The other day, I came across a picture of two kangaroos that had gone viral on internet. People randomly misinterpreted it as a reflection of unconditional love between the animals. Later to the utter dismay of many, Dr. Derek Spielman (a senior lecturer on veterinary pathology from the University of Sydney) pointed out that as opposed to that picture of love, it was rather a case of violence and shrewd instinct that is most commonly seen in the animal kingdom.
The article is not the subject of discussion here, but what I am trying to reflect on is that as much as we do not like to believe this, it is a fact that emotions are barely seen among animals, albeit some basic emotions like anger, lust, love, jealousy. We often indulge ourselves to imagine animals rising to the level of humans by displaying acts of love or humans going down to the level of animals by displaying violence. Well, to be brutally honest, love is a very basic emotion and it can never be a measure of humanity. Love is found across many species of animals and is usually displayed by mothers for their offspring, although with some exceptions. If you ask me, love is more of an instinct than emotion. It is an inherent feeling to protect and care for another individual, regardless of the situation. A mother holding on to her baby to ensure protection is a very common picture among animals and sends out a strong message of love.
What we consider love between two unrelated individuals is most often lust, desire, or attraction, and still cannot be considered to be any different than what is seen among animals. What is extraordinary about humans though is loyalty and faithfulness with which a human commits to another through the rest of life, despite all other temptations. And this is precisely what makes us humans! Emotions like loyalty are influenced by some other complex emotions too, like empathy, guilt, and conscience. They all set a very high standard for the human race which is impossible to reach for any other creature on this earth. Humans display a wide range of emotions because of the higher complexity of our brains. And strangely, it is these emotions mixed with the intelligence that actually set us far apart from animals, in the course of evolution.
While it is delightful to ponder on these coveted emotions that we humans are bestowed with, some of us indeed go down to a much lower level with acts of brutality and animosity. That definitely does not lower the standard of humanity as a whole but sets a good example of differential evolution within the race. The more complex emotions you possess, the less likely you are to act like that. Because you are a more evolved human than them. Remember, evolution is a continuous process but it does not apply to all individuals to the same extent. How your brain adapts to its nuances depends on numerous factors, but if you are more evolved than the rest, you would not give in to your basic emotions so easily. Complex emotions are a mere manifestation of intelligence. Without them, humanity would have perished by all means, with our petite body structure, and minimal physical strength. You might argue that emotions had no role in our civilization, other than weighing us down most of the time. Let me then point out the origin of the word ‘civilization’. Merriam-Webster describes civil as ‘of, relating to, or involving general public, their activities, needs or ways’. Our civilization began when humans started forming groups, understood the importance of standing by each other, and serving their needs. All these required empathy, compassion, and a hoard of sophisticated emotions. Famous anthropologist Margaret Mead once referred to a 15,000-year-old fractured human femur which was healed as the first sign of civilization, as opposed to hunting tools or religious stones. Because a healed femur bore stupendous evidence of a human helping another unable to walk or hunt for himself, tending to his needs, instead of abandoning him, - a rather unique trait in the wilderness.
