Without Noble Thoughts, Humans Are Just Animals

Xuefeng

March 19, 2011

Animals primarily rely on instinct for survival, while humans primarily live through their thoughts. If a person does not have noble thoughts, there is no essential difference between that person and an animal; the difference is merely in physical form, much like the difference between a snake and a horse. Both are animals, but their forms differ.

Let’s compare some similarities between animals and humans:

Animals	Humans
Eat, drink, defecate, urinate, sleep	Eat, drink, defecate, urinate, sleep
Have sex	Have sex
Show love	Show love
Bark, chirp, whine, howl, roar	Speak
Struggle for food and shelter	Struggle for food and housing
Reproduce and care for their young	Reproduce and raise children
Fight within groups for mates and territory	Fight within groups for resources, territory, and attractiveness
Play and frolic	Play and enjoy games
Have a sense of group belonging	Have a sense of group belonging
Can walk, run, fly	Can walk, run, and fly (by airplane)
Show affection, can sacrifice for others	Show affection, can sacrifice for others
Males and females fall in love	Males and females fall in love
Can think	Can think
Are selfish	Are selfish
Leave information through scents	Leave information through language
Have strong jealousy (e.g., dogs)	Have strong jealousy

After this comparison, we find that there is not much difference between humans and animals; humans are essentially animals.

However, hold on. Animals are just animals, and humans are just humans; animals are a lower level of life compared to humans because humans have noble thoughts.

What are the noble thoughts that distinguish humans from animals?

Unconditional love? No, animals also possess the quality of unconditional love.

Self-sacrifice for others? No, animals are even more inclined to sacrifice themselves for the whole.

Loyalty to partners and duties? No, animals are often more loyal to their partners and responsibilities than humans.

So, what exactly are the noble thoughts that set humans apart from animals?

The answer: The noble thoughts that distinguish humans from animals are understanding principles, having wisdom, possessing a spirit of selfless dedication, yearning for a beautiful future and a heavenly life, and striving unceasingly towards these ideals. In all other respects, humans are not essentially different from animals; the differences lie only in form.

Therefore, if a person does not understand principles, lacks wisdom, has no spirit of selfless dedication, is uninterested in a beautiful future or heavenly life, and does not strive for these, then such a person is no different from an animal; they are merely an animal.