Only Human

This week we are doing a project called human library.  You may have seen me post about it.  If not, you can check it out here .  The real human library started in 2000 in Denmark.  The goal is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by providing a safe place to engage with people you would normally not be in contact with.

In a human library, the people are the books.  By the end of the week our trainees will represent a person they would otherwise never meet.  They will study a YouTube video and explore issues and situations surrounding their chosen person.  I have spent a lot of time setting this up, so I hope it goes well.  But, there are likely to be spelling errors and miscommunications.  After all, I am only human.

The phrase only human is used to explain our limitations.  Humans are not perfect and sometimes it is difficult to live up to other peoples’ standards.  It is important to be understanding towards everyone because we all make mistakes.  So, the phrase only human can be applied to a situation where someone makes a normal human error.

Example:  Shelly forgot her phone at home. She’s only human. 

The idea of being “only human” has been explored a lot in lyrics.  Take for example the songs by Christina Perri (Human), Rag’n’Bone Man (Human), Jonas Brothers (Only Human), Billy Joel (You’re Only Human), The Human League (Human), and many others.

Finally, I would like to mention one more phrase, a human moment.  A human moment is a time when you are vulnerable or emotional.  Again, it is a way to describe moments of weakness that we all go through.  We are only human.

For more English phrases and quotes, follow me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ESL-ToyBox-112152010890485

Reference:
https://humanlibrary.org/