to be human, or not to be
I'm not human and I'm trying to figure out how I feel about that...
Filmia: Not human, you say?
Yes. I'm definitely not human.
Filmia: Well, neither am I! Serendipitous, isn't it? (croaks happily) We are part of a grand, nonhuman siblinghood!
Well, sort of, I think... Sometimes I take a lot of pride in it. But I can't shake this "what if I just don't feel good enough to be human?" What if calling myself "not a human" is just my way of beating up on myself?
Filmia: Well, what do you consider "being human," then? What can humans do that you can't?
Well...when I feel most like "a person" is when I cook and clean and do generally productive human things...but then I don't suddenly call myself a human on those days. I just feel like I've been a very productive moon.
Filmia: Then that should settle it, don't you think? (croak) A productive moon, a nonproductive moon...you're still a moon, and that's that! There's nothing inherently more noble about being human, you know.
That's true...
Filmia: Now, frogs, on the other hand...I daresay we have some inherent nobility ourselves! (croaks happily) But then again, I admit my own biases on the subject!
Filmia: Not human, you say?
Yes. I'm definitely not human.
Filmia: Well, neither am I! Serendipitous, isn't it? (croaks happily) We are part of a grand, nonhuman siblinghood!
Well, sort of, I think... Sometimes I take a lot of pride in it. But I can't shake this "what if I just don't feel good enough to be human?" What if calling myself "not a human" is just my way of beating up on myself?
Filmia: Well, what do you consider "being human," then? What can humans do that you can't?
Well...when I feel most like "a person" is when I cook and clean and do generally productive human things...but then I don't suddenly call myself a human on those days. I just feel like I've been a very productive moon.
Filmia: Then that should settle it, don't you think? (croak) A productive moon, a nonproductive moon...you're still a moon, and that's that! There's nothing inherently more noble about being human, you know.
That's true...
Filmia: Now, frogs, on the other hand...I daresay we have some inherent nobility ourselves! (croaks happily) But then again, I admit my own biases on the subject!