Positive Psychology

Human beings are capable of a wide range of emotions and behaviors. Neuroscience has showed us many specific brain regions within complex interconnections that operate emotionality, decision making, compassion, aggression and thus motivation. These biological ties to genetic determinations are strong, but so is the environment one reacts with as well as acquired skills to negotiate through ones environment. The idea that disgust and aggression are largely biologically explainable is a very logical assertion. Community evolved for survival and a large part of a successful community is sharing and aiding others in one’s community. If a member violates this, it threatens their group cohesion thus a punishment will ensue. Thus, the community feels disgust or anger and this must be revenged. Many animals do this, especially humans. Punishment remains a changing and enforced discussion, as evident by the innumerable prisoners housed away for a similar almost unending list of can and cannot’s that adorn all modernized cultures, which can be traced back throughout the history of cultural development. If it can be quantified, I’m confident that humans would take the prize in most frequent use of punishment (the innumerable amounts of death through war, religion, property, power, enslavement, genocide, etc.) If examined these can all be traced back to the Homo-Sapiens unchallenged revenge characteristics.

Many would agree that punishment is necessary to maintain a functioning civilization. Can this same logic be agreed upon when talking about forgiveness and kindness, within a community in the same way as aggression and punishment? From the readings on forgiveness and elevation, I would like to assert that yes this can be evolutionarily linked. In the same way that a community must punish wrong doing, a community must, if not more automatically, promote forgiveness and kindness. In a way, punishment is already distinguishing right from wrong, but without also nurturing individual character strengths as well as their knowledge and capabilities in forgiveness and kindness, a community will in effect, suffer. Statistically speaking, it is obvious that in communities with low police presence and wealth stratification, causing basic needs to go unmet, aggression and crime flourish. This is because these communities have little other remaining resources (cultural capital, economic standing, quality of education, role models, social relationships) for survival. If you let them steal from you, you will not survive, thus revenge as well as preemptive actions increase in frequency. It is a cycle often observed within violent communities.

From this information, one can apply the same cycles in communities with low crime rates as well as above baseline economic standing. These communities have had their baseline needs met, they have more protection from violence thus are not obligated to face revenge as often. If these communities are also taught high moral standards for forgiveness kindness and altruistic acts, the community will then have the room to utilize their forgiveness abilities, rather than defense based reactions. Fortunately, we do not have to assume communities value teaching each other this. If one were to read through popular children stories and fairy tales, those virtues are found all over the pages. Forgiveness and kindness are not exception and are at the top of the list in morality socialization. This is not only true for children, religion is something that dates back so far in history that it is impossible to separate religion from cultural understanding. These religious figures promote these values and explicitly say that to be forgiven you must forgive and be kind, or the ascertain bliss you must give all to others and live only in kindness and love. Though this only scratches the surface of religious teachings, the link between community and forgiveness is deeply intertwined in cultural development. To co-exist one must know how to let aggressions go, if not for yourself, for your religion and/or the greater good of the community.

Though a utopian society it improbable if not entirely impossible, there is a lot of promise in focusing on promoting these positive characteristics within a society. It’s already known that most are capable. It’s about practicing it, not just through actions but through ideological challenges and compassionate thought. All the books say that punishment, in most cases, promotes aggression, distrust, low self-esteem and many other negative symptoms. So instead of focusing the most time and resources on how to hurt the bad people, we should nurture the good people and teach new members of the community these values. Though murderers will still be murderers and there will be a need to punish, these concepts could reduce these occurrences.

First and foremost, we have to meet the communities baseline needs of security and safety. I do not believe that we could globally change if we do not meet these basic needs. I would not care if someone said ‘don’t do that, it’s wrong’ if I knew that was the only way I could prevent sleeping outside that night or going another day without food, or medication I may need. I don’t see anyone eliminating poverty anytime soon, but this is important to note that for those who do have their baseline needs met, to go out and help those who don’t. Even though you won’t be fixing their life, you will remind them that they are important and cared about too, and that good people are out there.