Humans Being Human

Let’s get philosophical right out of the gate. What does it mean to be human? It’s a pretty simple question without an easy answer. For each of us, being human can mean many different things (treating each other humanely, applying logic and reason to solve a problem, experiencing a vast array of emotions, making mistakes, etc.). However, one thing is certain — we are all humans (with all our quirks and peculiarities in tow). We’re not robots. We’re not machines. We’re not automatons. We’re not animatronics. Being human is what makes us unique and capable of incredible accomplishments.

Elizabeth Edwards said: “The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human.”

Too often in the world today, it seems like we are pushed to be less and less human — to appear perfect on our social media feeds; to not make mistakes at work; to not show vulnerability to friends, family, and coworkers; to not show emotion during peaks and valleys in our lives; to not admit shortcomings in our abilities. That’s a shame. It’s all of these elements — stumbling, bumbling, and fumbling — that help us learn, adapt, and grow to achieve amazing things. Something that robots can’t do — emulate human ingenuity and creativity.

A quick Google search will show great people who have done great things also stumbled, bumbled, and fumbled. A lot. Thomas Edison tested thousands of materials before he successfully invented his light bulb. Hell, Orville Wright was the pilot when his passenger was the first person to die in an airplane crash. Look where lighting and aircraft technology are today.

We all have stories of our missteps, mistakes, and “oh, shit” moments. But we also all have stories of tremendous achievements and victories — big and small — that could only be accomplished as a human. One of those stories for me was the time I built my wife a shoe rack early in our marriage. To say it was terrible is an understatement. I had no idea what I was doing, it was wobbly, poorly constructed, and impractical. She never used it (mainly because it was unusable). Fast forward to a cedar fence I just finished building in our backyard. It’s solid, practical, and looks great. As the saying goes…it’s not where you start — it’s how you finish.

Being human is a gritty journey. It’s a contact sport. And whatever you or I set out to do, we’ll do it in our oddly human fashion — progress, stumbles, breakthroughs, setbacks, frustrations, emotions, feelings, and triumphs. That’s ok. And that’s normal. It’s learning to embrace our “humanness” in all its complexity and messiness that will ultimately help us grow as…well…humans.

Until next week.

Cheers,

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way.)