There is plenty of good going on in the world, but those who are causing harm are getting all the press coverage. That's because, based on our own human nature, we are naturally drawn to the dramatic versus the routine.
We stop to help strangers all the time. We hold doors open for others, let other drivers enter heavy traffic by using hand motions, help people pick up dropped items on the supermarket floor, and so forth. Beyond that, there are millions of people caring for sick relatives, volunteering in organizations to help the poor, work to help people find jobs, etc. This is the real grist of human nature - most of us want to be good to each other.
I think of a quote from Stan Dale, "All human behavior is either an act of love or a cry for love." Those who have been hurt the most in the past, and have been left feeling chronically unloved by anyone else in the world are the most likely to lash out in a desperate attempt to gain back what they lost, likely in early childhood.
Their statements and acts may easily end up repulsive and even dangerous. It's easy to vilify them and thus reinforce their own sense of "unloveableness." We cannot "fix" all of them, of course, but at least we can work to find ways to build bridges with as many people as possible. To do this, we have to find our way through the "shame barrier" to reach them - that is, where someone is afraid to be vulnerable enough to admit their inner pain and loss and accept connection and love from another person. Trust is a difficult thing to build in a world that seems rife with deceit.
You want to start a revolution? Good. The revolution of love.
We stop to help strangers all the time. We hold doors open for others, let other drivers enter heavy traffic by using hand motions, help people pick up dropped items on the supermarket floor, and so forth. Beyond that, there are millions of people caring for sick relatives, volunteering in organizations to help the poor, work to help people find jobs, etc. This is the real grist of human nature - most of us want to be good to each other.
I think of a quote from Stan Dale, "All human behavior is either an act of love or a cry for love." Those who have been hurt the most in the past, and have been left feeling chronically unloved by anyone else in the world are the most likely to lash out in a desperate attempt to gain back what they lost, likely in early childhood.
Their statements and acts may easily end up repulsive and even dangerous. It's easy to vilify them and thus reinforce their own sense of "unloveableness." We cannot "fix" all of them, of course, but at least we can work to find ways to build bridges with as many people as possible. To do this, we have to find our way through the "shame barrier" to reach them - that is, where someone is afraid to be vulnerable enough to admit their inner pain and loss and accept connection and love from another person. Trust is a difficult thing to build in a world that seems rife with deceit.
You want to start a revolution? Good. The revolution of love.
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