While Twain is quoted saying, "Nothing is more tragic than a young pessimist" I sometimes believe I fit into this unfortunate category when I reflect on our race. There is much good in the world, I cannot deny that. But neither can I deny the terrible, horrid evils that persist and thrive as well, especially after this last week in the U.S. alone. Therefore, perhaps my favorite quote from The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain is on the subject of "Man." It goes - "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."
Humans, at our most basic level, are animals. We are filled with that primeval id which, if we are not careful or if we find ourselves in a bad situation, can come rushing out and reduce us to beasts. While our minds are (as far as we know) the most developed and the most capable of containing knowledge on the Earth, we are the only animal to embarrass ourselves in the eyes of Mother Nature and in front of each other with the stupidity of our actions or with the evil of our actions. While a mouse cannot write or read or balance complex mathematical equations it also cannot do something outside of its nature to cause itself embarrassment in front of other mice. Mice, like other animals, do what they need to do to survive as easily as possible and the feeling of embarrassment is lost upon them. Humans want to accomplish more; we have more to gain but much more to lose, and therefore feel the sting of embarrassment when we fail. And then we blush.
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