What’s Wrong With Humans?

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Dear Dr. Matt

I would like your perpective on use it or lose it, as I am witnessing some rather bizzare behavior out there. I am challenged at times with these humans and your perspective is greatly appreciated. Thank You.

-Human Witness

Dear Mr. Witness,

First of all, I’m not exactly sure what you mean by use it or lose it, but not understanding something has never stopped me from rendering an opinion.  I suppose commonly this phrase has come to mean that when you are gifted with something, like love, or sex, or a puppy, then ignoring the gift or taking the gift for granted can mean that the gift runs away, or perhaps starts urinating all over everything.

Because, folks, puppies are challenging.  At first, they look cute and you think it’s all just going to be cute, cuddly times, but then you have to start laying down newspapers, taking them for walks, and replacing destroyed furniture and other personal items.  Just because the puppy can be challenging to deal with, it doesn’t make the puppy any less of a gift.  As long as you are connected with your love for that puppy, then the experience itself is a gift.  Some people do indeed return puppies or give them away because they were naive about the work involved.  Rest assured, it’s not the puppy’s fault that it’s too much work.  It is as it was born to be and was always going to become.

The difference between puppies and people is we take people’s actions much more personally.  But has a person ever taken a dump on your kitchen floor, or started eating your couch?  Have you ever been in a conversation with a person outside and then they spontaneously started erupting into loud yelps because they happened to see another person walk by?  If so, then I’m curious about the kind of company you keep.

What most stuck out for me about this question is that you called people “these humans.”  To me, that says that you see people as a group you’re not a part of.  Unless you’ve recently arrived on a spaceship, say in the last few months, then I think we can safely say that you’re part of the group you feel challenged about.  By seeing yourself as separate, you risk judgment, and moving further away from understanding people who’s actions are currently incomprehensible.  If you are an alien, but have been here for longer than a few months, well then, that’s long enough to start blending.  That is, if you’re a Star Trek alien and despite all odds, look almost entirely like a human being.

Either way, chances are, if you look like a human and talk and act like a human, you’re part of the club, buddy.  That doesn’t mean you have to act like an idiot.  It just means that those idiots are your brothers.  Witness them as such, and maybe they won’t seem so incomprehensible and challenging anymore.

-Dr. Matt