What Does It Mean To Be A Human Being

I have never pondered on such a question that reflects the whole human race and what it means to be a human being. What it means to be a human being is not just having a face, eyes, heart, or being able to drive a car, or to own a house. Being a human being is much more than that, deeper and more passionate. Being a human being is to have the ability to know what is right and wrong, having rational thought and to think deeply beyond the tangible things in the world, and being a human being is to find love. Yet as I think deeply into this more and more, I see that those things are not as important to be a human being, simply because you can live without those things; but to really live and thrive and build a race and society, being a human being is to have the ability to build relationships around anyone and everyone around us. What it means to be a human being is to have relationships.

Many people may argue with this person's opinion on the meaning of being a human being, but this is an opinion that should be taken into consideration. As all humans know, what makes us unique from animals is our ability to drive cars, create masterpieces of art, build cathedrals, and invent things no one would think of. However, those are only the tangible aspects of being a human being. If we all think carefully, and work out many other aspects to what makes us human, we should find that all other answers inadequate. What makes us truly unique and great is our ability to create relationships and connections; this is what allows us to grow and expand our horizons, to thrive and accomplish many things, and to be closer to our species in order to be successful, this is the most important thing that makes us who we are.

If we are to be compared to animals, such as apes, we see that they have relationships upon each other as well. Although apes and other animals share the same distinct trait of building relationships, it is not to the extent of what humans do. For example, the reader may say that apes have relationships as well; they build homes in the trees, and put together packs and have a family. The reader may also say that other animals share the same trait, they talk to another and know who each other is and build strong relationships upon the same tribe or species. However, the question is, do the animals share relationships with everyone they see, in different parts of the world separated by a large ocean, and can they come to grasp the idea of ethics that come to play in relationships? Animals cannot fully grasp the idea of relationships between each other because they only build relationships with those near-by in the same place, and also they cannot learn from others and teach others of what we learned. Animals cannot fully reflect of yesterday and tomorrow and what is happening to others around them, and also cannot feel any emotion over other species or the same species far away that does not interact and intermingle with them. Animals have a very limited relationship with themselves and others. This is what makes them different from humans.

The concept of having relationship is very broad. Humans have relationships with their friends, family, co-workers, lover, and even those that we do not know. Humans have ethics and morals, and this allows us to have relationships with other humans around the world. Even with a friend or those in a third-world country, our relationship reaches everywhere on earth. Every person knows that killing another person is wrong, and that lying and cheating is wrong also, where ever they are from. For example, a person in the US, can relate to a person in china; when a man is killed by a falling tree in China, the person in the US feels sorry and passionate for the man and his family even if they both do not know each other, but because of relationships, they share the same emotion and have the same boundaries as everyone, this is what makes humans unique.

Having a relationship doesn't have to mean to be in a relationship of love or to share one between siblings and parents; having a relationship is not that shallow. We all meet different people each day, and we all learn from their life and values. This is one way of sharing a relationship. A person that you do not know may come up to you tomorrow and talk to you. Without relationships, a conversation will end surprisingly fast, and the two would not know each other and become distant. Having relationship does not always mean having to know a person. For example, if a Vietnamese and Chinese person talked, what relationships do they confront? Chinese and Vietnamese have a very long and historic relationship. They have the same holiday, same religions, and same ethic and morals. If the Vietnamese person talked about their family, how does the Chinese person relate to this? Well, they both know that in their countries, family is the most important and strongest thing a person has. Respect is the key in the family, because without this, there is chaos. The Chinese and Vietnamese may not know each other, but because of relationships that went on since the dawn of time, they both know what to say, what to do, and how to do it when they meet and talk. Because of relationships, we can know the traditions and customs of different people from different backgrounds. We share the same idea and similar beliefs around the world; without relating to one another, everyone would not be the same, we all would keep to ourselves and not share our ideas. Without relationships, humans would be almost non-existing.

In the lifetime of humans, we are born and already we are building relationships. A baby knows his mom, dad, and siblings, and as they grow, they know their roles by use of relationships. Then, when they are growing up and building their life, they meet new people, learn new ideas and have their own morals, all from learning from each other and their parents and family. Without relationships, we cannot differentiate if something is wrong or good, and have a sense of conscience. People influence other people, and so on and so on. No one is themselves because of themselves; we are all shaped by other people and what