Where does our faith in humanity originate?

Tnu1138

I just don't get it. I keep going through rather extremely melancholy moods lately where I just can't figure this out. Just recently I felt like I lost the greatest thing I ever had in years and it's killing me. I feel like I’m a pariah like I don't belong to the world because I see it as a broken thing that is bludgeoning its components to death. Why do we hold faith in humanity?

Vorpy

Humanity is this weird thing where you have to care about human society as a whole. I only care about myself, humanity is not important to me as long as people continue to make things I enjoy and keep my life in tip-top shape.

So what if a creeper raped and murdered 13 girls, or an insane mother is eating her children? They are not making my life any worse by doing so, so FUCK THEM.

Tnu1138

Vorpy.....That was kind of hot.

BaronGrackle

Faith that humanity is worth preserving and protecting? Or faith that humanity generally acts sensibly? The first question will have different answers based on faith systems or biological instinct. As for the second one, I'd say few believe it to be true!

Tnu1138

I've been having Nervious breakdowns ever since i turned twenty and nowit'sonly getting worse I don't know hwat to do about it! Now that i've lost t he TV Tropes Community to  qutie a big extent I just odn't know how to cope with it i'm getting Therapy but that won't solve the current problem I just can't take it anymore! life just feels like one constant BSOD just one big mess.

LouieW

Tnu1138,
I cannot speak to your specific situation, but I think that people hold faith in humanity because of the great things that people can do. This probably will sound rather sappy, but I think that everyone has the potential to do good inside them. Now, I can agree with the idea that people often do not live up to their full potentials in that respect (I know I clearly do not for example), but I have heard and seen a good number of things that I believe provide evidence that that good is in there somewhere in every person.

I feel like people sometimes overemphasize the bad things and underreport how many times a random person helped them out, trusted them, or otherwise showed they actually cared for other people (I would include generally not harming other people in there too). I do not think those kinds of things need to be on the scale of curing cancer or lifting millions of people out of poverty. Personally, I believe that doing something simple like holding an elevator door for a stranger demonstrates that that sense of good is definitely out there. The fact that stuff like assault (not to mention much more grisly crimes) is illegal makes me believe that ethically people deserve some respect too.

Now, even if what I just said sounds like "sentimental slop," I think that we should have faith in humanity in order to encourage that type of kind behavior. I believe that kindness tends to foster kindness and hate tends generate hate. I think that because I feel like people are much more likely to be nice to people who treat them nicely than you curse or yell at them. I could be wrong about that, but that has generally been my experience with such matters.

Thus, I think that the best way to help make society be what you want it to be is to treat others well. In that respect, I see cynicism as self-perpetuating since I think it is pretty tough to have a better working society when absolutely no one trusts anyone else and everyone thinks that humans are just evil or dumb or whatever.

RedEyedAbyss

Yeah. If you know humans are capable of kindness, then how can humanity be all bad?

Gelzo

I guess it would be accurate to say that I have faith in humanity, but I don't think it's the best description.

I would instead refer to the things I have come to expect from people given what I have experienced. It doesn't mean much to me whether humanity is on the whole good or evil. I'm more concerned about the good that I can do in my life, and engaging in interactions that are productive towards that goal and avoiding ones that are not.

Tnu1138

because of how much of a rarity kindness is let'sface it I'm adick Id eserved what I got Ihate itIwish Inever had done it I regret my actiosn but tisnot oging to doanything. I can't copewi th reality anymore it'stoo damn big and loud and bright. It'stoo broken it'stoo screwed up! Bullet to the brainpan splat!

RedEyedAbyss

Confirmation bias. Negative actions have a greater impact on one's memory. People take positive actions for granted, thinking them normal. Negative actions are an aberration and thus stick out.

Icalasari

^^ I have to ask. What is up with the constant typos?

Tnu1138

I can't focus! Not at all not sicne then everything is going to hell.

curiousTraitor

the spellchecker reminds him of his flaws, so he turned it off.

Tnu1138

shut it Traitor. I don't even use Browser based Spellcheckers they don't work half the time.

Icalasari

All you need is for it to work half the time =/

If you can't concentrate, then use a spellchecker until you can

TheMightyAnonym

Where does faith originate? Perspective. Perspective can change everything.

If you turn your eyes and incline your ears a little this way, or a little that way, things change in ways you would never have guessed. Doing so can be difficult however, but nonetheless, you should try to stop seeing things your way, and try to see them a different way. Shits deep yo.

Observe: "Live like a king, die like a man".

Mull over that for a second. Pretty awesome quote, right? Now flip it around *bacwards*:

"Live like a man, die like a king".

That ALSO sounds like something to live by, and gives a totally different outlook from the first. If you can do that with your way of thinking. Then you stand to gain a lot.

GLORIOUSLeader

I would agree with you if you would stop breaking the forum. 

TheMightyAnonym

I got a little carried away...  But don't worry, now I just have such a rediculous title that no one will ever take me seriously.

Tnu1138

Meh I can't really see the positives outweighting thenegetives at this point.

TheMightyAnonym

Exactly.

Now see them differently. Play devil's advocate with yourself.

Gelzo

Live like an X die like a Y? I think that's a good example of a platitude, or in Trope-ish, an Ice Cream Koan.

It's kind of meaningless unless we get clear definitions of what kings and men are and in what ways they differ. I would guess that what makes a man a "king" is either luxury and/or power, and what makes a king a "man" is humility, determination, and/or integrity. Any of those things are desirable to people whether or not they are on their deathbed. So what's the use in saying it?

I'm not sure what point I'm getting at? I think it might be that you didn't have a clear one.

Oh! I guess what I wanted to say is that if something so corny and empty has the power to change your view on things, your philosophy is probably in bad shape.

TheMightyAnonym

Indeed, which is why my philosophy is way more complicated than a platitude from a Tom Hanks movie I saw ages ago.

Not the point though, I just wanted a nice simple statement that I could play with to demonstrate my point.

Tnu1138

So according to the original statement I want to die through betreyal?

TheMightyAnonym

...huh?

Tnu1138

Well generally that's how kings die.

Gelzo

I don't think that's true in terms of reality nor fiction.

Icalasari

"Live every day like you're about to be attacked by ravenous beavers"

Tnu1138

in complete shock and horror? Meh forget it just point me to the nearest exit.

Bob

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TheMightyAnonym

I think Tnu completely missed the point of my "changing perspectives" thing...

Bob

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