Powerful New Video and Op-Ed from Mikey Weinstein: “Does Half of the Human Race Lack Empathy in its DNA?”
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“Like most of you, I sit back in gobsmacked amazement at the dangerous, perilous, and deep divides I am seeing around the world and especially here in America. People whom I thought would never EVER harbor hate, prejudice, and bigotry towards their fellow world citizens and fellow Americans blast it out as easily and effortlessly as they seem to breathe. …
“As I said earlier, I have found one common denominator that seems to predict which side the people I know are on; EMPATHY, or the lack thereof.
“Look, here’s the bedrock truth of my personal experiences: those who count themselves in the ‘MAGA crowd’ simply do not seem to have any. PERIOD!”
— MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein
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I’ve empathy to spare. Born with it, kind of a curse instead of a gift when having to defend myself against my peers. It’s not just that I care but I feel. If I could share it I would. Hard to harm another when you harm yourself too.
I have a hypothesis as to why we’ve arrived to here/now. The entire issue is massively complicated with pictures and arrows and paragraphs on the back. The bumper sticker is easier – as goes the leader, so go the followers.
Meaning if a leader aka Voice of Authority tells their people in the name of their faith or ideology who to hate or how to interpret the sacred texts, then their whole message and existence will echo that hate and lack of curiosity.
It’s important to note what stands in the center: is it love of all or is it hate of everything considered other?
I am personally aware of quite a few opinions on this matter. Those who feel that they are somehow at war or who at least feel threatened by others who have reached their own conclusions about religion do not seem to be willing to recognize anyone’s right to an opinion that does not match theirs. There is also no middle ground. One must take sides. Of course, I am primarily talking about some dogmatic Christian denominations and sects because this is where my exposure lies; but I think my thoughts apply to all extremist groups of any religion, based upon a lifetime of observation. I have studied Judeo-Christian religions for many years in an effort to understand why this problem of intolerance seems to persist, even though it is really a minority-driven situation. I think that I have a reasonably good understanding of why and how the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions and their major offshoots got to where they are; but it does not make sense unless one adds non-religious elements into the mix to stir things up and motivate for power, control, and profit. Ironically, neither Islam nor Christianity make any sense unless one also understands their foundation in Jewish beginnings. Pretty much every division in religions of all types results from similar motivations and focuses on minor details to sow discord. Still, most religions teach some very similar things that just have always made sense. When I speak with anyone who believes that the Bible is inerrant and the specific word of God as written in the Bible that they use, I find that inevitably they have not actually read the book; nor do they understand the underlying oral tradition and the fact that all Bibles are the result of multiple translations. I know a number or people who believe that Donald Trump was chosen by God to win the last election and that Putin is a good man, yet gloss over the golden rule. There is some serious manipulation of ignorance going on in the world. The state of religions is not a coincidental phenomenon. I can accept that any person can have a completely different religious view from my own which is understandable and their right, as with all opinions. The reverse is seldom true. Ultimately, what is actually true about God or not is not going to be changed one bit by what one believes. It is what it is. I know that I exist. It only makes sense that I am not the acme of creation in the Universe. My belief may align me with the truth in a beneficial way, or maybe not. But my belief will not change what is actually true. The ultimate truth of existence was always and will always be true; and will probably be inaccessible to mankind, maybe forever.