Ah, the human element..............................

      What sort of mysterious creature is a human being, Augustine mused, who can't carry out his own will, who knows his long-term interest but pursues short-term pleasure, who does so much to screw up his own life?  This led to the conclusion that people are a problem to themselves.  We should regard ourselves with distrust:  "I greatly fear my hidden parts," he wrote.
-David Brooks, The Road To Character