Mateo Reyna

Humanities Reflection, 1A
January 6, 2015
Of Steps of Chapter X
Humanities has been an interesting experience. Many of the students have had some quite
remarkable thoughts that propelled my own thinking. I have always considered myself a silent
philosopher. Often, I think about the nature of the world and how societies, cultures, events all
correlate to one another. These thoughts tear at me from the inside. Sometimes I wonder if I am
still human too think the way I do. It is hard, but I see things in the world that people do not:
good in evil, and evil in good. My opinion on matters is never concrete because the everything is
always changing. The observable action can have concrete sets, yet, the sets are ever expanding
and branching, therefore, I cannot come to a conclusion about the nature of things. I drives me
mad. This class helped me see my theories and ideas come to life. All this time many more have
asked the questions before me: the answers were under my nose. A philosopher can never be
happy, in love, sad, or hateful or else they fail to be a philosopher.. The problem is finding some
ground: I wish to be human, but being human is being ignorant. Ignorant seems to be bliss in this
regard. For understanding, truly understanding the nature of things will only make you dead in
the inside. How can one who sees truths believe in lies? Everything is relative, there is no
absolute truth. A blind man can see anything; while, a seeing man can only see what is there. An
ironic gesture. I am not like most people. I am not like my peers. Always haunted by these
thoughts makes me bitter and cold, but it is because of this I am highly regarded. If one could
have a choice between a god and man what would be the choice. Who would chose the fool? I
would for the fool knows not the errors in the world, but lives in them. The fool has no eye nor

ear for the disillusion of the human world. He cares not but for his own sake, and his ideals. May
he be good or bad, lover or hater, savior or destroyer: it is his right. A God cannot be any of these
things. God is the ultimate philosopher. Truly understanding the world, God would need to
understand the consequence of all action. Knowledge of this would break them from a human
conscience. There is no wrong choice in the eyes of the beholder if he is all seeing and all
hearing. Three wise monkeys are the epitome of man. For one does not see, one does not hear,
and one does not speak: one of man. Humanities has shown me this realization. The world is
filled with vastly different people in regards to culture, however, we all share the same human
cognition. We feel the same, and think the same. Regardless of where they are from we are all
connected. Why is it so that there exists inequality, terrorism, and prejudice, and set-margins?
You can say that the ability for humankind to think cruelly is the burden of humankind and must
be eliminated. No. It cannot be. Although I do not care for terrorist, racists, or bigots: they must
always be. We cannot rid the world of evil because that is ridding the world a part of man. If we
have no evil and only good then are we still human? A human being has a choice between right
and wrong (which is derived from themselves). What if you take away the wrong? This is the
problem: there is no set wrong. We all have something we will do and something we would not
do. It is all dependant upon the circumstance. A normal person may never wish to harm another
being, yet, if their family were threatened it would change. Anyone can fall or rise given the
circumstance. There is a movie called, A Clockwork Orange, that magnificently shows this harsh
reality. The boy, Alex, is ravenous teenager hungry for the good old ultra-violence, drug filled
milk, rape, and the old in-out in-out (as he would say). He is subject to an experiential
psychotherapy, The Ludovico Technique, that rids him of the immoral thinking by causing him to
gag with every bad thought (like a dog). In the process, Beethoven was shown in one of the clips

he watched. He is close to vomiting whenever he listens to Beethoven! Imagine that. In the end,
Alex tries to commit suicide, but ends up in a hospital bed instead. The near death experience
causes the effects of the Ludovico Technique to reverse. Alex ends with saying he is cured. I
believe you might be aware where I am going with this. If not let this be the final dagger. There
is a movie and book: Harrison Bergeron, and Fahrenheit 451. The question to ask oneself is: are
these societies at peace? Yes they are, and this is where the paradox comes into play. The people
in Fahrenheit 451 are almost machine like. They are inside watching television most of the time
falling prey to whatever garbage the government wants them to believe. This book was written in
the 50s so the internet was not (yet) a problem. Books were around and abundant. They burn at
451 degrees. In Harrison Bergeron, people who are above the normal people are handicapped.
Everyone is equal. This is what we have always wanted. Of course the means by which it is
obtained is not the first choice in turns out in is the only choice. There is one major flaw to all
these dystopias (utopias?): people are still allowed to think. Harrison Bergeron shatters the
system because he can think about the nature of things. Guy Montag, embarked by curiosity,
beings to collect books. All these people are allowed to think therefore allowed to think
differently. If you take away the world of evil you end with worlds like A Clockwork Orange,
Fahrenheit 451, and Harrison Bergeron. Peace cannot exist in the sense that we are all happy and
dancing through fields of daisies because there will always be one who does not like the dancing,
the sunshine, the laughter, the happiness. What do you do with those people? Do you handicap
them, make them dumb, make them a machine, kill them, make them hate evil, but at cost of
something they love. There is no justice here. The world can never have peace. I call this the
Bergeron Complex. The second proposition of three on how to obtain peace. The first being
extermination. Evident throughout history: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Adolf hitler, and

whole societies that wish to gain something for their own benefit. It is the third proposition that
interests me for it is seemingly counter-intuitive: Understanding. This is not understanding the
differences between cultures to have harmony with in the world and stop ignorance.
Understanding is almost the opposite. Being aware of the nature of the world and that there
things that will never change is understanding. You can still fight for what you believe. Help
people who need it and wish for change. The problem is that change comes from something
drastic. We can change the mold of the world today, but it will just be the same world, same
problems, in a new shape. Or we can try the Bergeron Complex: mind control, handicaps,
propaganda; to insight a false peace into the minds of the people. You can kill all the people that
are a problem for you are only left with people that agreed with you to begin with (you must rid
of all differences). Or you can be aware of yourself and the world. There are bad people that will
do bad things just as much as there is good. What one must do is simply live as they always had.
Live for the everyday moments, great and mundane alike, to the fullest. Just never believe that
peace can be obtained. For if it ever were to occur. It would be the end of humanity. Of course
this is just a theory.
This is just a sliver of what thoughts have come from my Humanities class. My new love
for philosophy will have roots in that cozy classroom at Hunter High. I see people having vastly
complex lives; however, all stemming back to one another. In difference we are the same. The
world is an amazing place. Life everyday for me is great for I live to see it so. Will I take
philosophy classes? I do not know -- I am not much of a talker. But I wish to help the world see
things that were left in the dark although apparent. Humanities took my philosophical approach
to a new level and for that I could not be happier. I am happy, afraid, sad, loved, alive, and all
inbetween. For at last, I am human means something to me.