Some cynics claim that there's no heaven on earth, and no utopia can exist with man...
There's a famous experiment conducted to test how altruistic a person could be, given some money a subject is presented to them. Alright, supposed you are given an orange. If you have a friend who didn't know you were given the orange, how many of the 10 slices (just an arbitrary value) would you have given, if any at all?
Most people would say they would give about 3-4 slices.
Okays. But say you are given an opportunity to charge your friend, say 1 slice of an orange. How many would you give, if any at all? Or would you rip your friend off?
Most people would say they would give about 1-2 slices.
In the third situation, if you are given an orange, and if you knew your friend also has an orange, how many slices would you give?
I guess it's none right? Or you might even take a slice or two from your friend. Suddenly, you are no more as generous.
C'est la vie. It's all about emotions and empathy.
I have been following lots of modern history of late. The struggles men had over one another, the greed and rise in power, usurpation, the murder of innocent lives; all are the cause of man's own downfall... our own downfall.
These were mankind at the very lowest depths, now only a reminder, and a warning to the rest of us. Were there not empathy then? Only the selfish kind of course. Apparently empathy is probably not extended to "aliens" or people who has no blood ties or relation to the perpetrators.
70 years later, and 10 years after black Tuesday on that September morning, the world still seemed in peril, a scary place to be in.
But there's always the other side of the card. Something good did came out of every disaster.. a silver lining. I believe that all man is good, that even the most diabolical one has a conscience, telling them what is right, and wrong. It may just be their judgement which may be misconstrued.
When the earthquake and nuclear disaster hit the shores of Japan, when the Russian hockey team was killed in a plane crash, when Lybia was liberating themselves from tyranny of their leader, those things got the world to empathise them. When people see those things happening, they feel the hurt those people are going through.
The world would then pour in their funds and aids, or any other forms of moral supports, and kind sympathies. People willingly feel the hurt when they see others in vulnerable situations, or going through a struggle. That's why we always have a strong feeling to root for the underdogs. That's why we can show we care for people who sometimes have doubts over themselves.
Also, why shouldn't empathy be extended to animals? They are our sub-bloodline. I feel warm deep down when I see videos of lions playfully wrestle with owners they have not seen in years. I feel touched when I see excited pets greeting soldiers who have come home from serving in the battlefields. I feel happy seeing chimpanzees who have been locked up all their lives, experience their first ever sunshine.
Technology has improved the way how we socialise with one another. As a result of Facebook, Twitter, etc, there are no more "aliens" now among us. We are all one. The six degrees of separation is even more true than ever. The world is getting smaller. As we all know, we came from the same two people. Maybe that's why we can and I believe if we try, experience brotherhood and sisterhood with one another. He never wanted us to feel different, as we are all created just the same.
May God's Love Be With You Always <3
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