what it means to be human

What makes a person human? What are the characteristics of being human? How does one define the word humanity? These are all questions that are involved in the philosophical question; what makes us human? Some believe being human is just your physical state, animals are animals and humans are humans, they believe there is nothing more to it. Although they are right in the literal sense, I believe that  having human characteristics is all about your values.

          Humans have certain inevitable elements that make them human, such as empathic response or being indifferent to suffering, aversion to ugliness, dignity, free will and sympathy. No matter how hard one tries to hide these characteristics, as a human we all feel them.  All of these things play a role in our every day lives whether we realize it or not. When a brave couragous woman named ingrid betancourt was captured and treated as an animal in a forest, she noticed all of these elements in the people surrouding her whether they were the guards or her friends who have been kidnapped.

          In my opinion, being human is all about your morals and your ability to feel emotions towards other people. As long as one never forgets others, and respects others as much as possible, then they have human characteristics. Being dehumanized is when you lose everything that makes you feel for others and begin to only think about yourself and your own survival. 

         People believe that if you are born and taught to have all these values and morals, you will always have them. Sadly, sometimes this isn't the case. When put in desperate situations, some people can snap and forget the part of them that is human as Ingrid said she did for a while during her captivity. As long as you are not put under extreme circumstances, as long as you keep your humanity you will be able to get through anything. 

what does it mean to be human?