What is human?

Free write: jamesbuffett, 11/5/2012 2:15 P.M.

The fact that I have chosen today to start this project is, in actuality, a happy coincidence. November the 5th is a day that for many represents the fight for freedom. This is of course due in no small part to a certain film, which revolves around this certain day, created because a certain man, decided to attempt to destroy a certain building, all on the basis of freedom and revolution. This, however, is not what I have decided to write about. As I have stated earlier, it is merely a happy coincidence and nothing more. No. Today I have decided to tackle a far broader and indeed more philosophical topic. I am going to attempt to create an answer to the far too infrequently asked question. "What is man?"

Now of course there are certain concessions I have to take for this project. For example. The scientific explanation to this question is one of the easiest. Man is a mammal that despite sharing evolutionary steps with primates, has evolved to the point where we have the ability to question our own existence. Hence why I am writing this free form essay in the local library and not attempting to climb the apple tree outside my particular window. Tempting as the little fruits may be. We react to our environment instead of reacting with it. We change things instead of changing ourselves. We are fragile in most cases yet indescribably strong when faced with certain oppositions. But I think the best way to describe man while still keeping within scientific foundations is this. We are the only creatures on the planet that have completely repressed our natural skills and instincts in favor of technological advancements. Will this ultimately be our undoing? I believe so. However it is most likely thanks to technology that we have survived this long. But I digress. Any way you look at it humans are just about as far away from natural as anything technically called living could be. We are the exception. The anomaly inside the norm. But this doesn't completely answer my question. To do that we must go deeper.

I once saw a movie where the villain compared mankind to a virus. Using up every available resource before moving on to a new area to restart the cycle. Never giving to our environment. Ironically enough this movie was made by the same directors as the one I referenced earlier. I don't completely agree with that somewhat disheartening statement. We have the ability, knowledge, and drive to add to our environment. To "improve" it. Maybe not for other creatures who share this ecosystem with us but certainly for ourselves. Take for example the roads we build to better transport our goods. The cities we build to house our species. The fuel we burn to power our technology. Is this behavior self-defeating? Possibly. In my opinion probably. But only time will tell.

If you were to look at us from a sociological aspect you would once again find just how different humans are. Despite our unified care for one another you would be hard pressed to locate another species so obsessed with the differences regarding others of its type. Now granted, certain animals do keep close knit groups and are usually very cautious or even violent around those who are not a part of the group. But these usually revolve around family or mating purposes. Humans do not seem to have this dilemma. We create friends, acquaintances, sexual partners, marital partners, and business partners seemingly without discretion. Yet there are so many stereotypes, slurs, insults, and trains of thought regarding our differences in race, class, creed, sexual orientation, looks, political upbringings, spiritual upbringings, and trains of thought. Yes I know I put trains of thought in there twice. It's called emphasis. In any case, the point of that pontification was simple. To evoke more thought as to why this is the case. Why this is considered normal when everything around us is screaming it isn't… Why is this considered human?

Unfortunately my time is up. But I will be back to recover this train of thought. Yes I know. Three times. In the meantime I would encourage you to do something for your soul. Go listen to some music. Visit a restaurant you haven't been to in a while. After all, what's the point of being human if you can't be human once in a while?

JB