Bregman shows quite convincingly that the fundamental difference between humans and animals lies in the human urge to work together for the good of all and to help one another, even at the cost of personal sacrifice.
Early societies did not fight over increasingly scarce resources, but sought ways to accommodate everyone’s interests.
By nature, people are not selfish - but power corrupts.
There are soldiers who never fire their guns and instead fraternize with the enemy during the holidays. Bregman shows that people do not fight for ideologies, but because they feel for their brothers and sisters and want to help them. Generally, people abhor violence, and drinking tea with the opponent can defuse violent conflict.
Hatred, injustice and prejudice do not come naturally to humans, but are the result of failed leadership.
The book turns many common assumptions about human nature on their head. But it reinforced two of my strong convictions:
- We should assume that people, though not necessarily those in power, have good intentions.
- We need to remain wary of any type of leadership. Better think for yourself.
sounds refreshing and FLIPS OVER the constant mass media narrative that the world is falling apart. There are some bad things going on in this world for sure - but there is ALOT OF GOOD going on - one cup of tea or mug of beer at a time.
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