Essence of humanity
This article was originally published in German. The English version is an automatic translation and may contain errors. The German original is authoritative.
What is the essence of humanity?
Is it our thoughts that accompany us throughout the day?
The ones that guide our actions,
Gift us with fantasies?
But because of which we also fail?
Is it the fears that torment us at night?
The worries that we tell no one about?
The past that scourges us,
So that the future seems carved in stone.
Or is the essence the ego?
The human, so cold and cruel
Selfish through all time
Unteachable for eternity
Always stingy with neighbourly love?
But beneath all the worries, fears and dread
There is actually only the longing
To be seen
To be chosen,
Through all of life's hardships.
Perhaps the essence is love
Affection that never runs dry
The feeling after the first kiss
That one must think of in old age?
Perhaps it also consists of the little things
That make us smile in everyday life
And remain in our hearts,
Thus propel us forward.
The essence of humanity,
That which defines us,
Why one wakes up every morning,
That drives us and catches us
Whatever life may bring us,
May well be different for each person
And shines in each of us like a precious stone.