Is the Human Species Naturally Good or Naturally Evil?

Is the Human Species Naturally Good or Naturally Evil?

By Gary D. Barnett

December 12, 2019

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the
greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to appear worthy of it?”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche – The Joyful Wisdom
Nietzsche declared that God is dead, but he was not joyous about that declaration. Would there ever be enough water to wash the blood off the hands of man? What is left to mankind with no god to worship? Man has killed god, and with this death, man must become his own god. Is this the world we live in today, a land of make believe gods? Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $25.00 (as of 01:35 EST - Details)
A term I hear over and over again, especially from Americans, is that people are basically good, but are they really? The history of the human race is one of lying, cheating, greed, brutality, rape, murder, and war. At times, some have expressed humility, compassion, love, and caring, but the modern age sees less and less of these qualities, and more indifference and aggression. It seems that people have accepted a religion of things, which encompasses only pleasure at the expense of the sanctity of inner peace. It does seem that Nietzsche was very prescient in that the average individual of today considers self-importance as his driving force in life. But man being his own god has apparently been a difficult task to master.
If in the hearts and minds of men lies only self-gratification, what then does the future hold? If man’s belief systems have collapsed, he must seek shelter elsewhere, but at this point, he seems lost. I am not attempting here to explain God, religion, or the deep-seated beliefs of others, as I have little knowledge of these things. I am simply pointing out that the moral basis of our culture and society has disintegrated, and this drive toward ideological answers has led to nothing than more detached agony. This agony is now obvious, and even contagious, and this dangerous disease seems yet to have a cure.
While it seems impossible to discern whether the human animal is moral or immoral by nature, it is staggeringly apparent that he is more often easily swayed toward the dark side. Is this due to simple weakness, or is man just gullible beyond reason? I have long struggled to understand this anomaly, but to no avail. Many strive to be moral and right, but tend to fall into the trap of supporting the other side. This creates a paradox that is difficult to fathom, and one that leads to cynicism by any learned observer.
Man can be a cruel and complicated creature, so to answer the question of motive concerning human aggression would take an eternity. The animals of this planet are much more predictable, and in most cases more forgiving. Hopeful logic would cause one to look toward the animals for clarity.
“Animals don’t behave like men,’ he said. ‘If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don’t sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures’ lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.” 
― Richard Adams, Watership Down
Maybe this boils down to the power of reason, but no reason worth possessing should take the road toward the perpetuation of aggression, instead of the road toward harmony and compassion. Those of us that have no desire to harm, and believe in non-aggression, struggle constantly with what seems to be the real nature of man. The current trend of forever war, of post-modernism, of multiculturalism, division, narcissism, envy, and jealousy is the death knell of any civilized society. It is what should be destroyed, not sought by the hordes of confused people that live on this planet. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $50.00 (as of 06:35 EST - Details)
The idiocy of climate change, unending war, the transgender circus, the false racism scam, the fight toward equal outcomes, and politics at every level will not solve our problems, but will only lead to our demise. At this time in man’s existence, it appears that evil certainly has the upper hand. This dynamic must be corrected if we are to continue living together. The search for truth and peace is the way out, but it is up to each of us as individuals to improve self in order for sanity to take hold collectively.
In order to accomplish this, it is imperative to understand that those who say they want to save us are the same ones who want to rule us. Those who want to rule us are the same ones who want us fighting amongst ourselves. In order to turn this tide, it is time to rid ourselves of all those who claim moral superiority in order to save us. That would eliminate the political class, the leftist liberal do-gooders, the environmental stooges, the neo-con warmongers, the race-baiters, and most of the “healthcare” profiteers. That would be a good start.

The Best of Gary D. Barnett

Gary D. Barnett [send him mail] is a retired investment professional living and writing in Lewistown, Montana. Visit his website.

Previous article by Gary D. Barnett: The Saudi-US Partnership: Evil Begets Evil