Freewrite: What Does it mean to be Human?

What does it mean to be human?  Is humanity simply a gift, or something that needs to be achieved, such as an accomplishment?  I believe that Personhood is something that needs to be achieved, and not simply given or bestowed on a person at birth.  Personhood, however, I believe is different than humanity. Personhood cannot simply be bestowed upon a human being as they are born because being a person, is a special trait that needs to be established by the rest of humanity.  Is just floating through life and not doing anything productive being a person?  Yes, technically that person is still human, but only because of DNA.  The way we can divide the category of humans up, is the ones who try and make a difference or stand out, and the ones who go with the flow and have none of their own opinions.