The Root Causes of Human Cruelty

The Root Causes of Human Cruelty

I recently came across J.D. Roth’s insightful and touching article about his journey of self-transformation, starting from his primary school days when he was bullied and labeled as a geek. Initially, he found happiness within his small group of geeks but soon realized there was a social hierarchy, and geeks were at the bottom.

Reading his story took me back to my own school years, sparking memories of how cruel kids could be to each other. I wasn’t part of the popular crowd, nor was I a geek. Instead, I was more of a loner, often lost in my daydreams. Being one of the top students, I gained teachers’ approval without being a teacher’s pet, making me somewhat invisible among my peers. However, in middle school, I tried to break into the popular group by putting others down to appear superior. This behavior was both mean and foolish, and it didn’t bring me any happiness. When I moved on to high school, I made an effort to be more outgoing and formed strong friendships.

Being mean never took me anywhere good. It reminds me of the song lyric that says, “Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me and all you’re ever gonna be is mean.” This rings true, and in the adult world, I still don’t understand why people feel the need to be unkind to each other.

I’m not someone who spreads peace and love all the time. Some days, I don’t feel like greeting everyone with a smile. But I can’t bring myself to be intentionally mean. Even though others have said or done hurtful things to me repeatedly, they never gained anything from it.

On the flip side, I believe constructive criticism and heartfelt advice can genuinely help someone. Think about the difference between telling someone, “Look how fat you are, you should just stay home,” versus saying, “I know it’s tough being overweight. How about we go to the gym together? It’ll be hard at first, but you’ll feel great in a few months.” The latter approach can make a real difference.

I wish people wouldn’t feel so insecure that they feel the need to mock and be mean to others.