As sentient beings, we have been steered to — almost innately — create a structure for the way we live, often subconsciously. It was about order. It was about having a consensus. It was about survival. To break the ice, you have to admit that we humans love patterns. Patterns allow us to fall deep into our comfort zone because we know what comes next.
For demonstration purposes, let’s look at Gina’s mornings on weekdays: Try waking up at 8:00 AM. Mission failed, but that’s okay. Second alarm, here it comes! Try waking up at 8:17 AM. We already know that didn’t work. Third alarm, your turn. Wake up at 8:35 AM. Shoot. I have class.
Though it is literally the WORST feeling in the world to feel convinced that you only slept for literally two and a half seconds and to now know you are going to be late to class, your days seem to follow a consistent pattern, doesn’t it? More so with the virus around, students feel more exhausted and stressed, pushing them to adapt to this new pattern of life.
“It is human nature to want patterns, standards, and a structure of behavior. A pattern to conform to is a kind of shelter.”
We are constantly seeking normality in our lives through patterns, standards, and a structure of behavior. This assertion holds a great deal of truth, suggesting that what humans consider normality acts as a reassurance and a safe place: a kind of shelter.
While we let that quote sink into our head, let’s take a giant step back to look at the political history of our world. The early distribution of political power was determined by the number of resources you had in your possession.
We can see this pattern of abundance really reflecting upon how powerful and stable an empire was — some examples include the first empires that were built in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The availability of water sources, fertile soil, and temperate climates led to the development of highly organized societies within these regions.
Though the origins of governing and ruling are just a small piece of the pie, the point I am trying to get at here is that our history says it all in how things came to be as they are now; how humans have built upon this idea of creating a government and sustaining means of governing to control its residents. However, it is not just about the government or even education that has shaped the way we live.
Care to take a guess? Gina whispers, “Has the statement sunk into your head?”
If you said human nature, I am glad I haven’t lost you!
It is indeed human nature that makes us humans goal-oriented. We sometimes unnoticeably put ourselves into routines — even the simplest ones like waking up at a certain time, going to school, eating at a certain time, etc. These are patterns that exist in everyone's life that just seem to make sense.
When we refer to standards, it may be low or high expectations of yours/others, or it may refer to general standards of success that most of the population looks up to. Note that past precedent widely presents that standards were written down in historical works that discussed norms and were even guilty of welcoming stereotypes. In the modern world we live in, new standards are introduced, universal or domain-specific, and eventually, unknowns become a part of familiar grounds.
When we address a structure of behavior, we have developed and learned to have manners and etiquette, act, and most importantly, interact and communicate with each other — actions and behavior may be influenced by our genetic make-up, culture, and individual values and attitudes.
These factors are all integrated into our lives — we hold human nature accountable for the creation of patterns, standards, and structure of behavior. Without human nature, chaos will fill the air because there would be no such thing as order. There would be no consensus or a social contract that allows us to think and live the way we do as sentient beings.
Humans are attracted to idealism and have the natural tendency to search and go beyond their thoughts, longing for something more. Our ever-changing world that is sculpted through technology and social networks opens new possibilities, and also expands our desires.
Yet the world itself is way beyond our scope of understanding. We feel that we want everything, even if we don’t really possess the capacity to imagine what everything would feel like.
Out of our human population, a small percentage of people may be more curious than the average human, pushing the limit and looking for unconventional paths to take. These people introduce unorthodox thoughts and ideas to the table that melt and essentially remold — or at least have the power to reshape — each and every one of our lives in some particular way.
They are courageous enough to walk on the edges of the unknown. With their revolutionary ideas, they pull or push others along with them into structures and patterns of life that were before wholly alien.
These are our great thinkers, revolutionists, and leaders; the people who constantly drive others forward and set high standards, making the present into history and the future as something to look forward to.
However, the other percentage of the human population may feel solace in the traditional way of living and find comfort in constants; they fear change.
These are the people that hold back and let the world pass them by.
They firmly believe that the best way to solve a problem is just by capitalizing on conventional sagacity and preconceived notions. They cling to safe patterns that they feel accustomed to and they repeat these patterns perpetually without the willingness to test something more innovative.
As the minority of our population move towards change while the rest run back home to the comfort of their routines, we naturally categorize ourselves beyond just perspective, politics, and philosophy. Though we find ourselves home to settle in with patterns, standards, and behavior, these three concepts are constantly changing before our eyes. Regardless of this line drawn between people who want to move forward and those who strongly stand by the other side of the line, innovators and activators are creating movements that create followers, and followers of those followers. It only takes one person to put a movement into motion. This is our human nature.
So, where would you like to stand?
