Acharya Prashant explains that man, as he is, is bound to kill, and that killing is necessarily associated with the human form. This is why the saints loathed the human form and did not consider it a great joy to be born as a human. Instead, they sought liberation because to be human is to be violent. He clarifies that the concept of violence does not apply to animals like a lion or a rat. The word 'violence' applies only to human beings because they have a choice, whereas an animal acts based on its physical conditioning and has no option. A lion that kills its entire life cannot be called violent, nor can it be called non-violent; it is simply doing what its conditioning compels it to do. Man, however, has the option to kill or not to kill, and to choose what he wants to eat. Therefore, only man can be violent or non-violent. The most fearsome carnivore is not violent, and a mosquito that survives on blood is not violent. But if a human can avoid killing the mosquito and still kills it, then that human is violent. The rules are different for humans because, unlike animals, the human form has a consciousness that cries for liberation. No animal seeks liberation; only the human form does, as it possesses a choosing consciousness. The word 'consciousness' itself implies choice. If a person can eat another human being, it proves their circle of empathy is very small, which indicates a lack of self-love. If you do not love yourself, there is no possibility of liberation. This is violence: to make a choice that does not lead to liberation. When you kill an animal, it is liberated from its physical misery, but you, having eaten it, will live to suffer the effects. Your punishment is that you will survive to see a dark tomorrow. Conversely, there is the one whose ego broadens, whose consciousness identifies with a bigger set of people, and eventually includes animals as well. The wider your ego identity, the greater the possibility of liberation for you. This is why being born human is considered a curse by the saints, because some kind of violence becomes unavoidable. They have said that final liberation will come only after you are physically gone as well.
