The idea of 'humanity'

So, this can take a few hours to write, but since I don't want to waste that much time, I will do this in my own lovable random style.

What makes us humans? Or rather, what makes us humans different from the other living species on this planet? Compared to plants and other vegetation (minus a few which exhibit some or the other form of movement, which I must confess, I find awesome, such as the Venus Flytrap in action), we humans, like most other animals, are capable of movement. Compared to other animals (since we are technically also animals), we are capable of more thought since our brains have evolved more than theirs etc. So it will not be wrong to conclude that our 'humanity' derives from our ability to think. Then of course, we have the overused term of the 'social animal' which tells us that the human tends to socialise, and that in fact, is one of the things that makes him human. But how do we define 'social'? Animals tend to also congregate in groups for all sorts of reasons, and we all know about schools of fish, murders of crows and prides of lions and other such. Furthermore, even the beauty of their natural formations, such as a flock of geese that could give the best air-force display a run for its skills, is breathtaking to behold. And why should we not term such phenomena as social, but be content to merely label it as natural?

So my point is that social behaviour exists outside the human spectrum as well, and we have no reason to feel special about it. Of course, one can throw at me the argument that the scale at which we have achieved so much progress is surely noteworthy, and that it could not have been possible without human society being organised in the meticulous ways it is. And of course, there is always the rhetorical question about why other animals could not do it if they were as good as humans? Well, this is what I have to say. We have achieved what we have at the expense of many other species (I am not getting into a moral argument about it being a good or a bad thing) and we have managed that because we developed tools that made us more powerful than other species, thereby effectively controlling the way of things. Which makes it a matter of survival of the fittest, or of might being right, etc. I wonder if that is a 'human' trait or animal. Even socialising itself is an extension of groupism and the need to live in herds, like cows or sheep do. We surely do it in a more organised fashion, and even with some style sometimes, but thats about that.

The big difference I think is between being human and being 'humane'. The latter is a concocted notion, dreamt up over thousands of years by some fiendish souls to bring about a sense of 'order' in the world. To use a spiritual (literally) idiom, its like these souls keep living on across all generations, shifting from one body to another, since such champions of 'order' are to be found from the present, all the way down to a siginificant depth of recorded history. Of course, this sense of 'order' itself is made to seem like a necessity, whereas no one ever even thinks of the merits of chaos. I can already see half of you think "merits of chaos? what the fuck is he on?" But the point of this rant is not chaos theory, so I will let it lie. Back to 'humanity'.

Under the rubric of 'humanity', we try to negate all that which is animal about us, in an effort to forget the fact we once were (and still are, after all is said and done) animals. Violence, lust, indifference to others' suffering, mob mentality, it is all a part of our biological make-up, I think. No, there is nothing wrong in trying to overcome them, but then again, who are you to say that the age of Barbarians was not a happy one? Or that in this age of Civilisation, there is any dearth of inconsolably sad people? And if your point is a purely ideological one, you might as well shove it up your you know where.

Jeez, it tires me, the thought of how deep-rooted this notion of 'humanity' is among a large chunk of the human populace. Thankfully, there are still some outside its purview, and I can only hope the numbers grow. And as for this post, I will have to continue another time since I had rather not get too angry right now. All the same, I am happy if I have ruffled some feathers with this one. Come and get me, fellow humans. Pour your scorn (or even just feel it) and fall to my level! And oh, while you are at it, at least try to have a decent argument that goes beyond "But how can you even think in such a horrible way?" Of course, that would require thinking, but then again, maybe you are more humane than you are human!