On being Human

The fundamental question has always been this; from the time of Cicero to
the time of the Renaissance even until now we are struggling to grasp the
meaning of what it is to be human. What does is really mean to be human?
Is there a finite formula that will allow us to determine the meaning and
scope of our existence? For years and years we have tried to grasp the true
meaning of humanity. We have seen in at its best and we have seen it at its
worst. Rarely, we see not glimpses but episodes.
From the tears shed for that poor Syrian boy in the middle of a collapsed
building to the slut-shaming rebel rousing disdain for political volcanoes. We
look into human nature simply as blank canvass. There is no one emotion
that will truly make us human. To be human is to feel anger, to feel disdain,
to feel a lack of empathy but it is also very much human to feel vulnerable,
to feel weak, to feel the need for love. With over a hundred emotions that
can be felt to ascribe to a certain emotion what it mean to be human and
what human nature is all about would result to alienation.
Human nature they say is a battle between nature and nurture. What we are
and who we are they are truly what we are ever since we were young viz
who we are and what we are is an impact of our environment regardless of
who we are. But is it not that who we are and how we were raised are to
inexplicably linked factors? It is like saying that the body can live without the
soul and the soul can live without the body. There is no true sense of
independence. Life is not as simple as it is. After all, part of human existence
is evolution and with evolution comes improvement.
What we are today as a race reveals how far we have gone.