So, I've been thinking. I know. *gasp* Thing is, I've been reading a few psychology and behavioral books lately and I now find myself wondering more and more about society, specifically western society.
I read a book recently titled The Sociopath Next Door and in it the psychologist discussed how the tendency to become a sociopath is merely 50% genetic, at the most. Then the other 50% is what exactly? Learned? It seems more than likely when you look at the fact that eastern countries, where the group as a whole is focused on more, have a lower case of sociopaths than those in the west. What are we doing to ourselves? And when did the focus shift from caring about each other, to caring solely about ourselves, or was it always this way? And I don't mean caring about your best friend or your husband or your child. I mean caring about others simply because they are human, strangers and loved ones alike.
For example, not to rip on my husband, because I do love him and he is a good person, but he's very resistant to helping others sometimes. Partially because he feels they should learn to help themselves, but also because it's not something he feels should be his problem. When we discuss the fact that I help out our elderly neighbors when they need it he seems a bit puzzled as to why I feel the need to help in the first place. He'll say things like, “why can't their kids do it?” or “they can hire someone.” Yet, if one of his friends needs help, he's always the first too offer assistance. We've helped move friends of his on various occasions, loaned money, allowed a few of them to crash on our couch when they needed to. Now, I know the difference is that he has an emotionally attachment to his friends, but shouldn't we all have an emotional attachment to each other simply because we're all people? Am I the only idealistic loon that feels this way?
