MAN IS BASICALLY ROTTEN

I first came up with the idea that "MAN IS BASICALLY ROTTEN" by looking in the mirror. I recognized that I really was basically rotten , so I looked around at the behavior of other members of my species and quickly observed that I had lots of company.

This concept of the human condition really crystallized in my mind during a Methodist Sunday school class I attended during a time when my wife and I were searching for a church to join. The topic being discussed by this adult class was "Is man good or evil?" After listening to this discussion for about 20 minutes I raised my hand and asked if I could speak. I said "I don't believe you can describe man as either good or evil, I think man is basically rotten". The class broke out in laughter and the quote was mine!

This quote is my working hypothesis when dealing with my species.

The story.

After looking in the mirror and realizing I was basically rotten, my first question was "am I alone or are other people rotten as well?".  So I started observing human behavior in its raw form and what better place than in a school with a 1000 teenagers running all over the place (the middle school where I taught science for many years). What about politics, business, TV, the movies, the mall, and all the places where we humans hang out?

It was a revelation and as well as a  relief to realize I was not alone. I eventually I came to the conclusion that we humans are all basically rotten . We are rotten from the day we are born until the day we die---we can not escape it.

Babies, rotten? Yes, a new born baby is rotten (self-centered if you like). It lies on its back and demands everything-me! me! me! It poops, pees and cries until someone pays attention and solves its problems. You know why babies survive? They're cute and they smile---that is what saves them.

A group of toddlers are in a sand box with a lot of toys. All is quiet until one kid starts to make a "cool "sound with his dump truck. Other kids hear the sound and want to have the truck with the great motor. Chaos ensues with toys, sand and kids flying everywhere with each one wanting the same toy---basically rotten.

Observations and teachable moment: To survive as a social animal in a group, we humans need to learn to share, to give, to love, to put others first, if we are to survive in human society. Those who recognize and learn to control their rotten nature (selfishness) are able to make positive contributions to family, groups and societies. Some individuals are unable to control their rotten nature and end up sad, unhappy, bitter, unpleasant and often become isolated from other people. In extreme cases they become social outcasts and end up spending time in prison or mental hospitals, abusing chemicals, attacking and abusing other people or in the worst case---end up dead.

Conclusions:

It is my opinion that we are rotten from the day we are born until the day we die.

The struggle to control our basic nature is life-long and never ends.

It is EASY to go with the flow and allow our wants and needs to come first, after all that is what a two year-old does.

It is HARD to be honest, truthful and put others first---it takes work, patience, perseverance and commitment.

This is not religion, this is the condition we humans find ourselves in and must learn to accept.

You will find people in every country, culture, religion who do good deeds, share what they have and put others before themselves.

Also some humans in these same situations abuse others, steal and kill---they have not, for whatever reason learned to control their basic rotten nature.

For a peaceful society to exist those unable to control their behavior must be isolated or removed.

My suggestions:

If you do not like the word rotten then substitute "selfish" in its place. ( I just prefer "rotten"---its more descriptive)

Make your own observations of the human condition.

What makes people sad or unhappy?

What makes people happy or content?

On first blush the quote sounds negative, but once you accept it, you can better understand the human condition and the underlying causes of much of human behavior.