Food for thought

[beetiger]

Said by chipuni, on a friend's (locked) post, but I think the importance of this statement transcends the context:


The difference between "I don't understand X" and "I should attack X" is gigantic. People aren't taught that "I don't understand X" is an opportunity, not a threat.

Comments

[orb2069.livejournal.com]

I guess, in evolutionary terms, the idea that 'other' is not the eqivolent of 'enemy' is pretty new, and still not accepted in some circles.

The automatic assumption that life is a zero-sum game (Everything you share with someone else is automatically a lessening of yourself, including thoughts/ideas) is burned so deeply in the human psyche that I don't expect it to go away anytime soon. (On this track, Bucky Fuller's Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth might interest you.)

Comparisons between human and ape behavior have been made at length WRT this, IIRC, and suggest that it might possibly be something hardwired.

Re:

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

True. Hence the implication that *teaching* this, on a rational level, if we want to have a functioning and diverse society, is important.