Two sides of the human condition

“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve," said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.” (Aslan in “Prince Caspian” by C.S. Lewis)

Walking round the Jersey War Tunnels, and their new exhibition, I could not help be struck at one point by the two sides of the human condition. In one section, one wall has those who died while trying to help others, like Louisa Gould (above left), and on the other, collaborators like Alexandrine Baudains (above right) who were responsible for many islanders being sent to prison.

It seems that the Occupation of Jersey heightened the contrast between two facets of our human condition. It called forth courage, compassion, and sacrifice and it allows arrogance, hate and visciousness also to flourish. There is always that in any society, but the extremes were heightened and the stakes were greater for each side.

Are we naturally good or evil? Augustine’s idea of “original sin”, something part of the human condition that leads to all human beings being inherently flawed is certainly born out by our history. Replace “original sin” as some kind of theological aspect, with the flaws in human beings, in our, behaviour, and make that part of our genetic legacy, and we have a modern day form of Augustine.

Some kinds of humanism and humanistic psychology appear to take as a premise that human beings are basically good, and it is the culture we are immersed in which conditions us in such a way that we act badly.

That reminds me rather of the Locke’s idea of a Blank Slate, and if there is one thing evolutionary theory teaches us, it is that we are not “Blank Slates” at birth. We have dispositions, expectations, needs and desires from the moment of our birth. We are genetically hard wired for language, and for facial recognition, which is just as well, because if we had to start from scratch, we would need many lifetimes to learn. It is an aid to survival, but also of course, that can be affected by how we react and interact with other human beings.

Following Stephen Jay Gould, I would go with a model of human beings as potentially capable of both good and evil, of helping our fellow human beings, and of hurting them. I think too that we become moulded by our actions.

If we act with compassion, we become more compassionate, to the point where self-interest is negated and we show kindness to strangers. If we act to succeed by trampling on others, we become inured to our ability to feel compassion, so that we lose sight of the humanity in our fellow human beings. Look at the way those in the Nazi Concentration Camps were brutalised by being in charge, so that even the least saw it just as an exercise in efficiency.

One of the most powerful statements in Matthew's gospel has no mention at all about sinfulness, or anything inherently religious (as we would see it), but it is, for me, the heart of what the gospel means, or for my atheist friends, the heart of what it means to be truly human and live a good life, which is never a life in isolation, but a life in which we look out for others.

Jesus is telling a parable about judgement, and the judgement is not on religious observance, or signing up to a statement of doctrine, but it is all about how we behave (which is of course, inherently Jewish). In the parable the King says:

“Come inherit the kingdom prepared for you, for I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me. The righteous will ask, “But when was it that we saw you hungry and thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison? Jesus replied, For just as you did it to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it to me." 

The Pope used to wash the feet of 12 ordinary priests on Maundy Thursday. This was a clean and sanitised ritual following that of Jesus washing his disciples feet. But Pope Francis, soon after election, caused a scandal in the Papal Curia by going to the heart of this act of remembrance. He went into a prison, and washed the feet of 12 inmates, including three women. It was a powerful reminder of Jesus words, and an example to all of us to examine our priorities.