When we are born, we have all kinds of sensitivities. Sensitivities to things like death and violence. Sex even. When I was a small child, I was offended by adults kissing on TV. And certain groups too. Norm MacDonald joked that when Macy's in New York was hiring hispanic Santa Clauses, they'd only make the babies cry more. It was a terrible joke, I agree. But he meant when you're a small child, you're sensitive to certain groups too. But we say you're innocent. Because you're a baby or small child. Then when we reach adolescence, we lose most of these sensitivities. Or some we hold onto or modify, as our culture dictates. Most cultures say we should hate criminals and evildoers. And I agree, partly, that moral responsibility like this is still important in human cultures today. But some people overdo it and get carried away. Make the criminals pay dearly, they sometimes say. And things like that are the wrong kind of sensitivity, no matter how you look at it.
Our sensitivities can develop either way. Some people follow their upbringing, while others rebel against it. This can be for either good or bad. Most of us make up our own minds and take a centre path. This is far easier when we come from a stable background, but children who are brought up to think that material possessions are the most important often lack love in their background and rebel. In a way, it can be like a see saw going up and down between generations.
