What Does It Mean to Be Human?
Have you ever thought about what it means to be human? It sounds like a silly question, but think about it for a moment. What does it mean to YOU to be human?
I’ve been thinking about this question for a long time and have spent years letting go of the beliefs that tell me it’s not okay to be human.
To me, being human means that I am going to have ups and downs. It means that I am going to feel every emotion there possibly is, and I am going to have times when I lash out. Being human means that I am going to feel fear. AND I am going to want to control things around me because of that fear.
When I first began my spiritual journey, I didn’t like being human. I felt it was too hard. I wanted to be completely connected to “spirit.” But I soon realized that it was my judgment on my humanness that caused me to disconnect and create more pain and suffering. So I made a decision to embrace my humanness. Thankfully, life became a whole lot more peaceful and joyous this way!
What’s really cool about accepting my humanness is that as I have done this for myself, I have accepted others’ humanness, as well. I thought I was in full acceptance…until the other day.
I had been having one of those days where a lot of fear was surfacing. But every time it did, I imagined little Terri, the five-year-old-girl inside of me, and pulled her up on my lap. I told her that I loved her and constantly consoled her. By continually doing this, I held a space of compassion for myself. By the end of the day, I was full of love and acceptance for my humanness.
I don’t know if I can describe what happened next.
I was sitting quietly, talking to the little girl inside of me again, when all of the sudden my heart exploded open! People’s faces flashed through my mind…my dad, my mom, my spouse, my kids, my sister…everyone! Memories of my own pain and suffering surfaced from when someone lashed out at me or judged me. But instead of feeling any negativity, my heart extended wider than it ever has before. I saw their fear and their pain. I embraced the humanness in each of them! The feeling was absolutely amazing! I cried and cried and cried for I had never felt such acceptance and compassion before.
Then it hit me. I now understood what Christ meant when he said, “Forgive them Father. They know not what they do.” Christ was telling us that the people who were crucifying him were human, too!
And so are you. You ARE human! And that means that you, too, are going to feel all of the emotions that go with being human. Are you ready to embrace this? Are you ready to forgive yourself for your humanness? Are you ready to forgive the people in your life you feel have wronged you and embrace their humanness, too?
Give yourself and the people around you permission to be human. It’s the most loving thing you’ll ever do!