On Being Human (Updated from 3/24/2015)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human

(Note:  Please review the link (above) before reading this post.)

 

“Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, or any other theology, learn to be human first.”

-- Shannon L. Adler, author

How funny to read a definition of "human." If we were sending information into space as an introduction of our species to an alien culture, we could not choose a more one-sided description than the one on Wikipedia.org. Ever been to a restaurant and wondered what moron wrote the critique for it, in the local paper? He suckers you into bad food, and even worse service, at the dirtiest place in town. Welcome to Earth! Don't drink the water, and certainly don't breathe the air, we have "social clubs" for that. Watch out for bacteria and viruses, paying particular attention to not acquiring any immune deficiency. Please do not probe us, as we probe ourselves quite enough already, and will be happy to share any physiological data you'd like. If you absolutely must probe, we have "social clubs" for that as well.

The "Wikipedia description" is us, don't get me wrong, I would hope we could live up to all of the best of what we can be.  This is what the description gives - the best of us.  It's too bad that we aren't.  It conveniently leaves out the rest of "us."  Not mentioned, for instance, is the nose-picking, crotch, and butt scratching, belching, farting, backstabbing, war-mongering, litigious, selfish, emotionally and socially handicapped, religiously heretical, morally corrupt, and physically obese disasters, that the majority of us are.  It leaves out drug abuse, pornography, sadomasochism, and human trafficking.  If aliens actually come looking for any of this, it occupies most street corners in every part of the world.  If they still have a hard time finding it, we probably have "social clubs" celebrating it.  

"In this century we have made remarkable material progress, but basically we are the same as we were thousands of years ago. Our spiritual needs are still very great."

-- Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

My goodness, when the pope finds it necessary to chew out the Vatican cardinals for losing sight of Christianity's moral and spiritual ball, where does that leave the rest of us?  When Islam has fallen to the level of child murderers, rapists, and terrorists while excusing it all in the name of Allah, is anything sacred?  What does it say about us when our religious and spiritual leaders are as, or more, corrupt than the common man, and we excuse heresy as long as it's for all the right reasons.

All of this should come as no surprise though.  Most of us act like we're still walking with our knuckles dragging the ground.  When we speak, we grunt, several times, just to ensure our first grunt was understood.  Leaders of nations have "front people" who have to explain what their leaders really meant to say because the leaders are too stupid to form a cogent thought which would be wasted on the masses who are too stupid to understand it anyway.  We look physically different, but basically, we remain the same ape we sprang from.  We deny we are capable of losing the civilized facade at a moment's notice, reverting to the barbaric animal we so diligently try to either ignore or sit on, failing miserably at each attempt.

Monkeys are superior to men in this: When a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey.

-- Malcolm de Chazal (1902-1981), writer, artist, visionary

Man's inherent ego far surpasses his attempts to show any modicum of humility, and none of this is mentioned when we discuss what a "human" is.  I think this is because no one, not one person on this planet, actually knows why a human is.  We can try to explain it scientifically, or religiously, but it is all just an educated guess.  We really do not know "why" we are.

“Being human means asking the questions of one's own being and living under the impact of the answers given to this question. And, conversely, being human means receiving answers to the questions of one's own being and asking questions under the impact of the answers.”

-- Paul Tillich (1886-1965)

We're going to look pretty naive to our alien visitors when we ask if they know why we are.  The saving grace will be their retort, "Hell, we were hoping you would tell us why we are."  This will probably be a split second before finding out they have an insatiable appetite for slow-roasted bipedal red meat and head cheese.  Name one instance where a technologically advanced culture did not subjugate the less advanced one.  Until we know differently, we must assume alien life is at least on par with this world, which means we have to also assume survival of the fittest (which I believe was also left out as a specific reason for humans rising to the top of the current food chain).  If they have technology far more advanced than ours, how much subjugating have they been doing?

"The reason why the world lacks unity and lies broken and in heaps is because man is disunited with himself."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

In 1920, humans created the League of Nations to maintain world peace in the aftermath of World War I.  In 1945 the ineffectual League was replaced by the equally inept and ineffectual United Nations.  In the combined 103 years of their existence, they have found no peace. And, if mankind's current activity is any indication, there will be no peace in our time.  Yet, we continue to deceive ourselves that there is hope.  We do this because our ability to create is at least as great as our ability to destroy. We have great faith in hope.

We have an aptitude for the creation of such beauty, which flies in the face of our destructive capacity.  We stand in awe of nature's own beauty, the ability nature has to create and destroy, and create again; the wonder of constant rebirth in the face of disasters. The world abides.  It would seem as if we seek to emulate nature in all ways; to fashion our abilities after those of nature, not realizing we are not locked into the natural order of the physical universe.

"To make any future that we dreamt up real requires creative scientists, engineers, and technologists to make it happen.  If people are not within your midst who dream about tomorrow - with the capacity to bring tomorrow into the present - then the country might as well just recede back into the cave because that's where we're headed."

-- Neil deGrasse Tyson

We have the ability, with our minds, to overcome our capacity to destroy, and to rise above the dark side of us.  Our minds can move beyond the physical, beyond that which is possible, and dream things impossible and beyond our reach.  With everything we define as human, and all the reality that comes with it, our ability to think beyond the physical world, and imagine the unimaginable, even to imagine that which is nothing, also makes us human.  I think our understanding and use of this ability will eventually make us who we will be.

If we really want to know what makes us human, we need to answer the question of why we are.  Why are we here?  Why do we exist?  Why were we brought into being as the weakest, yet most intelligent beings on this planet?  Why were we endowed with this intelligence that helped us survive against all odds?  This need to answer the question of "why" is what drives us. Perhaps, this is the short definition of what being "human" is - this unquenchable need to know why.

"Every human being is a repeated question asked to the spirit of the Universe." 

-- Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), Romanian poet, novelist

Why are we here?  We have to be.  Why do we seek that which cannot be found?  Maybe it's because we must.  In this realization, is there a possible truth that all life strives for the same knowledge?  From the most basic form of life, we constantly strive to become more than what we are, and as we grow in knowledge the focus of our search narrows to a specific goal, perhaps to be one with the universe around us?  In this realization, would the fact exist that there is no human, no extraterrestrial alien, no black or white, Christian or Muslim, there is just life? Is it that we simply are, and we find, after all, this life is what we ultimately make of it, and the most we can hope for is to be human?

Being human is easy since it's who we are.  I think to be more than human is an aspiration we may only realize when we all discover our humility and an answer to the question of the reason why.

I wonder.

Thirty spokes

meet in the hub.

Where the wheel isn't

is where it's useful. 

Hollowed out,

clay makes a pot.

Where the pot's not

is where it's useful. 

Cut doors and windows

to make a room.

Where the room isn't,

there's room for you. 

So the profit in what is

is in the use of what isn't.

Laozi (604-531 BC), Tao Te Ching: Chapter 11

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com