What Separates Man From Beast?

[Wheezer]

The wife and I were on our way home yesterday afternoon. I turned the vehicle around the corner and onto our street. There were two sparrows in full chase mode coming straight for us. I've seen this a million times before. They always swerve before impact so I took no evasive action. Next thing I know they disappear beyond the end of the hood and only one emerges to my left. I noticed the other flopping around on the pavement just outside my window as I drove on to the house. I parked in the garage and headed back to move the injured party out of the street just in case there was a chance for recovery.

I noticed the other one had come back and was hopping around the dazed one. It had recovered enough to sit up a bit. The injured was a she-bird and I assume the other was her mate. I was still half a block away when he started jumping on her. At first I thought he was urging her to get up because a man was approaching. As I got closer I realized that he was getting to know her in a Biblical sense. Damn! The notion did cross my mind to go back and get the pellet gun to put him out of her misery. I figure she was probably looking back to see where he was when she collided with us. No wonder she was trying to get away! Anyways, I knelt down to pick her up and move her to safety. I no more than got my hands around her than she flew to a nearby bush. Mission accomplished.

I don't know about anyone else but if my wife got knocked loopy by a run-in with a vehicle I would not take advantage of the situation. I do have a little modesty.

 

[USMC0341]

That's pretty funny...animals simply do what their instincts command them to do, whenever that may be. Because of that...we get funny instances like the one you encountered.

Too bad you didnpt get it on camera...that could be worth some bucks on America's Funniest Animal Videos or something...

JB

 

[Wyvern]

Anyways, I knelt down to pick her up and move her to safety. I no more than got my hands around her than she flew to a nearby bush. Mission accomplished.

That's what separates being human from being bestial, sadly we seldom remeber we are humans.

Congratulations on a great deed.

 

[Darth Kur]

That's a good story, man. Kudos for helping the poor bird out.
In most cases I tend to regard animals far higher than people. The one thing that definitely distinguishes us from them is our appreciation of cool music.

 

[Wheezer]

Too bad you didnpt get it on camera...that could be worth some bucks on America's Funniest Animal Videos or something...

JB

At least a t-shirt anyway.

 

[Wheezer]

That's what separates being human from being bestial, sadly we seldom remeber we are humans.

Congratulations on a great deed.

Thanks Man! My neighborhood is full of trees so I get a few opportunities every Spring to rescue a few baby birds that have left the nest a little too early. And bats. We've got a group that live under the solar panels on our porch. Natural mosquito control.

 

[Wheezer]

That's a good story, man. Kudos for helping the poor bird out.

Thanks!

The one thing that definitely distinguishes us from them is our appreciation of cool music.

LOL! Most definitely!

 

[EVERLOSTINDEADETERNITY]

We basically walk up right and thats about it. Animals evolve to a point only for their survival and we do the same. Animals dont fuck each other over in their own species for higher power and money because these things dont apply to them. We do. In all honesty we may be the higher species but we def. act more barbaric like. Look at Dolphins they are probably the smartest animals in the world and yet they live in perfect peace and harmony of each other. Gods greatest creation of man was also his biggest failure, because inevitably what he crated for the world to thrive and advance will also be its undoing. We are no more important than the rest of the life on this planet. Our problem solving skills may be quite high ( in some humans anyway) but can monkeys not also learn and adapt as well. We are not as high and mighty as we are lead to believe and one day when im thrown at the mercy of gods will I will ask him these questions, I dont believe I will go to heaven because Ive done many things that I dont believe I should be forgiven for because as a human being I should of made the better choices, but I hope to ask the creator of earth or whatever is out there about why we are here. If there is nothing then I will have felt my life was a complete waste and that man is basically a giant waste of space.

 

[Wyvern]

Thanks Man! My neighborhood is full of trees so I get a few opportunities every Spring to rescue a few baby birds that have left the nest a little too early. And bats. We've got a group that live under the solar panels on our porch. Natural mosquito control.

WOW, bats are ultra cool. Wish I had some near my house

 

[carnut]

Look at Dolphins they are probably the smartest animals in the world and yet they live in perfect peace and harmony of each other. .

You haven't watched National Geographic enough...Dolphins are pretty mean when others invade "their" territory , same as humans I guess...
I think the only difference is that we can help others withouth any kind of profit, no animal will do that....For the rest we mostly fuck things up ...

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I noticed the other one had come back and was hopping around the dazed one. It had recovered enough to sit up a bit. The injured was a she-bird and I assume the other was her mate. I was still half a block away when he started jumping on her. At first I thought he was urging her to get up because a man was approaching. As I got closer I realized that he was getting to know her in a Biblical sense. Damn! The notion did cross my mind to go back and get the pellet gun to put him out of her misery. I figure she was probably looking back to see where he was when she collided with us. No wonder she was trying to get away!

Seems to me that lady bird couldn't possibly be the male sparrow's mate.

If it was his wife, it's more likely she would've been chasing him, telling him to get off his lazy tailfeathers and get some worms for the children.

If it was his wife, he surely wouldn't take advantage of her incapacitation by giving her a poke (been there, done that). No no. Instead he would take advantage by chasing some of the other sexy little she-sparrows in the neighborhood while the wifey is clearing the ringing out of her head.

Ergo, my conclusion is that the lady bird who bounced off your grill work was one of the aforementioned sexy she-sparrows. In fact, it is highly likely that the male intentionally chased that she-sparrow in the path of your car, knowing she'd be knocked silly and he could swoop in and give her a poke while she was dazed. Then he probably rushed home to the nest before the wife got back from catching worms and pretended his heavy breathing was because he just got done teaching the chicks how to fly.

I've seen it a hundred times myself... on Jerry Springer!
________
Seriously Wheezer, that was one funny story and it would make a great comedy scene in one of my books! Also, you earned two notches of respect from me when you went back to check on the bird. I would've done the same thing.

 

[EVERLOSTINDEADETERNITY]

You haven't watched National Geographic enough...Dolphins are pretty mean when others invade "their" territory , same as humans I guess...
I think the only difference is that we can help others withouth any kind of profit, no animal will do that....For the rest we mostly fuck things up ...

oh well dolphins rock.

 

[Wheezer]

Seems to me that lady bird couldn't possibly be the male sparrow's mate.

If it was his wife, it's more likely she would've been chasing him, telling him to get off his lazy tailfeathers and get some worms for the children.

If it was his wife, he surely wouldn't take advantage of her incapacitation by giving her a poke (been there, done that). No no. Instead he would take advantage by chasing some of the other sexy little she-sparrows in the neighborhood while the wifey is clearing the ringing out of her head.

Ergo, my conclusion is that the lady bird who bounced off your grill work was one of the aforementioned sexy she-sparrows. In fact, it is highly likely that the male intentionally chased that she-sparrow in the path of your car, knowing she'd be knocked silly and he could swoop in and give her a poke while she was dazed. Then he probably rushed home to the nest before the wife got back from catching worms and pretended his heavy breathing was because he just got done teaching the chicks how to fly.

I've seen it a hundred times myself... on Jerry Springer!

LMAO! Yeah, a similar possibility rolled through my head too.

________
Seriously Wheezer, that was one funny story and it would make a great comedy scene in one of my books! Also, you earned two notches of respect from me when you went back to check on the bird. I would've done the same thing.

Feel free to use it. I'd be honored.

As far as the two notches of respect, thanks. I think most people would go back and check. I'd like to think so anyway.

 

[Bryant]

Great story Wheez !! Ya' know I think what seperates man from beast is that most of us have a soul (and that's not religiously based) in the fact that we have an ability to reason and differentiate between right and wrong. Certainly a good deal of that is instilled in us by our upbringing, but some of it is innate or we wouldn't have it in the first place.


Bryant

 

[Wheezer]

in the fact that we have an ability to reason and differentiate between right and wrong.

Like JB said, animals are totally instinctual. Most of us know right from wrong. While there are some gray areas between right and wrong, there's a fair bit of consensus.