What It Means to Be Human

In Kanji, one of the three scripts in the Japanese writing system, the word for person or human being is “hito”. Written like this: 人

What’s unique is that Kanji represent ideas rather than words. My wife tells me that the character “人” is two people supporting and holding each other up. How simple and yet fitting to describe human beings (all 6 billion and counting) on this earth.

In my job and in my life, I’ve met many people from all walks of life. More often than not, the happiest ones were those who understood that life is not about making the most money or cutting corners to get ahead or trying to make it alone. No, the happiest people are the ones who realize (like the characters “人”) that life is about helping and leaning on each other.