Essay Sample on The Nature of Humankind

Mankind can be one of two things; Good or evil. However, a big controversy that arises from this topic is whether a person is naturally moral and kind or cruel and Barbaric. History prevails that a human being can be both evil and good by nature. However, each of these qualities must be nurtured. Thus, we come to understand the connection between the two elements in Nature vs. Nurture. By nature, we are both kind and cruel. However, we are taught which mindset to acquire or which impulse to act upon. In addition, motivation plays a crucial role in determining this factor. What motivates us to perform acts of kindness? What motivates us to commit evil acts? Well, it's quite simple; the influence of people or surroundings is what we tend to duplicate. Parents, morals, the media and values all play vital roles in our development of thoughts and actions. This is frequently seen in history and literature and plays a massive role in my life.

Motivation and influence go hand and hand. Often, something or someone will influence us to have reason and motivation; whether it be a teacher or parent, an authority figure has the most considerable overall influence on your life. From the moment we are born, we are a blank slate, with endless possibilities of who we might become in the future. This relates to several case studies in which they analyze the behaviours of twins who were separated at birth. Each child grew up with a different family and therefore acted and thought differently. Although they may look alike, they were two undeniably separate individuals. This further proves that humans are thought and influenced to act a certain way by their surrounding environment and are influenced to naturally evil or good.

The controversy of whether humankind is good or evil is brought up in many books, throughout history and presently in my life. "The lord of the flies" is a novel whose central theme is nature vs nurture. In chapter four, a young boy named Roger throws stones in the direction of another child; however, he was throwing them to miss on purpose. This is mainly because of the influence of his parents. Growing up, every time he would do something cruel or mean, his parents punished him.

Consequently, he learnt that being mean is wrong, even if there is no one telling you what to do. History also plays a significant role in this debate. Take the Muslims, for example. From generation to generation, they are taught to hate the jews when there is no concrete reason to be fighting nowadays. Their ancestors saw them as a threat that needed to be eliminated because of stolen land.

Consequently, they are influenced to think in this evil way and take it upon themselves to destroy the lives and homes of the Jewish nation in Israel by using terrorism. Nature vs nurture also is present in my life. Throughout my childhood, I was taught by my parents to respect others and be kind. Although this doesn't dictate my thoughts and actions, it certainly influences me to do the right thing.

In conclusion, the debate whether a human being is naturally good or evil is irrelevant because essentially, we are both. From the examples of past events, the lord of the flies and my own life, we learn that a person is both kind and cruel. However, the way you are nurtured and influenced by your surroundings dramatically affects how you think and act.