I am light as air
And with this easy yoke
I see the stormclouds as just clouds
With no malcontented guise

I lift my hands unto the sky
And from the hills my help pours down
With all the rolling of the sea
And in this day my hope draws near.

I see the way and it is clear
I see the moment all alone
Free from all the burdens now
Today the sun breaks free.

I have a nature

Describing man as having a nature seems a convenient thing. Why wouldn't there be something driving our behavior? Trying to imagine not having something internal driving our every decision seems almost unthinkable. I ask the question, "what is man's nature? Is it good or evil?" because I believe that I myself have internal driving forces that inform and make possible my decisions and behavior. I would like you to think (for at least a moment) what you would be like if you did not have a nature. How would you account for the activities of your mind? How would you account for your desires? How would you account for your behavior? Now I know so many of us are afraid of mental gymnastics, but really, you should just give it a try.

The Second Definition

The 2001 edition of the Random House Webster's College Dictionary says nature is:

5. the particular combination of qualities belonging to a person, animal, thing, or class by birth, origin, or constitution; native or inherent character. 6. character, kind, or sort: two books of the same nature. 7. characteristic disposition; temperament: an evil nature. 8. the natural, primitive condition of humankind. 9. biological functions or urges. 10. the laws and principles that guide the universe or an individual.

I find the frequent use of the term "character" very interesting. Let me know what you think.

On Nature

When I think of my nature I tend to think of moral desires and proclivities. I do not often think beyond this. I have not long thought on such things as being made in the image of God or what Francis Schaeffer calls the "mannishness of man". I think that in the realm of desires we feel the need of our nature. Is that the only realm, though?

First Definition

Noah Webster defined nature this way:

3. The essence, essential qualities or attributes of a thing, which constitute it what it is; as the nature of the soul; the nature of blood; the nature of a fluid; the nature of plants, or of a metal; the nature of a circle or an angle. When we speak of the nature of man, we understand the peculiar constitution of his body or mind or the qualities of the species which distinguish him from other animals. When we speak of the nature of a man, or as an individual of the race, we mean his particular qualities or constitution; either the peculiar temperament of his body, or the affections of his mind, his natural appetites, passions, disposition or temper. So of irrational animals. (Noah Webster." American Dictionary of the English Language." Foundation for American Christian Education: San Francisco, 1996.)

I would love to hear what people think about this one.

The Nature of Man question begins with...

What is it mean to have a certain nature? It seems have a lot of possible slants and it seems terribly grey. Now I realize that this is most likely a result of my ignorance and not something else. While Mencius says that human nature is good and the doctrine of the Christian Church is clear that man's nature is evil, I am forced to ask, "what is nature?"