The Difference between the Human and Other Beings Lies in the Unique Qualities of Our Human Dimension
In examining the various dimensions of human existence, we have pointed out that we share some aspects with animals, such as having a body, growing, reproducing, and having a desire for social status. Since we seek to acquire knowledge, we resemble angels, and the only dimension of our existence that differs from other beings is our supra-rational faculty or human dimension, which is related to the Absolute and Infinite Perfect.
In other words, the inanimate, vegetative, and animal dimensions of our being along with all their beloveds and perfections also exist in animals. The intellective dimension of our being shares qualities with angels, while our supra-rational faculty or human dimension is exclusive to us, and it has no beloved but Allah. Throughout history, when examining the difference between the human and other beings, the focus has often been on human speech or our thinking and reasoning ability. However, the truth is that what sets us apart from other beings is our fitrah, or in other words, the spiritual or supra-rational dimension of our being.
The Difference between the Human and Other Beings in the Movement towards Perfection
The main difference between the human and other beings is the way in which humans move towards achieving perfection. Animals instinctively fulfill their basic needs and connect with their beloved because God has given them general guidance. No one teaches an army ant how to defend its colony or birds how to migrate thousands of kilometers between continents. Although we act in the same way in some of the affairs of the lower dimensions of our existence and do things instinctively, moving in higher dimensions is not dependent on instinct but rather on our efforts to discover truths and gain knowledge. A part of our knowledge is instinctively ingrained in us and helps us survive, while the rest is acquired through our passion for learning and desire for achieving infinite perfections.
Another difference between the human and other beings is the level of our connection with the beloveds of our existential faculties. Due to our multidimensional existence, we can connect with the beloveds of all beings, and we have at least one shared quality with the entire universe. In fact, because of our multidimensional existence, we are connected to a group of beings in each of these dimensions, and this shared aspect sets us apart. This is because in other beings of the world, only one group of qualities and wishes creates passion and desire. In other words, the remaining beings of the world are only drawn towards one group of qualities and reach maturity and growth in that part. For example, angels only have a loving relationship with rational matters and only seek to actualize intellective potentials, or plants only show interest in the lowest part of animal qualities, namely growth and reproduction.
For this reason, we are able to grow, progress, and achieve perfection in all dimensions in the world. The difference between the human and other beings is that other beings can only connect with one set of beloveds which are of their own kind, but the range of beloveds that attract humans is very wide.
We choose one of these perfections as our life goal and strive for growth, progress, and maturity in each of these dimensions. Depending on this choice, we either lower ourselves to the level of an animal or a rock, or elevate ourselves to the infinite and unlimited level of perfection that is the Beloved of our human dimension of existence. In fact, the reason for the difference between the human and other beings is both our free will to choose various beloveds and our ability to access them. With our own free will, we can surpass the perfections of animals and even angels and grow up to infinity, or we can make a mistake in organizing our beloveds and devote our desire for infinity to our limited dimension, falling to a lower level than inanimate objects.
The Complexity of the Structure of Human Existence
The human or supra-rational dimension of our existence allows us to have potentials that other beings do not possess. For example, the desire for infinity that is one of the qualities of the supra-rational faculty turns us into an unstoppable being. We can seek beauty, power, knowledge, and all perfections on an infinite scale and move towards our True Beloved, which is the Absolute Infinity, by organizing those perfections properly.
Another difference between the human and other beings is that other beings behave innocently when actualizing their potentials. Their desires are driven by instinct; as a result, animals only actualize their potentials only to the extent that their needs are met, and they cannot achieve perfection at an infinite level.
Furthermore, the qualities of other beings are active, for example, a rock has volume and physical dimension whether it wants it or not; a plant grows more or less; an animal instinctively shows anger and lust, and has social life, and these qualities are part of its animality. However, the qualities of our human dimension are not active, and we must actualize them ourselves. We can only actualize our human potentials and be called a human being when we actively engage all dimensions of our existence to reach the beloved of our human dimension. Just like a plant that controls the growth of its stem and leaves until water reaches its root, or an animal that is willing to fight with other animals to gain the position of social leadership in the herd and put its life in danger.
If we are supposed to be busy with the same animal or intellective perfections that other beings in the world are engaged in, then what is the difference between the human and other beings? Animals, plants, and angels satisfy their needs to connect to the true partners of their existence and reach happiness and peace through these efforts. But when we put all our efforts into actualizing animal or intellective potentials, we gradually moved away from our true partner and beloved, and get more and more anxious, sad, and restless. In this case, it can be said that no matter how hard we try, we will not be successful animals or angels. If we neglect to pay attention to the beloved of the human dimension of our being, we will be lower than animals and angels.
The Scope of Beloveds in the Human Soul
Another difference between the human and other beings lies in the multitude of our beloveds in each dimension of our existence. For example, the qualities of inanimate objects include weight, volume, having three dimensions, and elemental properties. However, the beloveds of the inanimate dimension of human beings include anything that falls within the definition of inanimate objects, for example, the desire to have wealth, houses, cars, jewelry, carpets, gold, etc., is within the realm of the qualities and beloveds of our inanimate dimension. Regarding plants, growth, nutrition, beauty, delicacy, etc. are considered as the qualities and beloveds of a plant. However, the qualities of the vegetative dimension of human existence include all the activities that we do to acquire all kinds of beauty, physical strength and fitness, a wide variety of delicious and diverse foods, tall stature, and the like. If these beloveds dominate our supra-rational faculty, they reduce our dignity to that of a plant. For this reason, we have a heavy responsibility in identifying these beloveds, prioritizing them, and using them as much as needed.
In this article, we discussed the difference between the human and other beings and the reason behind this difference, which is the human or supra-rational dimension of our soul. We talked about the difference between the instinctive activities of animals and the voluntary activity of humans. We also mentioned that the level and extent of human connection with their beloveds are different from other beings. Finally, we discussed the scope and number of beloveds related to each dimension of human existence compared to other beings.