What I'm saying is, that empathy is a variable quantity/quality in people, just like everything else. When someone says, "I just can't understand why people do/don't...", you could call that reaction in itself a lack of empathy on both sides.
It isn't just you, but everyone has different priorities. I don't find it at all surprising that some people put themselves first most of the time - we all have to put ourselves first some of the time.
I still don't think that the human race is getting, on average, ruder and more self-involved. The range of selfishness which is currently considered `normal' in our culture may have drifted a bit over the past 20 years, but I seriously doubt that the capicity of humans to be selfish or selfless has changed at all.
A lot of what we all do is governed by what we think that we can get away with - the controlling forces include conscience, the disapproval of our peers, family or community, and of course, the law. I find it just as rational to have the ethic `look after No. 1' as I do, `be altrustic' - in practice, we all have to do both to some extent.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2002-12-16 01:34 am (UTC)It isn't just you, but everyone has different priorities. I don't find it at all surprising that some people put themselves first most of the time - we all have to put ourselves first some of the time.
I still don't think that the human race is getting, on average, ruder and more self-involved. The range of selfishness which is currently considered `normal' in our culture may have drifted a bit over the past 20 years, but I seriously doubt that the capicity of humans to be selfish or selfless has changed at all.
A lot of what we all do is governed by what we think that we can get away with - the controlling forces include conscience, the disapproval of our peers, family or community, and of course, the law. I find it just as rational to have the ethic `look after No. 1' as I do, `be altrustic' - in practice, we all have to do both to some extent.