When I think about what it means to be human, I begin to think about the attributes which we, as human beings, do not possess: precision, consistency, accuracy, logic. I am reminded of one of the quotes I mentioned in an earlier post, "Humans aren't rational -- they rationalize." I've come to realize how very true that statement is. It's interesting to consider that quite possibly a lot of our behavior is not the result of our being strategic and methodical, but really how we feel. Our emotions have such a strong influence in our actions and thoughts. Most of the time we don't even realize it. I know I find myself trying to come up with different explanations for my actions without at all giving credit to which emotion I was feeling at the time or right before the time I did what I did.
"I guess the reason why I snapped at my husband was because I've just been so stressed out lately about blah...blah..blah..." (for example)
Never mind the fact that I am emotional by nature and that I had just grown lax in keeping myself in check. I suppose being emotional is what makes me human. I shouldn't deny myself my emotions, I know. I realize it's important to allow myself to feel, just as it is important to not react too quickly to whatever feelings I may be experiencing.
My husband brought up something very interesting in that other people can greatly influence how you feel, which in turn, influences your behavior. People influencing other people is a simple enough concept, but there's something there that I thought was quite profound. If we overlook our emotions in the process of rationalizing our behavior, we may also overlook who or what exactly is influencing our actions. To be able to really see what's happening and to take a step back and gain a perspective on the bigger picture, I imagine, takes quite a bit of skill and discipline.
What got me started in this stream of thought is this TV show I started watching called, "The Pickup Artist." What I've realized from watching this show is that these pickup artists have pretty much figured out the basic patterns in human behavior to which they've created formulas, which they use to their advantage. It's funny to think that here we humans are, believing ourselves as these complicated, unique, and intelligent creatures, reduced to these emotional animals that behave pretty much similarly in any given situation. Well, it's funny to me. Other people may not receive this realization so positively for it almost seems like these guys are messing with people's heads. But they're not. They've just simply figured out how to adapt to various social situations with the help of some memorized lines and a bit of acting.
Humans are flawed. We make mistakes. Perfection isn't what defines a human being and it never should. Our shortcomings make us who we are. It is not in our nature to be precise, consistent, accurate, or logical. Why? Because we become tired, get sick, do drugs, hallucinate. We are not hardwired to be perfect. To deny the fact that we have flaws is to deny our very humanity.
