Writer’s Name: Todney Harris
Title: Human Programming
As I have aged and matured, I have always had a positive outlook regarding the world in which I live. I have always lived by the teachings from family traditions, secular traditions, and most importantly religious pedagogy. I’ve allowed these influences to govern my life and the decisions that I have made. I never really critically thought about these influences and the impact that they have had on my adult life. I just accepted them as “normal” due to the fact that the majority of the adults that I knew personally or professionally behaved in a manner acceptable to society’s standards. Despite these influences, I have always questioned authority which in turn has given me the ability to critically analyze society’s standards and procedures. As a mature adult, I have always wondered what human existence would be if human beings weren’t bound by the standards of tradition, family, religion and scientific thought. As of late, I have begun to question the very essence of the threads that bind us together as a human family.
Which leads me to my line of thought: human beings are heavily programmed. As much as I hate to admit this, I believe that religion and science are used as tools to control the human mind and human behavior. Science and religion intersect. These two ideologies have existed for thousands of years. However, most people do not realize this fact. Human beings have been “conditioned” to believe that science and religion are in a constant state of conflict. I do not agree. As a student of history and social science, I have come to the conclusion that each ideology must coexist. One cannot exist without the other. For example, throughout history, the Old and New Testament (Christianity) has governed human outlook upon life. There are many stories found within the Old and New Testament that can be proven historically and scientifically. I refer to it as the biblical/historical connection. In fact, historians, archeologists, and forensic specialists are continually looking for remains and or artifacts of ancient peoples and or kingdoms that are referenced in the Old and New Testament. (Christianity)
Most of the programming that human have endured is from nature. Human genetics have evolved over thousands of years. For those individuals who favor the argument that God took the rib from Adam and made Eve I say that if you believe in the creationist story of human beings then so is it. However, for arguments sake, let us consider that this is true. I have one question regarding the creationist story. How are clerics going to explain how human beings have evolved over thousands of years? Science has proven that humans evolved in stages. If you are a proponent of the creationist story then you generally accept that when God made man and woman, humans were already in the current state of evolution that we currently enjoy. In fact, humans deny their natural instincts. Nature has given us the genetic blueprint for survival. Most human beings are afraid to listen to their natural instincts due to the constraints of the secular world. Once again, religion, family and secular traditions have us locked in to standards of behavior and morality.
The remainder of our programming comes from the government and religious institutions. Each religion has a standard of behavior or code of conduct. These beliefs are ingrained and reinforced in human beings at an early age. The years of one to seven are the critical years of human programming. It is during that time when the code of conduct from the government and religions are continually learned and repeated. It is no secret that these beliefs are ingrained during the formative years of a child’s life. It is very hard to undo the programming once it has taken root. The very thought of “thinking outside the box” or thinking and behaving in an alternative fashion other than the “norm” of society’s standards can be very frightening indeed.
At this point in my life, I must admit that hindsight is everything. If I had these realizations as a younger man, my life would be vastly different from the life that I currently enjoy. I feel that I have gotten myself locked into a cycle of behavior, debt, and thoughts that are not truly of my own origin. There are so many things that I wish to try. Unfortunately, I cannot attain this because I have responsibilities that I must fulfill. I do so without regret. I live in the world that I have created for myself. My choices have created my reality. I hope that whoever reads this understands and accepts the fact that life is what you make it. A human can either live according to the religions, scientific or familial beliefs that one has been accustomed to or a human can take risks and take control of the life that they have been given. If successful, a person then will have the life that he or she chooses without the influence of the programming that he or she has been subjected to.