It has always been difficult for mankind to face the dictator, face disease, famine, and at times even themselves. But why has it always been even more difficult for us to do what is good? For the good. Why is it that the best actions aren't always the ones that are taken? Does this mean that humanity has lost an essential part of its morality or is it mearly a selfish trend? Also, is it possible for us to get this trend to change?
As we should learn from our day to day interaction with the world, life isn't a Walt Disney film. We do not trust anyone we don't know, (even asking someone to take your picture can make some people a little nervous...), happily ever after endings are really rare if existent, and the line between good people and bad people isn't really that clear. In this world, there is lots of inequality both socially and economically and people taking advantage of other people for their own benefit. Knowing these sad facts, it can be hard at times to see the good in people or the good in mankind. But how can we change this outlook that we put on our race, so that we don't suspect each other of all being greedy antagonists?
What I think humanity is facing now is a war of external pressures. Human beings, on the whole, would like to contribute more acts of goodness or act more piously to their people, however, the problem is that we aren't confident enough in our own security to stand out against the temptations of cheating and taking advantage of others (1st part of the cycle). We also aren't confident enough in others to feel that they will stand up against the same temptations of cheating and taking advantage over us (2nd part of the cycle). Therefore, the problem that this creates is a cycle of distrust that traps everyone in this cycle since everyone is too scared of the consequences if he or she is screwed over. Unfortunately, there is no immediate solution to this cycle of distrust, and it will only change after enough individuals are confident enough to break out of this cycle and start an upward trend.
Now what do I mean by confidence? For me, I see confidence as a sense of security within oneself and with others. Mankind is becoming a more insecure race due to the interdependence that we share with each other. Almost no one who is living in today's modern world is truly self-sufficient and therefore we are dependent upon others for our needs. This necessity to interact with others to provide for our needs is what is helping support the cheating in the first part of the distrust cycle because the more resources one has, the more confident he or she feels and the less he or she has to worry about them. Unfortunately, the easiest way to reach this result for most people is to take advantage of other people, which is why a lot of people have been doing it this way. The dilemma with the second part of the cycle comes from more of a prisoner's dilemma game if you are familiar what that is about, which is basically a logic game considering that all parties involved in the deal have the ability to cheat and take advantage of the others. In this type of scenario, it makes it hard to trust in others for fear that they are going to steal from us, which therefore prolongs the second part of the distrust cycle.
Now, how do we get this to change? I think there are many ways to improve the morality situation that mankind is facing. One of the most important ways I believe is through role models and education. Truly good people are really valued in our society, just as are good actions. If we have enough of these leaders that others can look up to, I believe the distrust cycle will start to change and people will start to become more confident, leading to a more just society. Also, through school education and films, children of the upcoming generations will be able to not as easily add on to this distrust cycle that is currently making times very difficult for much of mankind. The unfortunate reality of these ideas are that if they happen, it will take a very long time for society to make these change since, with the world being set up as it is, we are living in a society where a few major priorities aren't right, especially with money, and these priorities aren't leaving any time soon.
I would like to finish off by saying that I like to hold an optimistic view on the world, probably more optimistic than probable. However, I like to really believe in the goodness of mankind, wherever it hides. Morality is not dead, even though, of course, it is not as present as it should be. In order for someone to accomplish a good act, someone has to first believe that he or she is capable of doing good in the world around them, which is why the goodness in humanity still exists, and why the optimists are able to do more good than the pessimists. Does this mean that the optimists are more confident than the pessimists? Possibly... at least in some ways. But if we were all to become optimistic individuals, imagine the type of world we would be living in...really think about it... though of course, this may be an overly optimistic view too. My hope through this blog entry is just to try to make sense of the dark times our society is facing and to be able to show you all the importance of optimism in the world. In order to drive this bruised world to get better, especially on a societal level, we have to do something about it. Even if one person by reading this blog takes a more optimistic view on the world and believes that he or she has the ability to improve the world, the world will be that much better off than it was before and this blog would have made a difference. Thanks for reading.
Til the next time,
The Furnace
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