A society based on loving and kindness definitely has the possibility of being stable… on an extremely small scale. Kindness and love can be the foundation of a small-scale operation like a Buddhist monastery. Love and kindness can get you far in life and can enrich relationships. However I don’t think that a larger society or most of today’s societies could be based merely on kindness, compassion, and love. In the US, we place a large value on the common good. For the common good to exist, there have to be some that don’t agree with choices made by the government. Because everyone has a different view on what is “unkind”, not everyone can be pleased. Our society is cutthroat and in regards to applying for jobs and attempting to excel in the corporate world, the people most skilled for their job will succeed even if they aren’t the most loving and compassionate person. Plus, not everyone believes that love is the way to solve our problems. This would cause conflict because of people's conflicting views and values. Don’t get me wrong I love kindness and love and all of that but I just don’t think it is realistic to live your life according to the “all you need is love” mindset. We need more than that to be the foundation of our society.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i did not mean to make that font so big...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you can evaluate a society based on love in the context of our own society. Yes, the corporate world is cutthroat in *this* society, but what about in a society where everyone loves one another? Would there even be a corporate world? Also, if there was a society where everyone loved one another, wouldn't they tend to believe that love is the way to solve problems? Or at least interact with respect and care as they find a solution?
ReplyDeleteI agree that a society based on love and kindness works much better on a small scale because it is more controllable and less room for error. I also agree that conflict and competition, which is a major part of today's society, creates hate and messes up the love and kindness base.
ReplyDeleteHi, Ms. Mega Font.
ReplyDeleteScy K's comment is mine as well. You started well, but lost site of the question.
The question of whether we can achieve it or not in our society is secondary to the question of whether or not it would produce the desired result. I want to know if a society governed solely by love and kindness is even worth trying to achieve. See where I'm coming from?
The answer isn’t as obvious as you seem to think. Visualize what a society would be like if everyone was taught from birth to be nice and to think about others before themselves. Would there be things like laws and schools (civil order)? Would it be “loving” to set a speed limit? Would there be things like families and dating (social order)? Remember, we’d need to love everybody equally—no favorites! Just because people are kind to you, would you necessarily have a happy life?
Also, don’t forget about the other part of my question: if love isn’t enough, then what else is needed? Was Confucius on to something when he spoke of li?