Human Beings

[Theorist]

Human Beings

Humans are a strange creature indeed. My thoughts on them have varied greatly throughout my life. I used to think that humanity just reproduced and tried not to die. That people were doing everything for material wealth. Then, I realized that is completely wrong. There are plenty of people out there who don’t do things for the money, or the fame. Plenty of people who just want to be. But then, I also realized that there are many people who are greedy, and are destroying this planet and our future. I questioned whether humanity was a virus upon this Earth, and my worry was not for humanities extinction, but that no matter what happened humanity would find someway to pull through any global catastrophe or similar event.
Because, one thing I cannot deny is that we are a determined species. Maybe we don’t always work for the right things, but humanity always seems to find someway to make it through. My worry grew, I thought we might be a lost species, waiting for God’s reckoning to end us here on Earth. I worried that even if the harshest of disasters came, humanity would make it through, and not change, and continue destroying this planet, and eventually others.
But then, I realized something special about humans. We have a unique ability to always look back and see the good in things. Yes, this could be a problem, but it is also admirable in a way. My reason for realizing this is that I recently graduated high school, and of all the memories of my life, not a single one I can remember comes with any negative feeling, all the memories coming back have a “good” feeling, with nostalgia attached. The funny thing is, I’ve been through 13 years of school. There were very few days where I wanted to be at school while I was at school. Especially in the last two years of high school. Had you asked me on any day from the start of high school, to my second to last day, I would have said “Oh, yeah I can’t wait to get out of here, and go on to college.” But, if you had asked on that last day, I don’t know how I would have responded, but it definitely wouldn’t have been a “I can’t wait to get out of here.” I had never expected to be so sad about finishing this part of my life.
It’s strange, I used to sit in class, wishing I could be outside, looking at the flowers, the trees, nature, etc. But now that it’s over, I realize how much I will miss the life I so much wanted to finish while I was living it. I really can’t describe it, but everyday I went to school, I wanted out, I wanted to go out and “live.” But now that high school is over, I realize how much I will miss it. The runs with my team mates, pasta parties, weekend hikes with my dad, kayaking trips with my dad, track and cross country races, my teachers, my classmates.
My sadness for missing my teachers and classmates is another thing that surprised me. There were teachers and kids I didn’t get along with. But, now I miss that. This nostalgia of it being over. I don’t look back to any memories of teachers or kids with hate or anger. Only a longing that it is over, and that it was good. Now that is something I learned about humans. School was in no way easy for me, I took some of the most demanding classes, and I hated the work while I was there, but now I look back and I miss it. I think that’s something I learned about humans that I admire. Our ability to reminisce on old memories, and have them all be enjoyable memories, even if at the time we were actually living that memory we didn’t enjoy it.
The other thing I learned about humanity is that were are not good future planners. We live in the present, and we are sorta stuck there. I had no realization or sadness in a chapter of my life being over until the end of that very last day. We as humans are not the best at change, which can be a problem, but isn’t necessarily bad. We are not truly moved until a “critical mass.” Or a point where events start to happen. I did not go through my childhood being sad that I knew it was going to end. I was not sad until it ended. I hope that explains what I am getting at. In that we are a creature stuck in the present. But, after that “critical mass” has been reached, we become an amazing creature. Unimaginable things happen, we start to do things. We have moments of change, and they happen fast. That is one thing I’ve learned. We do not change until we absolutely need to. Is this a problem? Yes. But is it bad? No.
I realized we are creatures that want to be, who are not good at change, but have great capacity for change when the time comes. We are creatures that wish to be, simply existing. We have an amazing ability to look back in love, and happiness. And, we are tenacious in the way we make it through life. 13 years ago, had someone told me I was about to go to this place I would never want to be in, and have to stay there for 13 years, I would have said “there is no way I could survive that.” But, those 13 years are over, and nearly all people make it through those 13 years. And, I know that going on in life, college, and whatever comes after, I know I will always look back with a mix of sadness that it’s over, but happiness that it happened. I know that each day will take for ever, but my life will be a couple minutes of warm memories. I know I will miss all things gone in my life, even if I hated them when I experienced them. There’s just so much that I miss right now, that I never knew I cared for.
And that is what has recently changed my view of humanity. Are we destroying this planet, and sowing our own doom? Maybe, but will we make it through? Very likely. I no longer doubt that we will change when the time comes. Because I don’t think we change ourselves, but our environment around us changes us. And now I no longer see a bleak future, but a possibility that eventually humanity can be changed into a species that does not destroy itself. That it will learn after it has nearly destroyed itself. And the one thing I doubt the least is that we will pull through. Because above all, humans have an uncanny ability to make it through hard times.

ps: these are just my musings on humans, and how my view of us has changed. I never thought I'd miss high school, I couldn't wait to be done. But now that it's over, I think I learned that humanity isn't a destructive evil plague, but simply a young species with much to learn, that is capable of great things.

[Advent]

Hmm. Your statement poses several interesting thoughts. I must say though, I definitely agree that we aren't so blind as most think we are. It's just that the common person doesn't have very much power.
As a species though, I'm riven between two classifications.

One:

We could be viruses. Parasites. However, should things change, our stance as a species will evolve into something greater.

And secondly, we could just be average apex predators. We have no troubles whatsoever, and so, the majority of the ecosystem is at our mercy. Supply and demand ensues.

One thing is for sure though: we have always lived in the present.

[caveman]

I know exactly what you mean by the nostalgia. I can look back at any time in my life with good feelings, even if they were some of the worst experiences.

This can be very motivating. Just think, regardless of how old you are or what situation you're in now, in 10 years you'll look back at May 19th, 2011 as "the good old days". So live it up! And don't ever worry about missing out; in another 10 years the process will repeat itself.