Cruel to Be Kind

There’s a longstanding debate about whether humans are inherently cruel and violent or innately altruistic and kind. The short answer, of course, is both, but that isn’t all that helpful. It’s worth focusing on exactly when we tend to be cruel and when we tend to be kind.

Fear and pain bring out the worst in us. Under the stress of scarcity or threat, we react with aggression and cutthroat competition. Our survival brains kick in, and we get ready to defend ourselves at all costs.

When no threats are present, we are entirely different beasts. We thrive on kindness and affection, both given and received. Our cooperative brains take over, and we prioritize relationships over individual desires.

We are all capable of both cruelty and kindness, depending on the environment--so we need to choose wisely how we contribute to that environment. If we create or tolerate environments where fear, threat and scarcity prevail, the humans around us will act accordingly, and that’s the part of human nature that will surround us.