Human Nature

Animals are designed with instincts beginning with self-preservation and pro-creation. All animals need to absorb nourishment to stay alive and breed to perpetuate their species.

 

Moving up the food chain we see animals absorbing nourishment by eating other animals. Some animals are territorial and live in groups. Some are warm blooded like mammals and birds and seem to have emotions and share some of our abilities to learn and communicate.

 

At the top of the food chain, humans are the animal that we should be the most familiar with. We have instincts and hormones for survival and procreation. We prefer comfort and security and live in groups. Many of us are curious and also like learning and accomplishment.

 

Most human beings hope that after this short life they will continue in some spiritual form to exist after they die. Most have religious beliefs to support their desire for immortality. We look at our complexity and reason that we have been created to accomplish certain things with our life.

 

I marvel at our existence and the human body’s ability to heal and maintain itself. Our bodies include a complex system of chemicals and processes that keep us alive and functioning and unique. I am amazed at what we have accomplished and disappointed at our failures. I marvel at the earth’s ability to enable us to sustain ourselves and I marvel at the universe in its beauty and power.

 

Human behavior is more complex and includes higher mental abilities than other animals. We are all similar in our aspirations, but are free to choose our behavior and that makes us diverse. We have unique emotional reactions and unique emotional needs. We can choose to change our behavior, but we often don’t. Our aspirations vary and our needs vary and we are prone to conflict. We appreciate kindness and agreement and feel secure in our cocoon. We seek out like-minded people. Our free will allows us to choose our actions and beliefs. We are prone to make mistakes and we are fragile.  We can learn from our mistakes, choose to improve and eliminate self-destructive, self-limiting behaviors, but it takes self-discipline, courage, honesty and effort.

 

We are blessed to be living at a time when we can examine our human history and gather the evidence to show clearly what our errors and our accomplishments have been and use these lessons to chart our path forward.

 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader