If you ask an existentialist, or a self proclaimed one on the internet, which Greco-Roman mythological figure most resembles the nature of man, they are likely to respond with Sisyphus, due to his eternal struggle that Camus relates to our interaction with the absurd. While Sisyphus is a sound comparison, and one that is strangely encouraging, I would like to suggest another mythological character that embodies the human condition: Janus, the Greek god of duality. Janus embodies all opposites, the begging and the end, entry and exit, war and peace, and optimism and pessimism to name a few. He is a contradiction, with his two heads akin to those of comedy and tragedy. And what is a human, but a contradiction? Humanity has his fingertip on the divine, and his foot in the beast. Ask yourself this: is greatness, achieved by the overcoming of our vices and instincts, us overcoming our humanity? But, then, is this desire for what is greater not in our human nature? To succumb to lethargy and strip the world of meaning feels counter to our nature. Some have argued this imposition of meaning and morals past our animalistic instincts are phenomena promulgated by society. These people often wish to reduce man to animal. Scientifically, man is animal. However, we are very different than animal because we have the will to overcome ourselves. Harkening back to the Janus motif, man's conscience often seems like two different people. There are two forces inside of us in constant turmoil. Man simultaneously wants to overcome his vices, and succumb to them. He wishes for greatness, but lies in wait. He wishes for peace, but relishes in chaos. He wants love, but neglects the two sided nature of it. Does this mean man is stuck in his animalistic nature? No. For just as many times as one falls, another is raised up. Addiction is overcome by the will. Misery is overcome by the love of another. Apathy towards the afflicted is tarnished by connection. The average rise with dedication. The love and the will that is humanity separates us from being merely animals. So, when someone tells you that you are "only human," that you should succumb to your inaptitudes, keep climbing the mountain, so that you may be closer to the divine. Because, you are not only a man, but you are MAN.
While running, I always stop to walk through the cemetery I pass on my route. It feels wrong to just run past the dead and ignore them, as many, including myself, often do. While paying my respects, I noticed an inherent contrast between this moment and the rest of the run. I wondered to myself why this was so. Of course, there was the difference between running on the sidewalk and walking through the cemetery, but I believed the contrast went deeper. I felt a sort of disparity between life and death. Upon further reflection, this seemed to make sense to me. In a way, when we exercise, we feel a fullness of life that our bodies usually don't experience. Our hearts pump quicker, our lungs work feverishly to engulf enough oxygen, and our muscles burn energy to continue the strenuous activity. Our bodies works near the fullest of its capacity. However, exercising can also be looked at as bringing the body to its closest point to failure. It is when our body brinks failu...
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