Being human used to mean to survive, to live each day on its own, and to complete our duty. Now we can't quite say that anymore. We do not live each day or do everything just to survive. Now we live for money. We want to make money so it can help us survive in this world. A piece of paper or a number on your computer screen has started to mean more than our labor and talent. But it;s not only about survival. If it was, we'd be happy in a small house, some clothes, and food to eat. But money has created more greed in the human mind. It has caused us to start valuing McDonalds and Nike more than just surviving. What it means to be human has changed by the world of money. In my culture, greed is one of the 5 bad qualities that humans must stay away from. According to our ideals, we must try to get rid of these from our life. Even though I may not believe every single thing my religion teaches, I do believe that greed is one of the thingsblinding us humans. Greed and showing off is the reason we can't recognize ourselves.
Being human doesn't only mean greed, money, and survival thoug. I think being human is more than that too. Now that like has become much easier than it was, we have time to concentrate on other things. Being human also means to obtain as much knowledge as possible from wherever possible. It is about experiencing life and learning from whatever we can. For example, scientists have been trying their best to learn about the universe or even about how they can save humans from diseases. Humans mean curiousity. Learning new things and asking questions. Eversince the beginning, we tried answering our questions. In the past, we referred to our religion to answer our questions, but slowly science took over. Sometimes, religion may be ridiculous, but I feel that some of the things you get to learn are true and they do answer my questions sometimes. I think my religion is one of the major things that identify me. I believe that religion is one of the strongest roots of humans. So I feel religion, science, questions and answers play a huge part in human existence.
Another part of being human that's very important is expression. I think we are very priveleged to have ways to express what we feel. Emotions and feelings are two things we can express in various ways. For example, one of my friend's little sister has a puppy she really loves. He got really sick in the December break. She would wake up in the morning and before even brushing her teeth, she'd go pet him and see how he was. If he wouldn't sleep, she'd sit there trying to make him fall asleep. (He would actually stop crying and go to sleep.) She literally played with him or spoke to him all day. After seeing all the war and hatred in the world, I just thought it was wonderful to see someone love an animal so much. It makes me think how dumb the adults are. I think she has a better understanding of being human compared to any adult. Her innocence and the fact that she expresses herself are her strength and power. Even her pet understood this affection. Thus, I feel emotion is a great part of being human.
Obviously, I'm not some great philosopher or anything to really be answering this question. But whatever I say above is what I believe through experience or knowledge. It is what I feel as a human. I also feel that being human means understanding yourself and doing what your heart tells you to. If you have a passion, fulfill it. If you have a dream, live it. The world has changed as well as the way we think. All I can say is being human is a blessing we aren't recognizing. We should recognize our qualities and understand what it means to be human.
-Himangi Bhavnani (10c)
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