Are We Good or Evil by Nature?

I just returned from a meeting at the Community Center in our little town.  We were looking at the facilities as we plan a reception that will be held there.  I was once again struck by how well done and usable the Community Center is.  Nice rooms for private gatherings, open spaces for mingling, rooms set up for training events, a large commercial kitchen, and one gigantic room that can host a small convention.  It’s a setup that I would think you would find in a much larger community. As I was thinking about how fortunate our community is to have such a wonderful venue, I wondered to myself as to how our little town could have pulled off such a herculean feat.  That’s about the time I wandered by some plaques on the wall celebrating many of the people and organizations that donated money to help the Community Center become a reality.  That’s where I found the answer to my question.  This place was built because the community came together, cooperated with one another, and supported the dream of a new community center with their time, energy and money.  A fine tribute to the human ability to cooperate and create something good.  

And there are myriad stories just like this one.  Stories about individuals or groups or entire communities coming together to do good.  You know of examples in your own life or your own community.  Whether it’s a food bank, a clothing closet or some other organization whose goal is to care for people, we all have seen examples of the goodness of humankind.  

Of course that’s not the whole picture.  We also know that humans have the capacity to do harm and bring destruction.  

Ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius used this example to illustrate why he believed that all humans had, at their core, a good nature: He argued that anyone who saw a baby about to fall into a well, would immediately feel compassion, and most likely attempt to save the baby. For him, this was enough evidence to believe that human nature is basically good.  

As for me, I want, and choose to believe that humans are basically good.  And whether that is ultimately true or not, I do believe that when we expect people to do good, often we find what we're looking for.  And when communities come together, they can create a synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.