Nobody Came Here On Purpose
So Why are We So Mean to One Another?
An Old Lady’s Deep Thoughts #14
The title of this article was insprired by a comment that one of my faithful readers, Paul Neelon, made a few days ago. He was responding to my last article, Why Would You Be Rooting for the Persecution of Others.
Paul said that “in the end, what have we got but ourselves. Fame, riches, power, hubris, beauty, buildings — all fleeting, and all we are truly left with is ourselves. Yet we — WE — cannot even be kind to ourselves. It seems so obvious, yet remains unattainable for humanity — just be kind to ourselves. None of us came here on purpose.”
As a human who registers high on the empathy scale, I have been feeling quite under the weather of late. I’ve been watching and listening. The number of people who are literally cheering for the promise to hurt others is astounding. It weighs heavily on my heart, and long term, I’m not sure if I can bear it without it affecting my health.
Yet, I am constantly reminded that, as Paul said, WE cannot even be kind to ourselves.
We make one another’s lives either better or worse. Bless those who are able to extend a warm hand. Any kind gesture is so appreciated. There’s a woman in town where I live who has been feeding the homeless for going on ten years. She works full-time and then goes to the store to buy food, cooks it, loads up her car, and heads to an open space where the homeless can easily find her. She takes donations, and I think people in town are fairly generous. Then she buys blankets, tents, warm coats, and other things that the homeless community is in dire need of and distributes them. Sally is amazing.
I’m not a religious person, but if ever there was a true Christian, it’s Sally.
But let’s face it. There aren’t a lot of Sallys in the world. I know why a man like Jesus might say the things he said. You know, things like, “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” Jesus was an empath! He was born into a life of poverty, and he chose to continue to live in poverty as an adult. He felt a deep sense of belonging among the poor. Like the socially conscious of any time period, he clearly identified with those who were poor and oppressed by society.
Humans really struggle with this concept.
The selfish gene reigns supreme, but we’re all we’ve got. It makes little sense to hoard, and even less sense to persecute another group of people. Societies would thrive if kindness were as important to status as money has always been.
I can barely open the blinds and look out the window these days.
So many cruel intentions and hateful goals. So many are living in fear and hoping to blend into the background. Transgender individuals and immigrants are currently taking the heat from self-righteous Americans who anticipate the rounding up of those who are labeled as misfits, not deserving of love from other humans, let alone Jesus.
I can’t make sense of it.
Yet, I know this disappointing response has little to do with religion. It boils down to how much empathy a person is capable of feeling. It appears that empathy is, to some extent, due to heredity.
Do genes have a role in empathy levels?
Scientists contend that empathy is not just something we develop through experiences — it is also partly inherited. We know that psychopaths lack empathy. An empathetic person understands and shares the feelings of others. People with psychopathy, however, have no ability to empathize with others. They may not even be capable of experiencing remorse for their actions.
Then there are the apaths.
What is an apath, you might ask? An apath is someone who is not terribly interested in the suffering of others unless it’s close to home. Narcissists often use apaths to help normalize their harmful behavior. Apaths aren’t completely void of empathy, but they register low on the empathy scale. They would most likely refuse to stick their neck out for the persecuted.
They’d sit by and let bad things happen.
Neither a psychopath nor an apath actually chooses to be who they are, but nonetheless, they make up a sizable portion of the human population. This leaves empaths to carry a very heavy burden, and when times get really rough, they can even become martyrs for a cause.
It’s sad to see the lack of kindness in the world.
Oh, sure, we have Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who recently delivered a sermon to Trump, pleading for mercy for the transgender and immigrant populations who are currently living under duress. But we are always dragged down by those who have little to no empathy. Whether it’s immigrants trying to stay safe or transgender individuals struggling to just lead their best lives, people with low levels of empathy can make their lives miserable and dangerous.
And why?
Why must they ruin everything for everybody? If not for humans, life could be significantly better. We can’t have nice things because of humans; they tend to eventually ruin everything.
I feel confident that Jesus would share the same message he gave to his disciples with us, even though we live in modern times.
What’s the message, you ask? That immigrants, transgender individuals, gays, and the poor should be treated with love, dignity, and hospitality. He’d encourage us to treat all humans as citizens and welcome them into our communities with love.
It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
Just be kind. Just treat others the way you’d want to be treated. Just spread love and hope instead of fear and hate. Can you even imagine such a world? Just be kind instead of mean.
What a wonderful world it COULD be.
It’s really pretty simple. It doesn’t take a genius to make it happen because we all want the same thing: to be loved. Just to be loved. If only that wish came true.
Oh, What a Wonderful World It Would Be …
Teresa is an author and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
