We have to realise that with the science that we know we are the only living beings on Earth who would have to think about how we are going to spend the day. For rest of the animals it’s all about surviving by feeding, resting and reproducing if there is a possibility. It is about survival of the fittest.
First of all they have to wake up, they have to go for a hunt for food if they hungry or they will just lie around without doing much. When they reach the right age they reproduce. Other animals do not spend time thinking about past or future rather it is the present that is important for them. They have their priorities programmed already which is fight or flight and rest, digest and reproduce.
We humans have our crown jewel of our brain is the pre-frontal cortex, which is responsible for consciousness, rational thinking, executive center for decision making. So we have a need to feel passionate about something or do meaning work that has some significance. When we do not have something l purposeful and engaging work in hands that makes feel valued and appreciated we feel emptiness. We do not like to spend time in emptiness which leads to us indulging in various instant pleasures. Humans are the only known animals who think about past, present and future and want to leave a legacy. Unlike other animals humans life is not only about survival but we are aspirational due to our consciousness. When there is nothing meaningful work to fill in the emptiness in our mind, we resort to watching TV, browsing social media, binging on videos and movies, drinking or smoking, eating, gossipping etc,.
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