What it means to be human
By Duane Hewitt
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you’re probably human – but have you ever considered just what that means? The following offers some thought as to what it means to be human. You can choose your preferences selectively or you may just find that you’re stuck with everything.
The list includes…1. You are a member of the species Homo sapiens. 2. You have 46 chromosomes. 3. You are a member of the species that invented politics and religion. 4. Your race is typically identified as having a body consisting of one head, two arms, two legs, and torso. 5. You have one mouth, one nose, two eyes, and two ears. 6. You possess an inner-supporting bone structure commonly called a “skeleton.” 7. You are made of skin, muscle, blood, bone, and internal organs. 8. You have opposable thumbs. 18. You are bipedal; you walk upright. 9. You have five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. 10. You are warm blooded and a mammal. 11. You are a member of a race that propagates (breeds) through sexual intercourse (copulation). 12. You require food to subsist (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats). 13. You are omnivorous. 14. You require water to subsist. 15. You require oxygen. 16. You require gravity. 17. You are mortal and will die. 18. You communicate through language (in its various forms). 19. You possess a broad range of emotions. 20. You are capable of great feats, accomplishments, and dreams. 21. You are capable of great horrors, destruction, and nightmares. 22. You are a member of a peaceful-loving species. 23. You are a member of a violent and war-mongering species. 24. The average height of your species generally ranges from about 4 1/2 foot to 6 1/2 foot, with exceptions (NB: actual worldwide averages are roughly 1.7 m for males and 1.6 m for females). 25. You have an average lifespan of about 79 years.
To allow for a break in this stream of items (it’s part of our very controlling nature), let’s separate the two halves of text by inserting a new point right here: Point 26. You, being human, require rest and sleep.
And to continue… 27. You are a social creature; possessing the ability to cooperate and share with others. 28. You have a highly individualistic personality. 29. You have a long, dependent childhood. 30. You are a distinctly different species from other life on your planet. 31. Your species sees itself as special and unique, and views itself as the superior lifeform on your planet. 32. The evolution of your species is uniquely different from that of other species on your planet. 33. Your cerebrum distinguishes you from other species; controlling thoughts, senses, language, and memory. 34. You originate from and inhabit the third planet in the solar system, Earth. 35. You are a highly inventive and creative species. 36. You are very susceptible to disease and physical injury. 37. You are very sensitive to variations and extremes in the environment. 38. You devise educational systems and standards. 39. You create social, business, and academic institutions. 40. You gravitate to marriage and the “family unit,” particularly in child rearing. 41. You invent culture. 42. You have a highly “spiritual” nature. 43. You have 3-Dimensial vision and can judge distances. 44. You have highly developed brains that enable you to learn and think independently. 45. You have highly cognitive processes that enable you to acquire, store, retrieve, process, and build on knowledge and experience. 46. You have superior problem solving abilities and are capable of superior complex thinking. 47. You are able to think in different time frames (past, present, and future). 48. You are able to communicate complex and abstract ideas, and to create advanced symbols and art. 49. Your biological profile lends itself to the processing and purging of substances and general putrefaction throughout your lifetimes and at death.
One does begin to get the idea of what it means to be human as the list rolls out. There may be some overlap (redundancy) here and, more than likely, there are a great many more items that can be added. For example, we all have an ability to conceptualize and create tools and then implement those tools for use. But in many ways, this has been included.
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed reading this little compilation of what it means to be human. And now, if you don’t mind, it’s time to go evolve.
Copyright 2017 Duane Hewitt. All rights reserved.
