Human Nature

by Nicholas

Although Futurism at JHU primarily focuses on science + tech, we also talk about the future of humanity in general. And at the center of humanity (and science + tech) is human nature. 

In 7th grade, I wrote an essay on human nature based on the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding. The story revolves around a group of boys whose plane crashes onto an island, where they must work together to survive. The true character of the boys is exposed as they fight over what they should do and who should lead them. The three protagonists of the story each represent different manifestations of human nature through their bad-natured and good-natured actions: Jack represents the aggressive, sadistic and evil side of human nature by bullying and beating up the other boys. Simon represents the good, kind and selfless side of human nature by helping the bullied boys throughout their time on the island, even at the risk of having Jack retaliate. Ralph represents the ability for a previously good-natured person to become evil as he starts off with good intentions but then gets peer pressured into situations such as chanting while brutally killing a pig with the rest of the boys. 

In the end, I concluded that people are not inherently good or bad, but rather choose to be good or bad. Such choice depends on people’s experiences, how they are influenced by others, and what circumstances they face. Years later as a rising junior in college, I still agree with my 7th grade self. I believe that we come into this world predisposed to be good. I mean, could you ever see a baby doing something truly evil? We are cute and innocent when we are born. However, external circumstances can either solidify this positive disposition or overturn it and make us “worse” humans. This is why good parenting is key and why giving babies positive, enriching environments to grow up in is so important. Making good choices as parents such as treating our children with love, kindness and compassion, and giving them an enriching environment full of exploration, will create better humans – and a better society. 

But perhaps saying that we are either good or bad is a false dichotomy, and instead, they are two sides of the same coin. Maybe there is a good and bad side in every human, and the side that we “feed” the most is the one that guides our behavior. But regardless of what our true human nature is, making good decisions as parents and in our daily lives will make us better humans. Although it sounds cliché, as only light can drive out darkness and only water can extinguish fire, only love and kindness can overcome evil and hate. The more positivity we put into this world, the better off it will be. As parents, we can focus on helping our children become the best people they can be, and as humans, we can choose to spread not hate and violence, but kindness and love with each decision we make. Maybe, just maybe, we can slowly but surely change human nature itself through the choices we make.