How to Be Human
The Art of Nourishing Your Humanness Through The Power of Nutrition, Movement, Finance, Responsibility and Connection
What does it mean to be human?
In school, we learn how to do math, how to sit for hours and study, and how to get good grades.
In university, we learn about professions, what being a professional means, and how to think critically.
But, when we go into our adult life, most of us discover that we don’t know how to do this thing called being human.
We try to get success and external validation through the people we date and how much money we make. Maybe through athletic wins, or through looking a certain way. All these things have a purpose, and that is to make us feel love and belonging. However, they are what is called in Buddhism “false refuge”.
We are born into a society that doesn’t know how to be human, let alone a loving human. So we learn through wrong attachment (a bigger psychological discussion for another time), that love is given to us when we are a certain way. AKA conditional love. So we keep walking throughout life, constantly trying to fill that void with people, food, alcohol, drugs, and other addictions.
This is the illusion all spiritual texts are talking about. The illusion of separation.
In the yoga practice, we learn how to observe ourselves, how to detach from ideas, thought formations, and resulting emotional charges.
“Love and our sense of belonging are inherent states that all of us already have. As humans, certain elements need to be present to be able to recognize and live in this state in our day to day. Meaning, we first need to come out of our survival mechanisms to be able to expand out of the illusion of disconnection and lack of love.”
My intention here is to give you the key components I believe aren’t taught to us by our parents, caregivers, or society, but they are becoming more and more needed. Their influence is becoming more felt through various healing modalities, spiritual practices, and pop culture. I believe that more people are waking up and are even craving a deeper connection with themselves, their community, and life.
These components are foundations that we need as humans to be able to do what we came here to do (this is my take on it)- and it is: to experience all there is, in the best way possible while creating a beautiful and loving reality for ourselves, our family and our community at large. We are here to grow and do it together. We are here to support each other, collaborate and climb the same mountain bringing each other up as we go.
So what should be taught to us since we are born?
Proper nourishment and closeness to the earth- eating well isn’t just about losing weight or preventing disease. It is about living in alignment within ourselves and embodying the deep connection we have with all there is. We are made from the same minerals and atoms as the earth, and we need the earth to nourish us so that we can live our life. No, we aren’t made to work 16 hours a day or to consume processed foods. All we need is to observe nature to understand this. My work as a nutritionist is not only to give you strategies on how to eat better but also to support and enrich your connection with your food, your body, and the earth- an interconnected relationship that is necessary for our health and the planet as an organism.
Our body is our home- we live in our body, and it has evolved through movement. While the sloth has evolved to sleep between 15-20 hours a day, humans have evolved to move. We have created a lifestyle that keeps us sedentary a lot of our day, which again goes against our nature. Every time we go against our needs and nature, we subconsciously tell ourselves that we don’t matter. That other things are more important than our well-being. So what is the solution? Creating change. Finding ways to move more. Going on a walk before work, after your lunch, and your dinner. Find work buddies to take a fitness class, and ask your boss or company to invest in wellness. And if you are a company, science has already shown that focus and productivity increase through movement, so invest in your employees.
Community- the ancient African word “Ubuntu” translates into “I am because you are”. It reflects that I am human through the other. In many spiritual texts, separation is referred to as the illusion of our experience as humans. We believe ourselves to be separate from each other, from other living beings and the universe, when in reality we are all made of the same minerals and particles. Through these spiritual teachings, and observing ourselves and nature, we learn that we are one. And if we are one, we are inherently connected to one another and need one another. This is why it hurts us when others are hurt. Whether you live a spiritual life or not, it is clear that no man is an Island, and our wellness, greatest joy, and love come through relationships. Now more than ever, we need to gather in community, in sisterhood and brotherhood, and support one another.
Taking care of your personal finance is your responsibility- yes a little outside of my realm, but I thought it would be important to mention. I never received lessons about money, and since money is our exchange method we need to know how to manage it. It is your responsibility to ensure that you know how to take care of yourself, though I believe this should be taught to us in school.
This leads me to the biggest one yet- taking full responsibility. Yes, we aren’t taught that enough. We are too busy spending hours surviving school, university, and later the workforce that we forget that we are responsible for everything that’s happening to us. Our health, our reality, and our choices. What do we need to change? Learn the mental and emotional tools to support us during times of stress, fear, and lack of belonging. We need to recognize that while our system has parts, it works as a whole. If we aren’t well physically we are also unwell emotionally and mentally and vice versa. Taking care of ourselves means tending to all our parts: body, mind and spirit.
All of this may sound overwhelming, and I know everyone is doing their best to find that balance in their lives. The truth is that balance is only a moment. The idea is to create a practice. To show up for ourselves and to life, moment to moment. To hear what our soul is asking of us and honor it, as much as we honor what life is asking of us.
So what does it mean to be human?
We are spiritual beings occupying a physical space (our body+ the earth) and it is our responsibility to take care of everything that Being requires. Like tending to a garden, being human means checking in daily with what we need, and providing that to ourselves. That is the labor of love.
It is work, it is daily, it is necessary and it is also in your DNA to do it; remember this on days you feel overwhelmed or lost. We are meant to evolve, grow, and shine forward all the qualities that exist within us.
Take care of your humanness, who you are is part of the whole, and it matters.
When one heals, we all heal.
With love,
Ma’ayan