Reflection Paper on Human Nature and Reason for Being
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In a nutshell, human nature is that what makes us precisely human. Our nature as humans is unique to the human being due to the fact that we are the only creatures on this earth that are capable of both thinking and feeling. It is also our ability to reason that sets us apart from all of creation. These are gifts bestowed upon us by the Lord that in turn, enable us to better decipher and reflect on all that is that God wills for us.
In my younger years as a student, I was taught that we were created in God’s image and likeness. And it is because we are created in His image and likeness that it is in our nature to choose and continuously choose what is good. It is through the said likeness that we are able to live by many virtues such as compassion, faith, kindness, patience, and justice.Human beings by nature are good and I don’t think I can reiterate that fact enough. Case in point, young children are the best example to this claim. There is completely nothing evil innate in a child and we are all born with nothing but innocence and purity of heart. It is only through external factors such as society and the like that taints our nature through time. This is pretty much inevitable as we are all bound to coexist with one another. It is our nature to live within so society. We then learn to sin but it follows that goodness is in our basic nature throughout our lives for the difference between us as children and us as adults is simply a series of events and encounters.
All this being said, it comes as no surprise that our reason for being, I believe, is to become the best versions of ourselves that we may become proper stewards of this earth, just as the Lord intended. In the book of Genesis, exercising responsibility for the earth as part of God’s creation is indeed the main reason humans were created. Living as stewards of creation then, is foundational to what it means to be a human. Caring for creation is not merely an option but our true calling. In turn, we are all here to self-actualize best we can in order to live out our calling as humans. We do so by integrating all that is unique to the human being- thinking, feeling, speaking, doing and what have you. And since all these are basically other-oriented, we are only able to become the best versions of ourselves through continuous interactions with others.
On a more personal note, I take responsibility for all that is in my care- both human and nonhuman. Each of us has a piece of creation for which we are directly responsible for, may it be the people in our lives or the land we set foot on, and we are all called to see to it that we take full responsibility for this parcel of creation as part of our vocation as God’s stewards.