We need to learn how to strengthen the good, altruistic side in us
Opinion from the Internet about Human nature:
“I would say altruism is natural in us; the only reason it doesn’t come out of each of us all of the time is because of the cultural/social paradigms we believe in. If those were different, we would see it everywhere, all of the time… in fact, we do when we look for it, because it’s a universal truth wanting to express through every one of us. A part of our nature.
Have you noticed how much we mimic nature in order to learn and connect with ever higher realms of knowing and being? Invention is simply the connecting of dots within what is already there, in nature. ALL of our science is predicated upon what is ALREADY in the universe; we are simply learning it ‘for the first time?’
Doesn’t it feel natural to you to want to share greater awareness and understanding? Do you naturally hope for a better life experience for the all as well as for self?
This reaching for more is us performing the altruistic action of shared self-knowledge, or, in a sense… being selfish… together. And so both can exist in coherence with one another, making them universally natural and innate. I don’t believe; I know… and I hope that makes sense ;)”
I agree with you.
Moreover unique, empirical Natural scientists — who have been studying Human nature in contrast to Nature for millennia from generation to generation — also describe how there are two opposite forces, inclinations, programs in us, and our free choice, truly Human education is about to learn how to find the balance.
Still, when we look at the direction of Human history (through worsening, recurring vicious cycles), when we look at the mainstream, the ideologies, processes, recurring and worsening socioeconomic crisis situations, I think we can conclude that most of the time the selfish part controls us.
And while earlier in dire situations, times of crisis the altruistic side came out to help us through, in our times it doesn’t seem to happen as we can watch “live” through the pandemic, through what is happening in the US, in Europe etc. And our general situation is not going to get better soon, so we will see which side truly controls us in the forthcoming months.
For example what will prevail in the US now, reconciliation, reaching out to reach other, or the thirst for revenge, the intensifying cancel culture, dogmatic thinking?
When we say that we are basically good people and only the social, cultural environment distorts our behavior we seem to forget about cause and effect. Who, which side of us created and maintains the egotistic, selfish, ruthlessly competitive values of our societies — especially in the West?
And if it is only a few “bad people" who created, maintains them, then why are the masses happy to stay in the “Matrix" and follow, envy, worship those are the top of society?
Why are developing countries working hard to emulate the “Western values" which caught about endless consumption and succeeding at the expense of others?
By default we honestly don’t know the forces that drive us, that define how we behave, what environment we build.
This is why we need a very unique educational, scientific method, which can first of all give us a “brutally honest mirror" — in safe conditions — to learn who we are, how the selfish ego controls us, and also can teach us how to awaken, strengthen the altruistic side in us to achieve the much needed balance.
Then we won’t need to wait for even worse crisis situations, civil wars, world wars, all-encompassing socioeconomic crisis that will force us to recognise the ego’s concurrent total control over us.