The Difference Between Humans and Devils

By Graylon Abukhadir Mayberry 







## The Difference Between Humans And Devils

There is a simple image that says a lot about what it means to be human: one rider is a single devil, but a pair of riders can become a pair of devils when they move in the wrong direction together. [1] Humanity is not defined just by having a body or a brain, but by a unique level of self‑consciousness and the ability to care, to hear, and to respond to the world and other beings around us. 

Human beings carry an inner tendency to look after more than just themselves. [1] There is a natural desire to protect children, partners, animals, and even strangers, and this desire is part of what separates a human from a beast that lives only by instinct or survival. [1]

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## The Human Capacity For Deep Attachment

One of the clearest signs of this humanity is the depth of attachment humans form with others, human and non‑human alike. [1] When someone we love receives good fortune, many of us feel joy as if that goodness has touched us directly, as though their happiness were our own. [1]

The same is true in reverse: when a loved one is lost, the pain can be so deep it feels like a piece of the self has been cut away. [1] There are stories of one spouse dying after many years of love, devotion, and friendship, and the surviving partner soon following, as if life itself became too heavy once love turned into a burden instead of a shared blessing. [1]

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## Love, Hope, And The Birth Of The “Devil”

Love in this age has become a commodity, something to bargain with, brand, or romanticize without fully understanding its weight. [1] People talk about love constantly, but often in ways that are shallow, transactional, or rooted in fantasy rather than responsibility. [1]

When hope is slowly burned out of the “hopeless romantic,” what often fills the space is jealousy, cynicism, and a hunger to control rather than to care. [1] This is where another side of people appears: greed, disrespect, and a refusal to understand the pain they cause. [1] In this state, the “devil” is no longer a distant myth; it becomes an attitude living in the heart, breathing through choices that harm self and others. 



## Living Backwards: How Humans Become Devils

“Devil” here is less a horned creature and more a direction of living. A devil is an attitude that moves contrary to real life, a way of living backwards—away from growth, mercy, and clarity. [1] When people stop progressing, when darkness interrupts forward movement, when they reject purpose and uprightness, they become humans living in reverse. 

Wise people seek out contrast and clarity instead of hiding in confusion. [1] Light is important because it exposes the low nature of foolishness and the dangerous comfort of ignorance. Those who love the dark, who reject correction and remain comfortable in confusion, effectively live as devils, even while wearing a human face. 



## The Two Wolves In The Human Heart

Inside the human heart there is both potential for great good and capacity for serious harm. [1] These are like two mortal enemies sharing the same space, and whichever one is fed becomes the one that wins. 

Feeding the “devil” side means practicing attitudes of cruelty, dishonesty, selfishness, and deliberate blindness. [1] Feeding the “human” side means choosing care, responsibility, humility, and the courage to face truth even when it hurts. [1] The outcome is not just an abstract moral status; it is the difference between a life that moves forward in alignment with real living and a life that drifts backward into emptiness. 



## A Humble Definition Of Devil

From this perspective, “devil” can be defined simply: a devil is a way of living that runs opposite to authentic life.  It is an attitude that limits the will, shuts down growth, and imitates the attributes of destruction rather than the attributes of mercy and care. 

Human beings are created with uniqueness, self‑awareness, and the ability to love deeply, to suffer deeply, and to rise again with wisdom. [1] Whether a person lives as a human or as a devil depends not only on what has happened to them, but on what they choose to feed inside themselves every day. 




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