Human Nature

[Alan V]

There is a popular saying in Arab cultures that partially goes something like this: "the relative before the stranger".

I think in terms of tendencies, we are selfish and tribalistic by nature, and it's hard to see this not being the case. But (typically) as we mature and become more rational with time, we realize other people (including people from groups outside of our own) actually do matter and that we should care about their rights and plights as well. This applies not just at the individual level, but also societal level as well (which may explain why we care more about the plights of minorities than ever before).

But of course, people are flawed and we don't all grow and mature equally (if ever), so there are bound to be those who refuse to allow for this type of progression, and continue to cause/allow harm for others perceived to be different from us and/or unworthy of our considerations.

I most certainly think there are many good people in the world.  However, since our human nature remains essentially subjective and therefore opportunistic, such good people will likely always remain a minority.  We simply don't have the educational systems to deal with our problems, and even those systems are under attack by reactionaries worldwide.