What is man? That questions has been asked many, many times from many different people. Everyone seems to have many different answers to what is man? Mine answer to what is man, may not be any different, but I'll try to answer the question what is man from my very own view point. So what is man and why are we placed or put here on this planet earth. The bible has an explanation as to what is man and who's image we are made from. Scientists have another explanation as to how we evolved from a molecule and maybe from animals then into the people who we see today as man.
I'm not trying to get into who's right or who's wrong about what is man. My concern today is when you look into the mirror and see yourself what are you? Do you ever asked yourself what I'm I and why was I placed here on this planet and not some other planet. Not only that do you asked yourself why was I born into whom you see as yourself?
Man as we see ourselves today we are made of flesh, skin, muscles and bones for structure and blood that flows throughout our body providing all of your tissues and organs with oxygen that keeps you alive. Blood allows your body to be free flowing, movable and pliable. Without blood in your tissues your body becomes stiff like cardboard not able to move. Without the life blood flowing providing oxygen to all of your tissues and organs you are dead and devoid of life.
The saying that from dust you were made and dust shall you return. Minister's read the passage at many funerals ashes to ashes, dust to dust this is very true. No blood flow, no life is sustained. When I was in college I was studying anatomy and physiology and I had this friend who was studying to get his doctorate in biology.
I asked him a question about life and death regarding humans or man and he said Mark, there seems to be this time capsule that we all have in our bodies and when it's your time to die this time capsule releases and you die. When that time capsule releases there is nothing that doctors or men of medicine can do to stop it from releasing.
The physical portion of what is man is easy to understand, because you are flesh and blood. Without blood flow you have no life. You are dead as a cardboard. But there is more to man than just flesh and blood. Each man has a brain or intellect which makes you different from other individuals.
With your brains you have the capability to think, reason and change your course of action as conditions change man changes and adapts. Man is able to use his brain to think and process situations to achieve a particular event or end. Man is able to learn to adapt to the conditions of his environment and strive to making things better for himself. This is how man is different from animals, man's intellect and reasoning skills.
Animals have brains as well, but they functions or way of life is based upon instincts. Each animal species have the same instincts. Animals instincts or intellect is based on a fixed pattern. If a particular animal species builds or creates something every animal in that species builds and creates the same way. Animals of the same species, you might as well say that the fix is in and there is no adaptation. It's always monkey see as monkey do.
Let me provide an example of man's mental reasoning compared to instincts of animals to illustrate the differences between the two species. Let's see how a man would react compared to a predator lion to a particular danger.
Man's Reasoning: If a man was faced with a situation where his life was put in danger. The man would assess the situation in two ways. The fight or flight syndrome,is a condition where the person would assess the situation to determine if I can't win then I will flight and run from the dangers presented. On the other hand if the person assessed the situation and believe that they have a fighting chance they may stay and fight. Man has reasoning capabilities to determine which decision would be the better decision to either fight or to flight.
Lion's or animal's reasoning: If a lion is confronted with a situation that is dangerous and where their life is put in jeopardy, they will do what most lions or predators animals always do and that is to attack in the face of danger. The lion is not going to assess the situation and determine that I may lose this fight, they are going to attack. No questions asked, because this is their instinct as a predator always on the attack.
The difference between man and animals is our cognitive ability to reason and to adapt to the present situation and make decision for our survival. Man had to always adapt to the conditions that surround him where he lives and worked.
Man learned to work the land to produce things that would sustain his life and also making or creating things better for everyone. But as man's knowledge has increased, man has also learned to just as quickly destroy the things he has created. More knowledge has provide and increased man's desire for more which has brought about an atmosphere of greed, lust and hate against others.
What is man? Flesh and blood with the ability to reason, think and adapt to his or her conditions to survive.
