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Oct. 12th, 2002 08:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrewduckerPeople have an empathy sphere (or circle, if you prefer to think in 2D).
It's strongest about your immediate spouse/family, then friends, then other acquaintances, other people you see occasionally, people in your city, people you can see yourself knowing, people you can imagine yourself being and so on, until we hit chimpanzees, rabbits, other cute animals, less cute animals, reptiles, insects, flowers, trees, landscapes and then finally rocks (the order, of course, varies from person to person).
Most people care up to a certain point, can appreciate other people caring a bit further and then can't understand why anyone gives a damn about cows, for goodness sake!
Obviously, most people's caring doesn't even extend to "people in other countries who speak an incomprehensible language and have funny looking eyes".
Which is rather depressing.
It's strongest about your immediate spouse/family, then friends, then other acquaintances, other people you see occasionally, people in your city, people you can see yourself knowing, people you can imagine yourself being and so on, until we hit chimpanzees, rabbits, other cute animals, less cute animals, reptiles, insects, flowers, trees, landscapes and then finally rocks (the order, of course, varies from person to person).
Most people care up to a certain point, can appreciate other people caring a bit further and then can't understand why anyone gives a damn about cows, for goodness sake!
Obviously, most people's caring doesn't even extend to "people in other countries who speak an incomprehensible language and have funny looking eyes".
Which is rather depressing.
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Date: 2002-10-12 09:42 pm (UTC)This must be why there's not much sympathy in the world for us Americans. 9_9
no subject
Date: 2002-10-13 06:52 am (UTC)Wow... I'll have to look at more people's eyes.
On the empathy note... Well, I'll go put it on my LJ
Adam