Erza Pound says that, “man is the superior animal”. Superior or not, we all have the same basic habits. When humans are scared they seek shelter, when we are hungry we eat, and when is right, we wish to pass on our genes. So how is it that man is so superior when all our instincts and urges are so primitive? Erza Pound is puzzled by why humans are superior. I think the only reason why humans are superior is because of ignorance. Humans are the only animals that don’t come to equilibrium with the environment they live in. If humans had to be compared to a certain type of living thing, they would be most like simple parasitic bacteria.
The earth, however large it may be, has it limits when it comes to natural resources. Of all animals human are the only ones that make non-biodegradable waste. When humans run out of resources in one area they go on to the next destroying the area in their path and until a new site is reached with more resources to abuse. This is much like the life history of flesh eating bacteria. About two years ago, I saw a special on 20/20 about the disease. They say that is moves at about an inch per hour and that they don’t stop feeding on the host until the host is dead. The bacteria multiply at a high rate and can migrate to other parts of the body by the blood stream. Try to look as the host body as the earth, the bacteria as the humans, and the blood stream as the oceans and river; now, anyone can see that this is no different in comparison to the parasitic lives humans live.
Reflecting upon the situation I find it ironic how we humans will advance ourselves into extinction. The massive uncontrolled reproduction of our species has drained the earth of much of its resources. Naturally clean water, air and soil are a scarcity in modern society. Humans have also sealed their demise with the invention of the nuclear bomb. If a World War III were to break out, it would most likely be a nuclear war. Millions of megatons of atomic power will scar the earth’s surface leaving a barren wasteland. The nuclear fallout will kill off any that are lucky enough to survive the initial blast. The acid rain and nuclear gas clouds that follow will ensure the demise of earth.
Humans are one of the only animals who show feelings. Feelings are also a factor that make us superior but can also lead to inferiority. Human feelings are more developed than any other animal. Among these feelings is ignorance. Humans are the laziest of all living beings. When an event occurs that does not directly involve them, humans usually ignore it. We fail to realize that one-day something that indirectly involves us can later directly involve us. Other human feelings are greed, jealousy and pride. Greed and jealousy are basic instincts present in many mammals, but humans take the feelings steps father by showing greed and jealousy over abstract things like money, and ideals. Many humans kill to obtain the abstract objects. A strong emotion in humans is pride. This single emotion alone has cased every major war in history claiming millions of lives. In the eyes of a person’s greed, jealousy, and pride anyone or thing else is inferior. This behavior is parasitic. All humans know is “I want, what I want.”
In conclusion, humans are superior to animals, but humans reach that superiority by inferior ways. Emotions can take over causing death. Also, I believe human technology is moving itself into a black hole. It would be cool to explore the depths of it but if humans get to far into that hole, they will surely kill themselves. Our superior behavior is all based on primitive parasitic behavior just on a much more global scale. We simply just live to multiply and conquer and during that conquering we try to make our lives a little easier because we are lazy by “feeding” off others.