Anthropomorphization vs. Dehumanization
We’ve battled these extremes for all of humanity. When will we find a balance?
If you haven’t noticed, we exist in a shared reality constructed almost entirely of opposites — black/white, up/down, love/hate — which, to me, means that life is a game of finding balance. Not just within the physics of this world, but as humans, we have an entire universe of contradictions inside ourselves.
As an individual, you find a balance between your head and your heart, but it doesn’t stop there — as a species, we’re undeniably full of polarities. For instance, we’re capable of tremendous compassion and kindness while just as quickly becoming vicious and devoid of empathy.
Similarly, we long for connection — even to the point of personifying non-human entities and objects — while simultaneously defaulting to violence and hatred toward anything or anyone different from ourselves. It’s this set of opposites I find myself increasingly boggled by. Will we ever find a balance?
Anthropomorphization
Assigning human-like traits or forming bonds with objects is typically associated with childhood. Just look at cartoons full of non-human characters given human attributes or elements. Except this characteristic isn’t something we grow…
