To Be Human

‍Originally published in PEPPER Magazine, republished here with permission from the author.
By K. Day, Editor in Chief, PEPPER Magazine, San Antonio, Texas, Volume 2, Issue 3
Instagram: kathleen.day.official

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." — Albert Einstein

Originally, I imagined writing a much different sentiment than what will unfold in this editor's note now. Funny how the course of our current reality and subsequently, the minutes that become history can reshape everything we think we are, everything we think we know. The label should read: "Subject to change pending traumatic conditioning."

There is much to say about what it is to be human. Generally, you can ask just about anybody what it means to them and get a blanketed sense of 'the human experience.' You can get as philosophical, cynical, or altruistic as appeals to you. But ultimately, being human means we're all in this temporal classroom from the moment we're born to the point that we draw our last breath. It's more controlled chaos than we're comfortable admitting, and the learning curve is more like a free fall at an amusement park.

The point—none of us, not one, has all the answers. No one is holding some deep mystical truth that has the power to springboard you ahead and shortcut your way through the lessons. Figuring it all out is hard for everybody, regardless of varied degrees of privilege or hardships. The one commonality we share is just that—our humanness.

And yet, over and over again, we're thrust into destructive patterns, imposed upon by preexisting wars, subjugated... all too easily manipulated and twisted by propaganda and divisive thought warfare. Each time we think we're evolving, we're moving past it, another tragic, senseless act of destruction and brutality knocks us ten steps back. The truth is, we're not evolving—we just have better toys.

It wasn't my aim to be bleak, to lead the reader into the fray. And yet, here we are, whether I decided to talk about it or not. Sure, I would have loved to have written a ballad to the indomitable human spirit, sing praises over the purity of the open heart, and tout about all the good we can do should we dare to put effort behind our great big ideas. And all of that is true. But there is a dark, swollen, and sullied underbelly here, and refusing to look at it doesn't make it any less a part of the human condition.

We owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to future generations to take this hard, honest look in the mirror and ask ourselves: How did we get here? Who are we? Where are we going? If you're feeling a little lost right now, you're not alone. Before a few weeks ago, like me, you probably thought we were better than this. You probably had little to no idea how truly horrific things are getting in certain parts of our world. It's always happening 'far away,' out of sight, out of mind.

That desensitization is NOT your humanity. That's systemic normalization of cruelty. We need to get back to ourselves. We need to understand that ideology is fine in regard to philosophical thought—but not when it comes to truly caring for your fellow inhabitants. Despite our distance in geography, we are one species, we are all of us human. We owe ourselves and each other more than a nonchalant blind eye when innocence is threatened. I'm here now, and my eyes are wide open.