human, being
human, being
The essence of who we are begins simply with being. Each member of our species is called a human being, not a human doing.
human, being is essentially a thought project that redefines success & accomplishment not in terms of one’s ability to produce & to monetize, but rather, re: one’s holistic well-being and one’s ability to be present.
Recently, listening to *Joanna Macy eloquently sharing a translation from a Rilke poem: “feel how your breathing makes more space around you” - you and your human body, breathing.
Breathe in, breathe out, …
Try Googling “human” and you might find: “Human history is a vast and complex tapestry spanning thousands of years, encompassing various civilizations, cultures, and eras. It’s the story of how humanity evolved from small, nomadic groups to complex societies, shaping the world as we know it today.”
It’s fascinating to hear the main metaphors of human history are textile and story. Back in 2016, I heard scholar Loan Oei* say “Everything is textile, right down to your DNA”, in a densely absorbing lecture she titled “From Spiderweb to World Wide Web: Textile Matters in History“ (thanks, Slow Fiber Studios and Hillside Club). She was investigating the ways textiles have impacted and interacted with people across time and space, employing a rather spectacular variety of thematic lenses, including: the evolution of artificial light from oil lamp to fibre optics; the growth of architecture from tent to monument; economic networking from barter to globalization; digital innovation from Chinese drawloom to computer; development of aero- and astronautics from silk wings to NASA’s solar sails; and to artistry from musical instruments to contemporary fiber art; plus more.. Truly, a world described where everything is connected, and all of life is textile.
Equally fascinating, the metaphor that human history, beginning in Africa around 200K years ago, is story, a concept reinforced by Oei with her inclusion of the relationships between textile metaphors, etymology, mythology, and, fundamentally, the emergence of language across the globe.
Today, we feel practically every molecule of human society screaming at us – simultaneously, via infinite compounding waves of social media messaging – urgent claims that our time needs compressing, and there’s not enough of it. Urging us that it’s necessary to optimize our time, all the time, so we can accomplish more, more, faster, faster. It demands we prioritize this mantra to sidestep the clearly sub-optimal path of ‘less, slower’.
This unsustainable philosophy condones and rewards the traits of impatience, greed, and competitiveness. And yet, what exactly is our reward? Lavish praise and the bragging rights of GRIND CULTURE: whose behavior favors producing (results), while setting goals of perfection defined as your ability to mimic a machine, ironically, at an extreme cost to one’s overall health and wellbeing, in an age where people’s livelihoods are also rapidly being replaced by machines.
Grind culture ignores and minimizes SLOW ECONOMY: a more valuable (albeit effortful) cultural shift prioritizing quality, mindfulness, and sustainability, that favors the practice of patience, appreciation, and collaboration, providing for a more holistic, healthy, and connected life.
Breathe…
Find time each and every day to simply walk outside, out-of-doors, and step into the sunlight. Let your body naturally receive the Vitamin D it needs in order to regulate itself via your circadian rhythm cycle. Stay still, or move – either way - your one and only beautiful being, human. No matter what else you do today, you always are a human, being.