It seems the phrase, “I’m losing faith in humanity”, is being heard more and more these days. Why do you suppose that is? Human beings and our human nature verses nurture is so complicated, it’s hard to pinpoint just one answer. The truth is, it’s a complicated mix of all sorts of things. However, there are a couple of factors that are clear about why someone would lose faith in humanity. One is, so much negativity happening in the world at once, and the other is personal experience and interactions with individuals who are feeling the same. You might say, “It’s a vicious cycle.”
Even with all that is happening, we shouldn’t give up hope on ourselves or others. We must take responsibility for our own self-improvement and development and take responsibility for helping the people in our sphere of influence as well. While this may seem like a task too difficult to accomplish, it is possible.
In this article we will look at why we lose faith in humanity, what happens when we do, and how to restore it.
Why do we lose faith in humanity?
The word humanity describes the entire human race, which includes everyone on earth. It is also the desirable qualities that make us human such as the ability to love, have compassion, be creative, to learn, and to make progress. Humanity is from the Latin word humanitas meaning human nature. It’s very interesting if we see humanity as being human, but it’s also the potential available to us as human beings. The possibility for humanity is truly unlimited. We can always love more, be more compassionate, be more creative, learn more, and make more progress. This is wonderful, except we must apply human nature. Human nature then can hold us back and hinder our capabilities. Unfortunately we have some human tendencies we must come to terms with and be willing to change them. These natures are our selfishness, greed, the desire for power, and control. They get in our way and stifle our growth, and they are the characteristics that cause us to lose faith in all humanity.
What happens when we lose faith in humanity?
A negative outlook on humanity can cause all kinds of bad behavior and it hurts everyone. It breeds fear, hopelessness, anger, a deep desire for change, and a sense that you don’t belong. We see the impact of it within our culture by means of the great resignation, people divided, and the rising mental health issues.
How to restore the faith?
The truth is, there will always be something disrupting humanity, it is the nature of the beast. However, the extent of what is happening now is testing even the most stable and positive people. We must get a handle on what’s going on in our culture and make every effort to turn it around. How do we do that? There’s no perfect answer, but each of us can contribute to the prosperity of humanity if we apply these four principles.
“Four Principles to Live by that Will Help Restore Faith in Humanity”
Make personal development a top priority –
The best thing I can do for you is to take care of me and the best thing you can do for me is to take care of you. Being the best version of yourself truly is the best way to make a positive impact in society. One of the biggest contributing factors to everyday blues is not doing what you know you should do. Living without discipline, procrastinating, and making poor choices kills your confidence, causes anxiety, and zaps your energy. When you make personal development a top priority, you are seeking to learn and grow, and you are taking care of yourself. When you take care of yourself, you will feel assured and be a more positive person.
Follow the golden rule –
Always treat others the way you would want to be treated. You can’t control what other people are doing, but you can control you. As humans, we can love more and show more compassion. It’s the desirable qualities of humanity. It’s just we’ve lost the true sense of tolerance and what it means to show respect to all people. In a world of hate and violence, choose to give more grace and forgiveness. Work hard not to judge and make people feel safe and welcome.
Give back –
Take responsibility for helping others who need it. There are many ways you can contribute to humanity. Through your time in mentoring or being generous with your resources are two great ways you can give back. By helping others who have it worse than you will help yourself the most.
Look for the good –
The bad news is every where you turn, you must actively seek out the good. It seems everyone is moaning about the state of the world all over social media or arguing with people who disagree with them. This negative behavior isn’t going to change anything, it only makes it worse. Make it a rule that you will not complain about something you can’t do anything about. Stop commenting about and consuming the bad news. Focus on the good, the things you can change. As bad as it may seem sometimes, there is so much good in the world.
Let us not lose faith in humanity.
Article Written By:
Kim Martin, Founder of I’ve Decided, INC.
