The human body, like that of all animals, is the product of our genetic code and its physical components are nearly identical to those of most mammals. It is only our large and complex brain that sets us apart and it is that organ which gives us our sense of self. Unlike most other animals, we are able to reason, theorize, calculate, imagine, anticipate and ponder; our level of conciousness is far more advanced than is evident in other higher mammals and it is this trait that deludes many humans into thinking that we have no direct connection with other species.
Our personal view of life, from our own body to our local environment to the vast Universe, is the current product of our genetics and all of our experience; the latter includes education (formal and otherwise), emotion-inducing events (positive and negative) and our personal interaction with other humans, other creatures and our environment. All of this information and experience, like data fed into a computer, is acquired through our physical senses and molds our sense of self.
While many humans believe that there is also a spiritual component to our existence, such mysticism has no basis in science and is not necessary to explain our human capabilities, including our thoughts and emotions. Dreams, which free our mental processes from concious control, arise from our life-long spectrum of experience and provide the best insight into the neurochemical processes that are responsible for memory and thought.. Once awake, our natural defense mechanisms take charge and we are less willing to accept the fact that we humans, as intelligent and creative as we might be, are merely self-aware, biochemical organisms.
