We are Stardust
On Being a Fluent Human:
We are made of stardust. –Neil deGrasse Tyson
I love that imagery because it means it is possible that every person you pass on the street, every stranger on the subway, every face across the dinner table—all of us carry the cosmos within us.
According to Tyson, atoms that compose our bodies were forged in the cores of dying stars billions of years ago.
How beautiful this image becomes when we absorb how genetically identical we are.
Since we have evidence that we are all composed of 99% identical biological material, all descended from the same African cradle of civilization, then what separates us? What makes connection so difficult? And more urgently—in an age where artificial intelligence is learning to speak, to create, to simulate human interaction—what does it mean to be authentically, powerfully human?
These questions have followed me through two decades of extraordinary conversations: from moderating the launch of an open-source data initiative at the United Nations, to leading town halls on criminal justice reform in SAn Francisco and New Orleans, to spending a decade in South Africa documenting how the power of song galvanized freedom by overcoming apartheid. As an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist, and impact producer, I've had the privilege of facilitating dialogues in the most unexpected places, with the most unlikely combinations of people.
And like all of us, I have also seen first hand the power of words. What we say can have us fall in love, or start a war and everything in between. We may have also experienced how sharing a story— told with truth and vulnerability—can crack open minds that seemed permanently closed. Other conversations plant seeds that, when we examine the roots of change in our lives, lead us inevitably back to that unforgettable moment when a new perspective emerges.
But these transformative exchanges aren't random. They follow patterns. They require specific conditions. And most importantly, they draw on capacities that every human being possesses—the ability to be a Fluent Human.
The Fluent Human Framework:
Human Fluency is both simple and profound. It's the language all humans possess, a framework for living that emphasizes the superpowers we're all born with. While artificial intelligence can now generate poetry and compose music, only we as humans can experience the emotional, spiritual flow of energy that allows us to feel, to be exuberant or devastated, to be truly moved and inspired by one another, by other humans.
Being a Fluent Human means that we are using our human superpowers to live a life that is purposeful and fulfilling. The Fluent Human Framework operates through five interconnected pillars that mirror the natural arc of human development and a perpetual cycle of growth:
WONDER — We arrive in this world with a beginner's mind, open to the universe. A baby doesn't judge or categorize; they simply marvel. Wonder is the window into our future. As adults, the challenge is not to label ourselves unproductive or lost when we're uncertain, but to recognize that being in wonder is itself productive. It's the first step toward everything that follows.
EXPLORE — Curiosity and wonder almost always lead to exploration. These first two pillars are nearly indistinguishable, occurring first in our journey as humans. Life and survival depend on our inventiveness, on how we build our story—the plot, the choice of characters, the tensions and reversals. When we bring curiosity to any conversation, we create new possibilities for connection.
CREATE — The third pillar acknowledges an activity we're doing constantly, consciously and unconsciously, as our life stories fill in—by default or by design. We are always creating. The power of creation is distinctly human. We're the only species that can imagine a future that doesn't yet exist and then direct our lives toward it. What if, instead of creating unconsciously, we became more intentional about wielding this power?
CONTRIBUTE — And this brings us to perhaps the most misunderstood pillar. Contribution isn't just about grand gestures or changing the world. Since we're made of energy, we influence every room we enter just by the energy we bring. Who you show up as has impact, whether you're speaking or silent, whether you're aware of it or not. The question becomes: how do you want to contribute?
RELEASE — The final pillar resets the entire system, allowing us to return to wonder with freedom and begin again. In ancient China, there were dedicated roles called "cultural sifters" who periodically reviewed what should be carried forward and what should be let go. Release creates room for the new. It's often the pillar that doesn't come naturally, requiring ritual and practice, but it's essential for perpetual growth.
The Age of AI calls for New Human Operating System
We're living in unprecedented times. Artificial intelligence is advancing at a pace that would have seemed impossible just years ago. We're learning to speak AI's language, to adapt to a world where communication with machines is becoming part of human evolution. Meanwhile, our ability to communicate with each other—across political divides, racial lines, generational gaps—seems to be deteriorating.
Most adults now spend two to three hours per day on social media. Our attention is fragmented, our conversations superficial, our capacity for deep listening atrophied. We're more connected than ever in theory, yet lonelier in practice.
This is why human fluency matters. This is why we must, as Duke University law and philosophy professor Nita Farahany puts it, protect our "cognitive liberty"—the freedom of an individual to control their own mental processes, cognition, and consciousness. We must become more intentional about the conversations we have, the connections we make, the way we show up in the world.
Because here's the truth: we are always winning at the game we're playing. The question is: what game are you playing?
