Being Human

Humans are very interesting creatures.  We thought we are the most advanced species that roam the face of the earth.  Turned out we cannot outdo the Bonobos in living life harmoniously with one another.  If we can come half as close to these evolutionary progressive creatures, we are way better in our happiness index.  I don't want to underestimate human civilization, but after reading Sapiens, a Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Hariri, I concluded that the world like the Bonobos, is better off with the women in charge.

We men are too egoistic.  We want to think that we are always right.  Worse still, we want others to subscribe to what we believe.  What difference does it make if others don't see things the way we see it?  That is why we have many opinions to start with.  That is why only recently USA starts to talk about achieving unity through diversity.  There are many kinds of humans.  Not just based on the skin colors but also based on many ideologies.

Considering that there are 7 billions homo sapiens, there bound to be discrepancies.  No need to be critical about it.  It's just the way it had been for million of years.  We should learn to live with one another because we are the only hominid left.  The rest may be extinct due to an early confrontation with our Sapiens ancestors.

I have great faith in the human race.  Today we have achieved great feats due to a few bright thought leaders.  The rest of the masses may not be smart but they, or at least most of them practice the golden rule - The Principle of Treating Others as One Would Wish to be Treated Oneself.

I often read that religion is evil.  It makes good people do bad things.  I don't agree with the hypothesis.  I believe human being are good at the core.  However, many turned bad because they were misguided by sentiments.  Nobody wants to think that they were born evil.  With the exception of the few psychopaths, we generally yearn for acceptance.  We want to belong.  The problem lies in our definition of  the meaning of truth.  That's when religion becomes a potent elixir or poison.

The reality is, absolute truth only exists in mathematics.  Its closest companion is the application of the Scientific Method.  Other areas of knowledge are subject to confirmation bias; which means we believe what we choose to believe.  Even philosophy has to concede to science because philosophy is confined to the thought experiments while science involves field observations.

Forget about the rotten apples.  There always be a few around.  Build a loving foundation in your life and you see the pot of gold at the other end of the rainbow.  Humanity will endure and strive like it always been for hundred thousands of years.

I highly recommend Sapiens for those who want to take a peek at our past and the upcoming glorious future.