Human nature is like a bowl of salad. In Thailand, we call it "somtum." In European countries, they call it "salad," while in some other countries, the same menu, containing similar or completely different ingredients, are called by a completely different name. Human nature is similar to a bowl of salad because everyone understand what it is, but there is no exact definition for it. Anyone can argue what the menu is made of, but there's no way that everyone would unanimously agree that it is made of papaya.
It's important for us to determine whether we have human nature because we tend to create meanings and labels with everything in order to have a better understanding of the matter. We want to understand ourselves better-- our identity; that's why we draw a line that say that these behaviors, actions, or thoughts are considered "humane."
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra who was punished for his deceitfulness by being forced to roll an "immerse boulder" (huge sphere-shaped rock) up a hill, only to watch it roll back down and then repeating the whole process again for eternity. Albert Camus, a French philosopher, admires Sisyphus for not giving up as he faces his challenges, and for "giving a meaning to condition that is intrinsically meaningless." "How does this relate to your life?" Perhaps there is a time where we face a certain challenge that felt like eternity and feel like giving up on something. |
I think what's important is that each individual should learn to understand what their limit is and how far they can go above their limit. In addition to that, if you absolutely can not find a meaning in something after spending so much effort looking for it; while others also find that certain thing meaningless, then it probably is better to spend your time on something else.
"Do you choose to be responsible?"
People argue that if there is no God, then there are no grounds for morality. If there can't be objective moral values then there is no reason to be good. For some people, 'God' or whatever beliefs they believe in, holds their spirit together. When you're doing good things, are you doing it for somebody or doing it to please someone? Are you doing it so that people would commend you, or do you do it for your own happiness? What does it mean that "there is no reason to be good if there is no God?" If you need a 'reason' to be good, I can give you a few:
1. Be good for your own good. When you do good things, you feel happy and gain a sense of satisfaction. You're body releases endorphins and other chemicals which are beneficial to your physical body.
2. Being bad is easy but being good is more difficult because it requires integrity, self-discipline, etc. So why don't you try and challenge yourself and see how far you can go? When you know how far you can go and you reach that goal, you'll be proud of yourself.
According to existentialists, being radically free makes it all the more important to live authentically and responsibly. Camus believe that each person must take full responsibility for his or her existence. Atheist or not, I do believe that one should take full responsible of oneself and one's action. Because if not, other people will be affected by our actions. For example, if you're doing a group project and you don't do your part of the work, your teammates' grades and performance will be affected. If everyone is responsible for whatever he or she needs to be responsible for, then things would go smoothly.
"How is your identity shaped by a larger history or cultural system?"
Cultural system and the history of a country or an environment one lives in defines the values or the traits and trends. You would be influence by the society that you live in, their belief. You would think about it, agree/disagree, and if thing things you learn is of good use, you would use it and soon, repeating that over and over again would make it part of your identity. I think it's like a give-and-take kind of thing. Each person contribute to creating impacts on other people; big or small it doesn't really matter because in the end everything is connected. As for me, I am influenced by Thai, Chinese, and Western cultures. Because of Thai culture, I am polite, gentle, and I do not speak the first thing that comes up to my mind. Because of Chinese culture, I truly respect those who are older than me. I also learn to fulfil my 'role' as the eldest child, a student, a friend, and an upperclassman (Confucius-related beliefs). Because of western cultures, I gained confidence and learned to speak up-- learn to be a leader and do what I love to do. Thus, culture is not the only factor that influence one's identity....