Finding the Human in Humanity

Finding the Human in Humanity

I was scrolling on my phone and feeling a bit lost, probably looking for a distraction - something a lot of us can probably relate to - when I stopped on one particular video that caught my eye.

It was a determined golden retriever, almost defeated as a metal gate stood between him and his beloved tennis ball. The text on screen read: “This Golden Retriever is about to teach us all one of the most important lessons in life…”

Cue the dulcet tones of Wilson Phillips reminding us to “hold on for one more day.”

The golden musters one last burst of determination… and gets the ball.

Now, I’m a sucker for a cute animal. And don’t get me started on Wilson Phillips - many a night has been spent dancing in front of car headlights in the desert, overly animated fists of passion, lip syncing to that song. But that’s another story. (And one I will probably not share.)

In that moment, I was fully bought into the emotions of this dog - as if I were the one feeling them. Sure, the dog just really wanted his ball. But it was the human elements that brought it all together. The music, the pacing, the framing. How did they know to craft it that way? Because it made them feel something first.

The video for context, because, C'mon... https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIWb5vGAK56/?igsh=dW1mcHMyOGF2YzBi

That’s resonance. It's emotional construction. A shared moment, built from intention and empathy.

We feel real anxiety. Mentally, we’re bracing for the reality that this dog might not get the ball. And yet… we keep watching. Because the music and message have told us: a feel-good moment is coming. And that’s what we’re craving.

And just like that, I was reminded of two things: One, that I still hadn’t written this blog post, which - coincidentally - is about exactly that. And two, what it means to be human.

The fact that a simple video could spark real emotional investment - across cultures, across contexts - is a reminder that connection isn’t just something we seek. It's what we’re made of.

Even when we’re doom-scrolling or watching a golden retriever chase a tennis ball, we’re telling ourselves a story: Will he get it? We’re projecting our hopes, our fears, our determination onto him - or maybe we’re absorbing his.

Either way, it’s story. It's meaning. It's human.

So what does it mean to be human?

Biologically, being human is a package of inherited traits: a large neocortex, upright posture, opposable thumbs, language. But none of those explain what it feels like to fall in love, to grieve, to laugh until your stomach hurts.

Psychology gets us a bit closer. It shows that humans aren’t just wired to survive - we’re wired to make meaning. We don’t just react to the world - we narrate it.

We are, quite literally, designed for empathy:

• Mirror neurons let us feel what others feel through observation.

• Theory of Mind gives us the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.

• Cognitive dissonance arises when our actions and values don’t align - we start crafting internal stories to make sense of that tension.

• And Maslow’s hierarchy reminds us that once our basic needs are met, we long for something deeper: love, belonging, purpose, identity.

  
  

That’s what makes us human. Not just our biology - but our need for meaning.

You could say being human is the intersection of instinct and imagination. We don’t just want to survive. We want the journey to matter.

Can we achieve Higher Human Consciousness - With AI?

Now we find ourselves in the middle of something huge. AI isn’t just coming - it’s here, and it’s evolving by the minute.

And I’ve been thinking…

What if AI isn’t a threat to our humanity - But a tool that frees us to evolve it?

What if AI could take on all the things that weigh us down - not just our calendars or inboxes, but the data sorting, the repetitive admin, the logistics, the editing, the automation, the noise?

What if it could give us back space?

Space to be more human, not less.

To create, To imagine, To care more deeply, to become more present, not more distracted.

Maybe AI won’t erase our humanity - but reveal what’s been buried underneath the busy.

Final Thoughts

We don’t need to be afraid of AI taking the human out of humanity. Because humanity isn’t a fragile layer on top - it’s the core.

It’s how we interpret the world . How we feel. How we connect.

It’s in the way we root for a dog to get his ball back.

And that - no matter how much changes - is something no machine can replace.

*Of course, like any powerful tool, AI has a moral dimension. Used thoughtfully, it can elevate us. Used carelessly - or harmfully - it can distort what makes us human. This post leans into hope, not naivety. The responsibility to use it ethically, humanely, and creatively remains ours.