Humanity: The word “humanity” comes from the Latin “humanitas,” meaning “human nature, kindness.” Humanity encompasses all humans, but it can also refer to the kind feelings that humans often have for one another. It refers to the qualities that make us human, such as the ability to love, have compassion, and be creative.
In 2021, a professional football player was seriously injured during a game. He suffered a heart attack on the field and was rushed to a hospital. Fortunately, he survived, and the prognosis was favorable. What got my attention was the public’s poignant outpouring of blessings and prayers. Football fans from every team unanimously expressed their kindness, and there was an outpouring of compassion and sympathy for this one football player. You also see these heartwarming responses during catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Why are those feelings absent at other times when we’re just going about our daily lives?
In my opinion, what is missing is the feeling, not the thought, that we are fellow human beings. During difficult times, we find it is easier to bond with one another. The differences between people seem to melt away, replaced by the realization and acceptance of our similarities. We are gifted with the rare opportunity to connect with others and set aside differences of race, creed, color, and belief. On the contrary, when stuck in thoughts, we can hear or read about thousands of war casualties and the destruction of entire cities without feeling anything. We pick up the cell phone, take another sip of our morning coffee, and go about business as usual…as if nothing has happened.
How can that be?
According to the story, all humans possess these emotions and feelings within themselves. Which ones are felt and expressed is ultimately your decision and mine. We always have that choice. This begs the question:
Why do the characteristics of the evil wolf seem so “omnipresent” in today’s world, whereas the expression of the good wolf in us is mostly during those rare, catastrophic occasions?
In my experience, when I connect with the good wolf inside, I feel good. On the contrary, it’s painful when I connect with the evil wolf. I think that, in general, people, if given the choice, would overwhelmingly choose to feed the good wolf. Why? We want to be happy and at peace. We don’t like the pain and suffering that the evil wolf offers. We visit our temples to pray for the alleviation of our pain and suffering. It would be hard to find people who pray to have joy, peace, love, hope, and kindness removed from their lives.
The reality is that we don’t live in a vacuum. If we live alone on an island, at the top of a mountain, or have minimal contact with others, it may be easy to experience and express primarily the positive side of ourselves. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Our constantly changing surroundings influence us, including our relationships with people who harbor the same two wolves, with many preferring to feed the evil one. We may often perceive them as greedy, angry, selfish, dishonest, and deceitful. In most instances, we are adept at avoiding people like that. However, if individuals with a “evil wolf” nature rise to the top and occupy positions of power and authority, do we fall into the trap of mindlessly trusting their views and following their advice? Just like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, they can be very astute, cunning, and capable of convincing us with lies and half-truths, telling us all the while not to pay attention to those who oppose. If we are not conscious, they even have the skill and charisma, like the Pied Piper, to lead us into a world devoid of good wolf characteristics. If we pause one moment to contemplate the present state of the world, it’s difficult to deny that we need to wake up to the fact that things are not going well for human beings and the planet.
