Whenever I read or hear the words "the human condition" I am reminded of a literature class I took in my junior year of college. The focus of the class was death and studying how humans perceive it through literature.
Is death the human condition? I doubt it.
It is but one aspect of it. Frankly, the term human condition is completely inadequate; it is simplistic way of trying to capsulate all that is to be alive as a human being. Often when discussing life the words "part of the human condition" are used. This is slightly more accurate, as there is so much to cover. One could view the phrase the "human condition" as more of a doorway that when opened leads to a stadium. To discuss this topic is to discuss practically every topic; it is to discuss humanity.
What can I say that would do the topic justice in 400 to 600 words? There are whole books, philosophies and religions that try to tackle this topic. Should I be so bold to think that my ideas and thoughts have a place in this grand discussion? I am unsure. I know that as I think about the topic, I feel more and more overshadowed by it.
What seems to me to be an issue in the human condition is that of human plural vs. human single. There is the condition of humans in large groups and societies and conversely the human condition of the small group or individual.
From my point of view, many of the evils of the world are created by large groups. This isn't to say that individuals don't do bad and evil things, but when they do, often (not always) there seems to be a larger occurrence at work. The problem with a large group is that is always inevitably becomes a system. The system as it is often called is broken. The system grows and becomes a machine. The machine grows to become its own self sustaining entity and what do we know of self sustaining entities? They will do anything to survive. When humans band together and create a system, and eventually a machine, it allows us to justify almost anything. We, ourselves, become cogs and components, without thought or feeling. This is how governments can go to war and commit atrocities or how companies can deny claims or put out deadly products. The mindset becomes cold and focused on the bottom line. Human thought turns completely inward toward self interest. It is a rare occurrence that a human system helps others.
Now the counter balance to this seems to be the individual or a small grouping of individuals. When one looks at the charitable works done in the world, often it is begun or spear headed by an individual. One man of woman cutting through the machine with his or her will. Sometimes it is a philanthropist or celebrity of Bill Gates or Angelina Jolie status. Many times it is the unknown person whose only brush with fame is being a 5 minute person of the week segment on World News Tonight. However you see it, the human capacity for goodness and selflessness is best found in the individual. It is in this way there is the continuing archetype of the one.
The One in myth, literature and movies is a savior, he or she that can right wrongs and save humanity. In real life and history they are just people who see something wrong and try to fix it. Sometimes they are rewarded and sometimes they are persecuted or killed, a case of the self sustaining machine sustaining itself.
So to me the human condition boils down to the behavior of the few vs. the many, the individual vs. the system. It is the dichotomy of life that everyone can fall into. To live in this world means to live within a system. What one must do though is to find a way of living in the system with his/her soul intact. Not an easy task to be sure.