Hey, life? Are you kidding me?

I'm only human. . . Is this a good thing?

I have a feeling this is supposed to be a "deep" journal topic. Hmmmm.... Do you know me?

Actually, I found it kind of ironic. Here's the prompt:


*Idea* Ponder the spectre of yourself as one human being in the over six billion people on Earth.
We are so minute as to be nonexistent. And yet, we have the power to visualize, to imagine the entirety of the cosmos.

In your journal, write about the paradox of being both microscopic and immense.

Normally, I'd be like, "What the hell?" But you see last night I went to the move The Green Lantern. See, when you have a 14 year old son, you rarely get to see a movie of substance. On the bright side, most movies are in 3D now so I can sleep behind the glasses. That is until I start snoring (yes, for real), and then I get the "You are sooooo embarrassing, Mother" lecture.

Yes, yes, yes. . . Back to the prompt. In this wonderful (cough, cough) movie, we learn that humans are the youngest race among many others. They did tell the exact number of other races, and I wasn't asleep yet, but I was still in a state of shock that I had just spend $31.00 on nachos and drinks for two people. Next time, I'm sneaking in a bog of Doritos and jar of Tostitoes queso. Hey, it can be done. . . My sister and I snuck in a bucket of KFC chicken in a diaper bag before either one of us even had kids to need a diaper bag.

I know, I know . . off topic again. So apparently, we're the youngest race, not as "developed' as the others. The phrase "I'm only human" comes up. And the human, (played by someone who I admit was amazing to stare at for 2 hours - Ryan McDonald - no, that was one of my students. . . Ryan Reynolds or something like that ---mmmmm those eyes . . . and other body parts) explains that when we say this, it's to show we are fallible or perhaps something is beyond our capabilities. Well, this got me thinking.

Why is "I'm only human" an 'excuse'. How and why did the phrase get a negative connotation (check it out - big word there)? Why isn't "I'm human" followed by an exclamation point, and smile, and an ear bursting cheer? Do we use our humanity to limit ourselves or to empower ourselves?

Remember Anne Murray's "I am Woman Hear me Roar"? Okay, I'm showing my age. Truthfully, even that one is before my time. It makes me think; we are supposed to be a "step up" from animals. But do you think the lion say, "Hey Pete, are you crazy? I can't catch that antelope. I'm only Lion." Or does he say, "Dude, Pete, check this out. I'm going to annihilate that creature faster than you can get that thorn out of your paw!"

I kinda have a point here. Maybe, we're only minuscule if we choose to be. If we limit ourselves with excuses and negative self-fulfilling prophecies (I knew my BA in Psychology would pay off one day), how can we expect to accomplish immense things?

Are we just a speck in this incomprehensibly, vast universe? Heck yeah, but I belief tiny specks can do immense things.

This is Captain Audra signing off from a once again Rambling Journey to the center of my Brain.