Christian Living
![Carlos Whittaker - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_carlos_whittaker.jpg)
How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us
A much-needed reminder about what it means to be truly human in a world where people feel increasingly disconnected from each other and from God, by the popular author of Enter Wild.
"Carlos has created an antidote to what ails us."-New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff
These are crazy times, people. We are more agitated than ever. We're fighting. Wrestling with big issues. Less connected than ever to one another and to God. It's a perfect storm: debilitating anxiety, crashing relationships, and forgetting what it feels like to, well, be human.
In How to Human, author, speaker, and social-media personality Carlos Whittaker offers a fresh vision for becoming the best versions of ourselves. We can refuse to let disagreements define us. We can say no to becoming upset, rage-filled humans and say yes to fuller, happier lives. It begins as we make the shift from "me" to "we" to "everybody" in a three-part journey to be human, see fellow humans, and free those around us.
You'll think, laugh, and be inspired by this practical guide, which reveals how to help others, how to hope fiercely, and how to experience the thrill of being fully human. Carlos describes a radical path of love-one that requires us to become builders rather than demolitionists. One that gets personal. One that moves toward others in faith rather than away in fear. One that, when times get crazy, is willing to get crazier (in a good way). One that understands the big joy of how to human.
"Carlos has created an antidote to what ails us."-New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff
These are crazy times, people. We are more agitated than ever. We're fighting. Wrestling with big issues. Less connected than ever to one another and to God. It's a perfect storm: debilitating anxiety, crashing relationships, and forgetting what it feels like to, well, be human.
In How to Human, author, speaker, and social-media personality Carlos Whittaker offers a fresh vision for becoming the best versions of ourselves. We can refuse to let disagreements define us. We can say no to becoming upset, rage-filled humans and say yes to fuller, happier lives. It begins as we make the shift from "me" to "we" to "everybody" in a three-part journey to be human, see fellow humans, and free those around us.
You'll think, laugh, and be inspired by this practical guide, which reveals how to help others, how to hope fiercely, and how to experience the thrill of being fully human. Carlos describes a radical path of love-one that requires us to become builders rather than demolitionists. One that gets personal. One that moves toward others in faith rather than away in fear. One that, when times get crazy, is willing to get crazier (in a good way). One that understands the big joy of how to human.
Editorial Reviews
"Did politicians make us all forget how to human? Should we point the finger at social media? Is the economy to blame? I'm not sure. But I am certain that Carlos has created an antidote to what ails us. Clear, hopeful, and full of truth, he has once again charted a path to a better world."-Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking
"Wherever Carlos appears, whether on social media, in his books, or in person as a friend, he shows us how to be a good human. Now we have his stories and God-given heart for humanity in How to Human, and I couldn't be more excited. Carlos continually reminds me that while there's so much suffering in this life, there's so much goodness too. He helps us see the people around us, remembering that everyday moments are something sacred. Carlos lives like Jesus and reflects our Savior as He deals hope to a world that desperately needs it. This book is for anyone who wants that too-it's a must-read!"-Lysa TerKeurst, #1 New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries
"Carlos lives it first, writes it second. This is one of his superpowers. He faces life's challenges head on and then invites us to do the same. How To Human is inspiring, challenging, inviting, and hopeful. This is the book we need right now."-Annie F. Downs, New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun
"Carlos exemplifies how to see people, love people, and make people feel truly alive, with simplicity and pure kindness. If the media and your endless scrolling have you feeling weary, divided, and left with less hope in humanity, let Carlos show you these simple yet profound steps to strengthening your own soul so you can love others well and infuse your world with hope. How to Human will give you the tools you need to take the first small yet significant step into radical kindness and becoming who you were created to be."-Levi Lusko, author of The Marriage Devotional: 52 Days to Strengthen the Soul of Your Marriage
"In a world full of chaos, di...
"Wherever Carlos appears, whether on social media, in his books, or in person as a friend, he shows us how to be a good human. Now we have his stories and God-given heart for humanity in How to Human, and I couldn't be more excited. Carlos continually reminds me that while there's so much suffering in this life, there's so much goodness too. He helps us see the people around us, remembering that everyday moments are something sacred. Carlos lives like Jesus and reflects our Savior as He deals hope to a world that desperately needs it. This book is for anyone who wants that too-it's a must-read!"-Lysa TerKeurst, #1 New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries
"Carlos lives it first, writes it second. This is one of his superpowers. He faces life's challenges head on and then invites us to do the same. How To Human is inspiring, challenging, inviting, and hopeful. This is the book we need right now."-Annie F. Downs, New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun
"Carlos exemplifies how to see people, love people, and make people feel truly alive, with simplicity and pure kindness. If the media and your endless scrolling have you feeling weary, divided, and left with less hope in humanity, let Carlos show you these simple yet profound steps to strengthening your own soul so you can love others well and infuse your world with hope. How to Human will give you the tools you need to take the first small yet significant step into radical kindness and becoming who you were created to be."-Levi Lusko, author of The Marriage Devotional: 52 Days to Strengthen the Soul of Your Marriage
"In a world full of chaos, di...
Short Excerpt Teaser
Section 1
Be Human
If you say the year 2020 out loud these days, you will likely get a visceral reaction from most people who lived through that year. Try it. Walk up to someone in your house or apartment or neighborhood and say, "Look me in the eyes. I want you to say the first word that comes to mind when I say what I'm going to say. Okay? Ready?"
Take a moment and then say, "2020."
I promise you there will be a reaction of some kind. I'm not sure there's ever been a number that elicits such a unified response of disgust. I just tried it with my kids. Ready to hear their one-word responses?
My oldest daughter replied, "Ugh." Not the most poetic answer, but I didn't raise poets. It's okay. My middle child responded with the word sucked. Okay. I started to see a trend. My third and youngest kid said, well . . . I can't repeat what he said in this book. He got in a bit of trouble for saying that word.
"What about the year 2019? Or 2018?" I asked. And I went back even a few more years. My little focus group, which consists of my kids, offered quite a few words, all of which were a lot better than ugh, sucked, and %@$#*.
All the words they shared for earlier years consisted of other people's names, or words associated with family trips that they remember fondly. It was astonishing. Nothing but pleasant thoughts for all the other years. Now, I'm not saying that every year prior to 2020 was wonderful for all of us. But I am saying that, by comparison, 2020 was horrible for many of us. Maybe most of us. And to be honest, I don't think it was the pandemic that left the most lasting marks on each person. I think our deeply inhuman response to everything that happened in 2020 left the deepest mark and, for some, the deepest wounds. The year 2020 jacked up humanity. It threw many of us off course, and the problem is that we can't seem to rebound. I mean, I'm writing this book more than two years after the start of the pandemic, and it still feels like most of us got knocked off course and can't find our way back. I'm still processing. Still working to understand. Maybe you are too? Why? Because 2020 was about so much more than 2020.
My dad used to tell me an analogy about a ship. If you draw a straight line from the tip of a ship and it continues-going straight-for one thousand miles, it will end up in the place to which it is pointing. But if that boat moves by only one tiny degree, for a few days of travel it may seem like that the ship is still heading to the original target. However, that one degree of change will eventually mean that the ship misses the original destination by more than sixteen miles on a 960-mile journey. That simple one-degree adjustment doesn't seem like a big deal, day after day, but as those days slowly add up over weeks, you will arrive at a completely different destination than you originally planned.
So, my question is a simple one: How does humanity get back on course to being the kind of people who run together to help a stranger in need? How do we reset our paths and find our way again after getting knocked from our original course?
It starts with us. We each need to get back-individually-to who we were created to be. We need to return to the original design for who God made us to become. When that happens, something comes alive in each of us. Something wakes up. Something that can join with the people around us to do incredible, brave, exciting, kind, and generous things. The kind of things that a world in pain and uncertainty needs.
God created us to come alive in our original plan and design. The spice of the Italian auntie. The peace of the Kenyan hunter. The sweetness of the southern grandma. We all have God's creativity deep inside us, and I believe that the first step in learning how to human is to simply . . .
Be human.
Become who you were created to be. And who were you created to be? The answer, my friend, is, unfortunately, often buried deep within. Buried beneath years and years of trauma, trials, and triggers. Buried somewhere beneath years of slowly growing opinions on issues that may or may not affect you. Buried underneath years of being surrounded by people who look like you, think like you, talk like you, and vote like you. Buried underneath years of watching your favorite television news anchor. Buried underneath years of trying your very best to be human.
Now, I'm not saying anything about whether your years of being buried were good or bad. They could very well have been some of the best years of your life. But the true you-the one I want us to get to and unlock-was around long before the world around you had any influence over your opinion of policies, people, and politics...
Be Human
If you say the year 2020 out loud these days, you will likely get a visceral reaction from most people who lived through that year. Try it. Walk up to someone in your house or apartment or neighborhood and say, "Look me in the eyes. I want you to say the first word that comes to mind when I say what I'm going to say. Okay? Ready?"
Take a moment and then say, "2020."
I promise you there will be a reaction of some kind. I'm not sure there's ever been a number that elicits such a unified response of disgust. I just tried it with my kids. Ready to hear their one-word responses?
My oldest daughter replied, "Ugh." Not the most poetic answer, but I didn't raise poets. It's okay. My middle child responded with the word sucked. Okay. I started to see a trend. My third and youngest kid said, well . . . I can't repeat what he said in this book. He got in a bit of trouble for saying that word.
"What about the year 2019? Or 2018?" I asked. And I went back even a few more years. My little focus group, which consists of my kids, offered quite a few words, all of which were a lot better than ugh, sucked, and %@$#*.
All the words they shared for earlier years consisted of other people's names, or words associated with family trips that they remember fondly. It was astonishing. Nothing but pleasant thoughts for all the other years. Now, I'm not saying that every year prior to 2020 was wonderful for all of us. But I am saying that, by comparison, 2020 was horrible for many of us. Maybe most of us. And to be honest, I don't think it was the pandemic that left the most lasting marks on each person. I think our deeply inhuman response to everything that happened in 2020 left the deepest mark and, for some, the deepest wounds. The year 2020 jacked up humanity. It threw many of us off course, and the problem is that we can't seem to rebound. I mean, I'm writing this book more than two years after the start of the pandemic, and it still feels like most of us got knocked off course and can't find our way back. I'm still processing. Still working to understand. Maybe you are too? Why? Because 2020 was about so much more than 2020.
My dad used to tell me an analogy about a ship. If you draw a straight line from the tip of a ship and it continues-going straight-for one thousand miles, it will end up in the place to which it is pointing. But if that boat moves by only one tiny degree, for a few days of travel it may seem like that the ship is still heading to the original target. However, that one degree of change will eventually mean that the ship misses the original destination by more than sixteen miles on a 960-mile journey. That simple one-degree adjustment doesn't seem like a big deal, day after day, but as those days slowly add up over weeks, you will arrive at a completely different destination than you originally planned.
So, my question is a simple one: How does humanity get back on course to being the kind of people who run together to help a stranger in need? How do we reset our paths and find our way again after getting knocked from our original course?
It starts with us. We each need to get back-individually-to who we were created to be. We need to return to the original design for who God made us to become. When that happens, something comes alive in each of us. Something wakes up. Something that can join with the people around us to do incredible, brave, exciting, kind, and generous things. The kind of things that a world in pain and uncertainty needs.
God created us to come alive in our original plan and design. The spice of the Italian auntie. The peace of the Kenyan hunter. The sweetness of the southern grandma. We all have God's creativity deep inside us, and I believe that the first step in learning how to human is to simply . . .
Be human.
Become who you were created to be. And who were you created to be? The answer, my friend, is, unfortunately, often buried deep within. Buried beneath years and years of trauma, trials, and triggers. Buried somewhere beneath years of slowly growing opinions on issues that may or may not affect you. Buried underneath years of being surrounded by people who look like you, think like you, talk like you, and vote like you. Buried underneath years of watching your favorite television news anchor. Buried underneath years of trying your very best to be human.
Now, I'm not saying anything about whether your years of being buried were good or bad. They could very well have been some of the best years of your life. But the true you-the one I want us to get to and unlock-was around long before the world around you had any influence over your opinion of policies, people, and politics...
