Inspired by a BBC podcast called ‘What Makes Us Human’ hosted by Jeremy Vine, I decided to write my own essay on what I believe makes us human. So here goes…
I’m Only Human
I love being a human being. I LOVE IT!
…..Most of the time.
In all honesty, there are times (once a month since I was 14 years old, and all of January, every single freaking January!) when I feel deeply confused about my place on this planet. I become unsure of myself, and as if from nowhere, I’ll lose my zest. I’ll feel like I’m lacking. Just lacking in general. My lustre for life dissolves, my motivation sinks from my chest, to the pit of my stomach, down to my feet and right out of my body into the earth beneath me. Bye-bye vivacity. See you another day – or here’s hoping.
And so begin the the weighty, tormenting, and unwelcome questions which will whizz around in my head, invading my once peaceful state of mind: What’s my purpose here? Who am I anyway? How am I actually contributing to this planet? And why can’t I just live and be happy without craving answers? The thing that frustrates me the most about these little, irritating questions, is that I don’t think the answers are all that important anyway. After all, what would really change if I did have the answers? Everything? Or worse… Nothing? Either way, this negative mindset makes me feel…well… lost. I’m only human, after all.
This Too Shall Pass
When I catch myself in this negative loop of doom and gloom, I always come back to this liberating fact. My existence is trivial.
Nothing is permanent. I’m just passing through. If this too shall pass, and I am merely a bundle of stardust in this universe, why not choose to be grateful for my random place on this planet? Why not choose to do something right now that might make my heart sing? It’s at this point that I’ll be able to shift my mood, and begin to pull myself out of my pit of self-loathing. I’ll slowly but surely be led towards the light.
Creativity
I once saw a quote on a toilet door which said ‘the creative adult is the child that survived’. Something about this resonated so deeply that I’ve never forgotten the words. I’ve never even done a search to find out who the quote belongs to, but that’s unimportant. What’s important is that it triggered something so innately meaningful within me, that I repeatedly refer to it whenever I need a reminder.
As children, we get lost in our own worlds of creativity and play without a single worry about ‘why’. We’ll paint, we’ll sing, we’ll make music out of household objects, and we’ll glue toilet rolls together just for the fun of it. I call this ‘blissful purposelessness’. Our way of expressing ourselves when we’re young is so authentic that it leaves me wondering – why did we start colouring within the lines?
Adulthood seems to be all about following a specific formula. We have jobs to do, kids to raise, and bills to pay. And while we’re busy tending to our responsibilities and climbing the career ladder, the rut of daily mediocrity can suck out life’s magic. By making space to let our inner child flourish, we can tap into a fundamentally human trait. Our ability to imagine, fantasise and create is completely unmatched by any other species, and is one of the reasons humans have been able to evolve as we have. Creativity is queen.
So when I feel lost, I revert to my creative instincts. Whether that’s writing, knitting, drumming, or cooking, I find solace in letting my creativity run wild. I let go. I get into a flow and allow myself to get lost in the sheer joy of expression because it’s a beautiful reminder that I am here, I am alive, and I am human.
