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Stalin was clinically diagnosed as being paranoid - I wouldn't call that "insecurity." That would be akin to calling the Pacific Ocean a "mud puddle." In this case, it isn't his insecurity that caused his evil, it was his mental disorder that was the culprit.
Hitler was only insecure when it came to sex and women. I very much doubt that Hitler started WWII and orchestrated the Holocaust because he was sexually frustrated. At the height of his power, he could have had sex with half the girls in Germany but he decided not to.
I think what causes most evil is a lack of empathy. When we cannot put ourselves in the victim's shoes and ask if we would want that done to us, evil is all too easy to commit. Money is a catalyst for that type of mindset, whereby the love and want of money overrides any empathic feelings we might have.
And if you believe in God then hey, he designed us that way, so shake your fist at him. He's the one who made us so susceptible to greed and avarice. When he put Adam and Eve in that garden, we as humans never had a chance.
cat·a·lyst
ˈkad(ə)ləst/
noun
a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. a person or thing that precipitates an event.
"the governor's speech acted as a catalyst for debate"
Yes, too much insecurity and lack of empathy are bad. But also too little insecurity and too much empathy can be bad. You have to find the middle way.
Yep, no argument there.
I live with my 91 year-old grandmother who suffers from dementia. Because of this, she has adopted a purely altruistic life with no selfish needs or wants ... at all.
Thus if she sees me standing in an archway, she'll immediately ask if I want to sit where she's sitting and will start getting up. She'll try to put on my coat for me, she'll horde food that is supposed to be for her, but she saves it for me just in case I'm hungry. She frets, fusses, and dotes on everything I do ...
And it drives me absolutely CRAZY!
Yes, pure altruism and too much empathy is overbearing, annoying, and pushy. Without some degree of selfishness, believe it or not, most people would eventually get sick of it and avoid being around you.
cat·a·lyst
ˈkad(ə)ləst/
noun
a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. a person or thing that precipitates an event.
"the governor's speech acted as a catalyst for debate"
Stalin was clinically diagnosed as being paranoid - I wouldn't call that "insecurity." That would be akin to calling the Pacific Ocean a "mud puddle." In this case, it isn't his insecurity that caused his evil, it was his mental disorder that was the culprit.
Hitler was only insecure when it came to sex and women. I very much doubt that Hitler started WWII and orchestrated the Holocaust because he was sexually frustrated. At the height of his power, he could have had sex with half the girls in Germany but he decided not to.
I think what causes most evil is a lack of empathy. When we cannot put ourselves in the victim's shoes and ask if we would want that done to us, evil is all too easy to commit. Money is a catalyst for that type of mindset, whereby the love and want of money overrides any empathic feelings we might have.
And if you believe in God then hey, he designed us that way, so shake your fist at him. He's the one who made us so susceptible to greed and avarice. When he put Adam and Eve in that garden, we as humans never had a chance.
Paranoia is defined as constant fear of betrayal. A secure (healthy) person does not constantly worry that others are out to get them.
Empathy is lack of connection with one's fellow man. Lack of empathy usually stems from a cause, except in the case of sociopaths. This cause is usually human sadness and desperation, or a feeling that other humans don't really care for them.
Greed = lack of resources plus insecurity.
A person who is starving to death will originally do desperate things to stay alive. But a person in poverty who is suicidal will never attempt to steal, because they are OK with dying.
God designed us to be what we wanted. I don't feel any great desire for money. Don't blame your hangup on God.
Also, Shinra, you're a meanie. Refusing that old woman's kindness.
I live with my 91 year-old grandmother who suffers from dementia. Because of this, she has adopted a purely altruistic life with no selfish needs or wants ... at all.
Thus if she sees me standing in an archway, she'll immediately ask if I want to sit where she's sitting and will start getting up. She'll try to put on my coat for me, she'll horde food that is supposed to be for her, but she saves it for me just in case I'm hungry. She frets, fusses, and dotes on everything I do ...
And it drives me absolutely CRAZY!
Yes, pure altruism and too much empathy is overbearing, annoying, and pushy. Without some degree of selfishness, believe it or not, most people would eventually get sick of it and avoid being around you.
Yes, my s.o.'s grandmother has that exact issue and I could handle it in short bursts, but her family really can't since they are always with her. Trying too hard comes to mind, and her family's worry for her getting into problems by trying too much to help even though she really can't. Plus, the awkwardness of having to remind her over and over again that she shouldn't inconvenience herself in her old age, and that what she tries to give, a lot of the time others weren't asking for nor would need or want.
Also, Shinra, you're a meanie. Refusing that old woman's kindness.
Actually, I refuse her kindness for her own safety. A number of things she does (or wants to do) would put her at great risk of a fall. I've already dealt with 3 falls in the past year that put her in the hospital. The problem with her is that she's too mobile for her own good. Most 91 year-old grandmas (who weigh less than their age) are content to sit comfortably in a chair and engage in a hobby, watch their favorite shows, etc.
Not her. She has to be up in your business 24/7 - even to the extent of coming into my room at night to wake me up just to make sure I'm not dead.
Like I said with my original point - you need to have a degree of selfishness or you'll end up rubbing everyone around you raw to the nerve. Even my mother, who spent 20 years educating special needs kids, is losing her patience. My grandmother's altruism is not warm and fuzzy, it is intrusive, pushy, and degrading.
Yes, my s.o.'s grandmother has that exact issue and I could handle it in short bursts, but her family really can't since they are always with her. Trying too hard comes to mind, and her family's worry for her getting into problems by trying too much to help even though she really can't. Plus, the awkwardness of having to remind her over and over again that she shouldn't inconvenience herself in her old age, and that what she tries to give, a lot of the time others weren't asking for nor would need or want.
Yep ...
It's just as my uncle once said to her: "Sometimes the best help you can give is not to help."
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