It was raining earlier today, as I was taking the bus to my personal chef gig. Looking out into the drizzly world I saw a bird flapping about an intersection median, on one of those rare patches of urban greenery. And it was nice to see a creature going about its business unperturbed, whilst us human beings scurried about all bundled against the rain.
It was striking just how unsuited we are for natural phenomena, almost like we're unnatural. And yet so populous. And why? Because of our bigger brains, which allow us to construct and conquer, systemize and stabilize, to rise to the top of the food chain and basically rule over nature.
But how many times have we looked at "lesser" beings - other animals - and wishfully thought: "If only I could be as carefree?" or "If only eating and sleeping were my chief/only concerns?" Staring at that bird I almost had a similar thought. Except the bird's smaller brain entails less thought, and less feeling - which is to say, it wouldn't register with the bird that it was carefree. It couldn't know, not just because it couldn't feel, but also because it wouldn't have another state to compare to.
Which isn't to say that animals don't feel anything and all states are the same to them (captive vs. wild, etc.) but would we really want a diminished capacity for thinking and feeling? There wouldn't any of the enjoyment that we anthromorphize them as having. What's the value of having an easy life if we can't appreciate it?
And in that sense, when we take for granted what we have and fail to realize, despite our capacity, we really act as the animals we are after all.