human

Biologically, I know what it means to be human. Spiritually, psychologically, conceptually? That is harder. Do we all have a responsibility to act as a member of this species, especially when the unwritten rules involved with it seem so arbitrary. Growing up, I constantly found myself confused about what it meant to be human. I believed that everyone else was playing a game and I just wasn't in it. I never understood how I was supposed to instinctively know what everyone else seemed to without being told explicitly what to do. Even now, I still have to combat the urge to suspect that I am secretly an alien just trying to blend in as best as I can. However, I love being human. Human connection is a beautiful phenomenon to watch, and although I would argue that animals, insects, and perhaps even bacteria and smaller organisms can form connections just as valuable (I believe that we just don't see them as important due to our perspective. They would likely say the same about our connections), there is something special about watching two or more humans form an unbreakable bond. I still do wonder, though, do we all really have to live this life? Why do we not challenge the arbitrary and unimportant customs of life? Much of it seems illogical and it almost seems like we have grown too comfortable in our routine that we are unable to "think outside of the box". For example, when I ask questions such as:

-Why can't we replace prisons with rehabilitation complexes?

-Why can't we formulate an economic system outside of socialism, capitalism, or communism (because none of these three seem to work)?

-Why must we allow some people to starve to death while others fly on private jets unbothered?

and even ones that are a bit more small-scale such as

-Why do we have to make small talk when neither party cares about it instead of having emotionally vulnerable conversations?

-Why are some people considered attractive while others are not?

-Why are people so kind to people who have died when they were brutal towards the same people when they were alive?

People seem confused. They do not want to answer the questions because they simply do not know why. They seem to think that we do these things because they are inherently human. As a society, we need to get comfortable with thinking outside of the metaphorical box and instead of forming new boxes, abolish them all. We must find new ways of thinking and challenge today's norms if we want to progress.