Understanding Human Nature and the Human Condition

Our quest in life is that of continual progress in mind, body, emotion and spirit. As we traverse this mortal plain of existence, we will at times face challenges that test our resilience. Having no playbook or secrets to prevail over our mortal frailties, we could soon find ourselves thrown off of our progressive path. It is in these moments that we must take an inward look at ourselves to discern not only our shortcomings, but also those areas where we need to make changes that will in turn help us evolve to a higher level of awareness. The lessons learned will not only teach us more about ourselves, but also provide us a better understanding of human nature and the human condition.

As I reflect over my life, I realize that I have a better understanding of human nature and the human condition. During moments of melancholy and reminiscence, I find myself dissecting memories. Floating in the vast juncture of my mental and emotional space, I often pause and meditate on the lessons I’ve learned about my own nature and my personal condition.

One day I was rummaging through old artifacts in the attic and happened to come across my grandpa’s obituary. A slight smile formed as I engaged in delightful commemoration. My grandpa had a saying, “Folks are folks…they’re not good, they’re not bad…they’re just folks”. In other words, my grandpa understood that people were driven by wants, needs and desires. From his world view, it was the external affecting the internal; or the mortal world shaping the carnal nature of Mankind.

My grandpa’s words should have resonated, shaping my understanding of human nature, as well as my interaction with people. However, as I matriculated from undergrad and onward to grad school, I was exposed to and readily embraced an array of philosophies and theories about human nature and the human condition. Nature, nurture and free will became a recurrent discussion as my classmates and I sought to examine the correlations between world events and human behavior.

Eventually, I graduated from institutions of higher learning, into the workplace and the world at large. I then put those philosophies to use with the intent of building and sustaining strong working relationships. I would fail miserably with every attempt. I was baffled to say the least. How is it that I could understand, and even masterfully articulate the theories of human behavior; but have trouble with practical application.

Seeking solution, I embarked on an introspective migration to my roots; back home where my thoughts, attitudes and perspectives were shaped through wisdom and love. I sojourned to the sage words of my grandpa. I then had an epiphany: I am the “folks” my grandpa was alluding to. College taught me that human nature and the human condition was about “them”, those humans over there in the theories and philosophies. The Bard of the Universe then appeared on my spectral horizon, opening my eyes; allowing me to see myself. Through his somber illumination, I discovered that I had completely theorized and hypothesized myself out of the human equation. I became a languid observer of the human experience. Now my behavior was not good, and it was not bad; it just was what it was, and I got what I got as a result.

Fortunately, I was young enough to see ere in my ways and change course by embracing the nurturing wisdom of my grandpa. Furthermore, I compartmentalized those college theories and philosophies and inserted myself back into the human equation as an active participant. This experience led me to attain deeper insights that overtime reframed my thinking. Finally seeing myself was key to my personal evolution, and my understanding of human nature and the human condition.