Now that’s an interesting observation. I wonder if we really appreciate the depth of thinking behind that quote. When Mill made that observation he was writing his famous dissertation on Utilitarianism. He was asserting that humans have a unique capacity to experience levels and intensities of happiness and pleasure that simply are not available to animals.

But along with that ability to marvel at sunsets, experience the joy of solving a mystery and be moved to tears by great music, we also have the capacity to be unhappy and to experience pain. That world of intellectual and physical satisfaction is not available to pigs and other animals, and neither is the suffering. Animals don't have the capacity to feel sorry for themselves. Mill suggests that none of us humans, if given the chance, would trade this “marked preference for the superior faculty” with that of a pig, even though the lowly pig is forever immune to much of the pain and suffering of humans.

What if the ability to feel pain - to experience disappointment and fear, to be sad and alone - is just the price we pay for also having the ability to experience delight and love and beauty. Would we really not be willing to pay that price? And yet, how often do we long for the absence of that pain? How often do we fret and anguish over the bumps and pitfalls in the road of life?

It seems to me that we humans (at least in our Western culture) have developed a sense of childish entitlement about having a life with no problems, no suffering. Too often I meet people that squander precious moments lamenting their hardship or the “unfairness” of their circumstances. If only they could appreciate the gift of it all. If only they could see that their capacity to experience suffering also gives them the capacity to feel great love and happiness. Does anyone of us really wish they were less human?

Here’s a thought. Try going for an entire week without once feeling sorry for yourself, or feeling mistreated, or blaming someone for unfortunate circumstances. Instead, when those moments arise, gently, but firmly, remind yourself that you have the gift of “superior faculty”, then focus your attention on that which makes you happy. I just bet life will look different at the end of that week. And I also bet that the people around you will appreciate the break!