Why We Are So Cruel?

 
 
I just got back from training with Jack Hoban out in New Jersey. It was a good trip. I drove this time around, so I was glad to have those snow tires! Weather was a bit sketchy on the way out, but cleared up by the time I got into Pennsylvania. 

Another year coming to a close, but...

It looks like 2018 is going to be OFF THE HOOK w/some really exciting things  over the horizon!

Just like last weeks Krav Maga Security & Escort Tactics Seminar, there's more LIVE workshops on the way for the New Year!

(...But, don't worry if you missed the seminar, you can access the 5 Part Video Training Series for FREE Here on PeaceWalker.net!*)

So, with the Holiday Season upon us, we often think about spending time with loved ones, reconnecting with people we haven't seen in a while, giving to charities, etc. You know the "Goodwill Towards All" type of sentiment.

That got me thinking about the other side of human nature. The side that is less than kind.

So, I thought we'd talk a little about...

Why People Can Be So Cruel?
 
I was reading another interesting article that I thought you might want to check out.

The article interviews Paul Bloom, a psychology professor at Yale University. He has written several interesting looking books (none of which I've read as of yet...).

His premise is that he doesn't believe that dehumanization isn't the only factor of why people are cruel to one another.

Some of Paul's Thoughts...

"I think some cruelty is born of dehumanization. I think some cruelty is born out of a loss of control. I think some cruelty is born out of an instrumental desire to get something you want — sex, money, power, whatever.

I think a lot of cruelty is born out of a normal and natural appreciation of the humanity of others, which then connects with certain important psychological appetites we have, like an appetite to punish those we think have done wrong. I think that, for the most part, people who do terrible things are just like us. They’ve just gone astray in certain specific ways."

~ Paul Bloom


Some of you may have heard me say that "we are all protectors, some of us are just protecting the wrong things.
My sentiment sounds a lot like Paul's statement...

"...under the right conditions, most of us are capable of doing terrible things."

Paul goes on to say that,"people can transcend their conditions, but it’s rarer than we’d like to believe."

To prove his point, he illustrates a sociological study conducted by Marianne LaFrance where she takes a closer look at how social pressure, authority and courageousness affect what someone says they would do vs. what they actually do...

It's an interesting study, you should take a look at it.

You can see Bloom's entire Vox article  here.


So, How Does This Information Help Us?

I think that there are a number of things we can learn from Bloom's ideas, LaFrance's research and our own experiences.

The biggest things that I took away are the power of:

(1) Clarity
(2) Choice
(3) Leadership
(4) Culture &
(5) Courage


How Are YOU Improving These Things?

There are a lot of ways...

One way is by joining us at...


Where we explore each of those five elements in depth to build a safer, healthier, more successful Life and community!

Here, read...

Keep Going,
~Craig

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Uncomfortable Situation

Image
  Funny pic (and movie) about a not so funny situation… In training as in Life, it’s better to treat people with dignity and respect. However… What does that look like in the moment? Being that I’m teaching a Women’s Assault Prevention and Response Workshop this weekend - it’s probably a good time to talk about… Uncomfortable Situations Let’s talk about training at the academy for a minute… We run open co-ed classes at the local academy. What does that mean? Men and women train together, but we don’t stop there. People of different skill levels, backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, careers, religious beliefs, political affiliations, ages, injuries, pre-existing conditions, life experience, training expectations etc. etc. train together! We ALL work together! Overall, I think it’s better this way. Of course sometimes there’s static, you know, conflicts, and misunderstanding. When something happens, most of the time it’s just that, a misunderstanding… Sometimes people simply do
Read more

The Shot Heard Around the World

Image
Even though many could see where all of this division and hatred in our country was leading to, when we witness the actual violence, realty once again floods in and has a way of shattering the comfort of our complacency, if only until the next headline. Some may find all of this shocking, others may see it simply validating their own fears. Regardless, of your political views, we have to take into account what this level of violence can do not only to the former President and his family, but what does to the state of our entire Nation. Yesterday as news broke of former President Donald Trump being shot, I can’t say that I was entirely surprised. Saddened, but not surprised. Regardless of your political stance, this act of violence is a dark reminder of the dangerous consequences of a society steeped in hate and division. Our collective heartbreak should not be about politics, but about the division and hatred that fuels this erosion of our humanity. We live in a time where traditional
Read more

Cutting Through the Static

Image
  Me and the crew at Venue 3 Two after a PeaceWalker Conflict Communication Workshop Remember in the old days when you used to listen to the radio on a road trip? No, not digital or streaming. I’m talking about old school FM radio. When you’re putting some miles on and crossing state lines. The radio stations you listen to don’t broadcast far enough for your entire trip, so you have to channel surf to find new channels as you move on down the road. You continue to push the search button until you hear a song in the genre that you want so you can lock in a desirable station for a spell. Sometimes you’re listening to a song you really like but the station is fading… The static starts feint, almost imperceptible, than grows in intensity to the degree that you can no longer ignore it. If you really like the song, you try to hang on as long as you can, listening to the tune through the white noise and times it cuts out completely, hoping to hear as much of the song as you can before the sta
Read more