Being Human

Werewolf, Vampire, Ghost

Some of you may inadvertently expect that this post has to do with the "Being Human"  BBC Series.  Well honestly, whilst I find said TV series extremely interesting and rather funny, this post has nothing to do with it. Now that I think of it, it may be a good subject for another post.
Since I will be working pretty soon on a project that hopes to build and develop teams through shared values, I was creating a set of references and reading materials when I chanced upon this rather simple, yet eloquent piece (I am afraid the author is Anonymous). I honestly think it would be a damn shame not to share.  

Twelve Rules for Being Human

1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."

4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end.
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. "There" is no better than "here."
When your "there" has become a "here," you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."

7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Life is exactly what you think it is.
You create a life that matches your beliefs and expectations.

10. Your answers lie inside you.
The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

11. You will forget all this.

12. You can remember it whenever you want.

Now as I sit here, in the comfort of a place I call home, with the people most significant in my life, I mull about this simple list. The greatest epiphany I have about the essence of being human is compassion, empathy, acceptance and forgiveness.  
Our life's journey brings us different, sometimes strange encounters with other humans; and whether they are invited or uninvited, accepting or unaccepting, wittingly or unwittingly, we touch each other's souls and leave our own essences behind.  Several occasions I have thought about losing my faith in humanity because of the lack of being-ness.  Then I realise, the imperfections that I see, the disappointments including the frustrations, and the attendant pain I feel, are just subtle reminders of my being human. So I choose to keep the trust rather than deprive feeding my soul.