An intolerant species.

Why are we as humans so intolerant of others? Why do we judge people based on the color of their skin, or on who they sleep with, or because of what they believe in.

Are we so brainwashed that anything not within the guidelines as laid down by religious , community and political leaders is deemed not normal. Are we so insecure within ourselves that we are threatened by anyone who is not exactly like us?

We wage wars over religious beliefs, we kill each other because they do not worship the same deity that we do .Christianity vs. Islam vs. Judaism vs. Atheists vs. Buddhist all fighting because their way is the only true way, yet within each religion they fight amongst themselves .No one religion can prove beyond doubt that their deity is the only one , no one can prove that that the way the worship is the correct way , yet we are brainwashed by the leaders of these faiths into believing that your religion is the “only” true way and one must protect it at all costs.

We judge people on the color of their skin, we are of the impression that one is superior to another human being just because of skin pigmentation.

We reject people based on who they sleep with, if it’s not heterosexual then it’s a sin, an abomination.

What difference does any of these things make, why do we not look at people for who they are, for what they can contribute to our planet?

What will it take to make all these intolerances disappear?

One day , 100000 years from now , if we no longer exist as a species and if our historical records are found by another race from another planet , what will they think , will we be known as that “intolerant species” so bent on self destruction that we could not embrace the universal principle of peace, love and understanding .

 

you should say "some of us"..rather than "we"

 

I agree.

"We" do have the potential for goodness.

 

wisp - Here's another 'why' - why do you expect anything different from what we are? You don't ask a cat why it walks on four legs rather than two. Why must our intolerances disappear? From your personal opinion, not a philosophical tract.

 

My apoligies you are right , but i am using "we" in the sense of "we" as humans , i thought it sounded better , because in some small way "we" are all guilty .Thats the way i see , no disrespected intended to anyone.

 

we are intolerant, we are understanding..

 

Why must our intolerances disappear?-dont you think the world would be a better place without them , we are what we are but we can always strive to be better .If we can learn to live as one people think how much more we can acheive , wiping out world hunger , lifting the standards of education , learning to work together to save this planet instead of fighting to prove who's right .

Instead of isolating and excluding people based on our differences if we embraced them and accepted our differences there would be no need for wars, if we can adopt the principle of oneness as in one species instead of 1000's of different nationalities,cultures and beliefs what i wonderful place this would be .

 

First, I don't think it would be all that wonderful. That idea comes from the same stream of thought as the idealistic concepts of permanent happiness with everyone getting along. Even if that were possible (and I don't know of anyone in history who has achieved it) without the struggle in life the inverse of that we call happiness would probably vanish, hence the extreme ennui experienced by millionaires and retirees.

Secondly, I don't think it's possible. It's a neurophysiological trait of all humans and cannot be changed. It would be like a fish saying to another fish how wonderful it would be if they could breathe and walk on land. Not possible.

 

Sad but true , but if each individual can do their own little bit , one randomn act of kindness ,look at the person for who they are and not for all the reasons i mentioned , if we try to be understanding and not label people or push them away , if we each do this everyday maybe it might just catch on .

 

So true

Also, 'we' are not the only species to behave this way sometimes. I know people have done studies on chickens and if one of them looks different the other ones sometimes gang up on it and kill it. Like they took a group of chickens that had been raised together and took one of them away and put a blue dot on it or something and when they put it back in with the group the other chickens killed it. I have witnessed this behavior with my own flock of chickens.

 

The right-wing in the USA actively funds institutes and think tanks that churn out right-wing thinking people, in great numbers, who enter society and run it from their point of view. The left-wing doesn't do this. Many on the left feel it is wrong to indoctrinate people. They feel that their point of view, because it is morally superior to the right-winger's version of reality, should be magically realized by all good persons simply because it is better. But, it don't work that way.

Some of the problems and inequities mentioned in the OP stem directly from a right-wing outlook that is built in to our society and maintained by trained, professional advocates of these things. The fight is a losing one for leftists who want a better society, the left point of view is not there, not there debunking, not there proving itself better, not there being taught to young people who could implement changes. It's so ridiculous that a small, determined, backward and often very religious minority can drive the debate in America, but that it what has been happening since the late 60's. The right-wing organized. The left-wing got lost. Or stoned, or co-oped. It did anything but organize a base. And, we're paying dearly for this mistake.

 

Bingo Rollo!

Yet the right wing talking heads want to perpetrate the idea that leftwing university professors are indoctrinating your sons or daughters with socialist/communist ideals. Oysh!

 

I think "we" are intolerant because of our own fears and insecurities.

Our own ignorance and unwillingness to venture out of our own little notion of the world is what makes us able to justify our intolerance. It is far easier to maintain what we believe to be a truth than to actually look for the truth.

 

I feel that using "we" is a good call because you're focusing on the whole race. Generalizing is safe in this situation I think because the majority really is what you are describing, and I agree wholeheartedly.

 

We've been "handed"a potential paradise. Turns out, it was like giving the keys to a bulldozer to an 8 year old. Take a look at the pictures of the earth from satelites. Here we are virtually in the middle(?) of who knows where ,mysteriously humming along with no place else to be ,not knowing where we're headed, not knowing where we've been and we still act like children--as if it doesn't matter that this is all we'll ever have. Intellegent debate as to how we should live and act toward each other, our fellow creatures and the environment exists. I think it's basically that evolution is a very slow process and the characteristics that are least susceptable to change-that is, the characteristics embodied by those that COULD effect/affect change,are pretty intractable. Humanity is not ready for that debate and probably won't be until REAL catastrophe is upon us-serious worldwide catastrophe. So,we'll just carry on with our foolishness-our prejudices-our name calling-our murder and destruction and allow our chance at achieving paradise to slip away. Because in the main,we're just little. We're very ,very little in mind and spirit. We now just want to get back to cranking out the jobs-extracting the resources-business as usual. If only the Mexicans would leave--if only the blacks would just get jobs--if only men would just marry women--if we just get those people off welfare--if she would quit sleeping around--that's the important stuff right there. Yes sir--if only.

 

We fear whatever we don't understand.

Some people understand very little.

 

Fostering tolerance creates a social situation where the "little people" are far more likely to unite against the powers that be when the rights of one of their own is being jeopardized or when freedoms are being systematically discarded in the name of security... so you can see why it would be to the advantage of a ruling class that its population were a little less civil than ideal.

I really don't buy into left wing versus right wing as that seems just another convenient ploy to keep us divided and suspicious of one another.

 

Those who seek power fervently, usually attain it. With the right tools. Tools=money.
tools a=connections.
tools b=armaments.
Those who seek power have no interest in change.
Those who have minimal or no power MAY seek change.
Therefore-I blame the Mexicans.

 

We’ve been at each other’s throats for millions of years growing and evolving as a species – why stop now

Hotwater

 

Sometimes I wonder how much we really have evolved.