So the question for today is why do we humans treat each other so badly. Philosophers and theologians have struggled with this question for as long as we Homo sapiens have been able to ask this question. Psychologists, historians and scientists of all types have weighed in, and if you think about it, just about every human being at one time or another has thought about it since it is part of our human nature to try to figure things out.
However, the answer is not all that hard. We humans are animals and all animals struggle for survival. When we feel threatened, we fight back, just like the lowly fly or annoying bumble bee. Darwin got it right—“survival of the fittest.” Not only are we humans animals, we are herd animals, who instinctively follow our leader, even if that leader happens to be named Adolph, Mao, Atilla or Donald. You are right if you protest, “Not everybody follows a bad leader,” but enough do so that a bad leader can and often does do great harm. Conversely, an enlightened and kind leader can make a huge positive difference. But none of us humans get a free ride. We all have hurt others and have been hurt. And part of what causes us to act the way we do is how we were brought up and the difficulties we faced. In other words it is not necessarily all our fault. That is just the way it is on the planet Earth.
I would also argue that the question of why humans treat one another the way we do is at the heart of all the great religions of the world. It is certainly the heart of the Christian faith, which proclaims that one person was all good. That person, of course, was Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the one and only exception to flawed human nature and for that reason was declared in the creeds to be fully human and fully divine. That message resonated over the centuries and today almost a quarter of the humans living on the planet Earth—some two billion people–answer on Pew surveys that they are Christians. That does not mean that Christianity has got it all right and that the rest of the world has got it all wrong, but it does mean, I think, that Christianity is on to something and that the answer to taming our flawed human instincts is love, not romantic love, but selfless love or agape, as the Greeks called it.
But this still leaves many unanswered questions. I spent three years studying at Union Theological Seminary in New York City in an effort to figure out the mystery behind Christianity, religious faith, and the meaning of life. Like many of my classmates, I graduated with more questions than answers. That was in 1968, a turbulent time when a majority of us seminarians headed for other careers. I headed to Chapel Hill where I got a masters in city planning. Others went to law school, medical school, business school or to get PhDs to pursue academic careers.
Unlike some of my Union classmates, however, I did not throw in the towel on Christianity and have remained a loyal Episcopalian. Embry deserves much of the credit for this (even though she was brought up as a Presbyterian) in part because she loves singing in the choir. But I confess that I continue to have as many questions as answers. Episcopalians tend have more wiggle room than other denominations with regard to what you believe even though we maintain the ancient liturgy and creeds. And for me our involvement in our neighborhood church for decades is also due to the benefits that come from being part of a loving community.
Yes, we humans are part of the animal kingdom, and, yes, like all living creatures, we are programmed to survive, and, yes, this causes us to hurt others knowingly and unknowingly, and, yes, selfless love—treating others the way you want to be treated—is or at least should be—a guiding principle, but what happens beyond life remains a mystery and beyond my pay grade to fully understand. That is where faith comes in and where I confess that I struggle. But that does not keep me from celebrating and giving thanks for all the blessings that I have received—and I have received many, starting with a strong marriage to an extraordinary partner, wonderful children and grandchildren, good friends, and a fulfilling career– and for the gift of my relatively long life on the planet Earth.
You can’t ask for more.