One is a human being,sure. But not a fulfilled human being. Even two persons are not fulfilled, they lack a full social context, where their talents and faculties can be fully developed, and they can make a durable contribution.
I was not being poetic, except incidentally, and I am not sure why you found it obscure. I am merely describing the rise of civilization, and the opportunity created by science, technology, and industry to allow even those at the bottom to profit from it, instead of living in impoverishment, ignorance, and degradation.
Yes, human beings are dependent. As infants, we are utterly dependent. But even as adults, the quality of our life depends on teachers, doctors, even retail stores and car mechanics. Civilization is a matter of reciprocal dependency. We can withdraw, but then we resign a portion of our humanity, that part that longs to achieve and contribute, to have time and energy available for activities beyond subsistence, to learn and grow drawing upon resources that took years to build up. |
