The difference between human beings and the other species is our unique self-consciousness

[Eva Libre]

 

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓. 𝐼𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑢𝑛ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙.

The difference between human beings and the other species is our unique self-consciousness. Animals are not self-conscious and do not get emotional. Emotion is the self-conscious expression of instinct. The unique feature of human beings is our self-reflective capability to know that ‘I’ in each body exist, as well as to reflect on the past. This is sapience or the sense of knowing discernment. It’s the cosmic element of the human spiritual system that instigates the civilising drive towards the aesthetic ideal in existence. The rest of the species, in the absence of the sense of sapience, are not affected by this aspect of life on earth.

Whereas the human animal has a self-conscious ‘I’, the creatures that we love and cherish have an instinctual ‘I’ with no knowable sense of self. They are the spontaneous expression of life in their unselfconscious innocence. Were it possible to put self-consciousness into a cat or any other life form, it would immediately lose its innocence and be like us – suspicious, fearful and burdened with the fear of loss. Thankfully, the animals are protected from such a burden, but unfortunately not from the overall condition of the world at any time.

Domestic pets, as well as wild animals that come into contact with or are exposed to human beings, pick up the energetic frequency of the progressive drive of humanity. They then appear to act less wild and may exhibit human behavioural traits and apparent emotional reactions to events and their environment. Animals do indeed form close bonds in the wild, but do not become attached emotionally as we do to the forms and objects in the life. An animal will fight with all its strength to protect its territory and offspring, but doesn’t suffer psychologically at the prospect of loss or death.

To every animal except the human animal, there is no distinction between life and death which simply unfolds as an all-encompassing expression of life everlasting. When there’s an interruption to the continuity of life such as the death of a chick, mate or pack member, a creature may temporarily display signs of grief and distress. However, they soon adjust inwardly to the outer shock of separation and connect once more with their own intrinsic wellbeing. Domestic pets may exert more prolonged periods of unsettled behaviour to their normal routine, waiting for example ‘for dead friends to come home’ due to the absorption of our emotional way of life.

 

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