After finishing this selection of passages from The Central Harmony the question that is heavy on my mind, and that I've had many discussions about is: Nature versus Nurture? Are the actions of mankind innately determined at birth? Or do the personal experiences we encounter in our lives, reflect upon the behavioral traits in which we possess?
The Central Harmony states, "What is bestowed by heaven is called human nature." What a beautiful view of our existence; the idea that we are all given the gift of human nature at birth, and that the gift of human nature is pure and untainted.
In my own life I have had some experiences that have caused me to question the integrity of man. And during these personal experiences I have thought to myself, "mankind is not good". I have entertained the idea that the majority of people are living without good intentions, and existing only to gratify themselves.
As my life moved forward and away from the troubling times, I began to once again view people in a more positive light. I was able to see the good again. I felt a deep connection to the quote stated above, because it is how I choose to look at the world now. I like to believe that our behavioral traits and the actions we take in our lives are a combination of nature and nurture. The idea that we are all born uncontaminated, and it is our life experiences that interfere with that if we choose to allow it, is for some reason very comforting to me.
1 comment:
Hey Alicia,
I was interested in what you said in your blog about people being inherently good or inherently bad.
I can't say when, but at some point I stopped thinking about it that way. Now I think that people are just inherently selfish, like a child crying when it wants a cookie. That's not good or bad, just selfish. Anyway, that's what I was thinking when I was reading your blog.
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