Tag Archives: Human nature

The Bitter Truths About Human Nature We Must Know

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Photo by Nina Uhlikova

We humans like to think of ourselves as noble creatures striving toward progress and enlightenment.

We build cities that scrape the clouds, invent machines that mimic our minds, and paint portraits of a future bathed in romantic light. Yet, beneath the gleaming surface of civilization lurks a darker truth, a set of realities about human nature that sting like salt rubbed into a wound. 

In Chet Shupe’s book on uncovering human nature, insights, and literature, Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature, he delves into the intricacies of human behavior caused by civilization’s destruction of happiness. The book offers profound insights that resonate with the bitter truths we will explore. 

Moving on, let’s peel back the layers of our existence and confront the bitter truths that make us who we are.

Self-Interest Wins, Often

Despite appearances of kindness and teamwork, a basic instinct for self-survival quietly influences us. The idea of the “tragedy of the commons” isn’t just a theory; we see it in action every day, like using up Earth’s resources or focusing on personal gain rather than the common good.

While some people do selfless things, they’re often rare, like flickering candles in a big cave of self-interest.

We are Biased Beasts

Our brains have built-in shortcuts, called heuristics, to help us make quick decisions. However, these shortcuts can often lead us in the wrong direction. Confirmation bias is one such tendency, subtly favoring information that aligns with our beliefs while ignoring conflicting evidence.

We often get trapped by the sunk cost fallacy, holding onto failing pursuits simply because we’ve invested time or resources in them. Tribalism simplifies the world into clear-cut divisions, casting “us” as the virtuous heroes and “them” as the villainous outsiders.

While these biases may be hard to accept, they are deeply embedded in how our minds naturally operate.

Envy’s Green Glare

We may preach about contentment, but beneath the surface, a venomous serpent coils – envy. We often feel unhappy when others have something we don’t—a neighbor’s new car, a colleague’s promotion, a friend’s happy relationship.

Constantly comparing ourselves steals our joy and replaces it with bitterness and resentment. This envy might be a leftover instinct from our past, where competition for resources and mates was crucial for survival.

Power’s Corrosive Touch

Give someone a bit of control, and you’ll see them change. They might become arrogant instead of humble, indifferent instead of caring. Power is like a strong potion – it can make people lose touch with reality and feel they deserve special treatment.

Throughout history, there are many examples of good leaders becoming cruel tyrants, showing how power can really mess with people’s behavior.

The Paradox of Mortality

In our journey, we strive and dream amidst the shadow of our impermanence. The awareness of our mortality can be a bitter brew, causing existential dread and a search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless universe.

However, this awareness can also be the spark that ignites our passion, urging us to make the most of our fleeting existence. 

Mortality may also destroy human happiness, just like civilization does, as explained in Chet Shupe’s book on uncovering human nature, insights, and literature, Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature. 

But Wait, There’s Hope! 

These bitter truths, while uncomfortable, are not pronouncements of doom. Recognizing our darker tendencies is the first step towards transcending them. Embrace the reality of the human journey—it’s not a fairy tale but a trek through challenges. By acknowledging these bitter truths, we discover our resilience and the potential for greatness.

If you’re intrigued by this exploration, Chet Shupe’s book on 0uncovering human nature, insights, and literature, Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature, is a must-read. Also, check out our blog about humanity’s desire for growth to delve more into human nature. 

Tips To Be Aware Of Following Social Conformity

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Photo by Carlie Wright

How everyone behaves might be a product of society. Every individual is given the right to decide, be sure that you practice and exercise it so as not to fall on the cons of social conventionality.

Conformity is a social influence that changes a person’s behavior or beliefs to fit in with a distinct group. This change happens as a counter to either imagined or real pressure and expectations from the group. It may involve the force of societal norms, the physical presence of other people, or a general aspiration to gain a specific level of success.

Social norms are the behaviors that are expected from people as a community. They play a prominent role in everyday life that people do not realize. Social norms give people an expected behavior of how to act in a specific situation and what is appropriate and inappropriate in different settings.

Moreover, people’s behavior changes as the individual become more attracted to a group they need to belong to; this is known as conformity. Consequently, this can make an individual feel pressured to change their beliefs to the groups, even if they do not believe in them themselves. However, not everyone is attracted to the same group or is as easily persuaded. Fulfilling the needs of someone in authority can portray an individual as submissive and obedient. This power can influence specific behavior as those in charge are seen as more intelligent and therefore are listened to. In more particular behaviors like drug use or alcohol consumption, group peer pressures can be responsible for this behavior. Family and friends are essential when considering the social norms one would follow and the decisions one makes. Conformity is a change in a person’s beliefs and behavior which can affect human behavior.

 

These are the cons of social conformity that are essential to review.

1. It hampers personal progress. The company, a person, chooses to keep becomes a direct reflection of the success they’re able to achieve. If you surround yourself with positive influences, your desire for conformity will create favorable outcomes for you. The opposite occurs if you allow yourself to be covered with negative people. Dire consequences can ruin your chances at success in a variety of ways. 

2. Increases the chances of depression. The fear of being rejected is something that most individuals face at least once in their lives. It builds a feeling that compels you to follow the people you want to have, like you blindly. If you succumb to this pressure, the emotional response in either direction increases the chances of depression forming later in life.

3. Causes one to lose their identity. The actions that groups play some people to make them conform creates a problematic issue because it forces a loss of their identity. Each individual is distinctly different from every other. 

4. It often leads to apathy. The desire for conformity on a personal level often builds a group apathy that becomes prevalent in society. The individuals who try to conform often feel like they can do the same things the groups they observe do now. When they can gain that success, they look to a higher power to handle whatever concerns they feel are impacting their efforts. Blind trust always creates problems in society. It also generates feelings where people decide that issues are not their problems. They agreed that everyone else should handle the situation and pressure others just as their preferred groups placed it on them.

Chet Shupe, an author of the book, “Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature—How Civilization Destroys Happiness,” hopes it will inspire a reawakening to one’s inborn wisdom; this is Nature’s map of life, which civilized life ignores, to one’s grave detriment. Regaining humanity’s natural sense of order, purpose, and belonging cannot be forced. It will result from one’s recognition that the only access to the wisdom of one’s soul is the feelings everyone experiences in light of one’s present circumstances. Feelings inspired by one’s concerns about the imagined future, on the other hand, dissociate everyone from the wisdom of one’s soul, the souls of those around us, and, most ominously, from the experience of being alive to the moment. When forced by externally imposed laws that repress our feelings of the moment out of concern for our future well-being, we are not living. We are marking time.

  • As you live, you must remember that there are other people, organisms, and Nature. Humanity should consider that everyone is affecting every individual and everything. So when you interact, think of how you affect everyone and everything that surrounds you.