It occurred to me the other day that people will admit to being unintelligent, weak, poorly endowed, and over-emotional. However, few people, if any, will ever admit to having a poor sense of empathy. This observation leads me to conclude that there must be something inherently human about this quality. Archeologists say that the Neanderthal was most likely both stronger and more intelligent than the Cro-Magnon. So why did the Neanderthal die out while Cro-Magnon survived, flourished and evolved? Many speculate that vocal communication was the key factor that determined the success of our hairy ancestors. I think the answer is more deeply rooted than this simple explanation. I think empathy may have been the real advantage that gave the Cro-Magnon the upper hand. The Mahayana path of Buddhism is based on the concept of altruism. Even 4,500 years ago people realized the importance of being able to identify with the feelings of others. Many other religions since then have also stressed the importance of the awareness of the feelings of others.
So why are we so mean to each other?
So why are we so mean to each other?
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Everyone is insecure and has too much to prove....and if they say "no I don't" then they are in denial
but it could be an acquired cynicism, brought on by example (i.e. culture) and circumstance that makes up the typical mean person's perspective, thus overriding the empathetic reflex. it's just that some of us react negatively to having to have this sort of callousness.
maybe the nice people are just more sensitive and idealistic, and meanies are cold, jaded pragmatists.
of course, im speaking completely hypothetically.