I keep thinking about the story of original sin and how it shapes our view of the world. Christianity can be such a dour religion, with this belief that humans are inherently evil and can only be good by suppressing our true natures. As much as not all churches foster that view of humanity, the idea that we're born tainted still pervades the western world.
The idea that the world would be full of murderous chaos without the firm hand of law enforcement (and the threat of Hell) baffles me. My experience is much more in line with Rebecca Solnit's A Paradise Built in Hell, where hard times break down the rules that keep us separate. When authority breaks down, people are far more likely to work together than to start murdering randomly just because they can.
I wonder how much of our acting in our own self interest is a result of being taught from birth that people are bad, people are dangerous, and we need to be on guard at all times lest we be victimized. We're indoctrinated into the religion of dog eat dog. The news reminds us that the world is scary and full of malevolence.
The 1440 Daily Digest tries to counteract this by sharing headlines of positive news. A selection:
Trooper escorts family to hospital after learning they were speeding because of injured daughter.
Retired nurse saves a baby who stopped breathing on a Spirit Airlines flight.
Amazon driver helps rescue Long Island family from their burning home.
The incredible banality of these headlines drives home the fact that we do expect people to take care of each other. Of course a police officer would escort someone to the hospital if they're racing to the emergency room. Of course someone with medical training will not simply stand by and watch someone die. No one would simply pass by if they thought they could save someone.
The person who doesn't jump in to save a drowning child is someone who doesn't know how to swim.
Who wouldn't do what they can? Perhaps those of us who have attorneys cautioning us that if we intervene we could get sued for our trouble. That's how our insurance system is set up to work, creating hilariously nonsensical cases where people have to sue themselves. The system of law and order we are told protects us can also bring out the worst in us.
The bystander effect, the Stanford prison experiment, and the tragedy of the commons have long ago been disproven, yet our culture continues to cling to and teach these myths as fact. Why? Why do we cling to these myths about our own inner monstrosity? They justify power being held in the hands of the wise few, rather than the monstrous masses. They teach us not to trust each other...or even ourselves.
I don't believe people need redemption to be worthy. Not all churches teaching the story of original sin do, either. In the Garden of Eden people were all good and now, out in the world, we're complex. We have the capacity to harm each other, certainly. In fact, we often do so accidentally, regardless of our intentions. There is not one right answer, one right belief, one right way to be. The human condition is too complicated to be split into good and bad.
Who am I to tell anyone to embrace risk, especially those who have experienced harm firsthand? The only answer I have to that is that the only thing that has made me feel safe is having trust in myself and in others.
I came across this quote from Sady Doyle the other day:
“It is easy—maybe too easy—to stop asking yourself what would make you happy, and stay close to the things that you think will make you safe. This is wrong, and I will tell you why: you are never safe. Loss and change are constants. You will never be safe, and you may not always be happy—but you owe it to yourself to start asking the question.”
Under capitalism, shouldn't a shortage of workers lead to an increase in wages and an improvement of working conditions? Instead, people are simply going without care.
If you're in the US, the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center would like to hear your feedback.
The Dorothy Ley Hospice offers monthly webinars for the newly bereaved.
You can take a virtual break in the beauty of western Canada for discussions of care work with Caregivers in the Wild.
A nursing home in Taiwan unleashed a scandal for including an erotic dance performance on the activities calendar. Was it because we don’t view people with disability as sexual beings? Or is it because many people are against all forms of sex work?
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