Just as G-d is the One and only, we feel ourselves too to be the one and only. Man has an innate desire to distinguish himself. If we can determine in what principle are human sublimity lies, then we can focus on harnessing and developing this unique aspect of our personalities so that we can become extraordinary, rather than just ordinary, people. There are those like the ancient Greek philosophers, foremost among them Aristotle, who believe that mans highest accolade is the fact that he is a rational, cognitive being. To them mans sublimity lies in the fact that he can withdraw from his base animalistic instincts and enter a world of thought where investigation and logical deduction are his highest callings.
Human greatness rests in mankind's ability to conjure up worlds of the imagination.
To calculate with mathematics, to experiment with science, to chronicle with history, to observe with nature, to float with music, to dream with art - all the while remaining the detached and objective observer. Humanity's greatness lies specifically in its ability to rise above animal programming. Animals have no choice but to abide by their genetic limitations. But man, possessed of a higher intelligence which allows for consciousness, is actually aware of his own existence. As such, he can actually hold his life in the palm of his hand and stare at himself as if he were someone else and thereby become self-perfecting.