I was thinking about us this morning. “Us”, in the human race kind of way, a general overview of humanity you might say and I am truly amazed. I say that because I find it really amazing that human beings can get along with each other at all and accomplish anything without everything breaking down into greedy self-serving desire.
It kind of struck me this morning as I was lost trying to get to work. Yes, I got lost in my own neighborhood trying to navigate my way around a blockage at my normal expressway entrance ramp. I got to thinking about human achievement as I weaved my way through one way and dead end streets all throughout my neighborhood, cursing the street planners for making it so gosh darn impossible to get from one side of a neighborhood to the other. (That and I couldn’t remember the name of the street I wanted to go down for my alternate route. It was Keeler damn it.)
But as I relaxed and figured it out, still not sure how I screwed it up so badly, it occurred to me the amount of planning and design and thought that so many individuals had to agree on before any steps were taken to actually pave or build those streets. I then thought of it on a larger scale, from neighborhoods to cities, to states, to countries to the whole world. All of it, so planned out by groups of human beings finding the ability to put aside their own personal interests and make something for the greater good. Even if it is a tad confusing at times.
I worry, however, when human beings get too caught up in anything, be it religion, politics, fundamentalist frog gigging, or jazz, that they might lose touch with what it means to be a successful species on this plant. And that is cooperation of course. When humans disagree on a grand scale we usually end up in a military conflict that might span decades. But when we put aside out differences we can accomplish incredible things, even miraculous I would say.
So as I’ve said, I am amazed that we’ve survived as a species and the only reason we have is thanks to the human ability to compromise. Without that ability we never would have left the deserts of Africa or the caves of Europe. We would have likely killed each other off in meaningless contests over women, land or game. But human beings, in their very nature are not selfish. We’ve only become selfish as we’ve become further removed from other human beings and more reliant on technology. It’s interesting to see our greater, more decent characteristics come out after a natural disaster. Then we can really see the human being as a compassionate puzzle piece; a piece that completes the puzzle of humanity.
Now if only I had thought about it before driving up and down Elston four times. I’m amazed I’ve managed to survive.
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