Blog #1: The Study of Humanities
What it means to be human
Humans are intelligent creatures of immense depth. We are creatures of determination, willpower, and ambition. We are also emotional beings capable of great love, and great hate. To be human is to exemplify the qualities of kindness, compassion, and love amidst the suffering of ourselves and others. Though we have the potential to be vessels of kindness and compassion, we also have the potential to become a force of destruction and suffering (pg 6).
“Perhaps all men, by the very act of being born, are destined to suffer violence; yet this is a truth to which circumstance shuts men’s eyes. The strong are, as a matter of fact, never absolutely strong, nor are the weak absolutely weak, but neither is aware of this. They have in common a refusal to believe that they both belong to the same species” ~Simone Weil, The Iliad, or the Poem of Force (pg 13)
Suffering is an inevitable circumstance in human history. However, it is in suffering where we find strength. It is in suffering where we find out if we are capable of truly being human. Do we deny the humanity of others and refuse to believe all men are of the same species? What separates us humans from the animals is our capability to choose love, kindness, and compassion against our intrinsic impulse of self-preservation, selfishness, and the power of force.
Thus, the study of humanities is important because it encompasses the history, cultures, and traditions of our past. The ancient stories preserved in literature allows us to relive the memories of our species as a whole. We have the opportunity to understand olden ideologies and values and compare them to what we value in our culture today. By stepping into the pages of the past, we witness the progression of civilization, culture, and ethics into the modern age and are able to contrast those antiquarian and axiological ideologies in our society.
Unfortunately, suffering, and ultimately war, will continue to perpetuate throughout our history. Though war is inevitable, there is always a lesson to be learned from suffering. Through war, we see what humanity views is worth fighting for, whether it be glory, ruin, equality, or freedom. We learn about the values of war and how values change and transform throughout the course of our history. War is ugly and full of destruction. However, with the knowledge gained from the past, we have the potential to change our future into one that puts an end to violence and injustice. That is why the study of humanities is crucial to our development as knowledgeable human beings. By applying the humanistic wisdom gained from the past and choosing to love rather than hate, we are able to better ourselves, our community, and our world.
