Human beings are the dominant species of planet Earth. There are so many qualities that we posses that all other beings do not, from the ability of spoken language, to using only bipedal movement. I believe that what qualifies a person as being "human" is deeper than that. I think that what truly makes one "human" is a combination of our display of emotions and our own individual personalities. Unlike many other animals, humans express their emotions much more often and more clearly. This is in part due to the addition of a spoken language a human can learn. When a person desires to express themselves, they can first verbalize their feelings, and perhaps laugh, cry, or shout depending on their mood. Human personalities enhance the way each individual's emotions are expressed and how intensely they are expressed. Whether one is an extrovert, introvert, pessimist, or optimist, their respective personality can help them convey their emotions better. Deeper personalities lead to better expression of these emotions, and human emotions are therefore shown on a deeper level. Other animals surely have emotions, but they can't express them like we can.
Since humans have become so intelligent, our definitions of everything have been enhanced over time. Being a man or a woman is now more than just a statement of what reproductive organs a being possesses. Each gender is now fitted with it's own stereotypes that are forced upon every member of both sexes. If you're a man, you shouldn't feel pain, you should always have the upper body muscle mass of a professional weightlifter, and you shouldn't express your emotions unless you want to appear feminine. If you're woman, you have to "lady-like" and "classy" according to everyone else's standards, you need to be skinny but not too skinny, and many other socially forced gender descriptions brought on mainly by the media. We have become so advanced as a species, we have almost back-tracked in our progression through such foolish descriptions of genders. What it means to be a man or woman is to simply be what you want to be, no matter your gender.
Art is a human creation. And with that creation there are many different types developed as humans did. Music, painting, literature, architecture, film, and many other forms of art have come into existence because of our species. Every form of art has a respective artist that creates it. I believe an artist is simply someone who is extremely creative and has the idea and drive to create something that has never been made before.
The quote "Our insistence on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human" refers to the factual methods humans take information in. The Creative Impulse may have made this statement because they believe that truly being "human" has less to with factual aspects and focuses more on the abstract concepts. There are ways we could become more human, or, in other words, regain our humanity once again according to The Creative Impulse. Some of these methods could be practicing more out-of-the-box thinking, studying foreign languages and cultures, and other "mind-opening" activities. In order to live the best life and be the most human, we all must educate ourselves, embrace new ideas, and challenge ourselves through every aspect in our lives.
- Anthony Oatley :)
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