Animal or Human?

[Rickson]

Why is it humans feel the need to seperate themselves from the world of animals when we are animals ourselves?

In my new neck piece 'Feral' hair and resin thorns grow from bone and a spinal like tail runs down my back. As a human I feel my body is vulnerable and would prefer to have more bodily defences than I am born with.

How do you feel about your human body? Would you rather be built more like an animal?
Do you feel a tension between your animal and human side?
Why do you think people want to seperate themselves from animals?

Any thoughts are welcome about the subject or my work!

Thank you for your participation.

[Philippe Di Benedetto]

Well, thank you for your invitation. I believe that my earthly body is "animal" in any case, organic, and we are the only ones to make differences between the different kingdoms. In another way, we are the only ones on earth who are able to laugh/cry, create, build etc, we are also the only ones not be totally ready to face our environment and its constraints. We are in my opinion star dust in animal bodies. Minds, moreover, in envelopes land.
We are fragile and strong at once, beautiful and complex, we are so small and very large too when we are in our real place... But do we know what the word "human" really means ...

[Rickson]

Ooo, what lovely ideas you brought up. I do agree that we cry, but I would like to believe that animals laugh, though I will never know for sure. As for building you need to look at ants. Apparently there are some that build 'skyscraper' and even farm other animals like we do. They are also one of the oldest animals.

I do agree that we divid world far more than any other animal and seem to enjoy and revel in it.

Thank you so much for your comment. It is still sinking in. Very nice thoughts.

Rickson

[Stevie B.]

Rickson-

You should check out the documentary "Why Dogs Smile & Chimpanzees Cry". Some interesting stuff about animals and emotions.

Personally I find little true difference between humans and animals, except for the bloated egos of the former.

[2Roses]

Guess what Stevie. There is plenty of evidence to indicate that egos (bloated or otherwise) are not isolated to our species. On one paw we all freely admit we is animals, and then on the other paw we are determined to come up with reasons why we aint. Perhaps our uniqueness is that we are the only animals that like to pretend that they're not animals. Excuse me, I have to go mark my territory now.

[Stevie B.]

My dog thinks he's human.

My cat knows she's God.

[Rickson]

Hehe, a cat person! I conquer. :)

[Duffy Designs]

We think we are superior because we are supposed to have souls. I think animals also have souls! (especially elephants, a personal favorite). And to know we are animals, all we have to do is look at a line of monkey to ape to man skeletons and see how similar we are!

[Rickson]

haha this is wonderful. I agree that we definetly like to think we are better/superior/different than other animals. Humans seem to love deviding things into categories. I always liked my own reaction to vegetarianism. I thought, if someone doesn't eat animals, why do they eat fruits and vegetables? I mean they are alive too. Sometimes I think I lack the ability to seperate things from each other at all. :)

[Sean W Scully]

In answer to that theory, there is a small and very thin group of Fruitarians who only eat things that have fallen off the tree or bush, who can't stand for murdered carrots or taters.
That group is reminiscent of the Jainist creed of "do no harm" where they will even cover their mouths at night to avoid eating bugs in their sleep.
More power to them but I think they should stick with "second harvest" and do us all a favor.

[Rickson]

I haven't seen this yet, but I looked into it a little and it looks very interesting. My instincts tell me that all animals have emotion, but I find it interesting that we revere certain animals and demonize others. Disney is the worst for this.

[Sean W Scully]

The rise of biotech has further obliterated the fuzzy line between humans and the animal kingdom. Human cellular information gets injected into animal eggs, animals are "injected" with human genes to better study human disease, on and on.
The philosophical waters will be even murkier as we blindly blend the animal and human selves physically.

[Rickson]

Oooo so interesting. I wasn't thinking of it on such a literal level, but it is very true. Those things bother me. I don't think we should be injecting human cells into animal eggs and visa versa. I think I am more interested in the fact that we are animals, but we create a large seperation between ourselves and all other animals.

I find it interesting you say 'blend the animal and human selves physically' because I see them as already blended. Mammals all have hearts, bones, skin etc. There are so many similarities between 'us' and 'them' it seems strange to even have an 'us' and 'them'. But of coures the 'blending' you are talking about is not through evolution or procreation, it's through human intervention. I dislike human's discregard for all being's rights aside from our own. (and often our own too).

I have heard of the 'Fruitarians'. Very nice thought. I figure all or nothing personally. But I have always said, if I can't kill and animal to eat it, I shouldn't eat it. (still haven't tested that theory though.:)