On Kindness

 

Friend Xerxes the sinister-listing columnist expresses his faith in human nature in a recent column:

“ I am convinced that all of us – allowing for occasional exceptions – would like to be kind to each other. Almost everyone, confronted face to face with another’s suffering, wants to help.”

I must disagree. We were reminded this is not true in recent enough history: the Holocaust. Yes, a few people helped Jews. But don’t kid yourself—a very few. Most did not, including our own Mackenzie King government at the time, which refused Jewish refugees. Virtually everyone refused Jewish refugees, sealing their fate. Can’t just blame the Germans.

Nor was the crowd eager to help Jesus when he stood before Pilate. Even though they knew he was innocent of the charges.

Consider the parable of the Good Samaritan. The anonymous traveller is encountered by four people, or groups of people: first the robbers who beat him and leave him for dead in a ditch. Then the priest and the Levite, who walk by without helping. Then the good Samaritan. 

That’s a pretty good guide: about one in four people is genuinely kind. Most of us are just looking out for ourselves. “They came for the Jews, but I did nothing, for I was not a Jew …” About one in four is an active predator, getting a rush out of making others suffer.

The Bible also tells us of the scapegoat phenomenon. This is what happened to the Jews. People are herd animals. The mass of the herd will welcome the opportunity to deflect their bad feelings onto some designated scapegoat, so long as they think they have permission. They will have no qualms as long as some authority endorses it, or everybody else seems to be doing it.

Kindness comes naturally for small children and small animals—the maternal or paternal instinct kicks in to protect them. And only so long as they are right in front of you—otherwise most people are happy to abort or to eat a chicken or lamb.

Aside from this, it takes religion to convince some to be kind.