When you consider the fundamental nature of things, society is nothing more than collective agreement. We agree and identify with each other, that we belong with each other. that we are a collective family of sorts. And also it is agreement about certain ideas (and ideals). And while those basic principles are never universally agreed upon in their details, the essence of our agreement is pretty universal. I won't harm you and I expect that you won't act maliciously towards me. (at a bare minimum, a minimum which is
very often exceeded)
But when we indulge (and buy into - consciously or not) in representations of behavior that is in conflict with the essence of that basic understanding, we erode the bedrock of that agreement which, subtly or grossly, informs our interactions with one another. And when we're force fed a continuous stream (well the attempts are made whether we partake or not) of that erosion, the sense of security and trust in each other is lessened. Aberrant and fringe behavior against our human fellowship can morph into something that is incorrectly perceived as somewhat normal, which corrodes the sense of well-being and trust that should be the norm.
Garbage in, garbage out. If we want a better world, we have a duty to
maintain a default standard of
implicit trust in our fellow beings - trust that is by and large warranted. That's not easy to do when we absorb a steady stream of messaging to the contrary, regardless of its relative rarity in actuality in comparison to the whole.
TLDR - don't watch/read the news.
www.independent.co.uk
