After the news about the bombing in Boston, I saw a quote circulating the Internet that bothered me, to say the least.

“Humanity is good. Some people are terrible and broken, but humanity is good. I believe that”

The quote is from Hank Green, a famous YouTuber whom I actually like. The quote was circulating because people were losing their faith in humanity. They want to believe that humanity is good; it’s only a few humans who are evil. And I can understand that sentiment. But that doesn’t mean I agree with it.

It’s the humans who are good, not the humanity. The two are not interchangable–humanity is human nature, humans in their true form. Humans are people, with emotions and morals and ideas–they are more than humanity. What Green essentially said was that human nature is good, but some of the humans are bad.

But the humanity–or, rather, human nature– is evil and vile to the core, and proof of it is found throughout history.

The Romans found entertainment in watching young men fight to the death and murder each other, and cheered at spilled blood. They fed Christians to the lions.

But, according to Green, humanity is good. Broken, but good.

Fast-forward a few centuries, to the 1600s. Slaves, humans who weren’t considered human and treated like animals, came to America for the first time.

During 1876, Jim Crow laws are enacted in the United States, separating the population based on race. Whites get better facilities than blacks, all because of the color of their skin.

But humanity is good, says Green.

In 1914, the world breaks out in war. At least 10 million soldiers die, killed by weapons made by men in the noble art of science. At the time, it was the bloodiest war in history.

But humanity is good.

In 1939 the world goes to war for the second time. In total, 60 million people were killed. At least 6 million of these deaths were part of the Holocaust. Part of Nazi genocide were medical experiments performed on children by German doctors.

But humanity is good.

Twelve years ago, on September 11, 2001, terrorists fly two planes into the World Trade Center. Another crashes into the Pentagon. Around 3,000 civilians die.

But humanity is good.

Now, in 2013, North Korea is threatening war. Venezuelan protesters are killed for wanting freedom and a fair election. A young man guns down dozens of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Three bombs go off at the Boston marathon, . And yet, people still claim that humanity is good.

But humanity is not good. Humanity is evil. Our true selves are arrogant, greedy, hateful, and scheming. And it comes out in our actions and thoughts. The fact is, without a moral compass, we are savages.

But we do have a moral compass. There is redemption in all of the evil human nature causes. Because every day, humans are fighting their broken nature. Constantine I, Emperor of Rome, ended the gladiator games and the persecution of Christians. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and in 1865, the American Civil War came to an end and slavery was abolished.

During World War II, many under German occupation risked their lives hiding Jews and others the Nazis intended to kill. In the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement peaks. Soon the Jim Crow laws were abolished and everyone was considered equal under the law—now, only 60 years later, we have a black President.

On 9/11, there were four planes hijacked by terrorists. Three of them hit their targets, but the fourth one, which was supposed to hit the Capitol, missed, because the passengers of the plane fought against the hijackers and managed to throw the plane off course. And, during and after 9/11, people rushed to help the victims and the victims’ families. Firefighters risked their lives to save people from the collapsing building. And people still honor the victims today.

At Sandy Hook, there was a teacher who sacrificed herself to save the kids. When the bombs went off in Boston, many people actually ran towards the smoke and began helping the victims. The runners finishing the marathon kept running after the finish line all the way to the hospital to give blood. While there are people being bullied, there are also many people saying kind words, trying their best to make everyone feel better about themselves.

Human nature is evil. There is no doubt about that. None of the horrors of history could have happened if humanity was good. But just because humanity is evil, doesn’t mean humans can’t be good or kind. We are far from perfect, and all too often our humanity slips out. But we try. We try to help, to fight against the bad caused by humanity. There is redemption in the world. Even in the destruction, it’s there.

Another quote that has been circulating the Internet is from Mr. Fred Rogers. It, too, is encouraging, but in a different way than Green’s quote:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ ”

Horrible, scary things do happen. Humanity tears the world apart. But even in the horror, humans help. Because the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome  it. And that, I agree with.