You won’t hear this often, which is unfortunate, really. In fact, you’ll be taught by many people, save your mother and I, that people are genuinely, positively flawed and hurtful. This is a bleak outlook on life, and it is absolutely wrong. People are good. Humans have evolved to be strong, capable individuals that with the utmost concern of their well-being, and that of their progeny—you, to be more specific.
Human beings are capable of amazing things. They are also capable of very terrible things. It is an unfortunate inevitability of choice. and furthermore, circumstance. I look at you and I see the same thing every parent does, opportunity to change the world. I know my son is capable of anything and I will see to it that he (you, duh, you dummy) gets every opportunity to succeed. The problem is most humans aren’t given the opportunity to succeed.
There are a few reasons for this, some of which I can regurgitate now:
- Money: We’re a society and a culture that worships money, acquiring more minerals. We cannot have enough because there is never really enough to have. Our needs are typically never fulfilled by possessions or bank account balances. Our needs are met by personal relationships, romantic or otherwise.
- Geography: As you grow older you will learn that the place you are born very likely determines the opportunities and chances for success you can expect. We live in a country that touts freedom and opportunity, but shows little progress in either. Our state, Texas, which you will be forever able to claim “I am a Texas” for what it’s worth—I hear it does wonders in Australia and Japan, but little for anywhere else—has a priority to limit social freedoms, subjugate education, and empower violations of the First Amendment to the constitution. We can discuss this in more depth at a later time.
- Skin Color: Racial issues have long been an issue across the world, but it wasn’t always this way. Human beings are human beings. There is no deviation from this fact.
- Sexual Affiliation: It doesn’t matter what gender, if any you are or choose to be. It doesn’t matter who you love. Human beings are human beings and deserve equal rights and protections from our laws.
- Physical or Mental Impairment: This is a tough one, because our understanding of the brain and body is always growing and changing. But people that may, unfortunately, suffer from any impairment that can impede their ability to seek out any opportunity in their lives are not weak or broken. They are humans beings with the same value as anyone else. This is not a matter of discussion.
- Education: Many human beings living in The United States are under-educated. This is not their fault but a fault of our system, our culture, our society. We will not look down on someone for their lack of availability to be properly educated.
- Ethnicity: If it wasn’t clear enough with the other aspects, it doesn’t matter where you were born, which language you speak, or what color your skin may be. Human beings are human beings. Diversity is celebratory, not the opposite.
- Religious Affiliation: Every person has a different take on their own belief system. No one has the “right” answer because everyone has the right answer. That also means no one has the wrong answer. Let’s take it at face value: do good unto others. I think the majority of religions can agree to that statement. Man, that’s something we don’t see often.
So many people are born in different situations than we are, and it causes problems for them. Not because they are doing anything wrong, but because we are doing things wrong. If an individual lives a life burdened by the belief that they are different, then their lives could lead a very different path. From this differentiation comes misunderstanding, which breeds hatred. Hatred is a very cruel word indeed. Even more so, it is a very cruel action or belief or way-of-life.
As children we are all born innocent. We do not have the capacity to do something wrong. We do not sin. We are incapable of making decisions on our own (we wouldn’t choose to poop in our pants, I mean, your ass gets so rashy) so we are extensions of our parents. We are helpless but to do as we are told, are made to do.
Human beings aren’t born evil; we, as a society or culture, make them that way.
So as you are growing up, which sucks, we know, you’ll hear this on occasion. But remember that all human beings are born completely innocent. You once were, but I have no doubt, after being subjected to the internet, my parenting, or this writing, you will not be much longer.
The world is a pretty remarkable place, and the people living on it have the opportunity to do really amazing things with it, for it, and for each other. We just don’t. Let’s change that shall we? We can start one person at a time, and before long we’ll change the world.