There is no shame in acknowledging your humanness

This is a statement I recently overheard. The young woman speaking share this while referencing her recent experience in participating in an outdoor behavioral healthcare program. Her words are sting ringing in my ears, more than a week later. She is absolutely right, yet why is it that we still collectively struggle in acknowledging we are human?

Certainly we may say it, or use it as an excuse to explain why we might have recently had a hiccup. Deep down though, we are still sizing up these experiences, or failures, as a reflection of who we are as a human. Being perfect is what we strive for, whether we realize it or not. We’re in a non-stop, forever plugged in world where we are comparing ourselves to others. A society and world where we often don’t put our humanness on display.

To dissect her comment we must first look at the word “shame.” Shame is something we place on ourselves for being less-than. It is a feeling we may have, or a seed being watered on our self-doubt. To “acknowledge our humanness” we are talking about the act of awareness. The reality that we are in fact human; susceptible to weakness. That we can be frail, vulnerable, and frail. There is nothing wrong with this. It may appear frightening at first, however that is the nature of being human. We need to accept this about ourselves.

With her words still resonating, I try to embrace the message. We all need to embrace this message. There is nothing wrong with us for being who we were born as. We were born to be imperfect, and that’s totally okay.

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