Learned Behaviors

Perhaps it's my never-ending desire to see the good in everyone, rather than the bad, as being their primary driving motive. Perhaps I'm just being stubborn. Perhaps it's the fact that I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast and am therefore not thinking 100% straight. But I just don't believe that we as human being are inherently unjust. I feel that it is something which is taught to us from the moment of our birth, through our subconscious, from watching those around us. I believe that we are raised to fit into our society, not to be the most just, the most wise, and the most virtuous. That is why, in my opinion, we have things like the "hood" and "high class society."

Children born into “more virtuous” homes are raised that lying is ALWAYS wrong, and stealing is a crime. However, in those same homes, there can be heard a whispered, "but lying is okay in certain situations." How do we expect our young people to automatically know what those certain situations are? Also, when we teach that lying is always wrong, and then come back and undermine that statement by saying "but sometimes..." we are creating a situation in which the young people will start to question the edge parameters of when it's good to lie and when it's not. And they're right. Where is the line between right and wrong?

The same is true for the rest of the human population. I mean, if you think about it, why do behaviors of children and teenagers raised 200+ years ago seem so similar to the children and teenagers of today? I believe it is passed down from generation to generation, and we don't even mean to, or intend to inflict these expectations on our young. But we still do it. And our young have no other source to draw from except the imperfections of the human race. We’re taught from a young age that it’s survival of the fittest. And it is. Even if that means we sometimes have to lie, cheat, or do something else that is not entirely honest to be considered “the fittest.”

Now that I’m over my mild aggravation from Wednesday that I had toward my sister, the only thing I would change about my statements regarding what I would do with an invisibility ring, is this: I wouldn't sneak up on my sister to scare her. I would still like to get on a plane to go anywhere, but if I’m being truthful with myself, and I had the invisibility ring, I don’t think I would use it to get out of buying a ticket. I honestly believe that I would stay exactly the same as I am now, visible and able to receive punishment for my actions. I think the only reasons why I would ever use the ring would be to donate to people in need without being seen doing it, and to get away from people sometimes. Now, let me explain about the first one. I enjoy doing charity work simply to see how happy it makes people, or to see how it improves their life. I hate it when I give something to a friend simply as a gift, and knowing that they feel the urge to repay me for it. That defeats the purpose of me giving it to you. So I would use the ring to help people without being seen by those I’m helping. But that’s it. I wouldn't go rob a bank, kill a man, or anything like that. I just have zero desire to do anything like that. But maybe that’s just me?