What is humaneness? Is it altruism? Is it respecting each other?
Is it helping each other? What is it, being human? What is it, humaneness?
Humanity has suffered terrible wars, genocides, illnesses, hunger, cruelty – darkness of all kinds. Where does this darkness in humanity come from? Where? Nobody is born evil. What is it that makes us act out of darkness?
Maybe this darkness is coming out of deep wounds in us. Unhealed wounds. Wounds we suffered as a child and then carried on, wounds we often carry with us around all our life. If we don’t heal those wounds, we act out of fear, anger, hate, rage, sadness, resignation, madness or insanity. We are in truth very hurt and put seemingly effectful layers on us to protect ourselves from being hurt again. But is this protection? Or is it actually still acting out of our wounds? If we would be really healed, we wouldn’t need any protection.
What is humaneness? I think being human means giving each other. That is our natural state. Not taking away from each other. What does it need to give each other? I think it needs the respect for our own feelings and with this the respect for the feelings of others. The free flow of energy, benevolent gestures, affection and love towards each other can not be forced. But respecting each others feelings is a first step to me.
Listen to Chaplin’s gripping words from the year 1940. Every single word is timelessly relevant.
