to live spiritually and
truly, man must live nobly. One who lives for bread alone, lives
like an animal and not like a man. To live in the true sense of the
word, a man requires intellectual food and emotional and spiritual
gratification. He does require bread, but he cannot live by bread
alone.
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