[Points: Early man helpless—lord of creation through know ledge—conquered even forces of nature—abuse—reaction.]
Man was at first almost like an animal. His power then rested only on physical strength. But in this respect he was no match for many beasts. So he had to live in constant fear of them. In course of time came knowledge, and it gave him the power to get mastery over the entire animal kingdom. He invented weapons with which he not only scared away beasts but even killed them. He learnt how to hunt beasts like the deer and the hare which can run very much faster than he. He also learnt to use the swift-footed horse for his own purpose. As knowledge increased, his power also increased until he became the lord of creation.
Knowledge has also enabled man not only to withstand the forces and elements of nature like rain and wind, but even to use them for his own purpose. He has been able to add to his physical comforts, to annihilate distance rise above the force of gravitation, create artificial satellites and even to land on the Moon. And there is no knowing to what greater heights he will soon reach by the power of the knowledge.
There is a proverb, "The pen is mightier than the sword," The empires built up by political conquerors of old have passed away but Buddha and Jesus, Shakespeare and Kalidas and Rabindranath built up empires of the mind that still go strong. In the political field too we see that the countries that are more advanced in knowledge are more powerful than those that are less advanced in this respect.
Unfortunately, however, the power of knowledge is being used by man more and more for destructive purposes. It makes one nation stronger than another and helps the former to oppress the latter. Indeed, it is this disparity that lies at the root of rivalries among the different peoples of the world. It has zoss the soul in our mad pursuit of material prosperity. But as the soul, is more important than the body, there are men who would do without the power of knowledge and go back to Nature when people enjoyed greater peace and happiness in their simple souls.
