Wednesday 23 July 2014
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Monday 21 July 2014
“VICTIM-BLAMING
is not just about avoiding culpability—it’s
also about avoiding vulnerability. The more innocent a victim, the more
threatening they are. Victims threaten our sense that the world is a safe and
moral place, where good things happen to good people and bad things happen to
bad people. When bad things happen to good people, it implies that no one is
safe, that no matter how good we are, we too could be vulnerable. The idea that
misfortune can be random, striking anyone at any time, is a terrifying thought,
and yet we are faced every day with evidence that it may be true.
(…)Research has found,
not surprisingly, that people who believe that the world is a just place are happier and less
depressed. But this happiness may come at a cost—it may reduce our empathy for
those who are suffering, and we may even contribute to their suffering by increasing
stigmatization.
(…)One way to help make
the world a better place to fight the impulse to rationalize others’ suffering,
and to recognize that it could have just as soon been us in their shoes.
This recognition can be
unsettling, but it may also be the only way that we can truly open our hearts
to others’ suffering and help them feel supported and less alone.
What the world may lack in justice we can at least try to make up for in
compassion.”
“VICTIM-BLAMING
is not just about avoiding culpability—it’s
also about avoiding vulnerability. The more innocent a victim, the more
threatening they are. Victims threaten our sense that the world is a safe and
moral place, where good things happen to good people and bad things happen to
bad people. When bad things happen to good people, it implies that no one is
safe, that no matter how good we are, we too could be vulnerable. The idea that
misfortune can be random, striking anyone at any time, is a terrifying thought,
and yet we are faced every day with evidence that it may be true.
(…)Research has found,
not surprisingly, that people who believe that the world is a just place are happier and less
depressed. But this happiness may come at a cost—it may reduce our empathy for
those who are suffering, and we may even contribute to their suffering by increasing
stigmatization.
(…)One way to help make
the world a better place to fight the impulse to rationalize others’ suffering,
and to recognize that it could have just as soon been us in their shoes.
This recognition can be
unsettling, but it may also be the only way that we can truly open our hearts
to others’ suffering and help them feel supported and less alone.
What the world may lack in justice we can at least try to make up for in
compassion.”
“VICTIM-BLAMING
is not just about avoiding culpability—it’s
also about avoiding vulnerability. The more innocent a victim, the more
threatening they are. Victims threaten our sense that the world is a safe and
moral place, where good things happen to good people and bad things happen to
bad people. When bad things happen to good people, it implies that no one is
safe, that no matter how good we are, we too could be vulnerable. The idea that
misfortune can be random, striking anyone at any time, is a terrifying thought,
and yet we are faced every day with evidence that it may be true.
(…)Research has found,
not surprisingly, that people who believe that the world is a just place are happier and less
depressed. But this happiness may come at a cost—it may reduce our empathy for
those who are suffering, and we may even contribute to their suffering by increasing
stigmatization.
(…)One way to help make
the world a better place to fight the impulse to rationalize others’ suffering,
and to recognize that it could have just as soon been us in their shoes.
This recognition can be
unsettling, but it may also be the only way that we can truly open our hearts
to others’ suffering and help them feel supported and less alone.
What the world may lack in justice we can at least try to make up for in
compassion.”
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