DAILY SLICES OF LIFE - The Human Spirit

 

“The greatest achievement of the human spirit

 is to live up to the opportunities, and make

 full use of one’s resources.”

 

         This clear and very precise observation was made by the 18^th century French nobleman, author and moralist, Luc de Clapiers, in his masterpiece publication entitled, “Introduction to understanding the Human Spirit.” More than most people, he was a wonderful testament to the power of the human spirit, especially in the way he was able to achieve his success despite being seriously disfigured by a bout of smallpox, and being almost blind from an early age. In his brief and tumultuous life of only 31 years, he fulfilled perfectly, that successful image later described by Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian author and Nobel Laureate when he noted:

“There is something in the human spirit that always survives and prevails. There is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out, no matter how dark the world becomes.”

          The human spirit is that powerful force that provides a person with the confidence to face the uncertainties ahead with strength and optimism, and without any fear or apprehension. It is the indescribable feeling inside the person that assures him that any obstacles ahead can be overcome, that the differences with others can be overlooked, and that any of the problems in life that occur, can be resolved. It is that intangible sense of security that incorporates the whole being, and includes the individual’s psychological and emotional makeup, his personality, his perceptions and his thinking. It is, if you will, the pure and unadulterated soul of the individual that transcends human frailties and weaknesses, and provides purpose and meaning to his life.

          Over the centuries, the human spirit has been variously described by others as the ‘real person’, ‘the core of one’s being’, ‘the essential strength of one’s existence’ or ‘the true basis of the human being.’ Yet because of the impossibility to accurately describe or even characterize the features in any formal way, it can in fact be consistent with all of these descriptions, and many more. Perhaps it could best be viewed as an essential component of human behavior that includes both the expressive aspects: intellect, emotion, passion, insight, awareness, and the psychical aspects: personality, memory and reasoning. Together these provide a platform that represents the fabric and the meaning that make up the human spirit, and the reasons why it transcends the basic animal instincts of just the survival of the species.

         From the Christian aspect, this ‘gift’ by Almighty God the creator, of the breath of life is the unique human spirit was given to man, in order to differentiate mankind from all other living beings. The direct reference to this action is contained in The Book of Genesis, chapter 2, verse 7. It unequivocally points to the stated intention of Almighty God to create man alone ‘in his own image’, while granting ‘life’ to all other living beings:

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath if life, and the man became a living being.”        

Because of this very special privilege, man alone has acquired this special ability to use as he chooses. He now possesses a free and uninhibited will to think, communicate, feel, express love, or hate, plan, create and construct, and all the other characteristics that none of the other living creatures on earth are capable of doing. This indeed was the promise to mankind by God, contained in St. Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 17:

“Where the spirit of the Lord is,

there you will find freedom.”

         In a practical sense, the human spirit can be seen as the nucleus, the very core of every human being. In those situations when it is fully understood and used correctly, it becomes the most powerful ally available to mankind. Without question, no activity of consequence can in fact ever be achieved without the influence and participation of the human spirit. It is the fundamental source of the feeling of calm confidence that propels a person forward even when everything points to failure, and the courage to persevere even when hope is lost. It is the engine that insists on moving forward, even when the rest of the body cries out to stop, and also, the fountain of energy that keeps the emotions balanced and positive, rejecting all the negative influences to resist or desist. It is the friend that always secures good relationships, and helps to expose the bad ones, and the power that kicks in to provide the urge to try again.

         The uninhibited human spirit does not accept defeat, and if allowed to do so, will continue to try over and over again, for as many times we fall, or succumb to failure, or give up in anger. But like so many of man’s other responses, it can be rendered fragile, vulnerable, and easily broken by wrong influences and by personal weaknesses. It can be seriously destabilized by fear and by feelings of inadequacy or insecurity, and made impotent by feelings of doubt, fear and uncertainty. Beyond question, the single, most significant flaw in the human spirit is the presence of doubt in one’s ability to complete a task. If instead of being guided by good sense and a desire to achieve fulfillment, we choose the limitation of doubt and settle instead for an easier alternative, we end up, as we so often do, burying our spirit deeper into the sands of conformity. Whenever we reject the demands of our human spirit, we always risk diminishing our full experience, losing all the benefits available to us, and accepting instead the easier, less challenging options offered by complacency. President Ronald Reagan, the 40^th US President, and an accomplished screen actor, fully recognized this weakness in mankind when he observed:

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress, except those we ourselves erect.”

         The strength of the human spirit can only be diminished by the spirit of failure. The damaging stress that flows from the resulting attitudes of negativity will inevitably sap all the focus, motivation and energy needed to succeed and induce feelings of inertia and complacency. When we allow ourselves to become trapped in this identity, our self-image undergoes changes, we lose the urge to complete the task, content with mediocrity and eventually lulled into complacency. Before long, we become convinced of our inability to achieve anything and we give up, accepting the new identity of failure and dependency. And when this happens, instead of trying to search within ourselves and trying to correct our failures, we prefer to turn to other people and to other measures, to find help. This is precisely what Robin Williams, the great American comedian and accomplished screen actor was warning us to avoid when he reminded us that:

“The human spirit is more powerful than any drug.

 It needs to be nourished with work, play, friendship and family. These are the things that matter.”   

 

-This indeed, is the true measure of the human spirit. It is a gift available freely to every human being which, if used correctly, will provide great joy and satisfaction, but if it is ignored, will lead to unending pain, regret and disappointment.

 

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DAILY SLICES OF LIFE - In Search of Perfection

“I am obsessed with beauty. I want everything to be perfect; and of course it never is. And that’s a tough place to be, because you are never satisfied.”

         This interesting and provocative statement was made by Robert Mapplethorpe, a very successful and talented American photographer whose photographs are held in high regard as works of art. He was actually confessing in his quotation that although he spent all of his relatively short working life in pursuit of the perfect picture, he never ever achieved perfection. He recognized quite early in his life that, contrary to all his deepest hopes and intentions, achieving true perfection was not humanly possible, and that the best he could ever hope to achieve, is personal satisfaction.

         Confucius, one of the greatest and most respected of the ancient Chinese philosophers whose legendary works have been held in high regard throughout the ages, and have been acknowledged to be the foundation of Buddhism and Taoism, recognized at a very early stage, that while nothing humanly possible can ever be perfect, we can, and should, however, continue to aspire for perfection.  He stated further that while it was possible to achieve perfection in machines, human beings were never intended to be perfect, but rather to spend their lives in search of it. He insisted that striving for perfection was the most effective way to achieve individual progress and personal growth, and stated this unequivocally:

“The perfecting of one’s self is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development

         The concept of the attainability of perfection, originally described by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle in the 4^th century BCE, remains unchanged to this day. True perfection exists only as an abstraction of our minds, and is never attainable by any human being in the physical world. He insisted that the attainment of perfection can only achieved when certain specific, definitive criteria are satisfied: that the action is complete, without need for any addition, that it is so good, that it cannot be better, and that it is so correct, that it cannot be improved. This description still stands as complete and absolute, as is the belief that absolute perfection can only be achieved by God Almighty, who by his very nature, must himself be perfect. Arthur W. Pink, an English evangelical minister considered to be one of the most influential evangelical authors of the 20^th century, expressed this belief in the following terms:

“God cannot change for the better, for he is already perfect;

And being perfect, he cannot change for the worse.”

         Despite this however, for as long as he has inhabited this earth, man has sought to find perfection in every aspect of his living, and in everything he does. He continues to insist on gauging his happiness, not so much on the attempts he makes, but only on the result he hopes to achieved. In his misguided desire to achieve perfection, he chooses to ignore the fact that, since nothing in life can ever be perfect, then he would be better served to aspire for the best he can possibly achieve. He needs to begin by first accepting the truth that irrespective of our desire to the contrary, nothing we do or think about doing can ever be absolutely perfect. And even further, since our interpretation of perfection is itself imperfect, we can only hope that by diligently searching for perfection in everything we do, we aspire to find satisfaction in some of them. Vince Lombardi, the legendary NFL coach who led the Green Bay Packers to 5 championship finals, and 2 Superbowl victories in 7 years, and was considered to be among the finest leaders in history, clearly understood this when he observed:

“There is no such thing as Perfection.

                  But in striving for perfection, we can achieve excellence.”        

         Without question, the greatest failing of our current culture, and society in general, is the relentless emphasis on achievement and on competing to be the best. We continue to demand effort to achieve perfection in everything and everyone, even as nature itself rejects it in favor of accepting the differences of chance. Deep inside, we are driven to strive toward perfection, not so much because we deserve it, but because doing so compensates us for our sense of inadequacy and inferiority. People who are most driven to find perfection are the ones who tend to harbor the greatest degree of resentment, or an abnormal and exaggerated sense of their own shortcomings, and an unshakable desire to prove they are better than others. They are the ones who are so consumed with having to be better and more superior than anyone else, that are never satisfied with being just ‘good’ but ‘have to be perfect.’ They are destined to spend their lives unfulfilled and unhappy, even in spite of the fact that everyone around them readily acknowledge all the good they have accomplished.

         The search for perfection in anything is therefore unproductive and misleading, and serves only to increase the person’s frustration and disappointment. It has the net result of limiting ability, and robbing the person of the sense of vitality that comes from being satisfied. Uncontrolled striving for perfection therefore is more likely to lead to a dissatisfaction of oneself and a rejection of humanity. Humans were never meant to emulate the perfect repetitions of the machine, but rather to embrace and to accept the inherent imperfections of humanity. This I believe was the message that an Unknown Author meant to convey in the following quotation that has received wide circulation:

“Perfection is an illusion, and those who seek it will find themselves unfulfilled for their whole lives.”

         True perfection exists only in the moment, and only in the mind of the individual who executes the action. In that brief moment of time when intention and fact connect to fulfill the hope, perfection appears. For this fleeting instant in time, when everything is as perfect as it was expected to be, perfection existed. But the perfectionist often misses these moments. In his obsessive urge to find perfection in everything, he remains so consumed with analyzing the past failures, and worried about the future mistakes, that he cannot see the success of this moment. Chuck Palahniuk, the very successful American novelist of Armenian descent, recognized this very early in his career when he noted:

“A moment of perfection was worth the effort.

A moment is the most you could ever expect from perfection.”

         The single most destructive curse in searching for perfection is the overriding fear of making a mistake and not succeeding. When one is afraid of this consequence, one always ends up compromising the choices available, and arriving at an unacceptable position. The answer clearly dwells, not on trying to chase the elusive goal of perfection, but rather in finding the feeling of satisfaction and the reality of excellence that comes from giving your best. Only then can there be satisfaction in the effort, and fulfillment in oneself. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a world-renowned French aristocrat, author and humanitarian, observed the truth of this finding from his own personal experience when he stated:

“Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.

This therefore is the true message in the search for perfection:

- True perfection is found not necessarily in trying to climb the highest mountain possible, but rather in the climbing of your own mountain, in the very best way you can!

 

 

 

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DAILY SLICES OF LIFE - A View of Hate

 

“There is no fire like passion.

There is no evil like hatred.”

         This profound observation was made by Gautama Buddha (The Buddha), the founder of one of the major Eastern religions, Buddhism, in the 4^th century BCE. It continues to be as potent today as it has been since that time, several thousands of years ago. In saying this, he was confirming the close affinity of the two key human emotional characteristics, love and passion. To the Buddhists, all life is dictated by these two fundamental emotions; love which is needed to ensure good relationship, and passion which is essential for our continued survival. When these two emotional components are working together there is fulfillment, happiness and contentment. But when however, for whatever reason, love becomes compromised or is nonexistent, compassion will be lost, and hate, like the poison that it is, will step in, eating away at our hearts and minds as it destroys us from within, producing bitterness and suspicion

         Hate is an emotion that does not exist anywhere else in the animal kingdom other than in human beings. While all the other animals spend their lives concerned strictly with survival and self-protection, the human psyche is far more concerned with competing and dominating, and with gaining and keeping power. In this setting, hate is an ally, for by inducing anger, resentment and mistrust, it becomes a powerful force which can then be used against other people and ideas. Our cultural and psychological make-up is designed in such a way as to encourage a defensive/aggressive attitude, reward caution and suspicion, and discourage love and com-passion. As a result, we live in a society in which competing for everything is the dominant way of life, and where making any effort toward trying to understand or to compromise, is seen as admission of vulnerability or of guilt.

         Because of this, and also, because of our misguided fear that to do so requires us to risk revealing something about ourselves, most of us are far more cautious to connect with others than we ought to be. Instead of relating from a position of compassion and trust, we are encouraged to stay within our shells, be constantly aware of the dangers, and be suspicious of strangers. We end up for the most part, being afraid of being ourselves and as a result, inevitably fall victim to the ravages of hate; even when we are fully aware of the fact that true connections can only take place in a setting of love and compassion. This has led the Dalai Lama to offer this meaningful advice to all who will listen:

“You must not hate those who do wrong or harmful things. But with compassion you must do what you can to stop them; for they will harm themselves, and those who suffer from their actions.”

         Because of its substantial impact on human behavior, hate has been the subject of extensive study and research by psychologists and behaviorists for centuries. Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung wrote extensively on, and offered etiological explanations on the topic. They both firmly agreed that any expression of hate to another always begins as an innate fear of failure or inability to cope, and by the attempt to deny this by projecting the guilt outwardly. Jung adamantly insisted that the need for the projection of hate to others always begins as a rejection of something within us that we find unacceptable. He argued that if those feelings of rejection had not been internalized, they will never have disturbed or affected us in any way. He stated this clearly and unequivocally in the following observation:

 “If you hate something in someone else, then you can be sure that you have the same thing in yourself.”

          The fundamental reasons for hating are quite complex, and incorporate multiple inherited, evolutionary, environmental and learning factors. Quite unlike the strongly innate instincts for fear, hunger and thirst, no one is ever born with the urge to hate. This develops, like so many of our vital behavioral characteristics, as a direct result of learning, experience and exposure. Some of the more prominent among the reasons are:

-A Sense of Fear; causing us to reject what we don’t like in ourselves, and equally, in others, especially if they are different from us, or we do not understand them.

-Lack of Compassion; seen especially in people with rigid, fixed personalities that prevent them from feeling compassion for themselves or for others. Unless one is willing and able to accept and forgive the differences that exist, hate can be a useful defense mechanism to justify any action.

-Group Support; especially in people with insecure or inadequate personalities who look for the support of a group to reinforce their poor self-identity. Hating is the price they are willing to pay to belong and feel protected.

-Identity Protection; seen in vulnerable, narcissistic people with poor self-images. For them, projecting is an attempt to shield against their inner feeling of shame or inadequacy, by adopting an attitude of hate and anger. This provides a good reason or excuse, and serves as a distraction from having to feel weak, powerless and ashamed of oneself.

 

         Hate however, despite all the admonitions from science and all the major religions who have steadfastly warned of the dangers of uncontrolled hatred in causing severe, irreversible harm, dislocation and destruction to people and to the world itself, continues to grow out of control. This should not come as a surprise, since hate has proved itself to be, beyond question, the most effective, most powerful and most convenient weapon against love and understanding. It has now become the most effective and most popular choice in politics, both locally and internationally, and continues to be the single most destructive weapon in the hands of unscrupulous leaders.

         The situation is even worse among the world’s religions where more death and destruction has taken place and continue to take place in the name of Almighty God. And this continues to happen even as the major religions have expressed clear beliefs to the contrary:

-Christianity: In the Holy Bible: (1 John 2:9), places hate in the hopeless place of darkness and truth and love in the light:

“Whoever says he is the light, and hates his brother, is still in the darkness.”

 

-Islam: In the Holy Quran, believers are warned of the of hate that prevents them from being true:

“Do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just.”

 

-Hinduism: discourages any form of hate as acting against good karma.

 

-Buddhism: as noted previously, Buddhism is founded on the principle of love and not hate.

               Hate in any of its many forms or manifestations, has always been viewed as contrary and unacceptable human behavior. For once allowed to take hold, like the insidious poison that it is, it destroys love, respect and trust, and slowly replaces them with bitterness and suspicion. Instead of the richness and blessings of diversity and of differences that are so important in the human race, they appear as voracious sins intent on destruction. It is currently the greatest curse of modern civilization, and in spite of all the great advances achieved, the world remains under siege, not only from serious climatic changes, but even more, by the unrelenting weight of diverse hates against every aspect humanity including, race, language, color of skin, appearance, language, economic and educational status, and religion.

          Throughout the entire history of mankind, the practice of hate has dominated life in every single society, developing deep roots and effectively drowning out its counterparts of love and hope. Carl Jung has suggested that this behavior might well have its origin in a repressed psyche which when challenged, will act out with less understanding and more violent intent. Human beings, by their very nature, cannot tolerate their own self-criticism, and will do anything to deny and project blame elsewhere. Rather than admitting to their self-hate and end up being isolated, it is easier lay blame on outside factors and influences, and so remain accepted. Hate therefore becomes a good reason and an excuse to conform and to remain ‘part of the hate crowd’. Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian leader and statesman, recognized this fact in his effort to try to discourage hate by his followers for the British occupiers of India, when he observed:

“No culture can live, if it attempts to live with hate.”

         Nelson Mandela, the great South African freedom fighter who successfully destroyed the wicked apartheid system of racial hatred and injustice, and became the 1^stpresident of the new republic, stands out as a true champion of the power of love when truly applied over hate:

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

 

-This is the true message for dealing with the curse of hate. It will never be overcome by confronting hate with more hate, but only by patience, understanding and love.

 

 

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