The Final Experience

Introductory Unit

Different humans experience life and its mysteries in a vast variety of manners due to biological and sociological influences. Leonard Shlain wrote of the left versus right brain, and how the analytical left brain of men, dominant in Western cultures, distances humans from emotions, intuition, and nature while promoting science, intellect, and action. Human experience is shaped by which side of the brain is dominant, whether one's intuitive right brain or rational left brain controls his or her view of the world. Not only is human experience influenced by the biological, but the sociological as well. In The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abrams speaks of the human experience as viewed through linear time and cyclical time. In linear time, people are individuals, little dots that need to make their mark in order to be remembered. Events are distinct, and are never to be repeated. In cyclical time, events repeat themselves over and over again, with only small details changing each time. There is far less pressure to 'make your mark' and space and time are often seen as inseparable, with no concept of 'time' and 'space' as elements on their own. Another sociological influence on the human experience is one's culture's creation myths. If, in the case of the first chapter of Genesis, Man is created at the same time as Animal, it sets up a preliminary equality and leads to a more positive and cautious relationship with the natural world. However, when Man is created before Animal, as in the second chapter of Genesis, it provides humans with an excuse to claim superiority, to treat the natural world as a possession, and say it was created for humans to use. This view leads to a dissociation from nature, and with nature, the animalistic and primal aspects of 'human nature.' A person with this relationship will value traits of the left-brain and linear time far more, as he is made to be above nature, should make his mark, and needs the cold, rational ways of the left-brain to do so. A person with a concept of being equal, or even inferior, to nature will value right-brain and aspects of cyclical time more, as he or she tends toward a more spiritual, emotional relationship with the world around him or her.

Humans, Nature, and Sacred Space

As stated in the previous paragraph, the relationship with nature profoundly influences the experience of a human being. In a codependent relationship, as with the Australian Aborigines, nature is to be respected, feared, and loved, and the co-dependance forces an intimate relationship in which humans are forced to care for the natural world about them, as it is an enormous part of everyday life. When this co-dependance with non-domesticated terrain is gone, as with most Western civilizations where food is largely provided for by large-scale farms and slaughterhouses, the natural world is far less important in the average day. This means science and progress are worshiped rather than 'Dreamtime' and the animals and landscapes of the natural world. Humans become independent of nature, and so revel in themselves. This is further exemplified in Shakespeare's The Tempest, where Caliban, the island-born son familiar with the land has a far different outlook from Prospero, the scholarly, former-Duke of Milan. Caliban is used to the island providing for him, and requiring the island to live. he respects the powers of the island, and is willing to believe in a new god with just a few sips of wine. Prospero, however, has had others worry about whee his food comes from, has always had shelter, and had the free time and education to become a scholar and scientist, and even magician, rather than being forced to interact with nature directly. Prospero uses the island, Caliban, and the sprite Ariel as tools and slaves, forcing the natural world to bend to his will rather than be ruled by natural forces. In Montaigne's essay Of Cannibals, he discusses the difference between the Western cultures and the native peoples they have encountered with expansion and exploration. He challenges the ethnocentric Western belief of superiority, and states that the natives are fascinating because they are closer to nature and to the way God created them than any Western society. He asks if the violence and seemed barbaric acts of the native peoples are truly any worse than what Western armies and individuals have done in the past. He mentions the oddities natives found in Western society, such as choosing an inexperienced man as king, rather than someone his elder who would have a better idea of politics and the way in which the world works. Clearly the difference in the way in which a human interacts with nature drastically affects his or her life, and they way he or she interacts with all things.

Love and Beauty

In Plato's Symposium, he states through a conversation between Socrates and Diotima: '"When a man loves the beautiful, what does he desire?" "That the beautiful may be his."' Love is an act of coveting, of wanting to possess that which attracts a person's interest. Who, or what, a person loves will deeply impact his or her experience, such as with Dante who wrote about the unattainable Beatrice for his entire life, or Tristan and Isolde whose tragic courtly romance lasts through marriage and separation, right up to Tristan's death. Beauty and love inspire humans to go beyond the ordinary to achieve what they would not have done otherwise, or to commit acts they never would have considered before they fell victim to their passions. A man can be driven to murder in a jealous rage, or he can be convinced to change his ways and become better for his love. He might write beautiful sonnets, as did Shakespeare, or write a play based on the betrayal of a loved one. The way in which one seeks out love also has a drastic impact on one's life. The experience of love, or lust, is extremely different between a one night stand and a long-term monogamous relationship. A person who goes through countless relationships has a more shallow connection with others when compared to someone who takes time to form a lasting bond with the people around him or her. In the Art of Courtly Love, Andreas Capellanus goes so far as to say that men who spend time with too many women are undeserving of love. Others are also more unlikely to wish to form friendships and relationships with those with a fickle disposition. Depending on how one treats love, and in turn the others affected by his or her love, he or she will be treated differently by the people around them. In The Shape of Things, Adam first loves Evelyn, but his friends dislike her because they can see the way he is being used and changed to her liking. When he discovers that, for Evelyn, he was a graduate thesis project, his love turns to hatred and the scorn others felt for her is now his as well. Love drives people to extreme emotions and acts done in a passionate frenzy that is not entirely under rational control, and yet can shape the course of a life.

Law and Ethics

All civilizations are guided by certain rules, taboos, and morals which create distinct differences in the human experience. In Western civilizations, the Old Testament is the dominant force, and we follow the Ten Commandments and Holiness Code, not necessarily because of religion, but because it is what we are taught is right. 'Thou shalt not kill,' and 'thou shalt not steal' are found in nearly every culture, but others, such as Sunday being a day of rest, are distinctly Western. Where one culture says a thirty year old man marrying a fourteen year old girl is perfectly acceptable, even the norm, another says it is repulsive and wrong. The morals we are taught and the laws we follow create a distinct human experience for every individual. In Crimes and Misdemeanors Judah feels little regret for the death of Delores, where another person might be so driven with guilt that he or she could not live with themselves. In the same movie, there is a conversation at a family dinner about the existence of God and how that affects morality. Aunt May insists that there is no God and no morality, that we do only what we feel, while others at the table take stances ranging from the extremely religious to the moderate, to agreeing with May. Aquinas would disagree, saying that goodness promotes God and his will, while evil does not and is based in lust and a self-serving attitude. The way situations appear to each of these people would seem extremely different, and the decision each of them would make, and consider to be 'good,' could be extremely different because of these views. Where Aunt May might not feel an obligation to help a stranger, the Holiness Code states that helping those less fortunate is a requirement for moral behavior. John Stuart Mill would act in the way that would best help the largest number of people, Aquinas would do as God bids, and Nietzsche would do what his emotions tell him is most pleasurable. These acts might all be different, but none of the men would feel guilt over his actions, yet might condemn the actions of another man. Since we, generally, act based on what we feel is right or wrong, ethics shape our reactions, our decisions, and our actions.

The Inner Journey and the Meaning of Human Existence

Life is often called a journey, and the transitions between birth and death are numerous and rely heavily on one's inner self. In The Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell speaks of life as an adventure, one complete with a monster, abyss, and return. He says that all people undergo some adventure where they must fight their personal demons, be it physical, mental, or otherwise, and must alone travel into a place of confusion and darkness within which they will discover something about themselves and come out of it a better person. Finally, there is the triumphant return of the hero who brings back some contribution to society. What this means for the human experience is that a person ought to find his or her personal adventure, confront their problem and return with some benefit to others. It gives human existence meaning in bettering oneself as well as helping others. Hamlet has a similar take on this meaning, giving the message that one should contemplate life intellectually, as Hamlet does, but not to the extent that the physical world has no meaning. Hamlet's contemplations are interrupted by the murder of his father, and revenge on Claudius takes over. Even as Hamlet ponders philosophy and the meaning of human life when all people turn to dust and food for worms, he grows to accept his fate and is at peace when he is killed after avenging his father. He has bettered himself as well as found justice for the murdered King. Each person ought to complete an inner journey that ends in progress in their intellect, as well as progress in their actions to improve the world around him or her.