This post is an extension of a post made by 
who has beautifully written about the topic -What does it mean to be Human? under a contest made by 
click here
This post is an introspection of : What does it mean to be human?
I am not sure whether I will be able to answer this question because if one thinks it actually needs lot of pondering and analysis. But it is just a question I am asking myself and penning it down. Sometimes answering my questions and other times questioning my answers.
What does it mean to be Human?
What makes us human? What differentiate humans from other living things?
Love, care, gratitude! Even animals experience and show love, care and gratitude!
Have you ever seen a dog or a cat licking their babies or a bird feeding its offspring! A nursing mother animal becoming so aggressive if you touch her baby. A dog returning the love of its owner by wagging the tail or by jumping seeing their masters back from work. This is all love and care, what else! Even they show gratitude. Once my sister rescued an injured street dog , took care of it. That dog was so much in debt that the moment she would come from work, he would sit on her feet with head down.
I am comparing all the qualities which we think makes us human but if we see closely they are not so unique after all.
Then the question arises what is there which sets us apart.
Oh yes we have one unique quality : We Worry, we prepare ourselves for future that is we can plan the things! But animals also worry and they also plan! Otherwise how would one explain a nest made by a bird!
May be all these qualities acquired by animals is just an instinct and for us humans it is a thoughtful process. For us it is a choice, but for them, it is their nature.
That is what sets us apart from other living beings. That makes us human.
Photo Credit: https://tinyurl.com/yd7dndqc
That’s why lord Krishna tells in Bhagwan Geeta that
Don’t worry about that is yours and this is mine
that means we are selfish!
Why do you worry? What did you bring and what will you take with yourself? You came empty hand and you will go empty hand
means we are greedy!
Why do you worry? What have you lost and what have you got?
may be because we have great desire for possession!
Don’t worry about the result, just do your duty
because we have lot of expectations!
This is my own interpretation. So that means selfish, greed, desire for acquiring more and more, expectations all these qualities make us human! Is this what makes us different from other living beings?
To some extent this is true but these qualities aren’t what should makes us human ? There must be some good qualities too which makes us human?
We are intelligent otherwise how would you explain all these developments done. We all would have been living in the tree houses in jungles if not for this development. Wait! That again becomes not so good quality after all. This is selfish because we have cut the jungles and now living in jungle of concrete in the name of development.
Okay! So what about harmony with which we all are living under one big blue umbrella. At least that makes us human! Oops! what about those murders, rapes done amidst that harmony! That makes us not even animals but a beast!
All said and done I would still like to believe we are fine. There is one more thing which sets us apart that is “Hope”!