Yes, you read that right. When I first saw the lyrics
yesterday morning in my cultural anthropology class, I thought there was a
typo. It should say “dancers” not “dancer,” right? Wrong. Here is an excerpt
from the song by The Killers:
Pay my
respects to grace and virtue
Send my
condolences to good
Hear my
regards to soul and romance
They always
did the best they could
And so long
to devotion
You taught
me everything I know
Wave
goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta
let me go
Are we human
or are we dancer?
My sign is
vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on
my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?
Many people figured it was a typo due to the artists’ poor English
and just enjoyed the song, but not for its intended purpose. If we truly listen
to what the entire song is saying, we will discover that the question The
Killers pose is a rather deep one. Are we human or are we dancer? Are we truly experiencing
life and all it has to offer or are we going through the motions like a puppet
on strings?
They cause us to think about what we are doing with our
day-to-day lives. What in our lives has such a control over us that we forget
to enjoy life itself? Maybe it’s our goal of getting straight A’s, an obsession
with sports, a high value on personal image, the want for money and power… The
list could go on forever. This cycle isn’t one that is easy to break, and
sometimes it is almost impossible. What we can do, though, is remember what
makes us enjoy life and what we can do to remind others of those same things. This
could mean going on a random Sonic run with a friend, putting true passion into
our chapter service project, or just taking a moment to sit outside with Mother
Nature and breathe.
I challenge you to consider, are you human or are you
dancer? If you’re dancer, what are you going to do to become human? If you’re
human, what are you going to do to help others be human? This task will be
simple for some, but harder for others. This next week, some of us will be
given the chance to be “human” while at National Convention. Members from
across the nation, all with different backgrounds, will be coming together in
Louisville. Let’s make the most of that opportunity as well as the ones we
encounter every day!
Kansas FFA, are we human or are we dancer?
