I think what makes us human is our ability to know what not to do, and then do it anyway. I think it is wishful thinking that we could ever get past it, so the answer is to bless it and do the best we can, knowing we won’t always do the best we can. We have to forgive that in ourselves and in others. Especially in others. Because we will continue to be disappointed by the human race, in the ingenuity that could be there, but isn’t always; in the compassion that could be there, but isn’t always; in the love that could be there, but isn’t always. We are but a vessel for love, humanity, decency and divinity. But we are a vessel that fights back, contains the need for progress, and yet comfort; praise and yet humility. We contradict ourselves daily, and we contradict what we want in others, too. We don’t know exactly what we want, is the reason. We think we want one thing, but then we overthink it and change our own minds. Where does that get us? If we follow it correctly, it forces us to focus and examine. What we want and how we get it. What we think and how we behave. What we expect from others and yet what we allow in ourselves. It’s a tough thing. We think we know what is wrong and what is right and then another dilemma arises that causes us to question our beliefs and judgment. So, what do we do about it? We allow and we forgive and we hope every day that what we are doing is for the greater good. That it’s something that will mean something, and won’t hurt anyone in the process.
That, inside, I believe, is what most people want. To get to the end of the day without getting hurt or hurting someone else. But for those to whom this is not the daily meal – there is a shadow around them. One that shades what they could do with the power they accrue, if they were in it for something good. The problem is: they think they are doing what they do for something good. So, how do we wrestle with that? How do we tell someone, “No, you’re wrong about that. What we want is right. Do this.” These arguments are what start these wars – whether they be personal or international. These statements are what bring out the anger and ego in us, and we start defending the wrong thing. Before long, our need to be right trumps our desire to do what we think is the right thing to do. And then the ego takes over, and we completely lose our compass.
Forward of that thought is this: We cannot be without it. Part of the struggle of human existence is that we need what fights us. We need what is so difficult for us. We cannot shut out completely what destroys us, because we also need it to survive. We need food, but too much is bad for us; we need our ego for protection and survival, but giving it too much power gives our spiritual side less. A belief in God, or faith in something, is important, but leading blindly by one set of beliefs cuts you off from other ideas, which could also sound good to you – if only you would listen. The trick is to find the balance. And this is the plight of the human condition.
