One of my favorite adages from ancient civilization is “There is neither good, nor bad. Only thinking makes it so”.
Therein lies the rub with the human animal.
We are born neutral. Being good, responsible, moral, generous, honest, kind, tolerant, knowledgeable arrives, if it arrives at all, comes to us by observing, copying, and training.
Nature is filled with mistakes. My world is primarily in the plant world. If nature were perfect, there would be no change. Errors happen as a habit of existence.
And here we are, AD 2014, homeo sapens running around the globe in many shapes and sizes depending much on our ancestry, that is, where we have been running around….closer to sunnier days, or huddling where the winters are dark and miserable? Isolated or in the lanes of human traffic?
With the exception of recent American presidential elections, we are thinking animals, whose males have imagined, explored, built, discovered, created unbelievable expressions of human invention for thousands of years……to survive as a species, and to satisfy the powerful drive of its human male to be curious, to wonder, to accomplish and defend.
COGNITO, ERGO SUM!
Prager University offers an assortment of tremendously valuable chunks of knowledge, discussion and thought. I have chosen the following ‘lesson’ as one of my favorites.
Learning knowledge and understanding regarding our and the world’s past, the world of science in nearly every form, particularly in the plant world, has become either incidental in educating our young or has disappeared altogether. Our cultural way of life is in trouble.
Ignorance is often married to violence.
Please open the following lesson titled, ARE PEOPLE BORN GOOD?
Have you ever had a discussion about crime, politics or child-rearing, only to hear this generalization: “Well, people are basically good.” This is a common idea, but is it true?
In this week’s video, “Are People Born Good?” Dennis Prager explains how your answer to this fundamental question about human nature shapes your worldview on crime, poverty, and the existence of evil. Watch the video here, and then forward it to someone you know. It can be the spark that ignites an interesting discussion at your next get-together with friends and family.
http://www.prageruniversity.com/Political-Science/Are-People-Born-Good.html#.Uzmz-_ldV8E
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