10وَقَد خابَ مَن دَسّاهاAli UnalAnd he is indeed lost who has corrupted it (in self-aggrandizing rebellion against God).1There are essential differences between humans and animals. The primary difference lies in the observable fact that when animals are born, it is as if they have been taught and trained in another world. They begin to walk almost as soon as they are born and quickly adapt to their surroundings, as if they had been acquainted with them beforehand. However, a human (on average) needs almost a whole year to learn how to walk, and then spends the rest of life learning how to live, and how to discriminate between what is beneficial and what is harmful. This shows that learning and progress are fundamental to human life. Humans are very complicated beings. We resemble seeds, for in each of us is the potential to engender and attain perfection. A seed is endowed by the Divine Power with great potential and is destined to put this potential into effect. If that seed abuses its potential and attracts harmful substances, soon it will rot away in its confined space. If it uses its potential properly, however, it will emerge from these narrow confines and grow into a fruit-bearing tree. In addition, its tiny and particular nature will come to represent a great and universal truth. Our essence is like a seed. If we use our potential and intellectual and spiritual faculties in this narrow world under the soil of the worldly life only to satisfy the fancies of our carnal, evil-commanding soul or selfhood, we will become corrupt, like a rotten seed, and merely enjoy fleeting pleasures during this short life. Thus, we will depart from this world with a heavy spiritual burden on our unfortunate souls. But if we germinate the seed of our potential under the “soil of spirituality” with the “water of faith and worship,” and if we use our spiritual faculties for their true purposes, we will grow into an eternal, majestic tree, the branches of which extend into eternity. We will yield fruit of virtue in the world and eternal happiness in the next world. We will be favored in Paradise with infinite perfection and countless blessings. All this means that we have been sent to the world to be perfected through knowledge and faith. And due to our special position among other beings, we have been entrusted with improving the earth through knowledge and faith and establishing justice on it. This imposes on us duties toward our Creator and other beings. (Also see Appendix 14.)