Discussion»Questions»Health and Wellness» There are some diseases that we have eradicated and people don't get them any more. Why can't we ERADICATE greed and hate?
Greed and hate are not diseases. They are more like instincts. Being mammals, we people are stuck with these features because they are part of our survival system. Creation gave them to us along with fear and other stuff.
Good point though I detect an inconsistancy in your comment. These emotions are indeed outgrowths of our instinctive survival mechanisms, ingrained through countless generations of experience, which is a function of our evolution. The concept of "Creation" as is typically cited, is incongruent with generational evolution.
Facets of human nature are not treatable in the same manner as diseases are. In fact, very few diseases can be cured, even fewer have been totally eradicated, many can only be managed. By comparison, hate and greed (like their opposites love and empathy) are learned, but are the residue of poor or poorly directed upbringing, a lack of mentoring. One cannot teach a person to NOT be ill, but we can teach and model how NOT to be hateful or greedy.
This post was edited by Don Barzini at September 17, 2017 8:32 AM MDT
Thank you for your thoughtful and helpful reply DonB and Happy Sunday to thee. The song in South Pacific says it best. "You have to be carefully taught" to hate. I think some folks take to it like ducks to water. Others don't. Different strokes. I'm going to ask another question pertaining to this. Perhaps it will appeal to you.
B.H.Wilson 