April Remson asked...
Asked by April Remson - 01/10/09 at 04:10 amIs it right for an adult to base their current negative actions on the way he/she was raised or shouldn’t there be, in each of us, an innate desire to do good even if never have been taught right from wrong as a child?
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October 1st, 2009 at 11:56 am
Perhaps ‘doing good’ is only a product of social conditioning, it is how society would like us to behave, and is effectively a set of rules (some unspoken) that suggest how we should behave and act towards others.
These rules need to be taught, and as we grow up within these rules we become party to them. To grow up devoid of these rules would either cause someone to air on the side of instinct, something that many of us have lost touch with, or to live by the rules imposed on, or suggested to them as they were growing up.
What is the norm for someone is often reflected in how they behave as they grow up, so if they are treated badly, they will often treat others badly.
There is also a psychological perspective, whereby a person may live in a bubble of abuse and neglect throughout their childhood only to make the realisation as they grow up, that this is not normal, they may then end up going against the norm because they feel that it has somehow done them an injustice, or feel out of touch with normality.
Of course a negative upbringing doesn’t always spawn negative behavior, for some it can give them the impetus to say “enough is enough” and make a positive change to their lives.
Remember that the core innate desires in all of us are to survive and procreate, good is a human creation born of our instinct to be compassionate. Compassion is an instinct designed to help us be protective and care for our immediate family, tribe or clan, it’s just that as the global community has grown larger, the lines have become blurred.
To answer the question in a nutshell, it may be right for them to do so, but may be viewed as wrong in the eyes of others.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Yes, and Yes.