I've been thinking lately (I do it sometimes for a change) about all this hattred we human beings have towards each other, taking joy in the misery of others, celebrating the killings of innocent human beings (or at least feeling happy/being indifferent about it in one's heart) and I can't decipher what causes such thinking/behavior. I don't understand how a human being can take joy in the sufferings of others. How can one's misery lead to another's joy?

How can a person (be it a soldier/terrorist/reformist etc etc etc) take away someone's life within seconds, transforming a beautiful creation into nothing more than a lump of meat? and not feel sorry about it? How do they even gather up the courage to commit such heinous crimes? Do we humans (even as state/governance bodies) have the right to take away someone's life? I mean how can you take away something that you can't give back?

Why don't we live and let others live? Why can't we respect each other's choices, be it religion, nationality or sex..... We as individuals can choose what is best for us ---How can someone else know what's best for me? What if my way is the right way and you are wrong? But if I'm willing to accept you, as you are... why can't you accept me?

I wonder what do they teach these soldiers, suicide bombers etc that makes them willing to give up their life and take the lives of so many others?

Do you think we'll ever find peace in this world? Where there's no discrimination on the basis of religion, race or nationality?. Or am I in search of a Euphoria?

Back to the point... What do you think are the reasons that transforms us
from peace loving human beings to hate mongers? Is it the way we are brought up, is it peer influence, or is it the media, or religion, or is it our education systems?

Does it make any sense or am I just rambling utter nonsense?

P.S. Just ignore the post if you feel like its yet another miserable person being stupid... (I'm not even sure whether I should submit this -- but I'm sorry I have to take this out)

No, you're making perfect sense .. welcome to the philosophers club

Will the world ever get better? It all starts with you. If you set a good example living YOUR life, you are already making a big difference!

Tom

rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?
rambling utter nonsense?

No, no, it's an interesting question.

To allow us to get a bit closer to the issue.....what brought this on?

Sounds like you've been having a rough day and have lost your mojo
Have a little heart, people are essentially good.

There is violence and hate because there is desire:
- I have the desire to reach a goal
- Someone else becomes an obstacle between me and the goal.
- Frustration appears from the unfulfilled desire
- Frustration leads to violence to remove obstacle

So if no desire, then no violence. Would you accept to live in a world without desire?

Nah. Wei wu wei, dude.

WOW! Cool stuff

That's a new take on the Dukkha Samudaya

yes the idea has deeper roots in human nature as you mentioned.

its just animal nature at work. If we were all peace loving hippies I'm afraid humankind wouldn't be getting anywhere quickly.

" FEAR,

fear leads to anger,

ANGER leads to HATE,

HATE is at the heart of the dark side of the FORCE "


-Master Yoda



" I was angry with my friend

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe

I told it not, my wrath did grow


And I watered it in fears

Every morning with my tears

And it grew both day and night

Til it bore an apple bright


And it grew both day and night

Til it bore an apple bright

And my foe beheld it shine

And he knew that it was mine.


And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole

In the morning light I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree. "



- A POISON TREE by William Blake


One day,many moons ago ,I wrought me a song using these powerfull lyrics. A FURY who happened to be fluttering about then inspired me to write my own song on this painfull subject. I entitled it - IM A RUNNAWAY TRAIN !

Wei wu wei, dude. Jade Emperor

You think we're getting somewhere? I think we're going nowhere fast.

Nice post, OP.

I often wonder this, too.

I remember when everyone was happy that Saddam Hussein was executed, and I felt like the world was a hypocritical jungle. There's a saying about not becoming the monster to defeat the monster, which is exactly what people do.

Most of the world are followers. People don't have their own mind. They are taught 'this is right, this is wrong' and they don't question it. There is little individuality. I find the human race overwhelmingly disappointing.

Sarah Palin rambling about gays 'not being natural, not born that way', whilst wearing glasses herself. People drive cars to events to protest against gays not being natural. Are glasses natural? Are cars natural? Then they'll reply 'Well God gave us the intelligence to advance', yet they still insist on eating meat although there are alternatives nowadays and innocent animals are being bred and slaughtered for the sake of people eating a KFC, which is demolished within minutes, not even a second thought.

I'm constantly frustrated by these crazy frames which we are expected to fit into. Too much cruelty, no mercy, no remorse. People lie to themselves constantly. We celebrate soldiers who invade other Countries and rape the wives of the natives. We follow football which creates national divisions. Italy have a Prime Minister who is a disgrace, not just to Italy, but to the human race.

Whales are butchered each year, and families take their kids as if it is some kind of enjoyment/ event/ display.

Foxes are hunted and media campaigns lead us to believe that it's ok because foxes are 'evil', yet they fail to mention that the biggest threat to humans, is humans.

We are in a judgemental world which is ran by gangsters. Nobody has the energy anymore to question things. Our brains are slowed down by mass produced chicken guts sold to us by corporate giants.

No wonder God abandoned the world in space like this. There is tragedy everywhere. No point hiding in a bubble, the fact is, there are children starving in Africa, dying everyday, while these elite gangsters (politicians) have enough spare change in their pockets to prevent it.

Why? I have no idea. I believe that the world is a place of good vs evil. If you have a conscience, listen to it, try to make your own judgement and make any difference you possibly can. We cannot control our neighbours (unless of course our neighbours are gay, in which case of course we can discriminate and not allow marriage to them, because they are a minority group and an easy target to make the rest of the world feel like they are in 'the norm').

We don't live forever and I'm sure one day we'll find the reasons, we'll perhaps be shown what we could have done, and it will pale in comparison to what we have done.

I don't need laws to tell me not to murder/ hate/ discriminate. I follow my conscience. I could not allow myself to turn another soul away who comes to me in need, whether they be homeless and asking for some spare change or whatever.

If we face the real truth, we'll be depressed forever, so people choose to stay in 'the bubble'. There is more out there, follow your conscience man and try not to follow the hatred and destruction of others.

__________________

There dies so many people every day, that if we would "care" about all of them we would sit around crying all day.

I think it is normal that you have more sympathy for those around you that you know/can relate to.

I am always very suspicious about these mega "care bears" who take everything so personally and suffer from the Jesus syndrome (like crying when there is an earthquake in haiti (or taihiti )

Not to say I do not help people, a couple of weeks back a beggar on the Tram ask for some coins, I looked at him and saw that he did not appear to be a junkie or lazy illegal immigrant, but mentally handicapped/retarded so I gave him 20 chf and he said thanks and took off.

That is common sense to me, I do not believe I am Jesus as many "care bears" do.

The EF seems to be a good place for doing just that ... air out one's soul.

Why hate?

Well, I think many of us take great pleasure in all sorts of evil.
There seems to be some sort of fascination around it which connects perfectly well with our inner world.

People are basically good? yeah ... my ass ... !!!

Unfort there are some pricks amongst us, and even worse we let them rise to the top. They cultivate hate on a grander scale.

Wow. Here's an age old debate that will not likely be answered within a few pages on a forum.

Are people basically good or basically bad? I would say neither. I think at heart all organisms are basically self-interested. But this self-interest is endlessly mutable, leading to the vast array of motivation and activity we see at all levels of organization. For humans, I believe a lot of the work of society (including modern society) is to shape the sense of self. What belongs to I? The more narrow the definition (I would posit) the more 'ruthless/evil/...' the perception from those outside that definition. If the self contains only the individual you have one extreme (megalomaniac, sociopath, what have you). When that self contains the entire human race you get Mother Teresa. Throw in the animal kingdom: voila! 'Care Bear.'

The sense of identification, of empathy rather than sympathy, is the quickest way to reduce conflict. I think this is probably very apparent to us in the expat community; we have broadened our experience to include people from many other very different backgrounds (hopefully, haven't we?) and if we now go 'back home' and meet someone who has never lived outside their village and has all sorts of strong opinions about 'foreigners' we now see them as narrowminded and uninformed.

Personally I think all students should be required to spend at least one year abroad in a place very different from their own completely immersed in another culture. I think this could do wonders for world peace (washing schedules aside, of course).

__________________
Let's not and say we did.

I am on verge of crying reading all these heart warming posts.

There is no one reason, some kill out of hunger and desperation and others because they can. Its all about our natural evolutionary process and survival of the fittest.