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NewTime
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21 May 2017, 2:30 pm

Why are humans referred to as "human beings"? Dogs aren't called "dog beings", cats aren't called "cat beings", sharks aren't called "shark beings" etc.



C2V
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23 May 2017, 6:32 am

I don't know, but I commonly hear fellow Buddhists refer to all things as "beings."
I think it conveys respect. An indication that that creature is of value, is a sentient being with a mind and a life, and is not a lesser form of life than we are.


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23 May 2017, 6:58 am

I too have always thought it's a very strange term.


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lostonearth35
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07 Jul 2017, 10:14 pm

It reminds me of The Simpsons where a motivational speaker was telling the characters about going from a human being to a "human do-ing". And then Bart yelled yelled out that he was "a human go-ing" and tried to leave. The speaker was actually pleased by this and encouraged everyone in Springfield to adopt a carefree attitude like Bart. Hilarity ensued. :lol:

And on Rugrats, the other babies once told Chuckie to do all these things like different animals, or something, and he got really stressed and overwhelmed, as usual, and he cried out, "I am not an aminal! I am a human bean!"
Which was a reference to, I don't know, The Elephant Man? :)



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07 Jul 2017, 10:22 pm

I remember my dad always saying, "We're all human beings here." I wondered what that meant for the longest time. I thought that he said beans, so I had a dream that we were beans one night. I was 6 at the time.


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09 Jul 2017, 12:18 am

I suspect it relates to religious belief. God is considered a being and some people believe we are made in his image ergo we are inherently beings too. It's just a guess on my part though.


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lostonearth35
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11 Jul 2017, 8:52 pm

The babies in Rug Rats were all telling Chuckie he wasn't a scaredy cat, he was a big brave dog, I just remembered that now. :mrgreen: