Human Nature...

Someone recently told me that human nature was naturally bad or evil. These are my thoughts...

Human Nature is good right? Recently I have found human nature to be depressing, but not evil or bad. We all seem so clearly out for ourselves (selfish). Put us together and inevitably trouble ensues; we fight, we divorce, we steal, we hold grudges, we kill. We wage war not just on the battlefield, but on every field—in the home, at the office, school, even on the highway. Our true nature is divine. Love is the substance of which we are made and we can never change that. How is it, then, that we humans are capable of such cruelty? Is it because we have forgotten our true nature, have we lost touch with our original purity?

Remember: To recall to the mind WITH EFFORT; to think of again. I have been thinking about my heritage lately (not my ancestral heritage); I mean my divine heritage and how often I forget. I forget that I have so much more to give because of what I've been given. So have we all simply forgotten? What causes us to change, even from when we are little. Yes, that little child who lives deep within our Divine who loves to play, joke, be happy and blow bubbles! Isn't it interesting that the Savior would make the following statement: "And again I say unto you, ye must . . . become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God" (3 Nephi 11:38)? James A. Paramore gave a talk that outlines what we can learn from children.

- The Power to Believe
- The Power of Implicit Faith
- The Power of Obedience
- The Power of Love
- The Power of Service
- The Power of Enthusiasm

Children seek new experiences, they have no pretense or scorn or condescension or pride. They are natural and warm and outgoing. They are excited about the smallest things, and as such, captivate our attention. They experience each day with newness, not building upon the difficulties of the previous day. They don't even remember them. They teach us that spontaneity and excitement for life are essential to happiness and self-fulfillment, and really come from a loving God. They are not instinctively grouchy or self righteous or hateful. These are acquired traits. Some of the greatest lessons we'll ever need are to hang on to and cultivate these gifts given by a loving Father in Heaven.

So is Human Nature Bad or Evil...No not to me. Everything we do that is good comes from within us, it has been given to us long before this earthly experience. When we experience negative feelings or are hurt by another person, we are not experiencing human nature we are experiencing the Natural Man. So when this happens be the better person be a "daymaker" assist them in remembering. I love that the qualities that we can learn from children are prefaced with the word POWER. We have the power to change ourselves as well as those that are brought into our lives, even if for a brief moment. How do we do it? We remember to be as a little child.