What does it mean to be human?  Is it merely being alive as a physical being?  Are we just animals that walk on two legs? Are we more special than other living creatures?  Do we consider ourselves to be at the top of the food chain? ( Actually, according to an article in the Popular Science magazine on the food chain by Francie Diep, “…humans are kind of in the same place as anchovies and pigs.”)

What does it mean to be humane?  According to Merriam-Webster, humane is  1 : marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals. Do humans feel the need to act humanely?  I wonder.

Just being human, does not translate to being humane.  In fact, being human happens just by being born.  Being humane requires a decision to be a person who cares about others in a deeply conscious way.  By the addition of one little “e,” humans can become better people.  A noun becomes an adjective, and the adjective becomes a character trait.  

The goal, it seems to me, is to be a human being that is humane.  Ironically, there are selfish reasons to do this. When we care for others collectively, things become better for all of us.  Sadly, to many people, this is not a universal truth.  Some people think that by giving others the same respect and care as as one wants for oneself, that means less of it for them.  This is an emotional greed that actually indicates need. The needs to have more than others, be in control of others, are weaknesses, not strengths, no matter how differently they may be presented by the economic and political authorities of the world.

Look at the most evolved leaders, religious and otherwise, and see the true power of being humane.  Power over other people and resources is actually the force and domination of some people over others.  Often, we’ve seen behaviors cloaked in beautiful, political catch phrases like “no child left behind” and “right to work,” which were anything but that.  The leaders who coined these slogans were seeking to deceive, and not present the true picture, in order to score votes that would put them in power.

So, what can each of us do to become more humane?  I think it begins with consideration of how our words and actions would seem and feel like if they were spoken and/or done to us.  It is this path that will expose the real meaning behind our words and deeds and the way they will affect other people. It is, in fact, the clearest way we can check our own true intentions, and then, decide whether that is the way we want to live our lives, by being humane or just being human.