The Human condition

Philosophy Forums Philosophy
1

The question of what is, the Human condition, should be an
important one in our daily thinking about what it means to be human…

It is clear, quite clear that part of the ‘‘human condition’’ is in fact,
suffering… that human beings, as part of our day to day activities,
we suffer… we get diseases, we grow old, we lose family and friends,
we lose our possibilities with each passing day until there is but one
possibility, and that is death… My mom is at that point… every day
is simply another day waiting for her inevitable death… she is 89,
she has no other possibilities available to her…

as for me, I am younger, thus I have more possibilities available to me…
I can still travel, I can still learn German, (relearn as I took German earlier
in my life) I can walk downtown, I can shop and dream of walking
the hills… for my mom, none of these things are possible…
but that is what old age is, a reduction of what is possible for us,
every year another door closes on what we can do, until there are
no more doors or possibilities for us to achieve/reach…
and that is part of being human, part of the ‘‘human condition’’…

we can try (and fail) to reduce or even end suffering, but we can’t…
No, the point becomes not to avoid or practice or evade suffering,
but to simply accept and know that it is part of being human…
part of the ‘‘Human condition’’…

But that is not all of the ‘‘Human condition’’ suffering, we also have
joy and love and beauty and knowledge to engage with… and these
things too, are part of the ‘‘Human condition’’…
and many, and we see that around here, engage in the negative
aspect of the ‘‘Human condition’’ but that is not all there is to being
human… watching a beautiful sunset is also part of the ‘‘Human
condition’’… and we often miss that aspect of being human…
where the range of possibilities for human beings are part of
the "Human condition’'… where we are as defined by what can
happen as much as what did happen… we can find love and hope
and joy in possibilities far and wide…The ‘‘Human condition’’
is both positive and negative… the range of what is and what was
and what will be is also part of the ‘‘Human condition’’…

We are, as human beings, defined by the past as much as we
are defined by the present… In my life, my past life, lies
as much sadness and despair as my present life offers me…
but accepting that is part of being human…

My future will give me both sadness and joy and hope and love…
just as my past as done… I cannot escape the ‘‘Human condition’’
nor do I want to… My mom will die… that is a certainty…
and I can wail and weep and bemoan my fate… but why?
that death and suffering and agony are as much a part
of the ‘‘Human condition’’ as any part of existence I can have or
will have… and I too, will one day, die… and that too is
part of the ""Human condition’’ a part that I don’t have to fear
or be paralyzed about it… my inevitable death is also part of
my own journey in being human…
and I don’t see this as part of the suffering aspect of being human…
I see this as the next step… nothing more…

Kropotkin

2

as part of the ‘‘Human condition’’ is knowledge…
we know things… we know that the earth is 93 million miles
from the sun and that part of writing involves words and
sentences…but also as part of the ‘‘Human condition’’
lies ignorance… there are simply things we don’t know…
but I hold that part of the "Human condition’’ is limiting or
reducing the amount of ‘‘ignorance’’ we have…gaining
knowledge is part of the ‘‘Human condition’’… and I hold
a rather important part… That is why education is such a big
part of modern existence… we need to know a whole lot
in order to have successful lives… However, you define successful…

In following Nietzsche in his understanding of what it means to
be human is to understand that Human beings are in transit,
we are going from being animal to becoming human beings…
and part of the way we become fully human is by our
gaining knowledge…to be an animal is to be ignorant…
do animals know or care about history or math or science or
philosophy? Nope… but part of our own path to becoming
lies in the accumulation of information, of gaining knowledge…
virtually everything we do, comes from knowledge…
and how do we gain that knowledge? education…
but part of being human lies in the gaining self knowledge…
knowing who we are… self understanding…
or as Socrates put it, ‘‘to know thyself’’… and how do we
gain this knowledge of knowing ourselves? by experiences…
we learn who we are by our experiences… I have learned
that I am good under pressure… and I am fairly useful in
a crisis… other people, by experiences, learn that they
aren’t as good under pressure or in a crisis… and that is all good…
there is no judgement in learning about ourselves… to know thyself
is valuable in itself… and by having this knowledge, we can put
ourselves into situations that we can do our best in…
and avoid those situations where we are not so good at…
I know I am not good in social situations, with large social groups,
I immensely dislike being at parties… and so, I avoid those…
other people, like my wife, loves that shit…
a large part of being successful within the ‘‘Human condition’’ is
knowing who you are…

with every bit of knowledge that we gain, we can be better at
the ‘‘Human condition’’

Kropotkin

3

part of what Nietzsche thought of as ‘‘overcoming’’ was
the overcoming of the animal within us…going from instincts to
reason is going from animal to becoming human…

which bears on an important part of overcoming… the overcoming
of the indoctrinations of childhood… The path to becoming
human lies in seeking out and finding essential aspects of
being human… part of that is autonomy… having our
opinions actually being our opinions… and not indoctrinations
from our childhood…

What if you held there is a god, how did you gain that opinion?
I would suggest that it comes as part of your childhood indoctrinations…
and you have simply carried it into adulthood… without any thought
as to the why of having a god? The why of the point of a god…
the why as to, why does one actual need a god? What purpose
does god serve you? There are any number of reasons as to
the holding of indoctrinations occurr… and prime of them is
inertia… it is far easier to simply hold an old familiar belief
then to critically examine it… to ask, why this belief and not
another…for most people, the path to god is due to laziness,
not actual belief… but the path to becoming human lies
in our examination of our values and beliefs…
Why these values or beliefs and not another set of values
or beliefs?

The overcoming of our indoctrinations is a vital part of the
‘‘Human condition’’… that children and animals are ignorant
should suggest to us that the path to becoming human,
of going from animal to human is down the path of gaining
knowledge…of an examination of our values and beliefs
and seeing if indeed, those are our values, our beliefs…

Think of the human beings we consider to be ‘‘great’’…
the vast majority of those are people with knowledge
that is greater than ours… Part of the pantheon of great
human beings are, among others, Newton, Einstein,
Galilio, Goethe, Shakespear, Gandhi, and of course, MLK…
Each of these great ones, brought us knowledge and understanding
of ourselves and our world around us… We learned from these
great people… and what we learned was how human beings fit
into the ‘‘Human condition’’… and what does the ""Human condition’’
mean to us… there is a direct relationship between gaining
knowledge and the greatness of human beings… So, those who
advocate ignorance as a value, conservatives/MAGA types,
they are advocating remaining animal, and not taking the path
into becoming human, fully human…

What is your path?

Kropotkin

4

Now to tie in the question of the ""Human condition’’ within
the state or the society…

One cannot underestimate the impact of the state/society on the
''Human condition"… If I were to state what is part a major impact
of the state/society on the ‘‘Human condition’’ I would state it is how
human beings are dependent on the State/society to reach the
possibilities of being human… and all that really means is that
it is possible for me to become one of the greatest philosophers
of all time… it is a possibility… Now the state/society can impact
this in one of two ways… the positive way in which the state/society
works with me to create that possibility… to reach that fulfillment of
that possibility… the state/society works with me to achieve that
possibility… for we can only reach our goals, our possibilities
within a state or society…for we are social beings… and if we forget
that, we forget what it means to be human… I can only become fully human,
within the state, the society… without the state, the society, I cannot,
cannot outgrow being an animal… the Nietzschean goal of going from
animal to becoming human can only occur within the state/society…
Robinson Crusoe, by being alone on that island, cannot ever
reach his full potential, his possibilities without a state or society
to make that happen… the state/society can make our reaching
our possibilities a reality…but the state/society can also be negative,
it can prevent us from reaching our full potential, our possibilities…
and how does a state/society prevent us from reaching our
full possibilities?

We can give an example within Ancient Greece, the city of Sparta…
the entire city was geared up to be about warfare, to create soldiers
as the one and final goal of the men within that society/state…
There was no possibility for one to achieve their potential,
their possibilities of becoming a great philosopher… the society,
the state had only one choice, to become a warrior to the benefit
of the state/the society… there were no other choices, no other
possibilities… it was being a warrior or nothing… there were no
other choices…the state/society determines what possibilities,
what choices an individual has or can have…

We can see this in our own modern society/state… the American
society/state is all about the creation of profits… our educational
system is simply a jobs training program… with collage or the university
being the final finishing school of a jobs training program… our modern
university system has no other agenda… it is there to create workers,
to create producers and to create consumers… that is the entire
function of education today… and if one is not a worker or a producer,
then one is considered by a state/society, to be a loafer, to leach off
of the state, the society… that is one of the greatest ''crimes" in America
today… to ‘‘mooch’’ off of the state/society… everyone has to pull
their own weight in the production of goods that the society/state needs…
and the idea of becoming a philosopher, but not to work within the
educational system stands in the way of the goal of America…
which is to have everyone, everyone ‘‘earn their keep’’… the ideal
in America is to have everyone work, to earn their place within a state/
society… if you are not a worker, or a producer, then what value does
one have in America today? And the fulfillment of the American dream
isn’t about being a philosopher or seeking out knowledge for knowledge
sake, for that isn’t creating profits… and that is the point of being part
of the American society… to contribute to the GDP… individual goals
such as the understanding of what it means to be human, is
not valued, not wanted because it fails to create profits and in fact,
it might cost some profits… and heaven forbid we invest in
something that won’t make some profit…

So, within this context, we see that one who goals, whose
possibility is to seek out knowledge, the meaning of becoming
human, is denied… it doesn’t create profits, so it is deemed
unworthy of attention… and here is where we see the conflict
in our modern state, society… What if we don’t want to make
our lives about seeking profits? in America today, if we are not
increasing profits in some manner, we are suspect, doomed even…
but the ‘‘Human condition’’ is about seeking out profits or
to make ‘‘contributions’’ to the state/society… (contributions
really mean make money/profits) what if our soul seeks out
what it means to be human and that has no possibility of making
money… what if the "Human condition’’ for us is to seek out knowledge,
to seek out wisdom… and within the state/society, we are considered
to be leaches, moochers… the highest crime of all… and this conflict
we see in modern day America every single day… we just haven’t
realized it yet… what if, what if the modern day angst, the alienation
the discontentment of America that we see every single day, is
the discontentment of human beings being unable to seek out
their own possibilities, their own potential…
if you want something more than just to make profits, and the state/
society only goal is to make profits, where exactly does that leave one?
the alienation of America comes because millions of people have
no desire to make or create profits… thus putting them at odds with
their state/society…if my own fulfillment is about something other
than making profits, to seek knowledge/wisdom for example,
where do I fit into the American society today?
I don’t… and that impacts this idea of the ‘‘Human condition’’,
for part of the ‘‘Human condition’’ is about being able to
fulfill our possibilities, our potential, and the state/society
isn’t interested in that…

So, just as we can have a state/society allow us the possibility of
becoming something more than just a worker, a producer,
and we come ever closer to becoming human, the state/society
can also prevent us from achieving our possibilities, our potential…
in which we play worker bee’s all our lives and to what end?
To make money, to make profits to the exclusion of all other
goals, all other possibilities…
including achieving one’s own possibilities, one’s own choices…

the state/society can be a force for us to reach our own possibilities,
our own choices or the state/society can prevent us from reaching
those possibilities, choices… the "Human condition’’ lies within
each of these possibilities…to be a worker or producer bee,
is to stay within the realm of being animal… the very idea
of work and the main choice of being human being the seeking
out of profits, is to stop the main path of being human,
which is to work our way from animal to becoming human…
and we are at the step now where if our goal is to be workers
or just producers, we stop our progress to becoming human…
the ‘‘Human condition’’ requires us to make that journey,
to go from animal to becoming human… so, even within
the ‘‘Human condition’’ lies movement and choices…

there is history within the ‘‘Human condition’’ to go from the
past, animal to the present, to our current state of being part
animal, part human, to our future, where we are fully human…
leaving our animal past behind us… that is the journey
of the "Human condition’’

Kropotkin

5

A question which, in the dark of the night haunts many…
becomes this question, "“Is this all there is to existence?”
I am living the American dream… I own a house with a
white picket fence, a wife/husband, two kids and a dog
named spot… I have the American dream and yet, and yet,
I don’t feel fulfilled… I am, as the state and the society demands,
I am a worker, and/or a producer and I am certainly a consumer… but
is this it? I still have 20 or 30 years left of working and I don’t see
anything other than this existence…

Capitalism says that this is it… this is the American dream personified,
a dream which every able body American should engage with…
and I am discontented… and I don’t know why…
there are no other options offered in modern day America…
we have no other choice, no other possibilities allowed to us
except to be workers, producers and of course, consumers…

but is that all there is to existence?

It becomes a nagging feeling like I’m at work and I think I left the stove
on, but I’m not sure…I can’t remember…

and for millions of Americans, they too have a nagging feeling, something
that they can’t quite put their hands on… and the question resolves itself
into the haunting question of the middle of the night… is this all there is
in existence? to work, to sleep, to consume, and then the next day, do
it again, and the days roll by and they become weeks and months
and years and still, I work, I sleep, and I consume…
what else is there, one might ask? why the possibilities are almost
endless, but we can’t go there for fear of being labeled a moocher,
as one who isn’t contributing to the state/to the society… and no
greater charge can be leveled against an American…
We aren’t keeping the GDP going upward… that is task one,
for every American… and yet the daily nagging question still
keeps one awake at night…and to bury one’s doubts, we turn
to booze and TV and shopping on Amazon… addictions all…

all in a failed attempt to end that nagging voice that haunts us…

is this all there is to this existence?

Kropotkin

6

one wonders why this question of ''is this all there is to existence?"
hasn’t been talked about more? the answer lies in the fact that
the intellectual, the writers and thinkers, have never had a job
that is simply about working in a factory all their life… or pushing
papers around to make it look like you are doing something
‘‘productive’’ or have worked in my factory lite job of being a
checker in a grocery store… the means of employment
changes how one answer the question, what is the point of
existence? The daily grind of just being a worker, a producer
and of course, a consumer, wears one out, creates an almost
mental illness of alienation and discontentment and apathy…
the daily grind of existence, that millions face is something
that the intellectual rarely ever faces… how do I find meaning
and purpose in a job that literally destroys my soul… and after
30 or 40 years, my body is also destroyed…

how do I find meaning and purpose in a job that is nothing more
than a factory lite job… of doing the same thing every single day,
for not just years but for decades… and where is my meaning,
my purpose in doing factory lite work for decades?

Is this all there is to existence?

which is a question that offers us a sliver of hope in the midst of
the drudgery of a lifetime of work… what if, what is, there were
other possibilities of being beyond just working, producing and
consuming? The state, the society says no, there are no other choices,
no other possibilities… communism has failed, to be a socialist is
demonized in America today… the only choice offered is to
work within capitalism and that choice is make making money,
the only goal and meaning offered to us by capitalism…

leaving us with the question, is this all there is to existence?

Kropotkin