Humans have always desired perfection, a desire that often runs so deep it leads to unhappiness. All aspects of culture depict their take on the “perfect” human; it is seen throughout literature, music, film, and art, amongst other things. While these cultural aspects define perfection in different forms, none of them genuinely express the ideal human. The perfect human possesses numerous qualities that overshadow their flaws and help them communicate these qualities towards others. However, one of these characteristics outshines all others. Wisdom is the pinnacle of the ideal human life, and it can only be gained through diverse education and experiences.
Wisdom means that a person has extensive knowledge, understands things that most people do not understand, and has outstanding judgment. Wisdom is not a skill that humans are born with; it must be gained. Humans gain significant knowledge and understanding through the events, feelings, and people they experience. Having a variety of experiences allows a person to become well-rounded, resulting in more wisdom. The texts The Odyssey, The Republic, Genesis, and Luke all encompass wisdom in some form, but none of them genuinely nail the definition or reasoning behind wisdom as the ultimate human ideal.
The Odyssey is an epic poem that focuses on the mental and physical journey of Odysseus. Throughout the poem, it becomes clear that the best way to live life is to pursue glory and honor. To the ancient Greeks, glory was fulfilled by achievements and victories, while honor was gained through just, admirable behavior. One of the first examples of the quest for glory and honor occurred when Odysseus blinded the cyclops, Polyphemus. Odysseus blinds the Cyclops to escape from his cave. He only achieves this feat by tricking the Cyclops. However, Odysseus cannot leave the scene without gaining credibility for what he’s done, stating, “‘Cyclops, if any mortal man ever asks you who it was that inflicted upon your eye this shameful blinding, tell him that you were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities, Laertes is his father, and he makes his home in Ithaca,’” (Homer IX: 502-504). Odysseus could easily have chosen to leave the Cyclops behind, clueless as to who blinded him. However, Odysseus wanted to relish in the glory of the moment. By shouting his name at Polyphemus, Odysseus was able to ensure that the victory was his; it would not go unnoticed. Odysseus was later punished by Poseidon for blinding Polyphemus. Poseidon would never have known Odysseus was the one who blinded Polyphemus if Odysseus did not shout his name. This goes to show that Odysseus valued glory over protection of his/his companion’s lives.
Another example of the pursuit of honor and glory in The Odyssey occurs when Odysseus and Telemachos fight with the suitors. Odysseus returns to Ithaca after being away for twenty years. He returns to his home and finds suitors trying to take his wife and his belongings. He addresses them by saying, “You dogs, you never thought that I would any more come back from the land of Troy… fearing neither the immortal gods… nor any resentment sprung to be yours in the future. Now upon all of you the terms of destruction are fastened” (Homer XXII: 35-41). It is evident that Odysseus is acting out of honor. He wants to take back control of his house and his family, and he no longer wants to be disrespected by the suitors. This is seen as entirely just behavior. Hence, it is considered honorable. It’s apparent that The Odyssey emphasizes glory and honor over every other human characteristic. Odysseus does gain some wisdom on his journey home; he was away for twenty years and experienced a variety of different lands, people, and events that he wouldn’t have if he had made it home to Ithaca immediately after the Trojan War. However, this wisdom is not the quality that is most valued in Greek culture, and thus, The Odyssey does not yield an accurate representation of the ideal human.
The Republic has an entirely different ideal for the perfect human. Plato focuses on education and how the ideal education leads to the perfect human; thus, education must be strictly controlled. Also, Plato suggests that the enlightened humans must spread their knowledge to those who are not informed, stating, “We produced you as guides and rulers both for yourselves and for the rest of the city… So you must go down, each of you in turn, to join the others in their dwelling place” (Plato 7:52c). The Allegory of the Cave is used to show how education is the most valued quality, and thus, once one gains extensive knowledge, they must return to their state of lesser knowledge and share what they’ve learned with others. The Republic emphasizes wisdom somewhat because education is an essential part of wisdom. This strict education Plato proposes does lead to enlightened individuals gaining a fair amount of wisdom, as education leads to understanding that others may not possess. However, the education itself is valued far more than the wisdom gained is, as Plato suggests that the educated spread their knowledge, not their complete understanding, to others. Thus, The Republic does not portray an accurate representation of the human ideal either.
The Bible has a unique take on the human ideal. Throughout Genesis, it is shown that the ideal man is one who was made in the image of God. This means that the person shares certain qualities with God, such as forgiveness and love, and obeys and honors God, no matter what. Genesis shows that all humans were created in the image of God, stating, “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Throughout Genesis, God tends to favor those humans who act as closely to Himself as possible; those who operate in the image of God prosper. Noah is an excellent example of a person who is favored by God. God was unhappy with all the sin in the world, and he planned to kill all of the humans. However, he decided to spare Noah because Noah was righteous and acted in the image of God. In contrast, those who sin and give in to temptation are punished. Adam and Eve, at the beginning of Genesis, disobeyed God and ate the fruit He told them to avoid. In consequence, God banished them from the garden of Eden. It is evident that Genesis’ ideal human lives without sin and follows God as close as possible. However, Genesis does not accurately describe the ideal human because it does not emphasize wisdom as one of the godlike qualities favored humans possess. God is depicted as all-knowing and understanding, meaning He is very wise. Obviously, this means that humans should strive for wisdom, as they’re supposed to strive to be like God. However, wisdom is not depicted as the most important thing to aim for. Other qualities are favored; love, forgiveness, obedience, and living without sin are far more critical than possessing wisdom. It is evident that Genesis does not accurately depict the human ideal of wisdom either.
The ideal human depicted in the New Testament is similar to the perfect human of the Old Testament, but it does have some significant differences. In Luke, the ideal human is Jesus, and all other people must try to follow him and listen to him as closely as possible. Jesus preaches kindness and compassion to everyone throughout Luke, which becomes vital to the ideal human depicted. Jesus states, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). Naturally, being kind and loving to your enemies is a tough thing to do. Jesus is trying to help people rise above the sinners; even sinners hate their enemies, but it takes someone who is incredibly kind and compassionate to look past the evil things their enemies have done and be kind and loving towards them. Also, Jesus preaches forgiveness. Jesus knows that sin has taken over the world and that everlasting love has been distorted by sin. However, he tells people to repent their sins to secure a spot in Heaven. Luke differs from Genesis because it praises forgiveness of sins rather than life without sin. It depicts a much more realistic view of human lives, as it’s nearly impossible to live an utterly sin-free life. Like Genesis, Luke describes Jesus as all-knowing and wise. Since Jesus is the ideal man, people should strive for wisdom. However, wisdom is not an essential quality that Jesus possesses and preaches; compassion and forgiveness are far more critical. Because wisdom is not stressed as important, Luke does not a depict the ideal human in a suitable manner.
None of these pieces of literature accurately describe the ideal human because none of them show how wisdom can be applied to everyday life. As stated previously, wisdom is knowledge and complete understanding, and it can only be gained through education and many different experiences. Looking at an example, such as racism in society, shows how this description of wisdom is entirely accurate and should be considered the ultimate human ideal. Every single human alive has the capacity to be racist, but not every human acts on this capacity. The vast majority of people are not racist. This is only so because of how they gained knowledge and understanding of racism. Parents that teach their children about the different types of people when they are young often lead their children in the right direction; these children tend to be more accepting of others and do not point out the apparent differences between people. If parents choose not to educate their children about racism, it can cause kids to point out the differences and thus, develop a racist view towards others. Also, those who have experienced racism firsthand or who have seen racism occur obtain a better understanding of what racism is and how it affects people. Because of this understanding, they will choose to eliminate racism from their minds. It is evident that education and experience can influence a person’s knowledge and understanding; thus, education and experience lead to wisdom. Wisdom is the most crucial human ideal because it allows one to empathize with others through understanding, knowledge, and similar experiences. One can use this empathy to work with others and help benefit society.
Through real-life examples, it is clear that wisdom is the most important quality a human can have. Wisdom is not accurately portrayed in The Odyssey, The Republic, or The Bible, but these works can be used as counterexamples to show why wisdom is the most critical human ideal. Wisdom is necessary because it allows for knowledge and understanding of events that cannot be gained from any other human characteristic. Because this wisdom enables humans to empathize with each other and benefit society, wisdom is genuinely the ultimate human ideal, and everyone should strive for it.