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FRAGMENTS OF A PRISONER'S DIARY
belongs. He thinks that he has ceased to be animal ; and certainly has forfeited the superhuman (you might say, sub-human, let us therefore compromise on the more comprehensivc term: extra-human) attributes that belong to the animal. To be different is noi necessarily to be superior. Man says that he has live! down his animal sclf. I wonder if he really hus. Biology certainly does not justify the pretension. Modern psycholegy has scant respect for the vanity of man. Psycho-analysis, for example, demonstrates, cruelly and rather cynically, that human behaviour, base as well as ncblc, is determined by purely animal motives.
Well, all these are man's own concern. I refer to them now in lief, and shall treat them later in detail, because they have contributed so much to the bitterness of my life. But the point I wish to make at this stage is that inan is utterly unable to understand cven those animals who are only his first, second or third cousins. Take, for example, the horse, an animal supposed to be loved, cherished and understood by man. But ask the horse · he may have something different to say. Has any man ever even thought of taking the opinion of the horse before writing lyrically about the faithfulness of that noble animal ? That is just human-to judge the world by his own primitive standard. Anyone that is useful to him, is praised. Man's love for the horse is but 18
