My name is James Gates. I grew up in the 1940's and 50's, in a diverse hostile social environment in a complex time. This environment was governed by insanity, bigotry, fear and inhumanity. But beyond all the madness, a sense of hopelessness induced a measure of tolerance that created a guarded feeling of happiness and well being, yet tainted by fear. As I observed and experienced the blatant inhumanities associated with bigotry and other flaws, I realized that I was in a unique position to analyze the relationship between human behavior and the natural instincts that governed it. This book is an assembly of poetry and philosophy based purely on my experiences and observations. It was my way of understanding what I felt was the basic fundamental functioning of humanity. It appeared only fitting that I name the book, "The Essence of Humanity."
