Man by Nature is Good

Man by Nature is Good

(July 12, 2023)

The Creation narrative has 2 versions in the Bible. The first narrative Is in Genesis 1:1-2:3 while the second narrative is in Genesis 2:4-2:25. I am not a Scriptures Scholar so I will not attempt to explain the difference between the 2 narratives. It is for the exegists to do so. I mentioned them only to emphasize the importance to know the essence of the creation story, that is, God created all things and man, or the human being, is the masterpiece of His creation. Moreover, God gives life to man by breathing His own breath into man: “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” (Genesis 2:7)

Here is the core of this reflection. Genesis 1:31 says: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

“Behold, it was very good.” All of God’s creation was very good including man. Man would even be the best as it was only in him that God “breathed” into the breath of life.

Man, therefore, is by nature GOOD.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a French-Swiss philosopher during the 17^th century. He was famous for his book “The Social Contract” where he basically stated that “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau - New World Encyclopedia But I would like to pick up for our reflection here Rousseau’s contention that man was good by nature but was corrupted by society.

Without going too academic, we know for a fact that we, ourselves, are genuinely capable of anything good. We can narrate some of the characteristics that all of us can honestly say that we possess: kindness, honesty, devotion, commitment, sincerity, sympathetic, caring, loving. These and many more we know that we are and capable of being more. There is goodness in our hearts, undoubtedly. I am reminded at this point when we commonly say: “I wish I still have the innocence of my childhood.” Why? Because we remember how simple our life was when we were little children, and how we lived an innocent life where we knew only and lived by the goodness of man.

As we grew up in age (and in wisdom, I hope), we became more exposed to the realities of life. It was during this time of which Rousseau described as “man is corrupted by society.” Due to various factors and circumstances, we learned to curse, say bad words, and do other bad things. We learned to get angry and hate. We become suspicious of others. We become spiteful, deceitful, nasty, mean, unkind, malicious, hurtful, bitter, and on and on. The innocence of our youth is but a memory of the past.

But all is not hopeless, after all. Because our nature is goodness, we are capable of emphasizing it over the negativity that we learned from a cruel society. We can bring out the good in us in every situation we find ourselves in. Here, I am reminded of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: Peace Prayer of Saint Francis – My Catholic Prayers

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

The presence of “evil” in our society affects us as individuals. We know that and we have seen that in various events and circumstances in our personal lives as well is in our surroundings. We are all victims of this tragic reality that has become part of the so-called natural flow of life. But because man’s nature is good, we shall overcome everything that is evil.

Our personal experiences of being hurt, for example, can be an opportunity to love and care more than we have ever been. People may misunderstand our intentions for caring and loving them. We may even be judged and called with nasty adjectives. Human as we are, we naturally feel hurt and may even spend sleepless nights trying to understand why things have gone in that direction. A friend has become an enemy. A loved one has become a stranger again. We spend more nights and days crying until there come no more tears out of our eyes, but our hearts still feel the pain. Difficult as it may seem, we try very hard to dig into the recesses of our heart our natural goodness to understand, accept, forgive, care, and continue to love. It is not easy, I know, but we can do it. Why and how? Because goodness is our nature, and that goodness comes from God. It is therefore imperative for us to return to God’s embrace through prayer and religious observances. The song “Hosea” comes to mind: Hosea (Come back To Me) Lyrics - Gregory Norbet (christian-songlyrics.net)

Come back to me with all your heart,
don't let fear keep us apart.
Trees do bend, tho' straight and tall;
so must we to others' call.

Long have I waited for your coming
home to me and living deeply our new life.

The wilderness will lead you
to your heart where I will speak.
Integrity and justice
with tenderness you shall know.

Long have I waited for your coming
home to me and living deeply our new life.

You shall sleep secure with peace;
faithfulness will be your joy.

Long have I waited for your coming
home to me and living deeply our new life.

Sometimes, life’s difficulties are God’s reminder for us to return to Him and be the person He wanted us to be. To be true to the nature of our being. To be kind and trustworthy. To be gentle and caring. To be loved and loving. The challenges in life are evidence of God’s call be truly His creation’s masterpiece – a faithful, caring, loving person. A good person.

No matter what other people think or say about us. God knows what is in our hearts. And He knows that true to His call for us to be children of God, our intentions and desires are always pure and unblemished because we are by nature GOOD.