The Beauty of the Human Condition

Ironically, since beginning my psychology studies, I have found an immense gap between myself and my emotional, creative side. Even more curious is the way in which psychology courses are taught, and the way in which professors treat this extremely important aspect of natural science. No doubt this 'way' of presenting psychology has more to do with the fear of not being taken seriously, and God forbid being compared to such flaky social sciences as sociology. Without elaboration on that, I will say that with this lack of creativity and subjective opportunity in school, I have found that applying the concepts and theories of human experience INTO my personal life the only way of justifying what it all means. I've found psychology to be almost as daunting, complex, and overwhelming as quantum physics. I would almost go so far as to say that they are pervasively linked to one another. One of the main ideas in quantum theory is that the world of atoms and energy bares NO resemblance to the world we perceive. To me, this very idea is at the core of the most fundamental questions regarding the human mind/soul. What are we experiencing in life? How does our experience compare to the material world? Is there a material world? And even on a somewhat micro level: How can we possibly understand, reconcile, and even begin to explain the variance of our experiences and the complexity of our own minds?

Where am I going with this?
I suppose that I have come to believe that the most valuable thing about the science of psychology is the ambition behind it. To me, it reflects the best, most unique characteristics found in human nature: courage, strength, willingness to analyze and reflect, openness to the unknown. I imagine the dedicated women and men who actively try to answer these difficult questions to be blindly jumping into an abyss with no concept of where they will come out, or if they will ever come out again. This metaphor is what inspires me in my own life, and it is what attracts me to the people I have come to know and love. The beauty of the human condition is reflected in our passion and dedication and boundless courage in seeking truth, regardless of whether or not there will ever be a truth to know (and as we've found so far, there are either many varied truths, or perhaps none at all that come close to what we can understand). It always amazes me to see people living so close to the surface of their lives. I have trouble not thinking on occasion of how wasteful it is not to delve deeper when there is an ocean inside of us to explore. On the other hand, there are days I wake up and wish that it wasn't innately programmed into me to 'dive' and that I could just float for awhile and close my eyes. But the people and interactions that have most affected my life are those that remind me of the purpose. They awaken passion, and express a dedicated love of their own human experience, and a great understanding of our fleeting privilege to contemplate, debate, enjoy, and be grateful for whatever it is we have - whatever you want to name it. I live for this link between me and other souls. I believe that "the passions" are the elements that truly connect us. Without them, we're really just zombies.

* I credit my fellow seeker of truth and passionate 'lifer', Miss Amanda Merrick with both the inspiration and title for this post. She writes an incredible blog called The Covetist -
I love you my love. xo