AN ODE TO WHAT MAKES US HUMAN
Sense and sensibility have always been driving factors for humanity as a whole. They complement each other perfectly, one letting us perceive our surroundings while the other lets us perceive ourselves in the context of our surroundings, together letting us fully experience the beauty of our world.
I believe that sense is at the core of one of the most fundamental human desires, the desire for knowledge. In order for us to experience this desire to know more, to learn more, and to be more, we first needed to know that there was more to be known, to be learnt, and simply to be. It’s exactly because of this that we were able to come this far as a species. Humans were not forced to evolve. We could have lived our lives just as we did hundreds of years ago, without any technological breakthrough, and the truth is that we would have been fine. Sure, some things would have been a lot harder but we wouldn’t have been in any danger of extinction. And yet we chose not to. We chose to struggle and always strive for a brighter tomorrow, because that’s what we do. Because that’s what humans do. Because at the end of the day, sense truly is engraved in the very core of our being.
But if our sense poses questions such as “Why? Why is the sky blue?” or “How? How can birds fly?” our sensibility asks the questions regarding the internal side of things: “Why? Why do I like this view so much?” or “How? How can I possibly feel this way when I’m around her?” I believe that these questions are the building blocks upon which everything else about us, humans, is built because sense, while fundamental, on its own is meaningless. How could a desire sprout from empty sense alone? It would die, just like a plant that has enough soil but no water. However it’s because of sensibility that this desire can sprout, grow and blossom into progress and evolution. It’s because we could feel happiness when we learnt something new and because we could feel great sorrows when something went terribly wrong. It’s because we could feel our impact on this world that we tried to make the best out of and, even if there were moments when we went astray and chose hatred to fuel our desires, we have so many pieces of art and literature that can vouch for me when I say that hatred does not define us as humans, and that the feelings that construct the very core of our being are love and compassion.
In conclusion I think that both sense and sensibility are essential for our lives, but while sense is a means to an end, sensibility is a means to appreciate that end.
Christian-Andrei Bordei
clasa a X-a F
