How many would be kind if we were not taught, from earliest childhood, that kindness is a good thing?
Steven, it is unlikely anyone will run an 20-year scientific experiment, in hopes of getting an answer to your question. It would be too risky, because there is always the possibility that all those children who were deliberately not "taught" that kindness is a good thing might indeed turn into anti-social monsters. But I'm willing to bet that the probability of that happening is very low.
I have always held that the doctrine of Predestination is a wicked, wicked doctrine. But I have to admit there's a sort of psychological truth in it: observation of our fellow humans suggests that some folks are born "saved," while others are born "damned." In other, non-theological, words, goodness/kindness comes naturally to some people. Unlike the rest of us sinners, they don't even have to work at it. <gr-r-r!>
The more I think about it, I wonder whether your question may not be a non-question. Man is a social animal. He is raised in a society. Even if he is not specifically told (i.e., "taught") that certain behaviors are desirable/undesirable, he is still going to learn by observing how others in the society behave. Remove him from societal influences (and models of behavior) altogether, and you will end up with a freak, not a human.
Joan |
