Posted by seldomseen on March 6, 2008, at 10:29:00
In reply to This feeling of a PB Grudge Warn **Suicide Trigger, posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on March 4, 2008, at 20:12:00
>>>> I really feel it on the PB med board, and on Social I find a few people who are just so giving and caring. That is what I have always envisioned the ultimate in being a human is>>>>
I have a slightly different take on this.
To me, humans are studies in contradiction. We create Abu Ghraib AND Handel's Messiah. We engineer the atomic bomb and the sistine chapel. We participate in the holocaust AND the Red Cross.
I think we are good, bad, ugly, beautiful, selfish, selfless, aggressive, peaceful, full of grace, judgemental, arrogant, humble, liars, leaders, benevolent, egregious, charming, evil, ridculous, serious, child-like, grieving - you name it. We encompass it all.
I think that is the ultimate human condition.
In my opinion, it is true for us as a species, and for individuals. We hold many contradictions.One of my favorite poems every is Walt Whitmans' "Song of myself"
It contains a line
"Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"I don't think there is one pure thing. There is no one pure love, there is no one pure joy, no one pure sadness. As much as it pains me to say it, I am now convinced that there is no one truth, but a collage of many.
I think to be truly empathetic you must accept and ultimately embrace it all.Sure we can desire only good and condemn the bad, but in the end, we are only human - warts and all.
Seldom.
poster:seldomseen
thread:816253
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20080303/msgs/816540.html