Tchaikovsky th

Human beings are incredibly odd creatures. Forget the whole “debating the nature of existence” thing. We’re the only animal on the planet that chooses to weld metal rods into the teeth of our own offspring in order to fix an evolutionary issue. Our species, at some point in the past, somehow managed to invent the concept of boredom despite the infinite wonder of the world and cosmos all around us, and we’re the only animal that uses melody to put forth our very deepest emotion and tragedy out into the world. We’re also, unsurprisingly, the only animal on the planet that lives on half-truths. Every other creature thrives on three basic, fully-realized ideas: First, they probably need to eat and not be eaten by something bigger than themselves, so long as the situation allows it. Second, they probably need to sleep when the giant flaming ball of gas in the sky can no longer be seen. Third, they probably need to mate — and desire to do so — with the details actively avoided.

People do all of these things, of course, but we also manage to live by and love concepts and

•