THE STUDY OF HUMANS AND HUMANITY, PAST AND PRESENT

Abstract

“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” 

– Nelson Mandela

Prehistory is the era that bring into being the appearance of the human being, about five million years ago, and varnishes with the discovery of writing, about sixty millenaries ago. In the Neolithic Age, which began about ten millenaries human beings lived in villages. Human communities cultivated the land and raised cattle. In the course of this age prehistoric humans moved from hunter/gatherer way of life to agriculture and food production. They domesticated animals and cultivated cereal grains. They used polished hand axes, adzes for ploughing and tilling the land and started to settle in the plains. Innovations were made not only in tools but also in farming, home construction and art, as well as pottery, sewing and weaving. This is the turning point in human evolution. Now coming to the point, Human speaks about one individual human being Whereas Humanity talks about to every single human who ever exist or humans collectively. 

Humanity also means the quality of humaneness or magnanimity. Humans are people whereas Humanity is human nature i.e. humans in their true form. Thinking, emotions, feeling, acting, etcetera are some of the natural qualities which make humans distinctive.  Human nature is downright different from the rest of the living beings in this flora and fauna. This very individual nature of humans makes them to behave in a particular way. This instantly recognizable nature helps us in leading a comfortable way of life; sometimes this very nature also becomes an obstacle.  

From the times bygone, ever since humans came into being, they have travelled a long journey through different time zones first in search of a livelihood and shelter and later for a comfortable and progressive livelihood. Humanity is not just upholding an amiable association with each other, but also about creating a binding with the social fraternity. Humanity is the secret behind the togetherness among people which is the result of service to humanity that brings hope and faith in those deprived of happiness of life. 

Humanism and humanity are rarely understood concepts. Usually people confuse humanity with vanity. But what they fail to understand is the core values behind it. The best way to understand the very concept of humanity is to first understand yourself and find who you are. This concept was promulgated by lot of luminaries including the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi.