Can we talk?

Is Mankind Inherantly Evil?

    For years, I thought Anne Frank was very smart for a young girl, and agreed with her that people are basically good. In my advanced age, I have come to believe it was adolescent hopefulness and wishful thinking in the midst of terrible circumstances.

    With the current violence and greed in Mexico, the vast drama of corporate greed and materialism, and the numerous Ponzi schemers, I now believe that mankind is basically evil. Man looks out for himself and will do anything for his own advancement. If left unattended, undisciplined, he will wreak havoc on himself and the world around him. It is the fear of being caught or being punished which keeps in check the perversity of our society, at least to some degree. Apparently, we have become too lax with our discipline.

    I agree that there are some do-gooders, some who live in a moral framework. But that does not come naturally. We have to be taught to care about others. We have to be taught to love, to nurture, to aid the afflicted. We have to be taught to think about the consequences of our actions and even to treasure human life. We are not born knowing how to be parents, how to respect others and their property, or how to be good citizens. When the family breaks down, and the schools break down, values are not passed to the next generation, nor is discipline upheld. And the fact that fewer people are going to church or synagogue means that those institutions aren't passing on values either.

    Unfortunately when things are bad enough for the government to step in, as now, it's too late to take preventive measures or to teach perspective. It's more a matter of punishment and band-aids. Right now we need to establish clear lines and spell out the consequences of crossing those lines, and make clear what the punishment will be, and be tough enough to follow through. The same is true for banking, insurance, and other businesses, all of whom have not had much regulation or guidelines for operating, investing, or making payrolls and bonuses, and drug users. We need to stiffen the penalties for intention to distribute or to sell drugs and misappropriating funds. We need better trained police and better border patrols.

      And schools need to work with the police forces or have people from the police department installed in the schools. Teachers should not be asked to play a role in criminal investigations. But when a kid from the barrio comes to school in an expensive sports car, a police officer needs to be investigating. And if you can't count on parents or churches for moral teaching, then the schools will have to fill the slot. Regular teachers, however, do not have the proper background. There should actually be separate academic teachers or specialists who instruct children at an early age in ethics and citizenship without sounding like communists.

    Right now, people don't feel any boundaries, as individuals or as a culture. They don't understand their role in the universe, or the finality of their time on earth. I think man will go on being evil until the end of time, except when and where individuals are taught that there is a better way and taught to want what is honorable.