ESSAY: Humans, A Question With No Correct Answer.

What is a human? Sure, you can look up the scientific definiton of a human being. But what do you think makes humans different? What qualities do you think humans have that seperate them from any other animal or species? What do you think makes us humans, human? Everyone has there different opinion, but can anyone really give us a correct specific answer?

• A Human Being: Any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage. 

 That's the scientific definition of a human being, but what does that really say about us? That we're smarter than other species? That we can talk? That we can stand up straight? Yeah, I suppose I agree because those are all facts of qualities that distinctly make us human. But what I didn't see in the scientific definition, that I thought should have been incorporated somehow, was something about emotion. Something about feelings. I feel like the fact that humans have the incredible ability to feel happiness, pain, sadness, and excitement is extraordinary. I feel like it's a deeper quality that makes us human.

I already know there's going to be some people would argue with what I'm saying and say that animals can feel the same way too. I wouldn't completely disagree with the argument that they're trying to put out because I understand where they're coming from, but I would disagree to an extent. Animals can feel too, that's the part I agree with. But I don't think they have the "superior intelligence" that was specifically given to us to express and understand those emotions. And besides just understanding our own feelings, it's the way we carry out to handle these situations.

For example, if we felt threatened by something or someone, we have the common sense and tolerance to ignore and avoid that threatening situation. But in most cases, if animals felt threated by something or someone, their natural instinct is to attack and fight to get on top. Natural selection, in other words. I feel like they live in a world where only the toughest, only the strongest survive. But us, I feel we all equal and have the same chance and level of intelligence to survive in this world.

Something I've seen in the past, is a situation where someone seemed so perfect.Where someone seemed so programmed. Where it seemed like they could make no mistakes, and where it seemed like they could show no emotion. Never crying, never smiling, and always stoic. People called her a robot. They said it wasn't healthy, normal, or even human to be so unblemished. In a world with so many imperfections and glitches, how could something so emotionless be produced? Well one day, it was only natural that she broke. Her perfect porcelain shell finally cracked. And though it was under anger, not laughter or happiness, it showed she was capable of showing emotion. It showed she was capable of feeling. And after people observed such an unusual outbreak, their perspectives of her changed. The labels "perfect", "programmed", and "robot" vanished. And a new perspective of her came into mind, they called her human.

I can think of another way that distinguishes us from other species, that we have the distinct ability to feel regret, to feel guilt, to feel remorse. For example, animals in the world kill each other all the time. Whether it's for territorial reasons, survival reasons, or just as a game, it's like second nature to them. They are taught to hunt and kill from the day they begin to walk, it's apart of how they live. After killing, they praise themselves. They don't regret what they've done, because that state of mind doesn't exist in the lifestyle they've been raised to live under. But with us, it's a different story. If we do something as little as lying, or as big as murdering, chances are, we will feel guilt and/or regret. Because that's the state of mind we've been raised to live under. Knowing all our lives that those wrong doings are not okay, we will probably be devoured by guilt, and filled to the rim with regret.

Before when I was asked the question, "what do you think makes a human being human?" I always replied, "I don't know. The fact we can talk and stand tall?" I always relied on the scientific definition because that's all that naturally came to mind, like a reflex. I realized I never really dug deep and broke down the aspects or differential qualities that a human specifically and specially has to classify them as human. As I thought more and more about it, so much more than the broad definition of "superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage" came to mind. Emotion to me, was the most important and interesting because I feel like without emotion, we'd be completely flawless. The whole idea of us crying, screaming in anger, squealing out of happiness makes us so down to earth, and completely human. To me, that's the complete base of humanity.

Humans, they are a roller coaster on two feet. With constant changing emotions, it makes us seem crazy. How we can go from pure happiness to heart throbbing pain. How we can go from being extremely apathetic to party throwing excited, all in a time period of a few seconds. How to explain that exactly? Nobody knows, but that's what distinctly categorizes us and labels us as humans.

So next time someone asks you, "what makes a human being human?" Don't just turn to the scientific definition that you could google search in a second. Take a minute and think about it. Because in all actuality, this is such a broad topic that it's almost impossible to get wrong. The idea of emotion being a human's strong point and base, is just my opinion. So dig deep, think about it. Because humans are a question with no correct answer.