In the book 'better angels of our nature' the author talks about how humanity

[applegrove]

Last edited Fri Apr 5, 2013, 11:16 PM - Edit history (3)

starting to read books en mass during the industrial revolution, and seeing the perspectives of many people in those books, expanded our empathy. Before that people cared mostly for them and theirs. They were entertained by torture and such. Today there was a shooting in my neck of the woods and it has me all upset for those parents rushing to hold their babies. I look at the situation from various perspectives myself because I am dyslexic and that is what dyslexics do: scan reality, slice after slice, over and over again until I get an 3D MRI of the situation. It is upsetting. Has taken me a few hours to calm down and put it into perspective as to how it is not my life. Took me several days after the Newton shooting. Took me years when I was harassed (but that was my life and it went on). How do you deal with horrid shit psychopaths do? How do you put it in perspective? Do you accept it all at once and reconnect with the world immediately through more compassion? Does it make you cynical? Or are you always on a long journey of learning and forever find new understanding of events as the decades go by.

[Fumesucker]

1. One number..

24

[applegrove]

2. I don't get it.

[Fumesucker]

3. You said people used to be entertained by torture

They still are.

[applegrove]

4. Oh yeah. I was thinking the burning of people and cats but you are right. The right

in the USA is trying to undo the empathy we people feel towards our fellow man.

[mainer]

5. "Better Angels": a frightening view of human violence

It's a terrific book, but it emphasizes that we are living in the safest, most humane time in human history. Fascinating statistic he brought up was the fact that based on evidence in prehistoric bones, the percentage of deaths by homicide was 15%. And this is based just on bony evidence -- it leaves out homicide involving only soft tissues.

We used to kill each other at far greater rates. So no matter how horrible the murder and violence is today, it used to be far, far worse.

We are a pretty awful species.