What is so different about us?

Question

Why do humans have to live so much different than animals? Aren't we just another species too? Why do we need luxuries that bears or fish or lions or birds never needed? What is so different about us?

Answer 1

1st point of view:
because our brain is bigger than other species.

2nd point of view:
Even if we have a bigger brain than other species, we human are the only species that can kill ourselves.
A good example is, animals can not commit suicide. Only humans can.
Another example is, only humans can destroy and pollute its own house and habitat.

Answer 2

Evolution has turned humans into a very vulnerable and physically weak creature. Think about it for a second, unlike other predators or strong creatures in nature we do not have claws or razor sharp teeth, or powerful jaws, our eye sight is even poor since we can only see in front of us and we have poor depth perception. Predators on earth have all these things.

What sets us apart is our ability to use our intellect. We've created tools to compensate for these weaknesses and its made our vulnerabilities that much more apparent. Because of this intellect, the human brain has expanded into other uses other than just functioning for the purpose of survival. We've become creative, thinking, cultured, etc. No other creature on the planet has the capacity to do these things.

Answer 3

We don't have to "live so much different than animals". We could forage around naked and hunt with our hands and/or simple tools if we wanted to. We would not be able to support as large of a population in this manner, but we could do it if we wanted to. We don't "need" luxuries. We make them because we can, and because we enjoy them, and because they make life more pleasant. Despite the self-loathing that some posters express, there is more personal fulfillment and freedom and less risk of starvation and violent death in modern societies than primitive ones.

Answer 4

We can use our free will and be "fancy high tech animals" called Homo sapiens and just keep "eating, sleeping, mating and defending" (playing with matter in this material world.)

or

We can utilize a higher consciousness and ask the deep questions of life, like WHY ARE WE HERE ON EARTH REALLY? WHO ARE WE REALLY? WHY DO HUMANS SUFFER? HOW CAN WE STOP SUFFERING? This could eventually allow us to get some deep answers and then to "play with spirit-anti-matter" instead of "playing with matter" and dealing with survival in the material world!

Animals are not able to ask or seek these deep answers to these deep philosophical cosmological questions.

If we keep asking the right-deep questions and keep going deeper, we can find out the difference between:

Spirit and matter
Eternal and temporary
Truth and illusion

.....and how to go to our Eternal Home with Him!

Then we can do the purification work necessary to be worthy of getting out of here (and repeated reincarnations) where we are all serving time-karmic debt until we can figure it out and live how we are supposed to live....transcendental to matter in devotional service.

Answer 5

because humans are more intelligent than other species of animals and have always invented things to feel more comfortable

Answer 6

Because we just act the way we are. Ok, maybe you have to do a little research on the volume of the brain and the the part of it. That will make you understand why.

Answer 7

because we are so much more intelligent that animals, and with our intelligence comes the power to invent, making life more comfortable, which results in luxuries. i think our intelligence is what makes us so different from animals.

Answer 8

Because we have evolved and adapted to our surroundings. Animals live on instinct, we live on much higher levels.

Answer 9

Why do animals live as they live.... because it worked for their ancestors. Same goes for us. Our ancestors were successful using the same mindset of wanting and working for comfort, excess food, etc as we do today.

Answer 10

we are much more spiritual and conscious than other creatures. we not only create things for our own comfort but also objects that have religious meanings to us and things we find aestheticly pleasing. BTW don't lemmings and whales commit suicide?