Human being or being human?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

WHAT’S THE difference between a human being and being human, you may ask. Well, various dictionaries give definitions of a human as “a person” or a “creature different from an animal” “a mortal”, and many others. The word ‘being’ is described as “existing” or “living”. A human being can therefore be classified as ‘a living entity’ and I could find no mention of colour, class or creed to distinguish us from each other. All are created equal.

The difference in being human, however, is where the problem starts and is played out by the behaviour of human beings. We choose to love or hate others, we disagree with their point of view, we make the wrong decisions, we do not forgive those who have wronged us, we have happy, sad and angry moments, we are unkind and uncaring, we envy, curse, fight and kill.

Being human is an expression of so many diverse actions and emotions, and how we choose to deal with them defines whether or not we are considered a good or a bad human being.

As we go about our daily lives as a human being, let us give careful thought as to how we are being human. A good way to achieve success is to acknowledge and give the Almighty Creator first place in our lives, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. This will have a tremendous effect on the success of the nation and on our personal relationships with each other.