The Good, the Bad, and the Human

Humans - The statement “to be human” is incredibly minimalist; the human experience is so dynamic and so different for every member of society. Each individual develops contrasting associations with this concept of “being human”. In life, humans grow and develop experiencing rites of passage, which act as markers of this growth. One thing that changes drastically from each “stage” of life that is essential to being human is an appreciation of life. As babies, we begin with a myopic, self-centered view, but this understanding matures and gestates into an awareness of life both within the self and in others. To experience this process is to be human.

Men & Women - The gender identities of men and women were once very concrete, divided by both anatomical composition and societal purpose. However, because of technological and social developments, these lines, genetalia aside, have been smudged. Being a man, once meant I could not express my homosexuality, and that I was somehow a lesser being or even worse a woman’s equal. Being a woman, meant that I had to be aesthetically pleasing to men. These restrictive identities are in the process of being shed, and men and women have crossed the gender divide in both a metaphorical and occasionally physical way, by taking on the roles and anatomy of the opposite sex. I believe that is change is essential to the idea being human, because, as Shlain explicates, every human has parts of him/herself of the “opposite” gender. Thus, in order to fully express who we are as individuals, we must dabble in the parts of ourselves that defy gender roles and anatomically assigned gender.

Artistry -An artist is an individual who creates an auditory or visual expression of the human experience. Everyone, in their own right, is an artist. Even, Miley Cyrus’ (Hannah Montana) erotic dancing display at the VMAs is art, as it a visual expression of sexuality. Whether or not that was in good taste does not dictate if something is art. At one point or another, many celebrated works of art specifically of music and dance, such as “The Rite of Spring”, were considered in “poor taste”, but have now evolved into prominent works. This is not to say that Miley Cyrus will become an artist who helps the modern music world evolve. However, it is important to note that when you say something is not art, you are walking a dangerous line which has the potential to damage the integrity of all art.

Quotation exploration - “Our insistence on cognitive knowing may already have robbed us of our capacity for being human.” I feel as if cognitive knowing became biologically wired into the human being, and as such it is part of being human. While it does reduce the uses of the animal parts of us, as humans, that allow us to experience the “being” referenced in Shlain’s Alphabet versus Goddess, such a change should not be construed as a failure to “human,” but rather a dynamic shift in the human experience. I believe that in order to be human, you must change and develop a sense of life’s value, and perhaps the human experience is meant to undergo such a metamorphosis. Perhaps, the left brains usurpation of the right is an integral part of developing the idea of what it means to be human. We know that the right brain develops, in utero, before the left and is rooted in the animalistic side of human, yet the left side of the brain is able to establish dominance over the right in a sizable number of individuals. The role of this spry, logical hemisphere could be to evaluate the fallacies and the triumphs of the human mind, and because of its analytical nature it has the correct cognitive process to make such an assessment. Thus, making the cognitive imperative to being human.