A HUMAN

HUMAN

-A bipedal primate mammal

-of, relating to, or characteristics of humans

-susceptible to or representative of the sympathies and frailties human nature

~Meriam-Webster Dictionary

Hey RANTers!

I hope everyone is doing fine today. Ahihihihi!

I do apologize for not being able to RANT about anything last Monday. I guess you guys could say that I’ve had a BLOGGER’S BLOCK. *wink!*

So, you dearies might be wondering as to what I’m going to RANT about today.

I think you guys might have an idea right from the title of this blog post.

And with that said, we shall now start on RANTing,

Oh, I almost forgot. On this blog post, I might get a little bit serious and talk about SPIRITUAL (Not the it’s-so-spooky-it-scares-the-soul-out-of-me kind, if you know what I mean.) stuff. Okay, let’s get back on my RANT (Haven’t I started yet?).

For the information of everyone, I have recently been a part of this group of humanists here in the Philippines. I was made a member of this group because the president of that group said that I’m a HUMANIST myself.

But what is a HUMANIST?

Is it another kind of human species?

Is it another kind of human race?

Or is it a recipe on how to cook humans (Eeew!!! That idea is so G-R-O-S-S!)?

Let’s check what Meriam-Webster has to say…

HUMANISM

-A philosophy that USUALLY rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual’s dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason

~Meriam-Webster Dictionary

So, in other words, a HUMANIST is a person who believes in the FULL CAPACITY of a person to manipulate the things or the consequences of the action of that person. In another set of words, that person CAN MANIPULATE the things that he/she wants to happen in his life.

How did I become a “humanist”?

Let me tell you a bit of an anecdote.

Last year, just as me and my colleagues are about to organize the Philippine Society of Sexual and Reproductive Health Nurses (PSoRHN), there was this one guy who is not in good terms with us, specially M-E, who posted on his Facebook Timeline that goes “History repeats itself”.

So technically, he was trying to slap on our faces that PSoRHN will be having the same fate as our previous organization had. That made my right eyebrow shoot up to the moon (Not literally, of course).

In response to what that guy had posted on his Facebook Timeline, I posted something like this…

“Yes, history might repeat itself BUT it is up to you to decide whether history will repeat itself or not. Remember that you are the captain of your own ship and not the other way around.”

And in response to that post of mine, Nr. Janina Santos commented that I’m a humanist; a person who believes in the FULL POTENTIAL of a person.

Fast forwarding to the present, the president of this humanist organization added me on their Facebook group (Which actually kind of surprised me a bit.). This organization has a lot of atheists and agnostic members (Which did not surprise me because of the definition of humanism.).

Cutting the story short, I was made an admin of their Facebook Page and a few others.

It was good at first (Wait, that sounded like something else.) but as the weeks passed by, I noticed that the posts on the page is becoming more and more of bashing of “faith” and “religion”.

I ignored it at first and said to myself to let it be because they’re simply saying a piece of their mind.

Then just a few days ago, I saw this post…

The photo within this screenshot is not owned by the blogger.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

“The body of a teenager who was found in a tunnel in Cebu has been buried.

Angelo Rufuelo was said to be a human sacrifice of a cult.

This is the reason why our group is pushing for religion and beliefs of the supernatural to be erased from the minds of our countrymen.”

That post of one of the admins simply did it for me. I just cannot take it anymore.

Is that R-E-A-L-L-Y the sole purpose of that group?

Is the sole purpose is to instill into the minds of our countrymen that there is no such thing such as the SUPERNATURAL?

Is that what being a HUMANIST is all about?

Then one question came into my mind as soon as I’ve read that post.

How do you become a HUMAN?

Because I believe that for you to be a HUMANIST, you have to be HUMAN first.

So, how do you become one?

I asked the officers of that humanist group and the Co-Chairperson is the O-N-L-Y one who had the guts (Or intelligence) to answer it.

The ONLY answer to my question to the officers of the said group.

The Co-Chairperson’s answer is good but not the answer I’m looking for.

To become HUMAN is actually the path to the SPIRITUALITY everyone is looking for (A bit of a surprise, isn’t it?).

Yes, dearies. Spirituality CANNOT BE FOUND in some old book that man has made and translated into DIFFERENT VERSIONS. it is not found in thrashing and bashing other religious faiths. And neither is it found in boastfully saying that a person will go to hell if he/she will not repent his/her sins, but is rather found in becoming a HUMAN.

So you may be wondering if atheists and agnostics can find SPIRITUALITY. My answer to that is Y-E-S. As long as they become HUMAN, then they can find it.

Then we go back to our question; how do you become a HUMAN?

This is the answer I’ve found…

To be HUMAN, you must be LOVING, COMPASSIONATE, and CARING for EVERYTHING, may it be big or small, that surrounds you.

You must know that you are capable of doing and feeling those things.

That is how you become HUMAN.

You don’t remember any point in your life that you became HUMAN? Think again.

Do you remember ONDOY, HARING HABAGAT, and YOLANDA (Gosh! I got teary-eyed just by remembering those names.)?

Didn’t you feel down, depressed, and teary-eyed as well during those times?

Those were the time wherein we felt compassionate for our fellow countrymen. Those were the times wherein we feel the urge to care for them. Those were the times wherein we feel like hugging them and tell them that everything will be all right.

Those were the times wherein we felt HUMAN ourselves.

With all of these in mind, think of these questions…

Is bashing or thrashing other religious beliefs make you a HUMAN?

Is telling other people to repent for their sins make you a HUMAN?

Did bullying/making fun of others for their “incompleteness” make you a HUMAN?

Is thinking of your own self ONLY make you a HUMAN?

And are you HUMAN?

Think about it RANTers. Think about it.

Photo not owned by blogger.