The atrocity in Orlando, Florida has brought forth a question that frequently arises each time evil rears its ugly head. I’ve addressed it in some of my fiction and poetry, but I’m writing it straight out in case it may be too esoteric for some to decipher in a time when the need for clarity is urgent.
What’s become of humanity?
This question once made me wonder long and hard, figuring people have somehow devolved over time. Yet, the more I analyzed the landscape of the human condition, I the more I realized that at its basic level, humanity is just as it’s always been. We build. We grow. We collide. We destroy. After all, humanity is a derivative of a universe that in its very nature is violent, mysterious, yet efficient at constantly expanding and creating. From a scientific standpoint we are kin to the blazing celestial bodies that set the velvet sky ablaze at night.
With that in mind, it makes sense that humans share the same characteristics as the stars; we’re born, we shine for a time, we burn out, but some go supernova, leaving a black hole in the hearts of many. Some allow this hole to expand and consume them until all they know is darkness and hatred. Others patch the void with light and hope. It may shrink, but it never fully heals. Collectively, we persevere since that is also in our nature. The universe never ceases and neither does humanity.
While we share many remarkable traits with the stars, there’s some anomaly (or blessing, if you will) that makes humans vastly unique from our celestial cousins. It is the gift of consciousness, the gift of choice to determine whether to build or destroy, to grow mentally and emotionally or remain stunted. It is the gift that endows us with the capacity to love while enduring the unfathomable. It is the same gift that presents us with the opportunity to steer our own destinies, to become more than inert fragments of the universe, hurtling toward destruction. It is a gift that humanity undervalues far too often, yet each day we awaken, it remains there just waiting for us to utilize it. And therein lies hope.
Beautifully written. Thought provoking. Thank you.
Thank you, Lisa. I appreciate you taking time to read this.
Thanks, Shykia, for a thought provoking–and hopeful–post. Often, it’s easier to despair when faced with the many horrors that human beings are capable of inflicting on one another. So, a little bit of light always helps in the darkness.
Christa, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. You’re right. It really is tough to cling to optimism when surrounded by so much heartache, but it’s the only way to get through it.
Shykia, I really loved this post. In researching my current WIP (set in the 16th century), I came to the same realization about the patterns of human behavior. There were “police states,” fear and hatred of “foreigners,” greed and self-interest dressed up as piety–all the usual stuff. But in the end of that century, people began to think about what you mention in your closing paragraph. They began to consider that they were not consigned to a fate by some larger force, but had free will, and that their actions/choices could determine outcomes. May we all act and choose wisely and with compassion. Thanks again for this great post.
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed my post. It really is interesting how people have a tendency to stick to certain patterns of behavior for so many generations. It makes me wonder if on some level there’s a complacency with the status quo and a fear to evolve to something more since to a degree it would mean embracing the unknown. Hopefully we will finally see a trend where we’ll indeed choose wisdom and compassion more often. I wish you all the best with your current WIP!
~Shykia