Selfishness, Greed and Hate run the world, can selflessness, generosity, and love overpower?

by EndofMysteries 16 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  EndofMysteries

  I was pondering, there is a reaction for every action. After being hit with so much greed and selfishness, it's contagious, hardens people, and spreads like a virus.

  Would a large enough crowd, and we are talking a percentage of the world, publically announcing their disgust with their own lives being run by those things, and leading by example, could start a chain reaction of guilt and everyone seeing the positive result wanting to be a part of this, changing themselves. Very unlikely, would take such a big amount of positive energy and a shock value and large enough crowd, where everyone in the world would have some within their own network involved.
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  bohm

  "After being hit with so much greed and selfishness, it's contagious,
  ...
  Would a large enough crowd, and we are talking a percentage of the world, publically announcing their disgust with their own lives being run by those things"

  big words. that statement carries quite a superior attitude towards others.
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  hamsterbait

  if humanity really is as greedy selfish and filled with hate as you seem to think our species would have died out LONG ago.

  It is only the repositories of ignorance purloined by the Shemitic peoples that promote the idea that man is defective corrupt evil and egged on to badness by invisible desert jinns. Or talking snakes.

  The fact that most people see greed and hate for what they are shows us that this is not the norm.

  Go to any school - who are the odd-one-out? The weirdos, the selfish the spiteful the hateful kids. Normal kids avoid them - their natural instincts tell them its bad.

  HB
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  EndofMysteries

  those things (as in their OWN actions) not the actions of others, trying to break the cycle.
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  hamsterbait

  Endof -

  All of us can change the world. Only in a tiny way, but with the right starting conditions it can ripple out across time and really make a difference.

  I choose to change MYSELF. Usually trying to change the world makes things a whole lot worse.

  HB
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  EndofMysteries

  We are in a sense protected compared to many other countries. We don't have people dying in the US because of starvation, or slaughter because of religious beliefs or how one was born, etc.

  We have 'civility', not many will go against one in very clear wrong things.

  Yet, greed and selfishness is a big part of our society. How many THOUSANDS if not hundreds of thousands have had massive paycuts BECAUSE company wants to make the stock or the CEO's to get their 'bonus', or many loose their jobs for a stock report or again board of directors bonus. How often are things done which do hurt others based on money?

  Those people are 'civil', they may give somebody something if they saw them starving to death, but overall if it's not KILLING someone, they have no problem being unethical and hardships brought on others.

  Here is another one, I thought about recently. Most have negative feelings about immigrants. Now ask yourself, WHY do they want to live here? Because they can barely feed their family in their own country? Because they can't get good healthcare? On our side, they are trying to get what they don't deserve. In what way do 'we' deserve these things? Just the fact we happened to be lucky enough to be born in this country? If we were born in their country, would we not want to do the same thing and get a better life? Most are tight financially trying to keep up w/ bills for all the non essential things of life they have.

  Overall, I'd call the majority attitude civil, but few in this world display true love. If your one of them, then please keep at it!
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  EndofMysteries

  Yes hamsterbait, that was the point I was trying to make. If just a few change themselves, it can do some good, we must change ourselves to start. If MANY MANY were changing themselves, would the ripple effect become a tidal wave?
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  cult classic

  I think that the negative influences in the world most definitely can be exchanged if a large enough crowd were moved to take action. Things are very bad in many parts of the world. The selfishness, greed and hate in some countries is clear among those who have no voice in the world. It's just that their plight is not easily examined because it exposes the crimes being committed against them.

  Certainly had a significant crowd combined their voices and actions during the Rawandan wars and presently in the Congo and other ravaged lands a huge dent could have been made in the suffering those people experience.

  And of course there are many many loving hearted people who give selflessly of their time, money and energy and pick up a cause to help those who are suffering.
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  Terry

  I'm afraid the laws of Physics deal only with the physical.

  I don't think it is correct to state that Selfishness, Greed and Hate run the world.

  None of those words are actual things. They are descriptions of value placed on actions measured against some standard.

  People create opportunities. To co-operate toward certain goals others join in. Few people do things purely for evil intent. Everyone justifies their part in an enterprise by invoking "need."

  I stole because I "needed" the money. That sort of thing.

  Money is a means toward ends.

  Having the power to satisfy your needs is what keeps us alive. Knowing the distinction between our "needs" and our "wants" is another matter.

  Unchecked by oversight any person can create harm. But, few harms continue institutionally without considerable co-operation from others.

  It is called the "sanction of the victim."

  When we allow what we see as a harm or evil and we don't step up to stop it---we become part of the empowerment of that evil.

  The passive act of thinking "somebody" should stop so and so is part of that evil.

  Participation is part of the equation.

  One good act by one person can create a wave of response.

  It all begins with recognizing how powerful we are when it comes to countering harm.

  Be a voice.
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  Gregor

  Read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. It is actually quite encouraging.

  The posters lament, "why can't we all just get along?", is music to the ears of the powerful and corrupt. The powerful and corrupt are in the ascendancy right now because of the leftist and Islamic movements in the world.