Humanity is a difficult concept to grasp, even for those of us who are human. Many of us spend time philosophizing about some of the main questions in life, “why are we here, what is our purpose?” and other similar ideas. And no matter what questions we have about our existence something becomes quite clear to anyone who gives those ideas even a bit of thought; we are quite different from any other animal here on earth. There are many physical and emotional characteristics that make that fact quite clear, and it is difficult to know exactly what emotions make us so different from animals because they don't have the ability to tell us. I am going to suggest that the quality that separates us most from the many other species of animals on this planet is something that we have all felt at one point or another in our lives: shame.
Someone once told me that every scholar on earth has read the Bible, and if they haven't read it they don't have the right to call themselves a scholar. Assuming that is true, my first point comes directly from a story that I think everyone in the western world, Christian, Muslim, Jewish or not, is familiar with; the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In the very beginning they were as free and innocent as any of the other animals that dwelled with them in that paradise. The story tells that a snake persuaded Eve to eat an apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge, and she in turn persuaded Adam to eat it. This gave them knowledge that eliminated their innocence, and they gained the quality of shame. Immediately they went and made clothes to cover their bodies, because they were ashamed of their nakedness. And the story goes on from there.
Now perhaps the Bible isn't exactly a credible source to draw from, but it certainly makes the point that shame is a quality that is uniquely human. Animals don't feel the need to cover their naked bodies, and it is certainly not possible to make any animal feel guilty for something they have done. People can't talk to a dog that has gotten in to the trash and try to reason with them, tell them that you are very ashamed and disappointed in their action. The only way that the dog will learn not to do it again is if you yell at them, or otherwise offer some form of punishment they can understand. Animals simply don't have the ability to experience guilt for an action they have committed; they generally only understand physical experiences, not emotional ones.
Conversely, guilt and shame are two of the first lessons any parent tries to teach their child. It is important that children learn what is “good” and what is “bad”, and every parent knows that they will not always be there by their child's side to help them make difficult decisions. Therefore, parents try to instill a sense of shame in their child, so that whenever the child thinks of doing something “bad” or does something that they shouldn't, that sense of shame will rise up, and they will tell the parents, or do what they can to fix the problem themselves. The emotion of shame is an important part of every human being, and of society in general.
Shame is an emotion that is very important to humanity for many reasons. It helps keep order in society, because without that emotion people wouldn't have much reason to behave in a “civilized” manner. People would merely behave like animals, because they wouldn't feel bad when they acted in a manner that was against society. The few people in society who don't have the ability to experience shame or emotions for their actions are murderers and serial killers. Also, shame helps ensure that people behave in a manner that is similar to the behavior of those around them. When they behave in a way that is too different from the “norm”, they are scorned by others in society which causes the emotions of shame and embarrassment to arise. That is again another quality that animals don't have; they don't evoke feelings of shame in those who commit indiscretions against their societies. They simply use physical means to get rid of, or “throw out” the animal. Humans are alone in the fact that they use other people's emotions against them, to cause shame to arise in them. It is a very effective weapon.
Shame is an emotion that no one is really fond of, but it is something that makes us who we are, as individuals and as humans. Without it, we would be much the same as animals and civilization would not have had the ability to progress as far as it has. So even though we may not like feeling ashamed of our actions, it is a necessary part of humanity to feel that particular emotion, and many others.
