This question comes from pages 182 and 183 of the SoulPancake book.
"What can you do to make this world a little less screwed up?"
The world is a tough place -- everyone knows that. Over time, we've allowed our religions, beliefs, opinions, and sexuality to cloud the fact that we are ultimately all members of the same species. English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) maintained that, while humans had the natural right to freedom, equality, and to pursue their own self-interest, they had no responsibility to respect others. However, philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) believed that humans did have the responsibility to respect the rights of others. I agree with Johnny Boy.
We, simply by being born, by being a part of this Earth, and by being members of the human species, have natural rights. The right to be treated respectfully, fairly, and justly is not something we should have to earn -- we are entitled to these things in the same way we are entitled to breathe the air around us. Similarly, we also have the natural responsibility to treat other humans according to these rights. Here, we find harmony and peace with other people, and long-lasting friendships are formed.
Recently, I was talking to a friend who believes that humans are inherently evil beings, and that we only make good choices when we consciously choose to go against our evil instinct. I disagree with him on this point. I believe that we are inherently good, and that we only make evil choices when we purposefully decide to avoid the direction our moral compass is actually pointing. While the evil choice may often be the easier one, I don't believe that it's by any means the instinctual one.
Because of my belief in humans' inherent goodness, I also believe that our natural responsibilities are just that -- natural. It is engraved into us to treat others with the respect, cordiality, and fairness they deserve. But this isn't to say that it's an easy task. In the same way that an evil choice may be an easier choice, it's often easier to treat people according to your mood, or even how they treat you. The hard part is honoring another person's natural rights even when they aren't honoring yours, and to demonstrate respect despite the circumstances surrounding you.
We spend most of our lives trying to find the right crowd. We dress a certain way, or follow a certain religion, or take on certain opinions to be accepted by a people group. We spend so much time segregating and tucking ourselves away into specific cubbyholes, that we forget the one thing that unites each and every one of us, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, and opinion: we're all humans. Being such, we owe it to ourselves to make this world a little less screwed up any way we can. So, the next time you're at a coffee shop, buy someone's drink. Drop a dollar in a homeless man's cup. Hold the door for someone. Find a way, any way, to demonstrate your inherent goodness, and watch it spread like a wildfire. Sure, it may sound cliche and sappy, but it's nothing short of the truth.
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