Research topic; Greek mythology

For my research paper topic I really want to learn more about Greek mythology. I want to learn about this because I am super interested in Greek gods and goddesses and I would like to know where they merged from and how many different groups of people believe in different things about each god and goddess. I wanted to research this topic because I wanted to know about each individual god and goddess because they all have something different about them related to personalities and abilities and I wanted to know what each one was and the importance of it and how important it is and was to the Greek culture now and when Greek mythology first arose. I like the idea of god and goddess having an impact on the American culture now and early American culture because I want to research and see if Greek mythology impacted different cultures like American and how.

Myths and Legends of the Incas

For the research topic, I chose to focus on myths and legends within the Inca Empire. My interest in this topic was sparked by an opportunity to travel to Peru, and explore the ruins of this expansive civilization. My destinations will include Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and some small towns outside the cities. The civilization of the Incas spread through Peru, and many ruins of this empire are still present today. Although I will only get to see a small glimpse of the civilization, I am excited to travel, and decided to use this project as an opportunity to expand my knowledge and enhance my trip to Peru in April.

Incan myth is studied in school, but like all subjects, you never get to dive head first into a subject and learn all the subject has to offer. The Incas believed that a God named Viracocha created the world, and then molded the people from clay or stone. Like most civilizations in the Andes, the Incas had a spiritual connection with nature. Their supreme God, Inti, is the God of the sun whom the Incan people committed sacrifices and offerings for in order to appease. Storms and natural disasters were signs of anger from the Gods.

With this research project, I will look further into more Inca myth and legends. I want to explore the creation story into further depth. I want to get to the core of their beliefs, and how their beliefs structured their society. I want to explore their temples, and the meaning behind them. I will strive to answer how they believed the world came to be and how their spiritual ceremonies and rituals contributed to their religion. Overall, I want to learn more about their religion, and how they practiced their beliefs.

Research Paper: Faust in German legends

    For my research paper I have decided to write about the German legend of Faust. I chose this topic because the story is about a scholar who is unhappy with his life and decides to make a deal with the Devil. He exchanges his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. This sparks an interest in me because not only do I have a German background, but the legend shows how far a person will go to be satisfied with life. It is based off a real magician who lived in northern Germany in the 15th/16th century.
     My father used to tell my sister and I bits and pieces of this legend when we were young, so now that I have the opportunity I'd really like to research more about the story. There are different versions of the story. I will be researching many of them, and developing my paper around the more well known ones. I will also be doing research on the main evil spirit in the story, Mephistopheles, to learn about it's characteristic traits in order to see how it not only influenced the legend, but how it influenced German culture then and possibly even now. Lastly, there were many different works of literature and music based off the legend which I will also look into.

Greek Mythology; Why Does it Capture my Interest?

For my research paper, I will be researching Greek mythology in depth. I have chosen this topic because unlike Christianity or other such religions, there is no single original text (i.e. the Christian bible, or the Hindu Vedas.)  This really captures my interest because there are so many different ways to introduce all of the Greek myths' characters and stories. Mythology makes up a major part of just about anybody's heritage. It is a constant reminder of who we are and where we came from. Today, Greek mythology remains important in everyday life and it is of my interest to research exactly where this importance derives from in modern times. Throughout my duration at Keene Middle School and here at the high school I have heard some of the myths in Greece and they have always been sort of fun, if you rather, to learn about and diffuse my own kind of beliefs and opinions on such.

I am eager to learn more about three specific Gods/ Goddesses; Aphrodite (love, beauty, pleasure,) Zeus (sky and thunder, God of Olympus,) and Hades (God of the underworld). I will research the power these three specific Gods and goddess had and the differences between. I am interested in researching in depth what their names cognate with and why. On a broader topic,  I would love to learn more about Greek's mythology and the nature of the world. This topic will broaden my imagination and allow me to be more open minded. That is the main reason why I chose Greek Mythology as my topic for this semesters research paper.  

RP topic Russian Folklore in fairy tales

I picked this topic because ever since I was a kid, I was always so fascinated by Fairy Tales such as, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White etc... When I saw the topic of Russian Folklore I honestly had no idea what it was, but I knew it seemed interesting. When I started to research the topic I came across a lot of generalized things. When I started to do some more research I came across this sentence "Russian Folklore takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs and now is represented in the Russian fairy tales." That's when I realized this was the topic for me. I am so excited to see what kinds of awesome fairy tales I can find and see how much they are like our fairy tales.

Research Paper Topic: History of Tattooing

I have chosen to study the history of tattooing for my research paper. Last year, I (very stupidly) decided to do a stick n’ poke/prison tattoo on myself, and it turned out terrible. I decided to have it covered up professionally, and fell in love with how the cover-up turned out. Four months over, I got another tattoo. Because I am not yet 18 and had to do a lot of convincing and calling between the time I thought of the tattoo idea and sat down in the chair, I ended up doing a ton of research. As I researched, I found that tattoos are more than just a picture on your skin. Tattooing has stigmas and stereotypes, worshippers and haters, and there is a lot to learn about the culture and history behind the trend.

I find tattoos more interesting than other art forms because it is arguably the most permanent medium. If your arm gets bumped while painting, you can try again. If the ring you’re shaping turns out to be too big, you can try again. If you mess up a tattoo, you’re now bearing that mistake on your body for the rest of your life. No “trying again”!

As a whole, I believe there is a lot to learn and discover about tattoos and the practice’s history, but I have a few subtopics that are especially intriguing to me. I would like to research and learn more about why people often get “hooked” after one tattoo and want many more. I also want to research the development of the stigma around tattooed people and how tattoos have become so common and mainstream in our society. Last, I would like to learn more about the motivation to be a tattoo artist, and the complex relationship between and artist and their clients.

Research Paper Topic: How Do Morals Differ?

Everything changes across cultures and time.  Morals are probably the closest thing to staying the same.  However, having said that, they do change.  I'm curious as to what makes them special.  Why do morals vary less than every other aspect of culture?

I'd also like to find out what makes them change.  Do they differ amongst cultures simply because the cultures are different? Or maybe time is a bigger factor. There's no doubt that modern American morals are different from what they once were, but is that because they've developed over time, or because the culture has?

The change could be caused by any number or reasons, or by any combinations of those reasons.  That's the "why", but what about the "how"?  How do morals deviate amongst different groups of people throughout history?  Maybe the difference in morals is what causes the difference in culture, instead of the other way around. Maybe time is irrelevant all together.

Research Topic: Ethical Philosophy

I have always been interested in right versus wrong, truth, and morality. I have never felt that human morality is concrete and universal; the idea of laws, therefore, is fascinating. Crafting a code of conduct for an entire community, based on societal morals and ethics, is a uniquely human action and stands out to me as one of the first things that was done in each society when written language and organized politics were established. Humans have this concept of good and evil, right and wrong, that permeates our societies in a myriad of ways. We create, not only laws, but punishments for those who break them. We establish social classes based on differing interpretations of morality. And we judge other humans based on what we consider to be right or wrong.

Because of my interest in these behaviors, I want to write my research paper about ethical philosophy, with a focus on laws and universal ethics. I plan on exploring the works of several ethical philosophers to see what scholarly speculation I can find on morality and judgement. I also want to look at laws, across cultures and time periods, and identify things that are always lawful or always illegal. I feel as if my paper will evolve to be something very specific, like the ethics of capital punishment, but I want to start with broad research and learn all that I can.

This topic has always been part of my life. My father is a defense attorney, and he has always told me about his cases and invited me to think critically about the ethics of different laws or behaviors. I now want to conduct my own research, being as unbiased as I can, so that I can dive even deeper into this philosophical area. I'm hoping to learn a lot and to be exposed to a lot of new information and opinions, and I'm excited to be able to look at justice and ethics freshly once I learn more.

From Greek Mythology to Astronomy

For my research paper, I will be writing about the correlation between astronomy and Greek mythology. This includes the constellations, science and cultural backgrounds of the famous Greek myths typically learned about in middle school grades. Astrology and astronomy are both major components to understanding the
Greek myths, and I plan to understand and write about this critical relationship between them.

I chose this topic because science and astronomy has always been fascinating to me. Horoscopes, constellations, and the greater unknowns beyond our eye of sight is something I will always love to learn about. Although, I would never be able to obtain an astronomy degree, it is something I constantly try to learn something new about everyday. Being a future science major, writing a topic in the science field can only benefit me, and help me learn something new before a rigorous college career.

Research Paper Topic: Music and it's relation to human behavoir

My chosen topic for the research paper is, "How music relates to human behavior". From the very start I knew I wanted to write about music as I find it a very influential part of my life and I have always wondered how music fits into the lives of other people. I have noticed that you can tell a lot about somebody by the type of music they listen to, and I want to learn more about this connection. Music is such an important part of human history, and it has been incorporated into all different cultures. I am excited to learn about how these different styles of cultural music and song have influenced our relationship with each other and the natural world. Music wakes us up, enlightens up, makes us want to dance, soothes our sadness, or even makes us nervous. Mothers sing lullabies to their babies, teenagers define themselves through songs, and lyrics can make us feel deep emotion. I would like to research this side of music  and how it influences our personalities and actions. But, I also wants to research songs with violent lyrics and dangerous messages and see how they can enter subconscious and impact our daily lives without us knowing.

Research Paper: Norse Mythology

In the general view, mythology appeals to me because of its ability to make me think abstractly about the worlds creation, nature, and what it means to be human. Just the definition of mythology itself makes me want to dive into books and films to understand the beliefs of others. For the most part, Greek and Roman mythology are what I am most comfortable and knowledgable about, not to say that I am an expert by any means. WP1 and WP2 were some of the most interesting classes for me, especially when we dove into mythology.

Though there was a good amount of mythology that I was exposed to in classes, Norse mythology was hardly covered at all. Europe fascinates me; primarily due to its extensive, rich history. And I have been introduced to a lot of its history over the years. Yet, I know very little of the Norse people, commonly referred to as Vikings. In fact, most of my prior knowledge comes from popular movies which are not entirely accurate. That is what I would like to change through this research paper. I'd like to utilize my interest in Norse myths to get a better sense of who the Norse people were, what their culture was like, and where their religion came from. 

Culture and Religion of African Tribes

          When I first thought about what I wanted my research paper to be about, I instantly thought music. After watching the Aborigines documentary, I changed my mind. I became fascinated with their rituals and ways of life and it got me wondering about the rituals and culture of tribes in other countries. The topic I have chosen to research is the culture and religion of African tribes.  I chose to research African tribes because I loved studying African history in middle school. I think I would like to focus on a few tribes and compare them.
          One tribe I would definitely like to research is the Maasai. The Maasai people are located in southern Kenya and northen Tanzania. The government is pushing the Maasai to conform to their lifestyle but the Maasai have continued their customs. I wish to study tribes that have stayed true to their beliefs and have interesting customs. I would also like to focus on the religion of these tribes. It would be interesting if I could find a tribe with a monotheistic belief and one with a polytheistic belief and compare their rituals. I am really excited to learn more about African tribes and thier values and beliefs.

My Research Paper Topic: rap life boiz

My research paper is on the coming up and use of Rap and Hip-Hop to project a message through music. Artists are able to speak about pertinent issues and draw attention to them through their music in a way that people will enjoy listening to. The early stages of Rap were to tell the stories of those who grew up in bad neighborhoods and dealt with the worst the streets had to offer. It opened the public's eye to the issues that they had to go through, where, without the use of Rap, would've either resulted in more gang violence or the problems would continue to be swept under the rug so to speak.

I choose Rap as my topic because I've listened to such a wide variety of Rap music and I respect the way its been utilized as a tool by artists such as N.W.A or Kendrick Lamar. I also want to delve into why some people choose to dismiss Rap as violent and don't take time to see that there is a message that society needs to hear and Rap is an effective way to do so,.

Shinto before and after WWII

For my research paper topic I have chosen to study the Japanese religion Shinto before and after WWII. When approaching picking a research paper topic I had no idea where to go. I looked online for a while, but nothing really caught my eye. I have always really enjoyed history, but I have never learned about the effects of war and how it changed not only America, but the opponents. Of course I have known that there were effects of the war, but now I am excited to dive into learning how WWII affected our opponents religion. I am excited to use what I know about WWII and learn about Shinto and how it changed. Before picking my research topic I have never heard of Shinto. Not knowing anything about Shinto is going to make this research paper an intriguing, but educational journey.  From what I have learned so far, Shintoism has to do with growth, nature and rituals.

I have no personal connection to this topic. I picked it because I want to learn something new and there is many aspects of this topic. You have to explore the history of WWII, effects of the war and the religions affected.I also can’t wait to share what I learn with my cousin who recently traveled to Japan. I hope I can teach her things she didn’t know as she loves Japan.

Here is a link to a video that gives a brief overview of Shintoism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBE1pLqmXKQ

The Meaning of Angels and Demons Throughout Different Cultures

During the process of finding a topic about what I want to research for this project, a multitude of things came across my mind. I was looking at the physical green sheet of paper we were given for this project and decided to take a gander at some of the recent and/or possible topics. The thing that had caught my attention the most was the role of angels and demons in various cultures. The first thing that came to my mind was a cartoon, such as Tom and Jerry, and there being a devil and angel on each shoulder of one of the characters. I'm genuinely interested in knowing the deeper meaning to each angels and demons, especially when it pertains to multiple cultures, as anything can mean anything, anywhere. I have a lot of simple and kind of weird questions pertaining to this topic and I know close to nothing about religion in general, so I'm excited to do some research. I'm not sure where I'll research or what resources I'll use yet obviously, but I hope during the researching process that my questions will be answered and I'll learn more about religion and culture.

Norse Mythology and My Connections

   For my research paper,  I would like to focus on Norse Mythology. I have done a little bit of background research on the different types of mythology and where they have originated from, and I found that Norse mythology is perfect for my research paper topic because it relates to me on a personal level. Norse mythology is the mythology of Scandinavia, which was also widespread through Germany, and Britain until the establishment of Christianity. The Norse were Vikings and other Germanic people including Celts, Sami, and Finns people who had their own highly sophisticated and indigenous religion. The mythology is the stories the Vikings told to one another revolving around very complex deities and other characters.
   The way that the relates to me on a personal level is because I am a quarter German on my fathers side and these stories are where my ancestors originated from. I am also a quarter Irish on my mothers side. So I would like to study the Norse mythology because I am very interested in the background of my very own ancestors and the culture of these places intrigues me. I think it would be cool and beneficial to get a blend of my heritage on my mother and fathers side. These are also places I would love to travel. Lastly, I chose this topic because I would like to expand my knowledge on the history of the Viking tribes and other Germanic people.  I always look at those groups with  a fantasy mind set, because I know little about the upbringing of who they were but I would like to be able to know more about the Vikings and what countries were involved in the tribes. Mythology is so intriguing to me and the nonfactual creatures and stories of it blows my imagination like I am a child again, so I am excited to do my paper on Norse mythology.

My Research Paper Topic

         For the research paper, I want to focus on Rap music as a platform for poetry. I've always been an avid reader of poetry and rap music has held my interest for as long as I can remember. In all honesty, I have an idea in my head of a specific route I want this paper to take, I just don't really know how to word it. Take N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton  for example. The album was found to be controversial by a large number of middle-class, suburban, white parents. While the song lyrics may have been violent at times, and implied a negative relationship with law enforcement, they provided an insight towards the everyday struggles of a man of color while allowing the artists to portray their feelings and bring light to the issues they faced in a non-violent, non-drastic way.
        I want to look at rap music as a platform to broadcast human struggle in a proactive way. Through rap, people can express the realities of their everyday lives without needing or enforcing violence. I want to look at a diverse group of  artists in the rap genre and analyze the impact of their lyrics on the pubic to see if any similarities arise. From this, I want to see if there is any sort of universal human reaction to human struggles. At this point, this is kind-of a melting pot of what I wish to do with my topic, but over time a more concrete thesis will be established.

The Unique Capacity of Humans

Every individual possesses differing levels of insight and opinions on what it means to be human. I personally believe being human means belonging to a group capable of broadness and depth of thinking and action unique to our species.

We as humans have figured out incredible ways to combine our talents and interests. Because we have developed an efficient system in our world to get done what needs doing, we are able to take the time to think more deeply about who we are and why. 

In my experience of observing philosophical conversation and reading, it seems that our greatest philosophical issue is the injustice apparent across the world. The extremely uneven distribution of wealth, varying rights to education and views on how we treat each other cause much distress for many of us and are constantly struggled with. We also face the inevitable day we run out of natural resources, coupled with corporate greed and laziness. In addition, we work daily through extreme disagreement between political parties and the great divide this creates.

Through the injustice, tragedy and conflict we have been faced with our entire existence, art has remained a constant in our world. Art is a lasting expression of history, a powerful and universal way to express ourselves to each other and to future generations. We have used art since the beginning of time to cope with our distress, express ourselves when words do not suffice, teach lessons to current and future generations, and record significant historical events. Art has the ability to clarify many philosophical issues we face because it is therapeutic for us when faced with difficult concepts and ideas, and is accessible to and inclusive of every human being.

To be a man, a woman, or an artist depends greatly on the society impressed upon an individual. To be a woman in our American society has developed greatly over the last seventy-five years. To many of us, to be an American woman today means to be capable, determined and equal to men; in other countries, to be a woman means to be looked down upon, silences, regardest as a man's property. There seems to be a more universal agreement/understanding of what it means to be a man. Throughout most cultures and societies, being a man is synonymous with being dominant, all-powerful, and often superior to females.

Worldwide, we can agree to the simple idea that to be an artist is to create art, but "art" is whatever one takes it to mean and be. More deeply speaking, however, to be an artist means something captivatingly unique to each individual who composing the seven billion human beings currently populating our Earth. Our past experiences fit together to determine how we view anything, and in this case, the importance and focus we dedicate to art and the concept of being an artist. While a bleak black canvas or blaring trombone may seem foolish and trivial to one, to another, these things could evoke very powerful and profound feeling and emotion. As many agree, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and each beholder's eye sees art as something different. I believe we all have some kind of artist inside of us, but each one of us understands and observes art differently. The countless differing ideas of what it means to be an artist are what make our world so stunning and special. To be an artist is to allow your soul to create.
                                                                   
                                                                            ...

"Our insistence on cognitive knowing may already have robbed us of some of our capacity for being human."

I feel that this quote sheds light on a painful truth in our modern world. With our incredible advancements of technology and our insistence to hyper focus on science, truth and hard fact have killed much of our artistic inclination as humans. I do not believe we have lost or ever could possibly lose our connection with art and "capacity for being human", but it is obvious that we have repressed and dismissed our inner desire to create. As human beings existing in modern society, we have relinquished much of our passion for art in favor of newly cultured pressure for extreme functionality and efficiency.

I believe we have a long road ahead of us in regaining our full humanity as we have really devalued the true power and significance of art. The first step towards redeveloping and strengthening our relationship with art is to broaden our idea of what art is. Many of us are so used to going through the motions of our everyday life that we neglect the overwhelming beauty of our everyday lives. We need to open our ears to those encouraging our inner artists to awaken, open our minds to the power of artistic expression, and open our eyes to the exquisiteness of Mother Earth and her children.

Human. What does that mean?

Everyone has different opinions as to what it means to be human. Many people view being human as something that is living but is not a plant, animal or an alien, but they do not think about what being human really means. To me being human means being able to express emotions and having an imagination. Also when I think of humans, I think of someone who has the capability to help others and serve the community. While being able to express emotion, we also have a general anatomical body that scientists use to categorize as humans. We, as humans, use our minds and souls to help others and that is another fact that makes us human because no other can do the same thing.

What does it mean to really be human? Well there are many ways to look at the question, scientifically for example. We as humans, are different based on our bodies than others living things are, which is a main reason for why we are able to pick and categorize who we consider to be human and non-human. As the world is progressing, scientifically we are leaning how to do new things related to humans and using our newly founded technology. Since we are doing things such as cloning etc. people are wondering if that is really another human being just because they have the same anatomy as us. While having a certain anatomy makes you human there is much more that also defines humans.

Humans are defined scientifically but also through using emotions and feelings.The quote, "Our instance on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human", to me is saying that because we know so much already we are starting to do things that are intellectual but is not necessary for human existance. This is not good because we will keep continuing to make more inventions which will start to lead to more problems defer us from being a natural human. Humans use emotions, which is one thing that not all other living and non-living things can do as easily as we can. Even if we are half way across the world from another person we are still able to show emotion through the pitch in our voices. Humans have many things that define what they are, those are just a few that I feel is what it means to be human.

What Makes Us Us

To be human is to have emotion and a way of expression in any way, shape, or form. Humans experience various emotions daily, such as love, hatred, betrayal, jealousy, excitement, etc; and those feelings make us human overall. People need to have a way of expressing these internal thoughts and feelings, and I believe that the most common and easiest way to express these feelings is through art. Art can also come in any way, shape or form. Art is all around us. It could be painting, dancing, singing, common body language, the written word, or even just speaking. Art truly connects everyone in one way or another without us even realizing it. Pay attention to how someone speaks and how much you like or dislike how they act and speak. Really close your eyes and listen to your favorite song and think about how it makes you feel. Watch someones body when they're dancing. THAT is art. Not only is the person performing showing their emotion, but it could make you feel emotion as well. Acknowledge that.

To be human, means we have a purpose. We ALL have something that we live for, something that keeps us going whether it be a person, song, movie, family, education, occupations, anything really. We are all put on this Earth for a reason, all made to do and be something amazing. It doesn't have to be extraordinary, such as finding a cure to cancer. It may be as simple as being a fire fighter, a wife, a sister, a brother, a husband, a best friend. You may give someone ELSE purpose to keep going.

Although we are also very diverse, I believe that we, as humans, are obsessed with order, schedules, time, and categorizing. We are immune to acknowledging that in every day life there is commonality between all of those things. We are selfish creatures (myself definitely included), and maybe this HAS robbed us of some of our capacity for being human. We are losing compassion, emotion and the overall care for others, and those attributes are what also make us human. I'm most definitely not a pessimist towards humans, there is a large amount of beauty and harmony within us all, but I believe that we are losing the qualities that make us human rapidly in modern day, and I'm afraid that if more people don't acknowledge this and take action to change it, then we will continue to deteriorate morally and emotionally.

Abortion Debate: When are you human?

There is no clear cut answer to the question: What does it mean to be human? Humans are made up of cells, organs, blood, and water just like any other living organism; however, the difference comes when you look at the brain. Humans have a brain that is capable of thinking beyond the physical world and into the abstract world. With our ability to grasp abstract ideas, we are able to develop thoughts on how our world came to be. Many of these ideas are often expressed through language, art, religion, music, and symbols. With the human brain's capacity to understand such abstract concepts, philosophy, the study of knowledge, began to spread, and challenge the most intellectual mind into answering the questions of life, such as the one we face at this moment: What does it mean to be a human?

With a plethora of opinions and ideas that are scattered all over the world, there is bound to be clashing ideas within the philosophical realm. One philosophical issue in today’s society is the issue of abortion. Abortion is debated and evaluated on the basis of science versus religion. For those religions that read the Bible, they argue abortion is wrong due to the belief that God created life within a human to depict the image of Himself. With religious thinking, God created us, and He made no mistake in creating the human within the womb. In addition, God loves us and values us, and we shouldn’t destroy His creations. Christian religion offers you are human from the very moment you were created.

On the science side of the philosophical issue, they argue a baby isn’t fully developed into a baby until it develops to a certain point in a pregnancy. Science claims that as you are conceived, you are nothing more than a clump of cells. At 3-4 weeks, the brain of the fetus will begin to develop, yet the fetus has no awareness. At 4-8 weeks, neural tissue begins to form in the brain, and by 8 weeks, human-like facial features are distinguishable. By 12 weeks, connections between the brain and the body are forming, yet they are still incapable of forming some functions. Twelve weeks serves as the turning point of when a baby develops into a human as it gains neurological functioning. Science debates that a fetus doesn’t turn into a baby until it develops an conscious awareness, and that is when you become a human.

Artwork allows us to face philosophical issues, just like those that show up in the abortion debate. Artwork allows us to face an issue head on, as a piece can express ideas that words aren’t able to describe themselves. Each piece of artwork allows humans to take their own message out of the image provides. Artwork is how ideas and opinions are spread. You don’t need to speak the same language as an artist to find meaning with their piece; however, for an author, the reader needs to be able to read the same language in order to understand and comprehend the meaning of the text.

Below are two examples of abortion in art:

The Complexity of What Makes Up Humanity

         Some people believe we are born into the world with a clean slate, while others believe our futures are set and stone the moment we are conceived. In Hinduism, they believe we are born with a predestination as long as you whole heartedly surrender to your God. The individual has no true power over what happens throughout their life course. To be human means to go through life with unanswered questions, and eventually answer them yourself when you've reached the highest point of greater knowledge. One needs to make mistakes, explore new places, have an underlying belief in everything, learn and do things outside their comfort zone, be good to others, and become one with the world itself.
 
        Personally, I think we are all born with a clean slate and what we do in life is what creates our essential sense of being. We go through life as we please, surrounding ourselves with people who either fill a void or make us a better version of who we are. We as humans are seen and proven to be a very selfish species. We take what we want, and then we make sure it gets replaced with the next best thing. Depending on which way you take it that can either be a way of production or a set up for failure. Years ago, and even to this day in other cultures, people are surviving and thriving on minimal to no technology. In today's society you can tell how the advancements in technology has changed the human race. We are inevitably losing touch with what it means to be human.

       Connections with other individuals are a vital aspect to being human. Without them we wouldn't know how to sympathize, show compassion or any other type of emotion. Emotion and feeling is the foundation of humans. We would basically just be a structure of bones and tissue walking around with no purpose or drives. Humans need a sense of purpose to keep them going.

      To answer the question, "what does it mean to be human?" can be answered in so many different ways. Being human means jumping into life with no real direction or path to follow. You jump into it not knowing where you'll end up or who you'll become, but you hope to some higher power that it's a good place and you're a good person in the end of it all. The quote, "not all who wander are lost" fits well for this description. We need to make a bunch of mistakes, and fall on our butts to understand hard times in order to get back up and move forward from it. All of our unique personalities is what makes us who we are; they give us layered definition. To me, being humble, free spirited, and unique is what it means to be human. Accepting the fact that life is unpredictable and anything can happen in the split of a second, but with those three attributes we as humans are capable of overcoming anything.
 

Humans and Humanity

Being human means that we go through the natural life cycle just like all other living organisms. We are born, either as a man or a woman, and we eventually die. The meaning of being a man and a woman is purely based on our physical make up. They naturally have complementary body parts to keep our species alive. This is not to say that just because we are born one or the other, that we have believe as though we are that gender. As we grow, we become conscious of our own thoughts and beliefs which can either reinforce our born gender, or disagree with it.

As humans, we have the ability to generate our own ideas and develop our own opinions. Opinions are not a bad thing at all, in fact they push us to become more humble, honest, and understanding. They also lead to great works of art and literature in forms of paintings, sculptures, scriptures, and novels. What makes us human is sharing with others our individual thoughts on these topics and many more. Other animals do not have the ability to speak their minds as we do, and so I feel as though it is unique to us as people and we shouldn't take advantage of that.

We have many great qualities that have benefited us in the past. But we are not perfect, and so a large part of being human is making mistakes and having flaws. Our selfishness and our tendency to look out for ourselves more than others, has caused us to often dismiss what needs to be done to keep our animals, our planet, and ourselves healthy, in order to gain what we want. For example, sweets are not healthy for us and our body is suffering while we get what we want. Now, this can be amplified to a much larger scale, such as the environment, but the general idea remains the same. Being human means so many different things, and there was no way that I could cover even a quarter of them. But these are just a few of my beliefs on what being human really means. 

The meaning of being human

The question "what does it mean to be human?" has been pondered by almost every cultural group and religion that has walked this Earth. There are many ways of answering this question, and none of them are wrong. Human beings are extremely complex, so the response to this never ending question is going to be equally as elaborate. Many people suggest that our ability to feel emotion and to express these feelings through art is what defines us, but I think that the answer to "what does it mean to be human?", lies in the question itself.

Human beings are the only mammals on Earth that are able to question themselves and challenge the boundaries of our  species. We are able to function outside the normal limits of intuition, and think deeply about the world and our place in it. It is the ability to think abstractly and cognitively that defines the human being. Our brains go beyond the natural instinct to survive and ask "who", "what", "when", "how", and "why". It is the mere fact that we are given the opportunity to ask these questions that constructs the meaning of the human race.

Being able to ask the question, "what does it mean to be human?", also puts into perspective our ability to communicate through written and spoken language. Once again, we are the only mammals on Earth  that have this capacity, and it is our dialect that sets us apart from all other walks of life. Due to this remarkable skill, we have been able to form powerful relationships with other human beings. We can tell jokes, ask questions, write literature, and express feelings through our use of language and I believe that this is one of the most indispensable qualities that humans possess.

Finally, it is through this fundamental question that we are able to grow as a race and deepen our ways of thinking. To be human means to question who we are and what we believe in- something that no other species on Earth gets the chance to do. It is remarkable that we are able to broaden our minds and question who we are as a whole and what defines us as an individual. All other species have remained relatively the same throughout recent history while human beings have been able to convert their ways of living and unfold new ideas. We have evolved spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually during our time on the planet and I think that is one of the most exclusive human characteristics. So, the question, "what does it mean to be human?", isn't a question at all- it's an answer.

Our Individual Journey

The human being, Homo sapiens, is a man, woman or child that is distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of articulate speech, and upright stance. Although, that is just the dictionary definition. As humans, we are considered the smartest and most resourceful living beings on planet earth. This is the reason for dominating as a species over all other life forms. Humans are encouraged to create, build and expand on as much as we can. Technology, especially, is a creation we have made that has a new discovery or invention every day. It almost seems that it is in our blood to become more powerful by constantly innovating the future. But is that what it means to be a human?

Every person is built differently, and no two people are the same. Therefore, everyone has a different view on what it means to be human. Some have it all figured out, however, there is no right or wrong answer. To me, I believe every person is born with a purpose, or a task to fulfill. For example, someone who becomes a doctor as their profession, could be meant to save a certain persons life one day. But, we do not all have just one purpose, as there can be a number of things. This can be a hard concept to swallow, because we do not know our purposes. Most of the time we never realize them, or don't realize them until we are considered "older and wiser".  Although, this is one of the beauty's in life, not knowing what to expect.

As for myself, writing that we all have a purpose in life is ironic, for I do not even know my own purpose. But as I have gone through the human experience, looking back in my past, I can see little purposes I have already fulfilled. The beauty of this is not knowing you are fulfilling a purpose when it is happening. It causes the human brain to think and reflect on their life, rather than looking to the future like we always seem to do. Therefore, what it means to be human is not to continue reinventing the future, but completing our individual purpose.

All humans are different

  
   Us as humans are fascinating creatures, we have been created to make an impact on the world, to do something that will be remembered by society.  We were born into this life with a goal of happiness, and prosperity. All humans want to be special and different, we all want to be individuals and express ourselves as our own. We tend to believe what the internet, media, and others tell us. Humans are so naive and will believe almost anything told to them. We tend to rely on the internet, media, and other people to bring excitement into our lives, and to teach us how to "be ourselves" when in reality we are still being what others tell us to be subconsciously.  

    Today's society has this assumption that we all have to be alike, we all have to buy the same clothes, have the same phone, drink the same drinks, and eat the same food. Humans today don't know what being an individual is. Us as humans tend to follow in the footsteps of people we idol, we follow celebrities for their fashion advice, drama, and their daily lives. Whether we know we are doing it or not, we tend to do things in our lives that the media or celebrities have reflected onto us. As much as we say we are our "individuals" I am not even sure we know what being an individual is.

    To be a women, man, or artist, means to be an individual. To be an artist you have to be able to express yourself through other aspects such as, painting, drawing, sculpting, and dancing. Even though artists may make "unique" art, there will always be an influence from something in the world driving their art. To be a man or a women means individualism, it means constantly striving to be nothing but the best you you can be. We are taught that "all men are created equal" we all have our equality and our right to be ourselves, have our own opinions, and express ourselves as we please. We may be able to express our opinions, and beliefs as we please but, if a group of girls were to go out shopping together, how likely do you think it would be for each girl to buy things because its what THEY want, not what the group wants?

      When I think of what it means to be a human I think of our destiny, our path that we are all set to travel, some people think that God determines our path for us, and we live our life on God's terms. I personally think that we, as people create our own paths, our lives are constantly changing and that changes our path, everything we do in our lives reflects on our journey in life. To be a human means, being yourself, and to live your life to always make yourself happy. When I think of being a human I think of expressing yourself and not caring what other people think. The definition of Individualism is, "the habit or principle of being independent or self reliant." We should not live our lives to please others, people who truly want to be apart of our lives with come into them liking us for us. We should not have to rely on the opinions and activities of others to influence how we live our lives.

     "Our insistence on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human." When I read this quote I interpreted it as a way of expressing how the act of gaining knowledge and understanding that knowledge help us better create ourselves and to also understand others and their actions. By always being taught new things in school, at work, or even just by living our lives we are never going to truly be our own person, things will always be influencing us, there will always be things about ourselves that we want to change, alter, and make better. The media will always be creating new songs, clothes, shoes, and food that we "have to try". That's why being a human and being an individual is so hard, we have so many things in life that try to make us into someone we are not, its hard to stay true to yourself at times. In order to truly understand what it means to be a human, is almost impossible, we are all humans, just trying to explain ourselves to other humans. 



    

   

    

     

What It Means To be Human To Me

     What it means to be human can be answered in many different ways. A human is a lump of skin, bones, tissues, and organs that come together to form this amazing organism that has evolved and developed into the earth through history. It is amazing to think how far our species have come since the dawn of time. We have evolved through millions of years to get to our current beautiful form of life through advancements in technology,  education, and challenging how far we are able to push ourselves as humans and we now know so much about ourselves as a species that it is hard to even grasp our minds around. We have been categorized into communities and formed to the culture we have been brought into..but what it means to actually be a human is something we still don't really understand.

    To be human means to be special and unique in each and every one of our own individual ways. No human has the exact same genetic blueprints or the exact same life or thoughts or feelings. Each and every one of us is unique and beautiful in our own way. Being human has never been easy. We all grow up and most of us face some sort of tragic or distressing events in our life that somewhat shape who we become and that have formed our unique personalities that define who we are and where we stand in society. We all have unique skill and a specific purpose and to be human means to fulfill that.

  Being human means to create. I believe that a humans purpose is to leave some kind of imprint in the world behind them. We may create life. We may create new advancements in technology. We may create and generate new ideas. We may create art or music, but in one way or another very human is building up a legacy that they will leave behind in this world someday. Art helps humans confront these issues by letting us express our mind and feelings into a physical form. The imagination, and creativity runs from the deepest parts of our brains, through our hands and into reality. Art is a way to bring idealism to reality. It connects us in a way that nothing else quite can.

  To be human means to feel. It means to feel pain, or love, or excitement, or embarrassment or anger. Everyone feels emotions on the inside that reflect who we are on the outside. We all make mistakes, and we all feel these emotions at one point or another, no matter what for we come in. No matter what color we are or what gender we are or what ability/disabilities we may have, we are all composed of the same element.  Every living human feels emotion that define who we are. The quote "Our insistence on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human" I think means that we should look more open-mindedly at things. we are so determined to find answers and give concrete definitions, and form ourselves to a set standard that we are losing touch for the actual meaning of life. We should stop picking and defining ourselves and just be human! There is so much abstractness for what a human is and what it is capable of doing and we may never find that out so we should live in the moment.



 

Human need & the pursuit of happiness

What does it mean to be human? I think this question is pondered by more than just this humanities class. People all over the world wonder what it means to be human, some more than others. Being human means being able to walk on two legs, think at a higher level, and being able to communicate to one another through many different forms. We have the ability to create new technology and grow as a community. Though this is true, it is so much more than that.

Being human means that you make mistakes. The saying “you’re only human” portrays this well. It means we are not perfect and we are not supernatural beings that never make mistakes. Not only are we “able” to make mistakes, but we can recognize our mistakes and learn from them. Learning is the greatest human attribute. We are able to continuously learn about the world around us, through textbooks and life experiences. We were blessed with the gift of being able to learn how to read, write and create.

The ability to express ourselves through art is another incredible human feat. We are able to take how we are feeling and paint a picture or sculpt a sculpture. Other people can then look at the art and interpret it to fit their current emotions. Art has the ability to connect humans through the impact art has on them. People who have felt the same emotions while looking at art are connected and can discuss the art and how it made them feel.

Though we may have different backgrounds, cultures, religions, beliefs, or political views, we all share the same wish. That wish is to be happy. It is inevitable that humans will fight about the subjects mentioned above but we have (or should have) the ability to overcome these differences and realize that everything we do, is done to increase our happiness. We were given the ability to have opinions and humans will fight over these opinions, but the sooner we realize we can come together and overpower the negativity is the moment we will finally realize what it means to be human.

Cognitive Knowledge- What it Means to be Human

When we look for friends in other humans, we usually seek out common interests, or values that hold a shared meaning, rather. Today, there seems to be an underdevelopment of connections throughout society, such as; commonalities like culture, religion, common interests in art, music, etc. Not being able to form a society with shared values and commonalities seems to be a rising fundamental issue that humans face today. The diversity doesn't have to be an "issue," per say, but I do believe that cognitively us humans have that need, or desire to be in a place where they feel they uniquely belong.

Just the very title of this blog post is a philosophical issue. What exactly does it mean to be human? How are we supposed to come to a rationalized answer to this question when there is not one aspect of us humans, scientifically, that is unchanging? With advancements such as cloning, gene silencing, and just about all of the unforeseeable nature of other technological change in biology, scientifically thinking it is almost impossible to come to a general consensus as to what actually makes a human a human.

Today, science encompasses every piece of the world around us. In fact, "our insistence on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human." As humans, it has become almost natural to seek out reasoning for "why" or "how" using observation within the scientific attributes of the world around us. I don't believe science can simply justify what it means to be human. Being human does not strictly pertain to our biological makeup; especially with all of the manipulative advancements in today's world. Being human means expressing emotion, holding experiences unique to ourselves, and expressing these experiences through art, speech, literacy, and so much more. Being human means to understand and distinguish the difference between ugly and the beauty in pieces of art. 

Conceptual expressionism is what it means to be human. Conceptual art allows us to confront our conflicting emotions. Being able to express our spirit, our freedom, our empathetic capacity by means of creativity through painting, drawing, etc. helps us form a proper understanding of the emotion we feel towards works of art and the reactions we have now. Humans hold their own beliefs and their own sentiments- it is how we express them that allows us to understand what it means to be human.

Being Human through my Eyes

Everybody’s definition of being human is different. To some it means that they have a body, soul, and a spirit and to others it means having the capacity to plan for the future, wonder, express ourselves creatively and feel compassion for others. Being human can mean anything. To me being human means expressing emotions, loving one another and using your power for good and not for evil. Humans rule the earth and we have so much capacity to change the world. Use your power for good, smile at someone and show compassion for others. Life is hard and as humans we have the ability to chose the way we react. “Being human is a given. But keeping our humanity is a choice.”

In our society, the words “be a man” are heard far too often. There is no definition of being a man. Being a man just means that you are a human who has male anatomy. Men can be sensitive, and they can be tough. When I think of what it means to be a man, I think of my dad. My dad is looked at as our protector and guardian. He is strong and tough, but has a sensitive side. If you look at what it means to be a man through an evolutionary standpoint, men were the hunters and gatherers, along with being the protectors.

When I looked up what some thought it means to be a women I was not surprised with the responses. Some thought it means using their bodies to get what they want and some thought it meant breaking out of the stereotype and being strong. Just like with men, there is no definition for being a women. I think being a women is equal to being a man. Women can be sensitive, moody and emotional. They can also be strong, brave and fight just as hard as anybody else. Way back in the stone age, women were there to be the caretakers, but now women are working and raising families.  I don’t think there is a definition for being a man or a women, I just think everyone should be themselves, whoever that may be.

As a non-artist I don’t know how an artist expresses, and speaks to the world through their art. Artists are just people. Their creativity sparks and carries their message.Through their art they express emotion, break down barriers and fight for justice. Art comes in all forms which makes many different types of artists, but regardless of their art of choice they are all just humans.

“Our instance on cognitive knowing may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human.” In our society we have norms and expectations. These expectations put people under a microscope and forms humans into stereotypes. Stereotypes hurt the capacity of people being themselves. We are put under such scrutiny to be the way society expects us to be that it can stifle our individual sense of humanity.

Being Human

        If you were to look up what a human is right now, it would come up that the definition of a human is a human being, or a person that is not an animal or an alien. This definition, while correct, is the last thing that I think of when I think of a human. When I think of what it means to be a human, I think of a cluster of things. To be a human means to hold and convey emotions. To be human means to possess certain characteristics that make someone the person they are. To be human means to coexist with other humans. Let me elaborate.
        Emotions are essential in being human. They're our main form of both verbal and nonverbal communication and something that every human has in common. While we may not all possess the same exact emotion at the same exact time, we're always expressing some emotion and picking up on the emotions that others are expressing. That last sentence seems really repetitive, but I'm just trying to make sense. Being human means to be able to feel happiness or sadness or anger or pride etc whether you're a 6-year old caucasian girl from Milwaukee or a 43-year old Tibetan monk on the other side of the world. Feelings are always going to be universal.
         Another big thing in being human is that there are these core characteristics that we all have if you strip away alot of our layers. At our core, humans all have some sense of good & evil and some sense of an underlying moral code.  While this may mean something completely different for each person,  it's still there. We all also have this natural need for rituals, rites, and ceremonies that are specific to our cultures and upbringings. As diverse as humans are, we all hold these sacred.
         Humans also have this underlying urge to coexist. As much as someone may be an introvert or spend a lot of time in solitude, at the end of the day, they need some form of human interaction to get through their lives. As humans, we turn to each other, sometimes without even realizing it. We feed off of each other's emotions and share our emotions both verbally and nonverbally. Part of being human is our need to come together and subconsciously  find the answers to all the questions we encounter with our existence. Being human is our ability to figure out exactly what makes us who we are.

   

Our Humanity

To be human means to make mistakes... over and over and over.  It means to repeat history.   It means to try and fail and fall and fly.  Humans mess up, that's a fact, but for all the mistakes made, something good can come out of each one.  Humans can learn.  Our ability to look back at past experiences, and change the transgressions we might someday commit, is a huge part of our humanity.

The other part of what it means to be human is to have a desperate, though sometimes subtle, need to be different. People want to feel special.  They want to be unique.  They want to be different from each other, as well as from other animals. That's why we have words like, "humanity", because we believe we have transcended all other creatures, when in reality, we arent that different from the next species.  We use the term "animal" to mean crude and barbaric.  Take a look at the way we treat each other, and tell me that's not barbaric.