The Mystery of Man & His Search

 

Part 2 of 6 - What is Man?

To himself man is a mystery in the universe. Of all the creatures on earth only man is so driven by something within. Animals live instinctually, but man has a deeper awareness of his emptiness and hunger that drives him on. Although we know more about man now than ever before, his DNA, RNA, the human genome, cell structure, the working of the brain and bodily organs, laws of physics. etc., most do not understand man’s innermost need.

We have more basic questions to answer…

• What is man? Of what is he composed?
• Why Man? What is his purpose?
• From where does this inner sense come?

Most philosophers, psychologists, and theologians realize that man is not so simple. He is regarded as an entity with a dual nature, having the physical and metaphysical – of biological and psychological components. This is pretty much the extent of the common understanding of the fundamental make-up of man.

Yet still in the light of this degree of understanding man remain powerless to quench his feeling or sense of inner emptiness.

For most, man remains to be a mystery.

Let’s now examine “man” further to understand his unconscious seeking.

The Physical Body Is a Dead End

Everyone is aware of his own body. It’s tangible, temporal, and lends itself to scientific investigation. If you ask a chemist, “What is man?” he might produce a analysis chart and point out to you conclusively that man is so much water, nitrogen, carbon, and various other elements. Yet he would have been referring to only the physical part of man’s being. Thus, man appears to be identical to the elements of the earth. Genesis 2:7a the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground …

Since the beginning of history, man has sought to be free from the imprisonment of his body and touch something that will satisfy his inner longing. He has tried sex, drugs, alcohol and to find new ways of pleasing his physical senses, even now with “virtual electronic world.” Yet only finds that nothing really satisfies that hunger deep within. Physical and sensual pleasure is so fleeting. Although man has managed to prolong his biological life, still every man comes to the point where he has to admit that the body is a literal dead end.