Why do people all over the world do really bad things to each other? A variety of explanations have been offered that attempt to make sense of this darker side of our human nature. If you are a person who wants to bring about positive change in our world, I believe you need to come up with your own satisfactory answer to this question. Without doing so, I think you run the risk of living your life in a constant state of frustration and disillusionment. To have a satisfying life philosophy, you must know in your heart, for yourself, why the human race is behaving so very, very badly.

Augustine (345-430) was the first in the Christian tradition to provide a detailed treatment of the idea that all human beings inherit, at birth, an evil affliction that permeates their entire being. Our affliction, according to Augustine, is biologically transmitted through the sex act to every human being born into the world, regardless of race, culture, ethnicity or religion. We all have inherited a nature contrary to goodness, and this causes us to commit selfish acts toward others. This idea is supported in the Bible and is traced back to our first human ancestors, Adam and Eve. Our first human ancestors destroyed their original, ideal relationship with God by rebelling against His authority. Ever since this horrible event, the human race has been inflicting untold misery and suffering on itself and nature. This view is accepted by many Christians as a valid explanation for the origin of all evil, violence and strife in our world.

Evolutionary biology attempts to answer this question by saying human beings are in a process of evolving their moral and ethical behavior. We started out in the jungle, living in fear and ignorance. We are gradually evolving and discarding certain lower-level and animal-like impulses inherited down through the ages. We have not fallen from some previous higher-level state, but, rather, we are gradually realizing our potential as a species.

Socialist reformers tell us that we do bad things to one another because of unjust social structures set up by human beings. We must revamp the corrupt institutions in society if we want to have any hope of establishing a just society. Right human relationships with one another are only possible when social structures are just for all.

Psychoanalysts tell us that all of our bad behavior and unhealthy relationships are a direct result of our having repressed our innate, natural desires — most especially from when we were children. This repression brings on stress and sickness, and leads to deviant thoughts and neurotic behavior.

Where, exactly, do you come down on this thorny issue? A few years back, during an after-dinner conversation with my mom, I asked, "Mom, do you believe the time will ever come on this earth when human beings will stop killing each other?" Her immediate and confident response was, "No way. As much as I'd like to see a world without war, I'm sad to say that it will never stop." Honestly, I was a bit surprised by my mom's answer. My parents raised their children in the Catholic faith, and we were always taught that God's desire for the human race is for all people to live together in peace and harmony. So my Mom's answer seemed to contradict what I had been taught while growing up.

I believe the day is arriving when the idea of taking the life of another human being — for any reason — will be so vile and so sickening that the very thought of this action will cause one to throw up in utter disgust. I see a day when all documents related to the history of human beings killing one another will be completely destroyed. The time most certainly will arrive when it will be too painful to watch film footage of human warfare, so much so that the viewer will be forced to immediately turn away, just like when we are forced to turn our eyes away from the sun after trying to gaze directly at it for too long. Surely all film footage of war and killing will be burned and destroyed. How could it be otherwise, if we believe and see the world as a loving and peaceful adventure?

Here's what I suggest: If you still have not come up with a satisfying answer as to why we are creating so much pain and strife in the world, please study and research further, based on some of the explanations I've brought to your attention here. Time spent on this question will reap very big rewards for you as you continue along on your spiritual journey. As you increase your clarity about how it is that human beings are behaving badly, you will find yourself more and more empowered to influence positive change in your environment.

Jack LaValley is a practitioner of the martial arts, physical cultivation exercises, and sitting meditation. Although currently working in the hospitality industry, he spends much of his free time helping and working together with those who are pursuing the spiritual path. Jack and his wife, Wha-ja Oh-LaValley, a native of South Korea, reside in Westchester County, New York, and are the proud parents of three beautiful children. Jack is completing his book manuscript, "A Perfectly Balanced Life: Living Each Day with Wisdom and Strength," and expects publication to be in October 2008. You can reach Jack at: perfectbalance1@optimum.net © Copyright 2007 by Jack LaValley.