What does it mean to be fully human?

Please give this a sincere viewing. Give it two or three. It's brief, so you can afford the time.

I don't trot this out as a definitive, final answer, but his vision of courage is quite stirring.



What does it mean to be fully human?
Jean Vanier, Templeton Prize 2015

I like the message that he is communicating, but out of my own curiosity is what he said about not being loved at the moment of birth or in the few months after then there is a deep inner wound have any support in evidence?

With regards to being fully human. If you aren't as he described is one less than human? That looks reminiscent of the No True Scotsmen fallacy (unless I'm wrong).

Guess I'm part Klingon then...

:silly:

As to your first point, every developmental psychologist I have ever read says yes. I do not think this is irrevocable, but I do understand it to be real.

As to your second point, you might be getting caught up in the words at the risk of missing the point. I see what you are saying, though.

In summary, to be fully "anything" is through clear acceptance of what that "anything" is - in this case, to be fully human is through clear acceptance of everything that being human means (fragile and vulnerable as the prime point in particular here).

When he says "Fully" I don't believe he means as in capacity but as in genuineness through embrace of the truth.

To be fully "Jedi" would mean the practice of acceptance of everything it means to be Jedi (to you), since it is only through acceptance that one can properly embrace it.

Lack of acceptance tends to come from shame, often fostered by the results of the ego from others who induce that shame onto us in one form or another as a child. While that shame exists, it roadblocks our full acceptance of our self. While we feel this shame, we are driven by it to hide from anything that contradicts it. We've come to feel, growing up with it, that what it has to say about us has authority - and while we feel this way, we are inclined to spread it to others whether we realize it or not.

The more we accept and embrace the reality of our humanity (and everything that entails including vulnerability), the more we will fend off our shame. But this takes knowledge about what shame is and is not. The more we come to realize what shame really is, the less power it has over us. Acceptance replaces shame, in whatever form that will be. The more we learn to accept who we are, the more confidence we feel about who we are, and thus, the better we become at being who we are - that, to me, means being "fully human".

Great question and great points, have a look at what Nietzsche has to say about the "super man".. Fully accepting humanity would be how do I say falling into the 9 to 5 life that's what they want us to do but to me I think its completely up to the individual to find out what it means to be human for themselves. Thanks and May The Force Be With You

It's like lesson 1 in being human!!? Love in that context implies security and freedom to grow and exist without judgement, which is great, but the next lesson is the harder one, which is when we have to learn to interact with others in a loving way. They are not quite compatible and tend to cause conflict because each person's security and freedom tend to intersect and compete. This is aggravated by the human being both the conscious (thought) and subconscious (feeling) minds which determine our capacity and direction of focus on being human in that difficult second lesson. So I think the vid is a great Lesson 1 on being human, but not fully human, as that would require us to be truly human amongst others. I think these things are great, but that they are layered levels of ideology, and this one I guess would be like the central and main lesson all others branch off from to deal with circumstances which might distract from it.

thanks for sharing that

i dont know exactly what foundations must be set for it to work but my understanding is that we reach a point in our lives where the only one who can really love us the way we must be loved is ourselves

to love ourselves as a mother loves her child - without conditions or qualifications or exceptions or requirements

otherwise we are stuck exactly as he says in that place of being fearful and of having to prove ourselves and fight and i would add of being vulnerable to manipulation because we seek validation outside the self

from lovers or from followers or admirers or from teachers or guides or leaders - someone

until we love ourselves fully and openly without apologie we will always be searching for the love from someone else