Being Human

There are a number of characteristics that distinguish humans from other living creatures. One of my favorite is music. Humans are the only ones that creates music. No other creatures can or do create expressive sounds that combine melody, harmony, and rhythmic beats. This, of course, is not say animals do not make sounds that we may find pleasant to the ear. Birds are one example. Even whales create sound that some find relaxing. But the difference is sounds they and other animals make are fixed. They do not necessarily include variations in tone or harmonies. Humans are world champs at that.

We are also top of the heap when it comes to language. Sure, animals "speak" to one another. But their language is designed to express one message at a time: it is time to mate; dominance or subservience; or the length of a journey. No other creatures come even close to the kind of nuance, complexity,  multiple layers of thoughts or innuendo that comprise typical human-speak. As behaviorist Edward Wilson explains, you will never see one animal say something like this to another: "To get to my den you go about four blocks, make a left at the first Chucky Cheese, go another five minutes and turn right at the second - no, wait - third traffic light; look for the blue Prius that should be parked out front of my place. Just come on in. Oh, on your way, would you mind picking up something to drink?"    

Animals never do that. We, of course, do it all the time. This, then, makes us the most powerful communicators on the planet. We have multiple tools in our communication box that are driven by intellect and emotion. The language of animals is driven largely by instinct. Despite our superior communication ability, this is not to say we always communicate perfectly or even well. We don't. Often, we do not even come close to it. In many ways, we are still trying to get a handle on our power. Communicating well on a consistent basis is an ongoing challenge for all of us. Being on top of the food chain is nice, but being as good as we can be while in that number one spot is not easy.