Hey ! Let’s Meat Up ! #edcmooc

Embrace Humanity

The piece of meat that makes up my brain must be teeming with life of some kind in order to provoke these reactions in me that I am now sharing with you here. Who am I and what am I made of is the question that has been troubling me ever since I watched this video. I must confess, though, that the dark humour presented in the video was something that I actually enjoyed, but yes, there is no denying that it was thought provoking.

Cogito ergo sum- “I think, therefore I am” –  René Descartes

So I’m made of meat. Then how is it that I have the capability of thinking for myself, especially since my brain is also supposed to be made of meat. The very fact that I am sitting here analyzing my thoughts proves that the piece of meat in my brain actually does work. And just because someone doesn’t understand how it works, or how much it works, is not conclusive evidence that it is inferior in any way.

The opening scene of the two oddly dressed aliens with cigarettes stuck in the corners of their mouths was funny. The older alien in the red dress reminded me of a doorman outside the gate of a good hotel, as a matter of fact ! Was that an alien’s idea of trying to “blend” in with humans ? Is that how us mere mortals made of meat would be perceived by these superior beings ? If that is the case, then it does not speak very highly of the intelligence of the aliens who are supposed to be technologically very advanced.  And how is it that someone who cannot even comprehend something as basic as our dress sense and normal behavior, is able to draw conclusions about us ? Would such a conclusion be correct, in the first place ? No wonder that they have not been able to understand our signals for 130 years !

The whole idea reeks of absurdity – to be thought of as just “meat” – substance that the human body is made of. But is that all there is to us humans ? What about our feelings, our emotions, and our ability to control our thoughts ? Can meat do that ? Obviously the answer to that is a big NO. We are humans because we can think. We are humans because we have feelings and compassion. We are human because we have values. We are humans because we have the privilege of experiencing wide ranging and sometimes conflicting emotions like love, hate, jealousy, friendship, generosity, anger, tolerance and helpfulness.

As humans, we are also responsible and respectful towards others. And BECAUSE we are human we also have a fair share of faults. Faults and scope for improvement is what makes us humans in the first place. Had we been perfect, then perhaps we could have been mistaken for machines, or robots, if you prefer that word.

Admittedly, sometimes, we humans also fail to understand each other. Perhaps each of us hold different visions and perceptions, and our perceptions fail to converge, leading to our differences, but then differences are also what make us unique.

So if an alien considers me to be a piece of meat, then I would perhaps forgive them for that mistake. Because I am a human being and they are not, I would forgive them their perfection and their opinions.

And I would also like to say this to all like-minded people out there – let’s meat up !