For about 3500 million (3.5 billion) years there has been life on earth in some form or the other. Out of which the primitive man, who could walk on two legs, has come in existance hardly couple of million years back. Civilised man and his society has started taking shape hardly 5 to 10 thousand years back.
Origin of life on earth and its sustainence has been the apex of creativity of Paramatma. ( Word 'Paramatma' literally means very 'LIFE OF LIFE'. Word 'God' smacks of anthropomorphism. so we don't use that.)
Wheresoever conditions are favorable for growth and development of life Paramatma readily infuses life in matter. We are not aware of existance of life anywhere other than earth. However, scientists agree that there must be life in various forms at several other planets as well.
Paramatma has no form, no birth and no death. All our religions have been projecting 'God' as though 'He' were a human being. Paramatma, however, means absolute creativity which has no beginning and therefore no cause to end. It is the very life of life. It has never stopped its creativity.
Behind all evolutionary changes, in all living things, compassion of Paramatma has been the only factor.
It has provided all organs, necessary intelligence and all other things 'demanded' by iving things of animal and plant kingdom during the course of their evolution.
Man has evolved from apes. All the apes have walked on four legs. Nearly 4.2 million years back our ancestors speciated from other apes and began walking on two legs. This required straightening of spine. Since that early homonid was able to walk on two legs, his two hands were free to to do various activities. And challanges of survival kept on growing his brain more and more complex more and more bigger. Thus he evolved into a thinking animal. This single factor made us so distinct that today we are ruling over earth.
Earth has been subjected to an ice age that started 72, 000 years back and ended about 10,000 years ago. During this period we hapless homo sapiens, who had almost nothing to eat, were almost completely wiped out. Ten thousand years ago total population of man on earth is estimated to be around 1000 to 2000 only. Our DNA studies indicate that modern men are great great great ____ grand children of only these one to two thousand survivors of ice age.
Since the development of science and technology we human beings have developed so fast and have multiplied in numbers so rapidly as though entire earth, entire creation is only for us. But in spite of this huge development man lives more in sorrow than any other animal. Why?
In animal world there is very little chaos. They need food, safety from predators, little sex for reproduction, enogh sleep and that is all. There journey is complete. Hardly 10,000 years back we were very ordinary animals. We are very sophisticated homo sapiens today. We have solved our physical problems to a great extent but our psychological sufferings have multiplied immensly. Is there any way to end our sufferings?
Technology can not solve our psychological problems. Our UPANISHADS had recognised this human predicament long long ago. Those great Rishis of Upanishads, and modern Rishis like J Krishnamurti and Osho Rajanish have diagnosed that the only antidote to our self created problems of sufferings is SELF KNOWLEDGE i e AATMA GYAN. Knowing what am I at this moment is self knowledge. It is not a stored up knowledge. 'Me' is not a fixed entity. It keeps on changing from moment to moment. We are a strange mixture of pain and pleasure, fear and longing, greed and ambition, hate & violence and so on. Truely seeing what am I is self knowledge.