(no subject)

[belheir]

Sender: Anonymous
To: Everyone
Subject: Question

What do you think human nature is closer to? That of gods, angels, or demons?

[ It's been something that's been bothering him for some time. He knows the answer he had given, but it'd seemed like it was... incorrect, at the time. ]

Define "human" as whatever your worlds closest equivalent is, if you need to.

Comments

[amnesiadragon]

i think it depends on the person honestly

i mean maybe i cant really pass judgement since im not human but it really seems to depend

ive known some really terribel people but ive also known some really good people too

[belheir]

I'm talking as a whole. Not individually. I'm also not asking whether or not humans are "good" or "evil".

Sender: Joshua

[empyreancatastrophe]

I would say humanity is close to none, while bearing aspects of all.

Human existence is a grand tale. One where cosmic wonders unfold upon each page. One where we fill the role of an entity whose essence aims to mimic the divine, elude the ethereal, and dance in the wake of shadows. An enigma wrapped in the fabric of time, a brief, bright spark that illuminates a small corner of creation with the brilliance of free will.

Unlike lofty gods who command the heavens with omnipotence, humanity stands as a testament to the beauty of limitation. Neither burdened by the clipped wings of angels nor ensnared by the infernal chains of demons, humans tread the earth with a unique, untamed spirit, a spirit that yearns to soar beyond the boundaries of destiny--even if it means we often court destruction in our hubris.

Such is the blessing and the curse of our wills.

Free will, that sacred flame stoked by equal parts ego and humility, courses through the veins of every human being, a force that carves paths unknown and fills us with the courage, or foolhardiness, depending on who one asks, to traverse them. It is the catalyst for choice, the forge where dreams are wrought and where the magnificent discord of individuality thrives.

However, as I mentioned before, despite my honeyed words, there is of course a darker side to our will. We may dance in the wake of shadows, but only because we rarely take responsibility for them.

We bear no infernal chains, yet we clad our innocent brethren in steel and, therefore, our entire lot in chains of acrimony.

Our wings may not be clipped, but we cannot fly without accounting for the weight of consequence.

We stand as a testament of limitation, but if we were to ever break free of it, we would ultimately destroy ourselves.

While gods, angels, and demons may be defined by their celestial attributes, humanity is characterized by its boisterousness, its fragility, and the exquisite chaos of its unbridled will.

I hope this answers your question.

[belheir]

[ Leave it to Joshua to wax poetic.

Though... that was essentially what Naoya had told him too. His Naoya, not the one here from a different path taken. ]

I was told what you just said once. That humans are neither like the unwavering rigidity of angels and gods, nor like the free form chaos of demons. That in a good sense they were flexible enough to lend to either or. In a bad sense, too vague to be fully trusted to either.

sender: hiyori

[wwtd]

[ might be crying from how beautiful this all is?? (also might have copied this all word for word and wrote it down in her personal journal with credit towards him. just because it's so moving.) as such, she has to comment: ]

You have a wonderful way with words! Are you a writer?

sender: Flowey

[your_best_friend]

The main difference between humanity and monsters is that humanity is capable of determination. Humans can also come on all sorts of forms, from the most sociopathic and depraved to the most pacifistic and friendly.

[belheir]

I'm not talking about the concepts of good and evil or right and wrong. I'm talking about the nature of humans as a whole.

Sender: Xiao

[whirlwindthrust]

Humans are unique unto themselves. They bear characteristics that gods and demons simply do not.

[belheir]

So you wouldn't say that as a whole they lean closer to demonic or divine nature?

[localweirdo]

How interesting! What brought this on all of a sudden?

[belheir]

It's something I've been thinking about for a bit. Especially seeing how people interact with the demonic and divine in general here.

Not everyone is human, but most seem to know of or have the concept of angels and demons.

Sender: Erichthonios

[beshackled]

To best answer your question, I would first need to know how it is you define gods, angels, and demons... given that the definition of godhood may vary between cultures, or persons.

For example, your way of describing demons does not sound unlike how Nico described the gods with which he is familiar.

What, in the context of your question, differentiates a god from an angel? What differentiates a god from a demon? And how is an angel different from them both?

[belheir]

You're not wrong in that it can vary. For this, I would personally define them as the following:

God: A celestial being of immense divine power, capable of creation or destruction on a mass scale. A being who sets forth rules and laws for other creatures to follow, while not necessarily having to follow them itself.

Angels: Beings created by God to uphold the rules and laws made by any means they and God deem acceptable. They have no free will of their own, and exist simply as judge, jury, and executioner. There's no shades of grey with them. You either followed the rules set forth, or didn't.

Demons: Beings whos very nature is the opposite of angels and God. They revel in freedom and chaos, and are creatures who follow their whims and desires to the exclusion of all else. To demons, Might Makes Right. As long as they have the power to do something, they will. And if they don't have it, they'll seek it.

Does that work for you?

sender: Martel Yggdrasill

[untwisted]

This is interesting because these aren't all distinct groups where I'm from. Angels are humans or half-elves with enhanced skills. And the world's "goddess" is also simply one of them.

Demons are sealed away in their own world. From what little experience I've had with them, they're closer to monsters.

If this is a question about the light and darkness inside people, everyone has and is capable of both.

[belheir]

Where I'm from, God and His angels occupy a space called the outer realms, and they don't normally interact with humans as a whole except to cause problems. Demons on the other hand, normally live in a place just called the demon realm, or Makai.

It's not a question of whether people are wholly good or wholly evil. Though I guess judging from what other people have asked, maybe I should have clarified.

I'm asking whether human nature normally follows a more lawful, rigid structure, like that of angels and gods, or are more chaotic and prone to following their desires to the exclusion of all else, like demons.

Sender: Kratos Aurion

[flamberge]

Many individuals' responses to that may differ based on their own experiences and knowledge with the subject of not just humans but the three other beings you mentioned, as well.

Ignoring the nuances, human nature is human nature. Asking which it is closer to is like asking if an apple is closer to an orange or a pear. There will always be similarities and there will always be differences.

[belheir]

[So many people think this way... It's kind of upsetting, though he knows enough to know that it's probably just because of him and the choices he's made.]

I see it a little differently. All of them are apples, but of different varieties, to use your analogy. Whether humans lean towards the sweeter or the more sour varieties is what I'm curious about.

My answer is demons, for the record.

un: 30hotdoglimit

[stilljustyou]

It's up to the person on what they're more like.

[belheir]

But I'm not speaking on an individual basis. that's definitely true then, but I'm saying if you had a large group of people, do they lean more one way or another?

sender: ryunosuke naruhodo

[locumstudentesquire]

Isn't the point that they're all rather different to begin with?

[belheir]

Only insofar as Demons are the opposite of Angels and Gods.

Humans, who exist between them, definitely take after one more than the other, don't you think?

sender: sephiroth

[sefirot]

Humans are parasites.

[belheir]

Disagree, also not even remotely close to even beginning to properly answer the question I asked.

Sender: Nico di Angelo

[refantasma]

hmm... as a whole, gods. the gods are the best and worst of humanity after all.

[belheir]

The same can be said of demons too. Demons both benevolent and antagonistic exist.

[nailed_navigation]

Would you also want opinions of those that used to be humans as well? Spirits in particular.

[belheir]

Sure. No reason not too hear everyone out, right?