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The human condition is much easier to understand than most of the philosophical mumbo-jumbo out there will have you believe. From the beginning of humanity, we have had to deal with our intelligent capacities being juxtaposed with our inevitable death. Everybody comes to the same end; no matter what we do in this life, we're all bound to die. While this might sound like a morbid outlook on life, it is our awareness of this fact that makes us strive to do the things we do, everything from acts of kindness to building monuments to writing novels. We'd like to live forever, but as an inferior alternative, we'd like to be remembered.

Consciousness of our own demise is really the crux of what separates humans from animals. It can be argued that this consciousness is where the need for religion in society comes from-even from our earliest days, religions have answered the unanswerable questions: Where do we come from? And more pertinently, what happens when we die? Religions generally offer promises of an afterlife, thereby dismissing the incredibly hard-to-swallow notion that life just ENDS at death. Greek and Roman mythology have a slew of gods, usually with human characteristics, but immortal at the same time. God-hood is an ideal state, it allows intelligence, awareness, and consciousness with immortality. The strive for immortality in some form is what drives most of what we do.

Aside from religion, the human mortality complex is evident in nearly all other aspects of life. What is the point of all that we do in this life if nothing we do can prevent our own death? We want to live on in some way; we want to achieve something we will be known for. We want to leave our mark on the world, to know that it goes on after us. We work hard to give our lives meaning, so that our death will have meaning as well.

The human condition is that of a glorious mind trapped in the body of a dying animal. We live on this earth as mortal gods, we manipulate the planet more than any other species, we have the power to put off our own death, but not stop it from happening altogether. And we, unlike any other species, is blessed, or burdened, with the knowledge that we will see that final end.

Learn more about this author, Sofia SanPasquale.
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