When it comes to being a human, it is an amazing opportunity. More than numerous of awesome blisses of being a human, to me the most interesting one is about the inherent infinitude of possibilities a human can be in his one single life!
A person might be a wonderful poet, a singer, a painter, a nuclear scientist, a golfer, a swimmer, a biker, a lover, a father, a husband, a social worker, a son, a brother, a friend, and what not! Each of these aspects of his personality is a world in its own – each a profound way of expressing who he is – each whole and complete in itself!
Given this whole sea of possibilities, I guess it is an interesting choice each human is destined to take – what she cherishes to be. Irrespective of the circumstances of her life, irrespective of how others treat her, irrespective of what she owns and does not, she can always choose to be one what inspires her.
It is beyond cherishing that gift of choice. It is about having that awareness that we as humans are not a uni-dimensional being. Rather we are infinite sea of potentialities.
In a typical corporate world, a person is rated against 4-5 goals set on her. In an academic setting, a person is rated against 5-10 questions asked in the exam. People judge others based on what they observe about them or their work. In each of these endeavors, I feel we are losing a great opportunity to really know someone in reality.
Certainly it is impossible to know someone in entirety, as each time you label someone something, you forgo the possibility of her become somebody more. Human beings are open ended possibilities. It is an utter naivety to judge and rate people in one or two dimensions that we know of. Being a human is much more profound.
Talking of the self, our emotions are ways of expression of who we are. Also our actions, our takes, our beliefs and attitude, express some aspects of ourselves. But the beauty is that all these aspects are independent and honorable. Each gives a glimpse of our multi-faceted existence. In his love sonnets, Shakespeare had been the most passionate lover. He had been a good family man at the same time. He was a great historian and sociologist, in making his greatest plays. At the same time he had a wonderful bent towards music and visual art. So, just if I label Shakespeare as a playwright, it would be an injustice to the profound being Shakespeare was as a person.
Same applies to all humans, in even their humblest of the forms.
I guess the challenge of life is about choosing what one wants to express out. What one chooses to be. And then using what life has to offer, as means to express that true self of one. Philosophers and mystics have given various names to that true inner self. And life presents a unique opportunity to discover that unique real self, and express that out in form – in the physical world. There is always an invisible potential inherent and latent in the self, which longs to be discovered and carved out in form.
Sometimes, emotions tend to take their own character, against that true self. Most of these are driven by natural selection – the strong pull of our genes and hormones. Certainly they play trick and it is a lost game to be able to subdue them. But, one may attempt to transmute these baser calls, to something profound and higher, which aide one to express her true self. Most of the greatest contributors in the world of literature and art had successfully been able to do so. It was either Tagore, Shakespeare or Mozart – each had some un-requited part of their baser self, which they transmuted to divine work of creation.
So, the idea also is not subduing the basic instincts of being a human. Rather it is about consciously transmuting that ancient drive to create something inspiring. It is about exercising discrimination and control, to create beauty.
It is easy to be an animal. But it is a work of art to be a human. It is not just good to be a human, but it is doing justice to the profound being endowed to us by natural selection making us human. Being some lesser version of ourselves, is a big opportunity forgone.
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