Essay on Readings in Humanities

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Readings in Humanities
The human condition encompasses the unique features of being human in both a social and personal context. It is why we seek praise and gratification. It is the reason for your curiosity, your conscience and your judgment of others. It is separate from status, race, sex or cultural background. The human condition is like that of no other living species on earth. It is what makes us superior to every other living organism. These writers all are all polarizing in their own right and each has a unique perception of the human condition.
Sun Tzu is one of the most important people in history in terms of war. He was an evolutionist and a pioneer on the battlefield. Sun Tzu’s principles are still widely used and valued to this day. Some of the things he believed in that I found particularly interesting while reading “The Art of War”. Tzu defended that his success on the battlefield wasn’t necessarily because of superior weaponry. He knew the importance of strategic planning and understanding your opponent. He was able to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of his opposition and then plan accordingly to exploit those weaknesses on the battlefield. I think it’s impressive for someone who lived so long ago in a much different world that we live in today to realize that war is as much, if not more of a psychological struggle as it is a physical one. He was one of the first really intellectually minded generals in the modern world. It could be said that his best weapon was his brain and that was a weapon that would remain solely in his possession as long as he lived. Because Tzu is so keenly aware how there are many types of weakness that can make us vulnerable, I wonder what form of government he thought as the most effective. Would it be with a strong tyrant who appeared to have little weakness? Or would his government be diverse and portray an even-keel to outsiders? If Tzu were to rule would he try to conquer others? I don’t think I will ever know the answers to these questions but if I were to talk to Tzu these would be some of the things I’d ask him. Charles Manson to me is one of the most intriguing human beings to ever live. I always thought he was guilty and should be in jail until he dies but his take on his “guilt” is interesting. Manson sort of maintains in his book the fact that he, his physical self, did not commit any murders so he shouldn’t be in jail for murder. I think that society is set up in the way where people will hold others responsible based on their own perception of guilt regardless of the way the law is set up. Everyone in society saw Manson as a sociopath and a threat so they convict him and put extricate him from society. He is seen as a radical outcast and so we as humans see him as someone who is too vastly different than ourselves and so we find ways to remove them from everyone else. He was someone who people didn’t understand and that is why they were fearful of him. The overwhelming majority of people feel that murder is wrong so we punish those who do it. And the majority of people believe that those who murder should be ashamed and feel guilty. And people like Manson don’t feel that we are shocked for some reason but the reality is that this behavior is in our nature. Ever since the beginning of mankind we have been killing each other. Hundreds of millions of humans over the course of time have murdered one another. We as a race do this to each other and always have so I just don’t fully understand why we are surprised when people like Manson do the things that they do. I feel that there is a conflict of morals where Manson feels that since there is no blood on his hands that he isn’t guilty, but our society believes that he is still responsible. I think that it’s a good thing that our society is set up this way to regulate the actions of people like Manson because he is ultimately more dangerous than the average person. To be fair to Manson, he was someone who in
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