Imagine the mountain lion - the large, aggressive beast who feasts on flesh. Picture the bulging muscles exposed by the prodigious biceps, the talons of a killer who is eager to dislodge your human corpse until it’s only recognizable to the vultures. Keep this provocative image in mind while your thoughts change to the human.
Now image the human. Recently there was a discussion about what it means to be human in more of a mind form, but now think of the human being as a body and action. Picture our pale flesh that is so easy to break, our tall thin body covered in tiny hair follicles. Think of a boxing match, two humans of equal place in the universe fighting until the conscious is in disillusion. Remember the horrid times of mass extermination throughout history and some still in remembrance. Now remind yourself of what it takes to kill a human, a tool. That tool can be you hand, or any other physical part of your body, but what is it that kills almost all fellow humans? An external tool created by humans themselves. The gun is a good example. It is made to kill and protect; it was made by mankind; and it is used to kill mankind. It is an object whose killing force is unparalleled to any other object in its class. This object is not the human being, it is a human creation and is usually in human control, but it is not a human thing.
When you think about comparing the mountain lion to man you must strip both species down to the tools which they where given at birth. For the mountain lion these include talons, teeth, paws, and natural speed. For the human being, we were naturally born with teeth, though significantly smaller compared to other mammals. We also have a hand with a nail, but hardly a talon. And speed is something we can acquire through training, but our body is not naturally built for speed.
If we were to stop this conversation here, the unfamiliar person would assume the mountain lion was the more dominant force in terms of ability to find prey. I personally believe this is true. However, I believe the human being is at the top of the food chain. Let me explain: as we have just outlined, we find the mountain lion body itself is of far more use to find and kill prey, or any other similar animal. The carnivores in the animal kingdom are naturally far more suited to survive than the human, but they are not suited to adapt at a rapid rate. To my knowledge there is no other animal that can adapt to it surroundings quite as naturally as the human. These events started in the prehistoric era of history. When the humans evolved into the body we now know, they were unable to conquer the land which they roamed. Thus, the evolution of external tools. First sticks would have been used with sharped points, then the knowledge of forming arrow heads allowed a more effective way of piercing through flesh and bone. Suddenly the area’s animals became food and clothing for the new natives. Not because of our natural body, but because of the external tools that where created by our mind and bodies actions.
If the weather were to drastically change what would a mountain lion do? Most likely it would move locations until a more desirable area is found; sometimes there is nothing available at least in a remote distance. What can the human do? Man can move to distance lands, and in the present we can move to distant planets, but we can also build bigger and better. If the weather where to become so cold the mere thought of going outside chills your bones, we would adapt at a repeatable rate. We have the ability to build beyond other animals in size and durability. Some animals can fortify their habitat, but only to certain levels, the human can survive in almost all locations that an animal of its same size can.
Our ability to adapt and build is what makes us greater than any other animal when it comes to survivability. It does not matter how you survive. The game of life has few rules - only whether you survive. Humans are not granted any fortunate ability other than the ability to think, and with this one ability we have created an expansive world which we know today. To close this conversation I would emphasize that humans have nothing more than the other animals in the way of body, but it is our ever questioned mind that gives us the ability to adapt and build into new surroundings, thus putting us at the top of the food chain.
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