"Our insistence on cognitive knowing may already have robbed us of some of our capacity for being human.”
To reflect on this quote: as humans, our desire to constantly know the answers to all our questions takes us away from the illusion of being a creature that belongs to the Earth. It removes a great deal of the magic we feel as children, that some things happen for no particular or scientific reason. I think “being human” means having the ability to marvel at the world we are a part of and accept that reality doesn’t revolve around us (rather, it is the other way around). Some of our humanity can be regained by taking time to reconnect with the natural world and acknowledging that we do not know everything about it. If we detach ourselves from the expectations we have today for “humans”—making money, having possessions, being beautiful—we can flourish as our ancestors did for thousands of years before us.
What is a man versus a woman? The only real difference between male and female is the genitalia. Society sets what is socially acceptable for both sexes, but by transcending those beliefs some of our humanity can be regained. What is an artist? I think an artist is anyone who creates something to express him or herself at a particular moment. And lastly, what is a human? Humans are living beings of the Earth that interact with their surroundings and other beings in it in a meaningful way.
I agree with your comment that the "magic" and curiosity of the world that we feel as children disappears as we become adults. You made interesting points of how to "regain our humanity." I agree that if us humans detach ourselves from the expectations that society and the media presents, we may regain that child-like curiosity that can give us the desire to admire nature and the things it gives us to flourish. We are so dependent on electricity and constant water supply, so if a world disaster came, we would be screwed. We should rather look to how our ancestors lived, so that we can have back-up resources. Growing our own food and depending on each other will help grow a sense of community, which will then regain our humanity.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your definitions of an artist and a human. Maybe you could've expanded on those definitions and explained why you believed those things. Overall, I thought the post was very well-written.
I also agree with the concept of magic dying when we begin to learn. What this essay seems to say is learning takes away from our natural humanity. But I also like your points about regaining humanity through communing with nature. I really liked your definition of an artist, it is true that artists do like to express themselves through their own work but you could have delve a little deeper on what drives them to create the art instead of letting the emotions pass by. Great job, this is a very good post.
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