Human Nature | Teen Ink

Human Nature

March 15, 2010
By Reginthorn BRONZE, Toccoa, Georgia
Reginthorn BRONZE, Toccoa, Georgia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The human race continues to charge forward in time, with little thought of the social changes on future generations. Each stride forward means one more stressful challenge for future generations. The question now is what do humans do with this knowledge? Does the human race examine its current social state or does it continue to push forward?

The rate of social change in humans is remarkably fast. While many common social traits can be found in all time periods, each social state is unique. It was only about 10,000 B.C., when humans were living in a hunter gatherer community. The individual was not to be found during this era. One could go as far as to compare early human communities to an ant’s culture. The hunter gatherer community worked for their communities’ survival and not for personal need. Very little human violence could be found unless the community came across another clan.

It was also during this time that humans began to develop tools of ease. Overtime tools would aide to the speedy human development that would further begin the process of modification. Suddenly tools began to develop faster than the human race could recognize. A once harmless human accomplishment soon became an aide and modifier to human emotion. Humans began to make weapons out of the tools. Spears used for hunting were used to solve problems among humans.

Government was created in response to the social nature of the human being. Humans needed universal rules in order to live peacefully with one another. One of the most remarkable early cultures with a government was the Roman Empire. During the span of the Roman Empire, the collective consciousness began to fade away. Much of today’s modern philosophy came from this era. The importance of the individual family arose and ownership of properties became universally accepted. While many other cultures were still behind in development, most societies developed in parallel with one another. Societies picked up traits from nearby cultures and added them to their own. This is why many Native American Indians were behind the rest of the world. The interactions that Indians had with different tribes didn’t provide a new form of life. Most Indian tribes followed the same lifestyle and thus bounced back off each other.

It was only until a couple thousand years ago that American Indians became exposed to the European style of life. It came as a shock to the Indians as they were introduced to guns, a new religion, and altogether civilization itself. The Indians had a hard time understanding the value of ownership. The American Indians had become accustomed with the idea that land was shared.

Later in the history of the human race, many vast technological steps were made. Travel times were made shorter with the creation of trains, cars, boats, and planes. Communication was made possible with the innovation of the postal system, the telephone, and the internet. All of these inventions allowed the globalization era to become possible.

Nations are constantly communicating with one another from across the globe. Collective consciousness is now on the rise. Individualism is currently at equilibrium. Humans think that they are unique, but fail to realize that their thoughts are molded by the media. Enter the entertainment industry. Most individuals watch movies and television, becoming associated with familiar faces found on this form of entertainment. Overtime these familiar faces become celebrities. Celebrities often times use their fame to influence the popular opinion. The media played a large role in Obama’s successful election.






In America; various groups of people can be found to reflect general morals of the area around them. Humans are now even more self aware of their public image. This can be a curse to people who have a hard time in a social situation. Homosapians strive to have favorable opinions with others of the same species. These elements, that have just been stated, make social interactions all the more stressful.







Enter the digital age, where face to face interactions are detached. The stress of social interactions are removed and replaced with a chat box. Human temperament wants to be normal, but conscious thinking wants to make a personal mark on the world. Humans are afraid of personal failure and therefore play it safe by comparing themselves to other humans whom they might look up too.










Proof of this can be found by looking no further than the subconscious mind. In a social setting, humans tend to subconsciously emulate mannerisms of the people around them. This can include the property of how hands are arranged or how posture is maintained. Many close families have noticed that unique characteristics are adapted over time.




Recently the value of patience has become all, but obsolete. Since information can be obtained within a minute. Fact is now harder to distinguish from fiction. One could easily stage a fake news story on a major media network and many people would believe the journalist. Genius H.G. Wells performed his sci-fi book War of the Worlds on air to a news bulletin format. Many frightened people took to the streets in anticipation that aliens from Mars were coming to wipe out the human race. This is a commonly used example of what happens when a popular media format is compromised.

Humans are now beginning to live in two worlds. Adults and teens alike have spent hours upon hours on the internet. Whether it is to connect with friends or watch videos, the internet is a part of the human experience. Video games are now becoming the new recreational activity of the modern age. As humans further develop the role of the consumer, time spent outside is becoming less than an hour. Humans now just step outside with only the purpose of health in mind. Video stimulation is too entertaining to waste. The new generation may never know a life without a screen. In fact, a human will spend most of his life staring at a screen.

The human population is growing at an alarming rate with an increasing competition. Today’s teenagers are dealing with the high expectations of their parents. High grades are a must, in order to get into the college of their dreams. A college is a must in order to find a successful career. Even with an excellent education finding a job will still be a hard task to accomplish.




Do these issues concern you? You may be alone, for the current lifestyle is still around. Most humans would have to be in favor in dropping the current luxuries. One grain of sand on a beach will not stand out. All humans would have to change in order to change the current society. For the most part, humans don’t tend to think about the current state of humanity. Each day is a routine with expectations that must be met. In the end, humanity will keep on its course. Only time will tell if this will be the downfall of humanity.


The author's comments:
This is for an assignment.

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