Personally, I'd be surprised if most mammals weren't generally happier than people. Cats, dogs, and sea mammals seem to have it all figured out. Apes and monkeys, less so - chimpanzees are brutal.

    Tiger got to hunt.
    Bird got to fly.
    Man got to sit and wonder why, why, why?
    Tiger got to sleep.
    Bird got to land.
    Man got to tell himself he understand.

- Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

Or as Blaise Pascal put it in Pensées:

>When I have occasionally set myself to consider the different distractions of men, the pains and perils to which they expose themselves at court or in war, whence arise so many quarrels, passions, bold and often bad ventures, etc., I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.

You comment win today's draws-from-the-most-disparate-sources award.

I'd totally forgotten about Pensées. I really need to re-read it.

Great comment. There was a full thread about this Pascal saying a few years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25482927

BTW, it is enjoyable that HN conversations are vastly and noticeable superior to ChatGPT ;-)

The fundamental difference is animals are mostly controlled by nature. Humans have the ability to use their intellect to override their natural urges when prudent.

Second, animals are rarely at the top of the food chain, so they are structured for self-protection first and foremost. This means group dynamics rule over any individual needs. Each animal is expected to do its role in the group, no question of what’s “fair”.

Third, inability to communicate and find treatment when sick. When hurt or sick, they mostly just lay down and slowly fade away. How difficult would it be for us to face death in that way?

> The fundamental difference is animals are mostly controlled by nature. Humans have the ability to use their intellect to override their natural urges when prudent.

Could we nerdy say: animals has less controllers (one?) when humans has more (two? pure nature + new nature = powerful brain). And, also say that this two components conflict in the human?

Being nerdy++ I would say that humans needs a byzantine fault tolerance system. I don't know if we are there, probably we have a crash fault tolerance system or less?

It is Sunday.