Important links to read

https://blog.practicalsanskrit.com/2010/07/we-are-what-we-eat.html 

https://blog.practicalsanskrit.com/2010/01/human-or-animal-what-is-difference.html  

Being Swayamsevak is being a better human

2 important things which determine a human being to it's entirety  are  आचार  and विचार . Out of this आचार  always comes first and विचार  comes second.

Human and Animal are one and the same. Only exception is knowing and following धर्म।  As per the Sloka:

AhAra-nidrA-bhaya-maithunam cha
samAnam_etat_pashubhir_narANAm |
dharmo hi teShAm adhiko visheSho
dharmeNa hInAH pashubhiH samAnAH||

आहार-निद्रा-भय-मैथुनं च समानमेतत्पशुभिर्नराणाम् ।
धर्मो हि तेषामधिको विशेषो धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः ॥


Meaning: food, sleep, fear and mating, these acts of humans are similar to animals', of them (humans), dharma (right conduct) is the only special thing, without dharma humans are also animals. 

So Human is the only living form to exhibit धर्म .   So if we deduct धर्म  from human being is exactly an animal. This is also not correct as Animal has some instincts through which they follow the nature's rule. They eat when they are hungry, They do not over eat. Have you seen an animal who is sick because of lack of sleep? They even do sex in a particular time/season. Whereas Human who does not follow धर्म, has to follow अधर्म  which are called Monster, Whome levels are lower then Animals.


Now the important thing which we need to understand is धर्म . What is Dharma? As per Manusmruti:

धृति: क्षमा दमोऽस्‍तेयं शौचमिन्‍द्रियनिग्रह:।

धीर्विद्या सत्‍यमक्रोधो दशकं धर्मलक्षणम्‌।। 

अर्थ – धृति (धैर्य ), क्षमा (अपना अपकार करने वाले का भी उपकार करना ), दम (हमेशा संयम से धर्म में लगे रहना ), अस्तेय (चोरी न करना ), शौच ( भीतर और बाहर की पवित्रता ), इन्द्रिय निग्रह (इन्द्रियों को हमेशा धर्माचरण में लगाना ), धी ( सत्कर्मों से बुद्धि को बढ़ाना ), विद्या (यथार्थ ज्ञान लेना ). सत्यम ( हमेशा सत्य का आचरण करना ) और अक्रोध ( क्रोध को छोड़कर हमेशा शांत रहना )।

These are the 10 characteristics which human should exhibit in the process of live to qualify to be a human being. All these attributes can be bucketed under आचार  and विचार.  आचार  and विचार are the 2 medium through which we can become a better human being. 

विचार is a very subtle thing which happens in Intellectual sheath where as आचार   is the  gross form which happens in physical dimension. How softly we talk, how patiently we listen, how well we behave, how sensibly we respond are the measures of आचार .  आचार  is the visible dimension, hence a most care and attention needs to be given to our आचार.