An Ode to the Human spirit: Why simply being human is incredible

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I have often wondered what would be my spirit animal.I remember a middle school writing assignment where we had to say what our favourite animal was and what qualities we learn from it. Being a classroom filled with young, testosterone filled boys, large predators like lions and tigers were the overwhelming choice. The docile ones went with rhinos and elephants and the starry-eyed dreamers named eagles and whales. The humble field mice or the gentle tortoise found no takers. I myself chose the wolf, a decision that rose from no great introspection but a quote I had recently read at the time. 
“ The lion may be the king of the jungle but the wolf doesn't jump through hoops in a circus”.


I liked the sound of it and choosing the wolf somehow made me feel powerful and important - no hoop jumping for me . Thank you !


And for the most part, the matter was laid to rest in my mind. My spirit animal was a wolf because I was a fearless predator, a team player and yet an independent soul. Both seemed to be very important qualities and it was good enough for me. But somewhere in our aspirations to attain the many qualities other animals possess, we become blind to the incredible capabilities coded in our very own DNA. My eyes were opened to this fact when I read Yuval Noah Harari’s bestselling book Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. The book describes the journey of our ancestors from humble beginnings in the African savannah to becoming the single most dominant species in the history of our planet. It talks of the human species and how time and again, it not only overcame but thrived under the most challenging of circumstances. 


The message this book has left me with is : Being human is incredible !. Not only are we by far the most resilient and intelligent species on the planet, but our complex societies, innate problem solving abilities and unique gift of abstract thinking makes us unstoppable at the face of any adversary. And so while normal life may have been affected and economic growth stagnated, the Covid-19 pandemic cant better us, humans have faced far worse odds under far more difficult circumstances and thrived. Our survival today is proof of this fact. And this message gives me immense strength in these difficult times 

 

- That if anyone can find a way, man can.

 

The stories coming out from across the world in these difficult times ; stories of human resilience and ingenuity, our compassion and perseverance , has only strengthened this belief of mine. I have seen school teachers come with brilliant new teaching practises and exercises to help students study remotely, corporations change the way they do business, markets come with innovative systems to minimise community spread and even youtubers change the way they make content to keep their subscribers entertained. The way our societies have adapted to find continuity and joy even in these difficult times reminds me of the famous line from Jurassic Park-”Life finds a way”.


And even now I wonder what my spirit animal really is, but I'm a lot more inclined to answer Homo Sapien- 

“ Yes the wolf never jumps through hoops, but it was man that made the hoop, and the whole damn circus for that matter”.

Location: Shillong, Meghalaya, India

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