Man and his humanity: a discourse into the disintegration of the altruistic society
When man stands on the pedestal of superiority, he is unmindful of the developments of other inhabitants of the planet and is engrossed in the acquisition of wealth and hungry for success, he wages wars for power and influence, he deceives for profit and he kills for prominence (Alighieri, Dante. Dante Alighieri (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
Man by definition is the creator’s most valued creation, he in philosophy and pragmatism has amassed all the wealth that nature and knowledge have to offer, but in turn, has fundamentally failed to value what he has and is forever in the quest for more. He soars for all the highs but in reality, is entrapped in the vicious circle of his interminable wishes (Smith, Adam. Adam Smith: The Theory of Moral Sentiments), and these unfulfilled desires orchestrate dissent in his values of virtue and philanthropy and result in societal discord and death of altruism in the modern society.
Man entangles himself into patterns of extremism and begins inflicting agony and travail in the lives of his brethren and nature’s children only to uplift his individual status. While my point here suffices due to quantitative elements, it is also led by global example. Generations of totalitarians and dictators have enmeshed their leadership into exploitative means of extracting wealth through bloodshed and suffering of their people, both the World Wars are a testament to how collectivist identity disappears in the pursuit of power and wealth; notwithstanding the humanity that despite the circumstances endures even in the darkest of days. If we make a study in contrast, the parallels drawn between men such as Muammar Al Qaddafi who dictated their power on the people, a seamless pattern appears. It was through his Arab nationalist rhetoric and socialist-style policies that he gained support in the early days of his rule. But in the years that followed his regime, Qaddafi indulged in widespread corruption, led military intrusions in Africa, and was involved in horrific human rights abuses and violations that turned much of the Libyan population against him. And the irony of these instances is that history seems to repeat itself, leaders like Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Benito Mussolini have come to power in the guise of societal servitude but killed people for their own glorification and stature.
But this inadvertently does not imply that man in his pursuit of supremacy is all the more emotionless, he still has humanity left in him but chooses not to enforce it; during the years of the Holocaust in Germany great acts of humanity were shown, a notable instance is that of Oskar Schindler who as a Nazi Party member and war profiteer worked tirelessly to help the Jews. While the army was ordered to kill Schindler’s Jewish workforce, Schindler persuaded them not to, so that they “return to [their] families as men, instead of murderers.” In return, the workers as a token of respect and gratitude signed a statement attesting to his (Schindler’s) role in saving Jewish lives and presented him with a ring engraved with a Talmudic quotation: “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” (Keneally, Thomas. Schindlers List — The Holocaust.)
Therefore humanity is man’s inherent culture and to his consternation largely a part of his religion, he has not forgotten his culture in its entirety but comes to lament his ignorance only at a relatively later stage of his life (“Philosophy of Humanity and Culture.” Tilburg University.) How Sitakanta Mahapatra puts it across is that, it is Man’s ego centred narcissistic personality that impels him to have such selfish priorities in life, (Mahapatra, Sitakanta. Beyond the Ego: New Values for a Global Neighbourhood). However, in retrospect when man lived in the most primitive of forms, he lived a life of honesty and selflessness, for him the society wasn’t limited to his brethren but also to the children of nature that extended to plants animals and the earth.
Humanity is prevalent even today, but its sources are not as diverse as they used to be, the very philosophy of human life starts with the mission to find oneself, to make purpose out of existence and a purposeful existence is one with servitude, compassion and value (Frankl, Victor. “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 June 2019. Web. 09 July 2019). It is only by service, humility and benevolence can we end wars, genocide, and pitiless killing of animals’ nature and our own culture, It is the moral obligation of man to do good to the people and nature and the society around him, It is by means of collective good that man can outlive his mortality and identity. Humanity is the core of human existence and therefore, without its presence, human civilization is just a mere allegory.
Abandon all hope — Ye Who Enter Here, Alighieri, Dante. Dante Alighieri (The Divine Comedy)
