The Agony of Humanity

Miguel de Unamuno writes in “La Agonía del Cristianismo” about the inherent conflict that the Gospel requires of its followers. One is told to be fruitful and multiply, and yet at the same time, one is obliged to leave everything behind (family, friends, the world).

In my world, I live what I call the Agony of Humanity. I love people. I love being around people, talking to them, learning about and from them. I value above all else generosity and kindness. At the same time, I also cherish my solitude. Ironically, I consider myself sociable yet anti-social. Sometimes I just want to be left alone.

But the real problem is that I am often overwhelmed by the shere stupidity of people. First, people ask me for the most absurd favors, and I always oblige. And then, in public, people are cabable of the greatest of ineptitudes, for example, getting off the metro and immediately stopping to look from left to right (blocking everyone else from exiting the metro car). I think my biggest annoyance with humanity is its utter lack of consideration. Then there is the general skillessness that people apply to their delay activities. People just don’t think before acting, they just do. It is pure carelessness. Unfortunately, I recognize that anger is a sign a of a greater weakness than stupidity, and getting upset or annoyed because of another’s stupidty is an equivalent act of carelessness.

Consequently, I continue to offer my time granting favors. When faced with the Agony, I always choose forgiveness and end up yeilding my cherished solitude.