Ah, humans... 🤷

We were walking in from the gym last night, catching our son up on recent news and happenings—some of it very disheartening.

As we reached the steps to our apartment, he said something that made us both feel like we were climbing the podium to receive the gold medal of parenting:

“Ah, humans!” he said.

I couldn’t have been more proud.

***

As I look around the world today, honestly, I wish a lot more people could have my kids’ outlook on life.

“Ah, humans” says so much.

It is disappointed at subpar logic.

Exasperated by weak rhetoric.

And knows how to identify bad behavior.

But it accomplishes so much by what it doesn’t do.

Where so much of our culture today has wound itself up into policing each other, “ah, humans” doesn’t overreach.

“Ah, humans” has opinions, but it doesn’t go for the kill.

It doesn’t assume that a disagreement or a different point of view is justification for demonizing another person’s character.

In fact, it largely refuses to play the tribal games at all.

It doesn’t accept the polarizing premise of Left vs. Right.

Because it sees the same behavior across religions and cultures, times and place.

And it won’t valorize or vilify anyone based on immutable characteristics.

Instead, the behavior it finds extraordinary, shocking, and all-too-familiar can always be summed up with just one word: humans.

Consider this: maybe they did not do that thing to you because they’re ______ (villain group).

But one thing we do know—they’re human.

And maybe that thing didn't happen to me because I’m ______ (victim group).

Maybe I’m feeling hurt or insecure because I’m human.

The truth is, we all have more in common than not. But increasingly, we have to look for it.

Mean?

Human.

Hurt feelings?

Human.

Disagreement?

Human.

Ah, humans’ organizing principle is basically this: maybe it’s time we unite under a bigger banner than what makes us different.

We all hurt.

We all hope.

We all dream.

We all cope.

We’re insecure—we want more peace, but we’re afraid that if we let our guard down, someone will take what’s ours away.

There’s a lot of people crying out for more “humanity” in the world. But this is us. “More humanity” is really just an invitation for more of the same—quite a bit of good, mixed in with some overreactions, false assumptions, and highly normal me-first calculations.

Ah, humans!

So, here’s my 5-part invitation for a more peaceful week:

1. Let’s stop acting surprised when our fellow humans act like humans.

2. Let’s not pretend we’re so different.

3. Let’s try to build on the common ground we share.

4. Let’s realize that those who scream “devil” may not be angels.*

5. Let’s remind ourselves that good people can disagree on really important things.

This won’t make us any more human.

But it can make us better humans.🥇 

Make more peace,

Jeremy Courtney
Cofounder
HUMANITE

@thejcourt

PS — If no one has told you yet this week, you’re doing a pretty good job. It’s hard to stay peaceful in a polarized world. But at least you’re working on it. Imagine the world with no peacemakers…