You are Not a Human Doing

You are more than what you produce. You are more than what you do. You are a human being, not a human ‘doing’.

In this time when much of our productivity is coming to a crashing halt, we are learning a lot about ourselves. So many of us thrive on producing, working, and acting in the world around us. When someone asks us to tell them about ourselves, we first respond with what we do, our jobs, or our hobbies. Our identities are wrapped up in our labor (which was not accidental), so this strange moment in history has shaken us to our core.

Who are we when we are no longer able to produce? Who are we when we can no longer define ourselves by our work?

There is so much grief in the air, and it’s not just about the death tolls rising or the economy struggling to stay afloat. We are grieving who we thought we were, saddened that we are unable to live as we once did. This grief is real, even though we may want to discount it because of the genuine sentiment: “Who are we to complain?”.

What COVID-19 is forcing many of us to do is slow down, stay inside, and do considerably less than we once did. A lot of people feel like they are wasting their time because they are not working, making, moving, and acting. Perhaps you, my friend, feel like you are wasting your time. You are not wrong for feeling this, but I would like to offer an alternative thought.

You are a human being, not a human doing.

You are not wasting your time.

You are surviving and trying to create a new way of life amidst a global pandemic.

None of us know what we’re doing right now. Nothing like this has happened since 1918, so it’s quite likely that this is the first time you are facing something like this. Give yourself grace when you watch another episode on Netflix. Give yourself grace when you and your children have increased screen time.

It’s OK. You do not need to be producing anything right now because you are not defined by what you do. You are defined by who you are.

And you are a human being.

You are loved.

You are worth it.

You are alive.

You are beautiful.

You are human, and I am so grateful that you are here with me.

Allow for this moment in your life to transform how you see yourself and others. Too often we see ourselves primarily as producers and others as products for our consumption and use. Neither of those are the truest versions of ourselves and each other. We are human, designed to connect and thrive with one another.

We have lived in a world that has separated us from each other along ideological and demographic lines. Now, in a time when we are physically distanced from one another, we can begin to see each other as fellow humans in a world. Perhaps we can recreate our socio-political system into something where we all thrive, every one of us.

It should not be about what we produce or our ability level. We are human, and that should be enough.

Offer grace to yourself, my friends.

Offer grace to each other.

You are loved, and you are worth it.