Are you human? What makes you think so?

Published 9:36 am Wednesday, January 27, 2016

“Are you sure?” one man asked another.

“Just as sure as I am that I’m a human being.”

I heard this in a church.

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I’d managed to get to the rite place at the right time and attend a visitation for Donny Myhre.

I was there not only to express my sympathy, but also to express my gratitude for having known Donny. An authentic feeling. I’d known Donny all of my life. He was a hard worker. Kept to himself. He wasn’t rich or famous. I couldn’t say a bad word about him. That’s a good eulogy.

We aren’t meant to understand everything, but what makes us human? Humans have mixed feelings about this. Or maybe we don’t.

Is it money? We might claim it means little, but we need it. J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, once lived in relative poverty. Now she owns Indiana. Some might be envious of the winner of the $1.6 billion Powerball. I consider life unfair because I’d have to buy a ticket in order to win.

Humans are too smart to believe that we’re too smart. I know a guy who was so happy to get his driver’s license back that he got a speeding ticket due to a joyful foot. He was driven to succeed until he lost his license again. Now he’s driven by his mother.

The desire to get others to embrace change. This is a muddled concept straddling a need to be right and a wish to help others. We argue, not learning that it’s better to be thought wrong than to prove another wrong. There is no perfect presidential candidate. We vote for the one whose faults come closest to matching ours.

Beliefs. Hopes. Dreams. Doubts. TV. Passwords. Sarcasm. “May I ask you a question?” “You just did.” Anticipation–waiting for a floating cat hair to land. These things make us human.

A lack of respect for the weather. I’m guilty of this. When tornadoes are about, I stubbornly resist going into the basement because of an imbecilic need to see what’s going to get me. I notice this lack of respect most often in cold weather. Some folks reject winterization. In well below zero weather, I encountered a hail-fellow-well-met who was wearing an interesting combination–parka, shorts and flip-flops. Winter is Casual Friday to him.

The ability to be kind. I worked at the Festival of Lights, gathering donations for a food shelf at Christmas. It didn’t take me long to realize that the true lights were the benign people I met there.

The ability to miss the clothes hamper. It’s a manly thing. We like to allow the clothing to run free. Besides, dirty clothes are like hand grenades. You just need to get them close to their targets.

A fellow told me that he’d traveled everywhere and lived here and there. He described it as having “been from hell to breakfast.”

I asked him what his experiences had taught him. He didn’t pause long enough to blink before saying, “The best place on earth is wherever I live.”

Gratitude is certainly a thing that makes us human.

My neighbor Crandall is grateful for the day after Thanksgiving because he can stop being thankful for everything.

I’m grateful for many things. Here are a few.

While working in North Carolina, I came upon a shark-gnawed, beached humpback whale. I’m grateful that the whole world doesn’t smell like a beached whale.

Comfortable shoes.

I watch many local sporting events. I’m thankful whenever no one is injured.

That those x-ray eyeglasses advertised in comic books didn’t work.

The sun comes up each day, even if clouds decide whether I’ll see it or not.

Our roads are good even when they’re bad. The snow is removed promptly, instantly when David Copperfield is driving the snowplow.

Police officers work hard to save us not only from others, but also from ourselves.

It was 11 degrees below zero when I saw fire trucks heading to a house fire. I’ve seen many fires. Each time, I’m astounded by the bravery and the altruism exhibited by firefighters.

For teachers who are willing to teach members of my family. Mystifying, but appreciated.

Our troops. My father-in-law was a Marine. Now a young family member is a Marine. It’s both comforting and scary.

For people who come to wakes and funerals of people like Donny.

I’m trying to be more grateful for the things I take for granted.

It’s a good day for it.

 

Hartland resident Al Batt’s columns appear every Wednesday and Sunday.