Hello, Humanity: Existence for breakfast and beauty for dinner

By Mariam Bukia

(Artwork by Paul Kee)

You are a synthesis of beliefs, blood vessels, thoughts, value systems, and looks given and received, but you are valuable and more than a few liters of blood.

A series of events shape us as humans.

Life is a mixed feeling, much like the consistency of fruit that a baby tastes for the first time – unware that, along with its sweetness, he will eventually swallow many tears, disappointments, flesh, the beauty of begonias, and the swamps that have formed in the caves of humanity’s ancient dwellings. To believe you are the creator of your own life is to imagine a process of self-formation, where you are both the instrument and the product of destruction and renewal. In such moments, loneliness is an inevitable companion. When left alone with the whispers of your own mind, standing as the only tree in the endless fields of existence, you feel trapped by your own roots, and even your thoughts have an echo that fills your eardrums with snails.

Life would be happier if there were no clock, when gray hair would be not a painful reminder of the passage of time, but a sweet proof that you lived and are here now. To fully grasp the essence of being human, one must go beyond the grandiosity of ocean waves and the shifting sands of time and instead embrace the delicate sensation of a raindrop landing softly on one’s shoulder. What makes us human is the understanding of existence, which is achieved through a clear

perception of the smallest details, a constant desire to explore the world, and the ability to be delighted by impressions.

The weight of existence fits in the palm of a gentle hand. Problems, desires, smiles from the corner of lips are nourishment that the world feeds its children, so that they can stand firmly on the ground as hard as granite.

When you feel what it means to be human, you know that the swing of life will swing you relentlessly through all seasons – from peach blossoms to rotting leaves – but you will never lose your balance and enjoy the buzz of the storm of change.

A peaceful life does not mean being static, but rather having a cozy corner in your heart and mind, where you fill yourself with all that you love with true sincerity – like a thirsty person loves water: gratefully, calmly, untroubled – not because they need it, but because it is an integral part of their being, because it nourishes their soul. To love it the way a cold stone slab loves warm steps; to love it in a way that makes one forget about mere existence and instead embrace the love of living.

Understanding the meaning of being human shows us the weight and responsibilities; it shows us that the abyss is, first and foremost, our own body, from which desires and dreams come endlessly. When they should be exploding like Mount Vesuvius fireworks, we are simply dying – it is unfair that they silence us when we should be shouting our heads off at everything around us.

I turn night into day, allowing light to seep into my soul like the small porthole of an ancient ship. Though the ship may sink under the weight of its sins and the tension before its final crescendo, I choose to let my dreams echo beyond its wreckage.

A trembling hand extinguishes a match more often than the wind. In turbulent moments, breathing is so rapid that it drives windmills in distant fields.

At the end of the day, there is little to regret. Life is fleeting, but not as ephemeral as a butterfly’s wings. Garden of life is truly more diverse and interesting than any butterfly could ever see. When you are the owner of unattainable peace, you really look alike the rural landscape seen through the tree branches, the feeling of back on hay, and that last cup of hot chocolate. At such times, several liters of blood evaporate, blood vessels turn into plant stems, glances given and received are reminders of love, and you are simply a synthesis of life’s beautiful moments.

A happy person. A free person. A celestial person. Emerging from the earth and journeying back to it.

Our story is renewable and ever-changing, swift as life itself – just as unfathomable and just as beautiful. As for me, I feel that being human for me is the winds of the sun and the bonfire of feelings experienced in the cozy village of the soul.

Hello, bridges stretched over life’s abysses. Hello, vast open spaces, magnifying glasses, and the joy of discovery. Hello, humanity!

About Mariam Bukia:

Mariam Bukia (she/her) is a 16-year-old student from Georgia. She is an ambitious and active individual who views the world as a playground of unlimited possibilities. Her professional journey spans multiple roles, including general editor, blog writer, general manager, project manager, PR manager, young teacher, head of the personnel department, book club leader, and speaker in educational organizations. As a writer of poems and stories, she nourishes the garden of her thoughts and ideas, letting creativity bloom like a flower.