What Is (Hu)man?

A while back, I was picking up a few things at Aldi in Elmira. I had a full cart and I noticed the lady behind me in the check out line only had one thing. Now, I was raised right – I wait my turn, I say “please,” “thank you,” and say “excuse me” when stepping in front of someone and the focus of their attention or person they’re conversing with. I hold the door for others. In other words, I have good manners, at least for the most part. So, as one should in a situation like this, I turned to the lady and told her she could go ahead of me so I didn’t hold her up. 

Stone-faced and without so much as a glance in my direction or a “thank you,” she brushed past me. She paid for her item and left, not once acknowledging that I even existed. 

“People are such assholes,” I grumbled.

Earlier this week I was invited to attend the meeting of a book club who’d chosen my first book for their most recent read, the question arose: In times of trouble ( shameless plug ) are people generally capable of more good or more bad? The responses were interesting and leaned towards the good, acknowledging acts of selfless heroism such as on 9/11.  It was also noted that in times of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, some will see that as an opportunity to engage in criminal activity such as looting. It’s a striking contrast. Then in a more hypothetical sense, when it comes to long term survival, what are we capable of? Do the lines between what’s good and what’s bad shift based on need? Does the rule book go out the window then?

For my part, the answer was and remains, “I don’t really know.” Because, looking around, yeah, acts of kindness towards others happen on a daily basis all around the world. But also acts of great cruelty and indifference. Seemingly more and more, when it comes to the latter. 

Interestingly enough, the next morning while driving to work, I was listening to an interview with actor Sacha Baron Cohen on NPR. During the interview, the famous quote from French philosopher Voltaire was mentioned. It reads, “Certainly, anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.” Cohen mentioned that while he has great faith in humanity, he’d recently listened to an interview with an archaeologist who’d said that they had learned over the years that “…humans are capable of incredible empathy or mass murder. It depends on the belief set they’re given at that time.”

Which got me to thinking more about the question from the night before. Are humans inherently good or bad? Is it somewhere in the middle? Is what defines good vs bad a sliding scale, predicated on whether or not our basic needs are being met? Is it based on social mores of the times? For example, we certainly view slavery as an atrocity now, but four hundred years ago it was a common and widely accepted practice worldwide. Was it because everyone figured, “Well, they’re doing it, they’ve been doing it a long time, so must be it’s okay if we do too”? 

Maybe that’s all it was, it was the belief set they were given at the time. It’s hard to tell when it comes to something like slavery, because the practice goes back for millennia. Since humans first walked upright for all we know. Perhaps it’s easier to apply Voltaire’s quote to something more recent and better studied, like Germany and the rise of Adolf Hitler. I understand the conditions that led to his rise to power, at least in the early stage of it. But I’ve never understood how he remained in power long enough to do what he did. Like, people heard the bat-shit crazy coming out of his mouth and still continued to think, “Yeah, this is our guy.” It’s astonishing that people let that happen.

Although taking the last ten years into consideration… 

Nevermind. 

So what was it? They believed this, but some politician told them the opposite; they went along with it, and it was okay? I don’t think so. I think we have to hold individuals more accountable. They were capable of determining right from wrong. You don’t go from buying baked goods from your neighbors for twenty years to burning their store to the ground the next day because someone or a group of someones tells you they’re evil and it’s okay now. Can we really say that Hitler’s followers, or the people who turned a blind eye towards them, weren’t bad people? Can people so easily be duped into setting aside their sense of right from wrong and be therefore innocent of their actions? 

“Whoops! My bad.”

Not if they’re inherently good. 

I’m sure you’re reading this and thinking, “C’mon Chris, that’s a pretty extreme example.” And you’re right, of course. I can’t help but wonder though, what would have happened if, instead of extreme violence, Hitler advocated for extreme benevolence. Organizing food collection and distribution rallies instead of book burning. Building homes for the poor and upgrading care centers for the mentally and physically disabled. Calling for kindness towards those who looked or worshipped differently. 

I wonder how far he’d have gotten with that message. Call me a cynic if you will, but I don’t think that brand of Nazism would have taken off like what happened did. Maybe I’m wrong. 

“Maybe you’re wrong, Chris. Maybe only some people are assholes.” 

That’s what I was thinking as I left Aldi. I went to return my cart and get my quarter back, but standing in the way was a young lady, no older than thirteeen, who appeared to be struggling with the carts. 

“Here, you can use my cart,” I told her. She took it, I went to my truck and loaded the groceries in.

As I got into my truck, I saw the girl I’d given my cart to again. She got in to a parked vehicle that pulled out and drove away.

The little shit took my quarter. 

**********

You’re probably aware that I don’t write for a living. Good God, I’d barely afford Ramen if we relied on that. My real job entails driving a very large vehicle, about thirty six feet long, approximately 15 tons. It’s not hard, but it took some training to learn how to handle such a large vehicle. 

During training, I was taught that, when turning on to a street, especially the smaller side streets, always look before committing to the turn. 

“Look what you’re turning into,” was the mantra repeated and ingrained into my memory. I repeat it to myself regularly still, eight years and God knows how many miles later. Look down the street you’re turning onto and make sure there aren’t any hazards that could block your progress once you’re committed. Because if you don’t, and there are, then you’re screwed. You either have to wait for help or find a way to get yourself out of the mess when all you had to do was use a little foresight. 

As I’m sure you know, Election Day is right around the corner and early voting has already begun. Once upon a time I would be more willing to touch the proverbial third rail that is politics on a regular basis. Not so much anymore. I’m too disgusted and besides, nobody gives a damn what I think. 

So I’ll simply remind my fellow Americans to vote. 

And look what you’re turning into. 

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