This is a question that I was asked in my Humanities class on Monday. At a glance, it seemed like an easy question to answer, but when I really thought about it, it was not so easy.
Being human can mean different things to different people, so there is no wrong answer. I first thought that being human is being a part of society, learning from your mistakes, making an impact in your community, and helping others. While these are examples of what being human means, I really wanted to dig deeper.
When thinking about being human, it is hard not to think about the meaning of life. I think the meaning of life is finding your purpose, chasing your passions, fulfilling your dreams — so does being human mean chasing your dreams? I think it does. Being a human means growing, developing your own opinions and beliefs, learning from the past and setting goals for your future. It means having ups and downs — nobody is happy all the time. It means challenging yourself and experiencing new and different emotions. Learning how to handle stress, anxiety, and sadness. It also means discovering new emotions like feeling fulfilled, energized, irritable, alone, trusting and elated.
Being human means overcoming boundaries, ones that you might have unknowingly placed there yourself and doing what makes you happy. Accomplishing something people said you never could and proving them wrong. It means learning how to forgive and forget. It means finding beauty in small things. It means finding your worth and finding yourself. Being human isn’t easy as we are constantly on an emotional rollercoaster, but as we evolve, we have more courage, more compassion, more integrity and more self-awareness.
I don’t think many people want to take the time to really think about what being human means to them. Even this back and forth I had in my head opened my eyes and made me realize the things I take for granted.
We are not perfect, we will never be perfect, but learning from our mistakes is a part of life and our growth. So everyday that you walk on this planet, think about what you can do for others, what you can do for yourself, do what you love, not what you think others want you to do.