Analysis Of St. Augustine's Confessions

What does it mean to be human? So much of the time in our lives, we, as humans, try to disguise our hearts and stories so they fit into the cookie-cutter, socially appropriate image that society can accept. Saint Augustine defies this norm in his Confessions. His writing is so raw. Never have I read such an honest account of one’s life where there is no mask covering the bad. Saint Augustine almost seems to repent for the smallest of sins in his life; some of these sins, I had never even considered sins. Saint Augustine has a common theme in his Confessions. He often speaks of what “would have” (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 32). As humans, we often get stuck in this idea of what could have been if we had done something differently. Saint Augustine

We seek for it in many different forms: approval, romance, compliments, popularity, money, etc. Saint Augustine struggled with this search. His “notion of a good life was to win the approval of [the] people” (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 25). As he searched for this approval written of, he compares himself to the Prodigal Son Jesus speaks of in the Bible (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 24). The amazing thing about humanity and our journey to find love is that God fills our lives with more than we could imagine. Saint Augustine recognizes his “desire for knowledge, but [God’s] knowledge of all things is supreme” (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 38-39). He found that God surpasses our human desires, talents, and skills. Then Saint Francis found in his “looking for something to love, in love with love” (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 45), true

Sin has been integrated into our lives since we were first born, which Saint Augustine believes is manifested even in our infant lives as babies can “revenge [themselves] upon [adults] in fits of tears” (St. Augustine, 2001, p.9). I question if this is sin because babies have no sense in regards to decision-making; however, Saint Augustine repents for his sins as a child (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 10). Although people generally feel ashamed of their sins and wrongdoings, regardless of faith-stance, Saint Augustine points out that often people “fe[el] ashamed that [they] have less to be ashamed of” (St. Augustine, 2001, p. 34). This point goes back to our desire as people for the approval of others. When around others that sin, it is easy to feel less than them because on their scale, one’s lack of sin diminishes his or her value. Even when our actions are disgraceful towards God, unfortunately, human validation often rises above. This says a lot about our nature as people. Saint Augustine writes that sin can even be enjoyable, as he would “not steal so as to enjoy the fruits of [his] crime, but rather to enjoy the theft itself, and the sin” (St. Augustine, 2001, p.