Understanding the Human Condition
What is the human condition? What is ‘human nature? I can answer that in 2 words: meaningless crap.
We are asking the wrong questions. The right question is not understanding the human condition, but understand the human. That’s right. We, self-proclaimed miracles with big brains and advanced intelligence, have no idea who we are. And not knowing, we have no basis on which to plan, prepare, or live a happy, healthy, productive, successful, passionate life. We don’t even know what a good life is.
We knew these things for over 3 million years, but 20-or-so decades ago we became self-aware, and began making choices that have cost us our freedom. We no longer remember that we once lived freely. Once 100% human, we are now at 30% and falling.
10 million species of life are currently living on our magnificent Earth, and all live 100% freely – except one. Isn’t it curious that we, the self-proclaimed most intelligent top-of-the-food-chain species – according to us, not even really an animal any more but something more divine and unique and special – must be led, ruled, restrained, regulated, told what to do and when to do it. We can’t even raise our own children without direction from politicians and the government. That’s a frightening thought! And look at the result. Our poor kids don’t know what to do or think. Growing up is hard enough when the adults in their lives are mature and functional – today, they are NOT.
The choices that cost us our freedom were to allow other humans to take our freedom and power and passion from us. So in our ancient history (5000 or so years ago) Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans were already living under the rule of, and in bondage to, a handful of rich and powerful rulers. This slave-like behavior is natural with ants or bees, but it is dysfunctional, unhealthy, and deadly for higher-order primates like humans, chimps, dolphins, etc., who are designed to live freely in families and groups.
So there’s the answer. We humans were and are and always will be designed to live in groups, so we must live in harmony with our design. All the wars and gangs, drugs and obesity, declining maturity and failing mental and emotional health, frustration and hate, political manipulation and terrorism, is the direct result of living in direct conflict with our human design. Government, on a much smaller scale, is supposed to be our public servant – nothing more. It’s OUR world and OUR lives – we need to live them.