Being Human.

Lately, I've been thinking a great deal about the concept of humanity and human nature. I'm not necessarily talking about the literal state of the human body, as in what are we physically made of. I'm considering the purpose of the human race, the connection between the body and spirit, the state of the soul. It makes sense to me that individuals make mistakes. We fail. It's a necessary part of existence. But what I haven't been able to wrap my head around is why we continually and collectively struggle to be decent human beings. I'm not talking about sociopaths or murderers or psychopaths whose brains are inherently broken. I'm talking about the every day guy or gal who works, has friends and family, has normal hobbies and interests and lives an average life. Regardless of race, gender, age, or religion, it seems to me that it should be in our basic nature to know right from wrong, to treat each other kindly, to value respect and courtesy and integrity. Why are these values, these very normal no-brainer values, not a part of our society as a whole?

Why do we label one another? Why do prejudices and stereotypes exist on such a wide scale? When did we become a society that's so quick to get offended by every little thing? Why are we as a society so critical of one another and everything that they wear, say, or do? I think our society as a whole has lost sight of the individual. We have lost sight of the human. In a maze of politics and parties, the individual human heart has been lost. We're in such a rush to identify with some group or some label that we allow those same groups to dictate our choices and behaviors. We listen to the media. We listen to talking heads and reality show contestants. We get our news from tweets and podcasts from random strangers with no qualifications to teach us anything. We have become enveloped in madness, in technology, in this digital age. We have forgotten our own humanity.

I think about this every time someone argues about anything political. There are people, vocal people in 2015, who would literally kill you simply because they disagree with you politically. It's absolute insanity. I've mentioned how much we can learn from television before, but I've gotta say that Parks and Recreation taught me one of the most valuable lessons to date. Ron Swanson, a staunch libertarian, and Leslie Knope, a hardcore liberal, could not be more different politically. They disagree on just about every issue. Yet repeatedly throughout this show, they work together toward a common good. They are the best of friends. Though their characters are fictional, their ability to love beyond politics should be a reality we see more often. Instead of arguing about whether or not public education is a socialist program, how about we find a way to educate every child in America so that we can be a thriving competitive nation full of hard working geniuses? Instead of throwing public educators to the wolves, how about we focus on the countless kids in America who would not be able to eat a single meal during the week if not for the free lunch they receive while at school? Education reform, healthcare reform, immigration reform, these are not political issues. They are human issues. So before you retweet that angry, cynical, and bigoted sound bite from Donald Trump, stop long enough to consider the human beings that might read what you have to say. Stop seeing people as a collective, and start seeing them as individuals. Be human.

One of my favorite bands, Walk the Moon, sings a song about how different colors carry each other. It's a celebration of diversity. I truly believe our diversity is what makes this country so wonderful, but it is our inability to appreciate diversity that is tearing our nation apart. On both sides of the aisle we have too many squawking hate. Intolerance is taking over the left and the right. We need to learn to not be political. We need to learn to be human, to be better than human. We have learned throughout history that blindly subscribing to ideologies and letting groups overrule individuals leads to absolute disaster. We can't sit idly by and watch it happen.

We will never live in a utopia. We will never unite in perfect harmony, holding hands, singing Kumbaya, and agreeing with one another on every single issue. But if there is any hope for the future of our nation, our society, for the future of mankind, we need to rediscover our humanity. As Christians, we should be at the forefront of this movement. Everything we believe dictates that we view every man, woman, and child on this planet as our brother or sister. It is time that we treat them that way. As Robert D. Hales put it, "how we live our religion is far more important than what we may say about our religion." We should be leading the march, building bridges of love and reaching out to those who we disagree with. The way we treat those who mistreat us is an essential element of our spiritual progression. The Savior himself is our perfect example. The simple question, "what would Jesus do?", should be a constant and true reminder that guides our choices and behavior.  Let's not wait for the next nationwide tragedy to decide that love is more important than politics.  The fat cats in Washington believe its their job to hate each other. Their absolute refusal to work together has become the model for everyone in our nation. We cannot let those in charge strip us of our humanity. We have to rebel. Rebel by being human.

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