What is human?

One of the great questions of philosophy is related to defining what is human. What makes us human and differentiates us from other animals? I certainly do not have the answer, however, I addressed the topic in my book when I mention that human beings developed a level of intelligence such that they were able to recognize the presence of pure consciousness as an entity distinct from the creations of their own mind.

Indeed, the fact of being able to identify, name or verbalize things and classify them is a product of intelligence, or the ability to relate information to each other. The greater the intelligence, the greater the amount of things I can understand, associating data in a complex way. At some point, the intelligence of the human being allowed him to identify a presence, like a silent observer, that remains even when the mind is not working or when the inner voice is silent. This entity was called consciousness and allowed homo sapiens to have a point of reference to know their own existence and the meaning of Being, which requires the ability to dissociate from the life that is lived and to observe it through that unique reference of the pure consciousness. Being conscious or having consciousness represent two forms of language to express that ability to recognize consciousness as an external entity but specific to my being.

It is easy to think that consciousness is self-generated and look for it in our mental apparatus, however, the spiritual concepts of soul, divinity or pure consciousness give clues to consider two closely related entities, to the point that I describe how our physical life comes from pure consciousness through quantum ordering induced by the observer. Therefore, the definition of the human being as a conscious being does not lie in a biological exception but in having achieved sufficient intelligence of things to recognize consciousness. (I believe in fact that the evolution of intelligence was first of all a survival tool, long before having a spiritual reach). Cognitive alterations generally prevent reaching the level of consciousness and mental noise, for its part, is capable of erasing the symbiotic connection of life with consciousness, due to the construction of illusions such as the Past, the Future and the Ego (the Triangle of Illusions).

The human is closely linked to the relationship that human beings maintain among themselves and that differs from the relationship of animals with their fellow humans. There are many biological, anthropological, and social explanations to understand behaviors and the identification of pure consciousness and the consciousness of Being seems to me to shed particular light on the subject. Firstly, the dissociation that allows me to observe my life from a higher perspective (spatially and not morally speaking) generates the possibility of analyzing – and ultimately judging – not only the behavior of others but also my own behavior. If it did not have that reference, the mind would lack the distance of observation and would not be able to refer to itself. Secondly, the consciousness of Being that is acquired for one is extended to all others, meaning that I recognize that others experience the same duality, thus creating an identification of the human being different from the animal classification and, therefore, a feeling of community and exclusivity in the animal kingdom.

Cultivating the connection with pure consciousness and full awareness of Being, keeping the influence of the Triangle of Illusions at bay, helps us focus on what makes us truly human and allows us to transcend.